One out of 10 Americans is estimated to have thyroid disease. That’s over 30 million people—more than have diabetes. In contrast to other widespread illnesses, though, thyroid disease is a quiet epidemic. Many who suffer from it don’t even realize they have it. That’s because the thyroid regulates the energy level of your every cell; so when it malfunctions, you can develop problems involving any part of your body, including your brain, heart, bones, skin, nails, and hair.
For example, if you have hypothyroidism—caused by your thyroid becoming underactive—you may find yourself gaining weight, feeling fatigued, growing confused, becoming depressed, developing rough skin, losing hair, feeling cold, getting acne, or experiencing any of dozens of other issues.
Alternatively, if you have hyperthyroidism—caused by your thyroid becoming overactive—you may start losing weight, feeling manic, growing anxious, getting panic attacks, having trouble sleeping, developing hand tremors, sweating excessively, developing eye problems, growing goiters in your neck, or experiencing your heart pound in your chest.
Thyroid disease symptoms can creep up on you so subtly and gradually that it takes months before you even recognize that you’re ill. In fact, it often isn’t until patients are treated and made healthy again that they realize all the ways their bodies had gone wrong. It’s for this reason that some have called thyroid disease insidious.
Thyroid disease can be hard to diagnose, even by experienced doctors. Adding to the confusion are heated debates about how to interpret lab results, which medications are most appropriate, and so on.
If you’re experiencing thyroid disease symptoms and aren’t sure what’s causing them, this book is for you. It will guide you in identifying your symptoms, finding the right doctor, and getting the best testing and diagnosis possible.
Alternatively, if you already know that you have thyroid disease but are unsatisfied with your treatment, this book is very much for you as well. It will tell you how to analyze your lab results, choose the best medication, find the perfect dosage, and more.
Then again, if you have a friend or loved one with thyroid disease, this book will help you understand the pain it can cause, and provide you with the information to help.
Whatever the reason you need thyroid information, this book will empower you to cut through the confusion, make informed choices, and embark on the path to full health.
How to Use This Book
The first four chapters of this book apply to everyone, and we recommend that you read them first. After that, you can skip around and focus on only the chapters that most interest you. There are plentiful cross-references to chapters throughout the book, so if you encounter a term or concept that’s unfamiliar you’ll know which chapter to read to learn more about it.
This book’s topics are organized into six parts:
Part 1, Getting to Know Your Thyroid, explains what your thyroid does and why it’s so important to your health. It also describes symptoms that may indicate you have thyroid disease, controversies about thyroid diagnosis and treatment, and how to find a great doctor.
Part 2, Hypothyroidism, details what to do if you’re suffering from a shortage of thyroid hormones. You’ll learn what causes hypothyroidism and what diseases resemble it. You’ll also learn how to recognize its symptoms, get the right tests for it, analyze your lab results, choose the right medication, and arrive at the perfect dosage to restore you to full health.
Part 3, Hyperthyroidism, describes what to do if you’re suffering from an excess of thyroid hormones. You’ll discover how to recognize hyperthyroidism symptoms, get the right tests for it, analyze your lab results, and choose among the different treatments for it.
Part 4, Other Thyroid-Related Diseases, provides a step-by-step guide to dealing with thyroid cancer; managing thyroid-related problems such as adrenal gland disease and parathyroid disease; and recognizing ailments such as depression, anxiety, infertility, and severe PMS that can stem from a malfunctioning thyroid.
Part 5, Diet and Lifestyle, covers food and lifestyle choices you can make to strengthen your thyroid, lose weight, shed fat, avoid toxins, and improve your overall health.
Scattered throughout this book are sidebars designed to provide additional insights and information. They’re organized into the following five categories:
Thyroidian Tip
Advice intended to be especially useful to you.
Crash Glanding
A warning or cautionary note.
Thyroid Factoid
Information you may find interesting or fun.
Throat Quote
A quotation related to the subject that provides another perspective, or a laugh.
Definition
Highlights a key term. (You can also find numerous definitions in Appendix A.)
Please note that this book was written by two people, Dr. Alan Christianson and Hy Bender, so the word “we” is used when advice is coming from both of us. When describing Alan’s personal experiences as a doctor, though, “I” is used instead.
Please also note that this book contains a number of stories about Alan’s patients to bring the medical information to life. While the stories are all true, the names and select details have been changed to protect patient privacy.
Dr. Alan Christianson: I would like to thank my closest friends who encouraged me to complete this book, with a special thanks to Ron Baron. Thanks also to my patients who encouraged me, as well as educating me every day by sharing their experiences and things they have learned. I greatly appreciate my parents who instilled a love of reading and of medicine in me at an early age, and continue to guide me. I’d also like to thank another parent, David Frawley, who as an author has given me valuable direction and insight.
Thanks to my precious children, Celestina and Ryan. Thank you both so much for being patient when I took time for this book. I love you both, and I’m so excited to see you grow into such amazing people. Biggest thanks of all go out to my lovely wife Kirin who encouraged me to pursue my dreams, and was also gracious in sharing my time with the book. My biggest wish is that all of her dreams will come true. I love you, honey!
Hy gives his heartfelt thanks to the friends who generously provided support during his struggles with thyroid cancer and hypothyroidism, including Adira Amram, Brendan Beseth, Micah Bucey, Ashley Wren Collins, Allan Fair, Kevin Hall, John Harlacher, Ada Lee Halofsky, Elena K. Holy, Ken Houghton, Sean Jaffe, Eileen Kelly, David Kempski, Margie Kment, Faye Lane, Andrew Lobel, Julie Lynch, Megan Raye Manzi, Ken Salikof, Tracey Siesser, Ken Simon, Lisa Snellings, Mark von Sternberg, Daryn Strauss, Diane Stredicke, Mariah Wilson, and Meredith Zinner; and to his surgeons, Dr. Mark Smith and Dr. William Portnoy, and his endocrinologist Dr. Maria Tulpan.
Hy also thanks the many performers in the NYC comedy community whose bravery and brilliance helped him heal more than they can know. They include (but are by no means limited to) Leo Allen, Kevin Allison, Mary Theresa Archbold, Elna Baker, Andy Christie, Johnny Conroy, Death by Roo Roo, Jessica Delfino, Amanda Duarte, Ophira Eisenberg, Fearsome, Jon Friedman, Janeane Garofalo, Christina Gausas, Chris Gethard, Leslie Goshko, Amy Heidt, Ed Herbstman, Seth Herzog, Dave Hill, Pete Holmes, Anthony Jeselnik, Anthony King, Nick Kroll, Marc Maron, Kate McKinnon, John Oliver, Lennon Parham, Sean Patton, Justin Purnell, Charlie Sanders, Kristen Schaal, Livia Scott, Paul Scheer, Blaine Swen, and Brooke Van Poppelen—all of whom proved the best medicines are laughter and love.
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