Ladies (and Gentlemen), Check Your Thyroid

Ladies (and Gentlemen), Check Your Thyroid

 

Ever wondered why you had trouble losing weight, had such dry skin, your hair and nails always seem brittle, and your hands and feet seem to be cold when the rest of you feels fine? Did you ever wake up in the morning feeling tired, depressed and you felt as if your heart beat was slow, rapid, or irregular? Well these symptoms along with others may be from a thyroid problem. Other symptoms of thyroid problems can be regular constipation, joint pain, muscle weakness, skin problems such as dry rough, itchy, scaly skin and puffy under-eye area.

Our thyroid function is very important in order to help keep our immune system at it’s best. There was a study performed in Germany which revealed that a large percentage of cancer patients had a low or subclinical low thyroid level. Over the years the researchers have proven that low thyroid levels can lead to illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, depression, arthritis, and much more.

Low thyroid functions are considered to be called hypothyroidism. Subclinical low thyroid is where the blood test numbers appear normal but are on the lowest side of normal. Many doctors do not recognize the low numbers and will only treat the thyroid if the numbers are clearly below the “normal range.”

When I was in medical school, we were taught that if the patient had the symptoms of low thyroid and the blood range numbers were normal however low normal, think about treating the patient with a low dose of natural thyroid. It was amazing at the life changing happiness it brought to most of these patients within days.

Here is a simple test you can perform on yourself at home. It was devised by Dr. Broda Otta Barnes around 1942 and the results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Dr Barnes didn’t consider his test to be 100% correct but he maintained that it was superior to the blood test that are being used. Many physicians especially Naturopathic physicians will use this test and sometimes back it up with the traditional blood work.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Before going to bed at night, shake down a basal body thermometer or an oral thermometer. Set it next to your bedside so it can be ready for you when you wake up. The key is that you do not stir around much once you wake up. Do this before you get out of bed, have your coffee or food.

When you wake up, put the thermometer in your armpit (axillary) touching your skin, not over your clothes. Leave for five (5) minutes. Note what the temperature is and record it.

Normal axillary temperature is in the range of 97.8 to 98.2 F. Take your temperature at least 5 days before getting out of bed. If your temperature is less than 97.8, it would be wise to have your doctor check your blood work. This could mean your thyroid is under-active or hypothroid. Always ask for a copy of your blood work to take home so you will have your report. Most lab reports will give your result along with the normal range so you should be able to see where within the range you are.

There is tremendous amounts of information on the Broda Barnes Thyroid Test that can be googled. Please remember, this test does not take the place of your doctor but it can give you an idea and a good argument for health. Also, there are many great natural thyroid medications today so one does not have to settle for the synthetic drugs.

A good working thyroid helps to maintain a great working immune system!

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