Elizabeth Wetherell - Fat, Fatigued and Forgetful

FATIGUED,
FAT AND
FORGETFUL

FATIGUED,
FAT AND
FORGETFUL

How to recognise the symptoms
of your troubled thyroid and
get your life back

ELIZABETH WETHERELL
Foreword by Dr Robert A. Buist

Published in 2003 by
by Hardie Grant Books
12 Claremont Street
South Yarra, Victoria 3141, Australia
www.hardiegrant.com.au

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and copyright holders.

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

Copyright text Elizabeth Wetherell 2004

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication Data:

Wetherell, Elizabeth.

Fatigued, fat and forgetful: how to recognise the symptoms of your troubled thyroid and get your life back.

Bibliography.

ISBN 1 74066 157 5.

1. Thyroid gland Diseases Popular works. 2. Thyroid gland Diseases - Nutritional aspects. 3. Thyroid gland Diseases Case studies. 4. Longevity Nutritional aspects Popular works. I. Title.

616.44

Edited by Clare Coney
Cover photograph: Photolibrary
Cover design by Robert Bertagni
Text design by Studio Pazzo
Typeset by Pauline Haas
Printed and bound in Australia by Griffin Press

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

Robert A. Buist, Ph.D.

For most people the thyroid gland has always been a bit of a mystery something to do with hormones and strange body changes. If the thyroid isnt working properly one can often recognise the bulging eyes, enlarged neck base, falling hair, and changes in weight and energy levels. Frequently, however, diagnosis proves to be a complex process. The thyroid gland can be over-active, under-active or subject to a large variety of other problems, and is often the hidden cause behind many seemingly unrelated health issues.

If one goes down the path of conventional medicine it is likely that little white tablets may be prescribed, which have to be taken for life or even surgery may be necessary. Natural remedies also abound, from iodine-laden seaweed to multivitamin and mineral tablets, but these have rarely been able to provide an alternative to thyroid hormone replacement. Accurate information for the lay person about the thyroid gland has always been missing that is, until now.

Elizabeth Wetherell has taken the very difficult topic of the troubled thyroid gland and made it easier to understand. This clear and comprehensive book will not only be used by students of orthodox and natural medicine but will also be a welcome addition to the family bookshelves.

I wish to acknowledge the invaluable contribution made by Dr Robert Buist and Judith Gleeson, who both offered much appreciated advice in preparing this work for publication.

I am also grateful to the input of fellow practitioners Hilary Lane, Jenny Robinson, Kay Whyte and Sue Fussell in their particular areas of specialisation, together with their encouragement for the project.

My gratitude also goes to two friends: Rosemary Grigg, for preparing me for the highs and lows associated with entering the world of publication, and Jan Mayman, for introducing me to my hardworking and dedicated agent Georg Karlov, as well as their joint unswerving belief in this book.

As before, with my first venture Set the Slim Person Free, I am deeply indebted to Georg Karlov, who believes obstacles are only tests to make one try even harder to achieve success.

Many thanks go to my editor, Clare Coney, for her meticulous and patient editing and research into the project. Also to Mary Small and all at Hardie Grant, for the time and effort they put into launching Fatigued, Fat and Forgetful into the public arena.

I wish to thank my family and friends for their continual support and encouragement, especially my two daughters who even took a draft of the manuscript on their overseas holiday to decode the scientific content for the lay reader.

Many people entrusted me with testimonials of their thyroid disorders, which have been included (albeit anonymously) throughout the book. Their symptoms, diagnoses and treatment have been included to give an extra dimension to the narrative.

My sole purpose in writing this book has been to prevent victims of thyroid malfunction from having to endure the fate to which many have been doomed in the past. It is difficult enough to experience the symptoms of thyroid disorder many of which are not clearly visible to an observer (for example anxiety, depression, the mood swings of hypoglycaemia, inexplicable exhaustion, poor concentration and memory) but to be labelled a neurotic or to be told your symptoms are psychosomatic (followed by a prescription for sedatives or anti-depressants) only adds to the misery. Such labelling was all too common several decades ago, despite the fact that the thyroid gland and its relationship to the bodys functioning were studied as early as 1827.

Fortunately, today much more is known about thyroid function, the signs and symptoms of thyroid disorders and their treatment. Increased interest is also being shown in alternative medical treatments, with nutrition now playing a greater role in maintaining the thyroid glands functioning at an optimal level.

The information in the book is data collected from various sources, both scientific and anecdotal, as well as knowledge I have gained through working as a clinical nutritionist in the field of nutritional and environmental medicine. It will enable readers to recognise the conditions of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, as well as the associated hypoglycaemia. Having identified their condition, the information will lead readers to traditional or alternative practitioners for correction of their thyroid problem.

As we enter the new millennium, thyroid disorders are viewed as common and serious conditions (hypothyroidism in the female sex is particularly common). This is reflected in the fact that the USA, Canada and Australia compulsorily test the thyroid function of all newborn infants. In the USA the American Thyroid Association has recommended that all people be routinely tested for thyroid function at the age of 35, with repeat testing to be done at five-yearly intervals unless the person develops thyroid symptoms, when of course it should be done sooner.

In researching this field, I was amazed at the high incidence of hypothyroidism in women (particularly post-menopausal women), many of whom had the condition induced by inappropriate diet, exposure to synthetic chemicals or stress. Indeed, if stress can lead to hypothyroidism, one wonders how great a role the thyroid gland may play in emotional or nervous breakdowns.

With the growing popularity of alternative medicine (measured by the increased number of practitioners and the patients consulting them), thyroid disorders may be recognised and treated at an earlier stage. Both orthodox and alternative practitioners are noticing that the number of patients with thyroid disorders is increasing rapidly. Perhaps an explanation for this can be attributed to some or all of the following changes in our way of life:

an increase in industrialisation

the use of artificial chemicals to promote plant and animal growth, as well as to kill weeds and pests

the use of synthetic chemicals as flavourings, colouring agents and preservatives