Raphael Kellman - Microbiome Thyroid

IF YOURE READING THIS BOOK, ITS PROBABLY BECAUSE YOUVE BEEN FEELING off. You might be having trouble losing weight. You may be feeling fatigued, sluggish, moody, or anxious. You might be unable to concentrate on routine tasks. You might be worried that you wake up still feeling tired, even when you get eight hours of sleep.

These are all signs of a possible thyroid condition involving not enough thyroid hormone. The hormones your thyroid gland produces help power every cell in your body. When those cells dont get enough fuel, they dont function at peak capacity. Because the thyroid affects every organ and systemthe brain, muscle function, the gastrointestinal tractsymptoms of thyroid dysfunction can vary widely. They can include memory issues, brain fog, insomnia, fatigue, weight gain, heart palpitations, muscle pain, constipation, dry skin and hair, and depression. Gastrointestinal issues and thyroid dysfunction also go hand in hand. Someone may experience some or all of the symptoms associated with it and may think they have multiple illnesses. Meanwhile there really is one problema low thyroid.

Consider this, too: thyroid disease results in a weakened immune system. As I write this, the world is in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. An unbalanced or weakened immune system, and the ensuing inflammatory response, is an underlying cause for infection. Not only are those with poor thyroid function more susceptible to disease, theyre also prone to have more severe symptoms when they do get sick and face a more difficult recovery.

Maybe you have already been diagnosed with thyroid disease and are being treated for it, but wonder why you still dont really feel great. Or perhaps you have been tested and your doctor told you that your thyroid function tests are normal, but you still have unexplained symptoms. And there are people who have never been to a doctor to discuss their thyroid at all, but are feeling down, or lousy, or just not themselves. Deep down, they sense that something isnt right. This book can help.

Im Dr. Raphael Kellman, a medical doctor specializing in internal medicine. I practice holistic, functional medicine and for the past two decades, thyroid treatment has been one of my specialties. I have watched with dismay as poorly treated thyroid conditions have contributed to widespread ill health. Were being hit with a tsunami of chronic disease, including what I consider to be the biggest malady of all: unexplained, undiagnosed problems, often accompanied by a constellation of symptoms.

Over the past twenty years, rates of thyroid disease have reached epidemic proportions. Whether hypothyroidism (insufficient thyroid hormone production) or hyperthyroidism (excessive thyroid hormone production), disorders of the thyroid affect an estimated twenty million Americansand the number keeps on growing.

This number, although startlingly high, is actually deceptively low. Theres a broad swath of people who arent feeling well because their thyroid isnt working properly, and who are not included in official statistics because they havent been accurately diagnosed. Thyroid disease isnt like the flu in that you either have it or you dont, or that you wake up one day and youre sick. Thats a misleading way of looking at it. Many people have some degree of thyroid dysfunction. It exists on a spectrum, and its effects are long term.