Why Thyroid Disease Is Often Undiagnosed
by Doug Pucci
Because of the overlap of symptoms in many hormone, metabolic and autoimmune diseases, many patients are not aware they have some form of thyroid disease. The American Thyroid Association states that approximately 20 million Americans have thyroid disease, with an estimated 60 percent of the population unaware of it. Women are between five and eight times more likely to develop a thyroid problem than men, pointing to a correlation between thyroid and hormone imbalances. About one in eight women will have some type of thyroid disease in her lifetime.
One reason thyroid symptoms are often overlooked or misinterpreted is because they can be the same as or similar to familiar signs of aging: weight gain, constipation, brain fog, cloudy thinking, insomnia and heart palpitations. Early symptoms of both hypothyroidism (underproduction of T3 and T4 hormones) and hyperthyroidism (overproduction of T3 and T4 hormones) can seem like something relatively innocuous or like a different health problem altogether.
For example, a woman that starts gaining weight but hasn’t changed her diet, feels tired and has some trouble focusing on tasks may write all this off to normal aging. However, she may actually be experiencing some early signs of hypothyroidism. On the other hand, someone experiencing increased heart rate, fatigue, weight loss and is having difficulty sleeping (among a number of other possible symptoms) may attribute these symptoms, individually or in combination to something else because hyperthyroidism shares the same symptoms as other diseases and disorders.
If symptoms aren’t severe and don’t impact someone’s lifestyle, thyroid disease is still a health risk because undiagnosed thyroid disorders are factors in infertility, osteoporosis and heart disease. Diagnosing thyroid disorders as a root cause of disease offers a better chance of managing, reversing, and avoiding serious health risks.
Patients that have experienced some thyroid symptoms are often met with a risky “wait and see” approach. That doctor runs a standard blood test that includes thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). The marker is within normal range. No further explanation is offered other than to come back later. The patient leaves disheartened without a primary diagnosis.
The fact is that simply testing TSH levels isn’t enough; instead, a functional medicine approach would take into consideration a far more comprehensive workup, including testing cortisol levels, hormone imbalances, nutrient and mineral deficiencies, and gut health. It would consider medications, lifestyle factors, medical history and more to paint a complete picture of what’s really going on inside. Only then can a true solution be reached. TSH levels aren’t the end of the story, they’re just the very beginning.
Dr. Doug Pucci adheres to a functional medicine approach and believes in treating underlying, root causes of disease using nutrition, advanced testing and hands-on clinical expertise. For more information, call 201-261-5430 or visit GetWell-Now.com. His free Thyroid Report is available at ThyroidRecoveryFormula.com.
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