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<p><b>Introduction 1</b></p> <p>About This Book 2</p> <p>Conventions Used in This Book 2</p> <p>What You Don’t Have to Read 2</p> <p>Assumptions 3</p> <p>How This Book Is Organised 3</p> <p>Part I: Understanding Your Thyroid 3</p> <p>Part II: Treating Thyroid Problems 3</p> <p>Part III: Managing Your Thyroid 3</p> <p>Part IV: Considering Special Aspects of Thyroid Health 4</p> <p>Part V: The Part of Tens 4</p> <p>Part VI: Appendices 4</p> <p>Icons Used in This Book 4</p> <p>Where to Go from Here 5</p> <p><b>Part I: Understanding the Thyroid 7</b></p> <p><b>Chapter 1: Bigging It Up: The Huge Role of a Little Gland 9</b></p> <p>Discovering the Extent of the Problem 10</p> <p>Identifying an Unhappy Thyroid 11</p> <p>Recognising Who’s at Risk 11</p> <p>Realising the Importance of a Healthy Thyroid 12</p> <p>Treating What Ails You 12</p> <p>Understanding the Consequences of Delaying Treatment 14</p> <p>Giving Your Thyroid a Hand: Healthy Lifestyle Choices 14</p> <p>Paying Special Attention: Pregnant Women, Children, and Older People 15</p> <p>Staying Informed 16</p> <p><b>Chapter 2: Feeling Fragile: The Emotional Effects of Thyroid Problems 17</b></p> <p>Exploring How an Underactive Thyroid Slows Your Thoughts 18</p> <p>Seeing How an Overactive Thyroid Can Trigger Anxiety 19</p> <p>Fighting Depression 20</p> <p>Finding out if your thyroid is causing depression 21</p> <p>Using thyroid hormone to treat depression 22</p> <p><b>Chapter 3: Discovering How Your Thyroid Works 25</b></p> <p>Locating the Thyroid 26</p> <p>Producing Thyroid Hormones 28</p> <p>Identifying the importance of iodine 29</p> <p>Regulating thyroid hormones 29</p> <p>Moving thyroid hormones around 30</p> <p>Understanding the Function of Thyroid Hormones 31</p> <p>General functions 32</p> <p>Specific functions 33</p> <p><b>Chapter 4: Testing Your Thyroid 37</b></p> <p>Checking Blood Levels of Thyroid Hormones 38</p> <p>Total thyroxine 38</p> <p>Resin T3 uptake 40</p> <p>Free thyroxine index 40</p> <p>Free thyroxine (FT4) 41</p> <p>Free triiodothyronine (FT3) 42</p> <p>Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) 42</p> <p>Taking Non-Hormonal Blood Tests 43</p> <p>Thyroid autoantibodies 44</p> <p>Serum thyroglobulin 45</p> <p>Determining the Size, Shape, and Content of Your Thyroid 46</p> <p>Radioactive iodine uptake and scan 46</p> <p>Thyroid ultrasound 48</p> <p>Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) 49</p> <p><b>Part II: Treating Thyroid Problems 51</b></p> <p><b>Chapter 5: Dealing with an Underactive Thyroid 53</b></p> <p>Living with Autoimmune Thyroiditis 54</p> <p>The extent of the problem 54</p> <p>Symptoms of chronic thyroiditis 55</p> <p>Approach to treatment 55</p> <p>Identifying Hypothyroidism 56</p> <p>Signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism 56</p> <p>Confusing conditions 57</p> <p>Pinpointing the Causes of Hypothyroidism 58</p> <p>Removal of the thyroid 58</p> <p>Absence of brain hormones 58</p> <p>Foods that cause hypothyroidism 59</p> <p>Drugs that cause hypothyroidism 59</p> <p>Coexisting autoimmune diseases 60</p> <p>Diagnosing Severe Hypothyroidism 61</p> <p>Treating Hypothyroidism 61</p> <p>Taking the right hormones 61</p> <p>Getting the right amount 63</p> <p>Testing hormone levels 64</p> <p><b>Chapter 6: Taming an Overactive Thyroid 65</b></p> <p>Picturing Hyperthyroidism 66</p> <p>Listing the Signs and Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism 66</p> <p>The body generally 67</p> <p>The thyroid 67</p> <p>The skin and hair 67</p> <p>The heart 68</p> <p>The nervous system and muscles 68</p> <p>The reproductive system 68</p> <p>The stomach and intestines 68</p> <p>The urinary system 68</p> <p>The eyes 69</p> <p>Confirming a Diagnosis of Hyperthyroidism 69</p> <p>Determining Whether Graves’ Disease Is the Culprit 70</p> <p>Causes of Graves’ disease 70</p> <p>Signs and symptoms specific to Graves’ disease 71</p> <p>Recognising Other Causes of Hyperthyroidism 73</p> <p>Choosing the Best Treatment for Graves’ Disease 74</p> <p>Thyroid surgery 75</p> <p>Radioactive iodine treatment 76</p> <p>Antithyroid pills 77</p> <p>Other helpful medications 79</p> <p>Treating Other Causes of Hyperthyroidism 79</p> <p>Surviving Thyroid Storm 80</p> <p><b>Chapter 7: Getting the Low-Down on Thyroid Nodules 81</b></p> <p>Discovering a Thyroid Nodule 82</p> <p>Evaluating Cancer Risks 83</p> <p>Securing a Diagnosis 83</p> <p>The fine needle aspiration cytology 84</p> <p>The thyroid ultrasound scan 85</p> <p>Treating Cancerous Nodules 86</p> <p>Dealing with Nodules That Are Non-Cancerous 86</p> <p>Hot nodules 87</p> <p>Benign cysts 87</p> <p>Warm or cold nodules 87</p> <p>Ignoring Small Nodules 87</p> <p><b>Chapter 8: Coping with Thyroid Cancer 89</b></p> <p>Determining What Causes Thyroid Cancer 90</p> <p>Identifying the Types of Thyroid Cancer 91</p> <p>Papillary thyroid cancer 92</p> <p>Follicular thyroid cancer 93</p> <p>Medullary thyroid cancer 93</p> <p>Undifferentiated (anaplastic) thyroid cancer 95</p> <p>Staging Thyroid Cancer 96</p> <p>Treating Thyroid Cancer 97</p> <p>Papillary thyroid cancer 98</p> <p>Follicular thyroid cancer 99</p> <p>Medullary thyroid cancer 99</p> <p>Undifferentiated (anaplastic) thyroid cancer 100</p> <p>Following Up Cancer Treatment 100</p> <p><b>Chapter 9: Learning about Multinodular Goitres 101</b></p> <p>Exploring How a Multinodular Goitre Grows Up 101</p> <p>Choosing to Treat It or Ignore It 103</p> <p>Making a Diagnosis 104</p> <p>Treating a Multinodular Goitre 105</p> <p><b>Part III: Managing Your Thyroid 107</b></p> <p><b>Chapter 10: Taking Care with Drugs That Affect Your Thyroid 109</b></p> <p>Revealing the Drug–Food–Thyroid Connection 109</p> <p>Identifying the Effects of Specific Substances 112</p> <p>Initiating or aggravating hypothyroidism 113</p> <p>Creating false test results 117</p> <p>Causing an increase in thyroid activity 118</p> <p>Preventing Harmful Drug Interactions 119</p> <p>Discovering Whether You’re at Risk 119</p> <p><b>Chapter 11: Spotting Thyroid Infections and Inflammation 123</b></p> <p>Putting a Face on Subacute Thyroiditis 123</p> <p>Causes and effects 124</p> <p>Laboratory findings 125</p> <p>Treatment options 126</p> <p>Coping with Postpartum and Silent Thyroiditis 127</p> <p>Understanding the disease 127</p> <p>Interpreting lab results 128</p> <p>Getting treatment 128</p> <p>Identifying Acute Thyroiditis 129</p> <p>Describing the disease 129</p> <p>Confirming the diagnosis with lab tests 130</p> <p>Treating acute thyroiditis 130</p> <p>Diagnosing a Rare Form of Thyroiditis 131</p> <p><b>Chapter 12: Overcoming Iodine Deficiency Disease 133</b></p> <p>Realising the Vastness of the Problem 134</p> <p>Facing the Consequences of Iodine Lack 135</p> <p>Pregnancy 135</p> <p>Infancy 136</p> <p>Childhood 136</p> <p>Adulthood 136</p> <p>Endemic Cretinism 137</p> <p>Looking at the geographic distribution 138</p> <p>Contributing factors 139</p> <p>Goitre: The body’s defence 140</p> <p>Neurologic cretinism 141</p> <p>Myxoedematous cretinism 141</p> <p>Managing the Problem of Iodine Deficiency 142</p> <p>A sprinkle of salt 143</p> <p>An injection of oil 144</p> <p>A slice of bread or cup of water 145</p> <p>Drawbacks of Iodisation 145</p> <p><b>Chapter 13: Going In: Surgery on the Thyroid Gland 147</b></p> <p>Deciding When Surgery Is Necessary 147</p> <p>Talking Things Over 149</p> <p>Preparing for Surgery 149</p> <p>What Happens During Surgery 150</p> <p>Surgical obstacles 151</p> <p>Extent of surgery 152</p> <p>Considering a New Approach 154</p> <p>Possible Complications 155</p> <p>Recuperating After the Operation 155</p> <p><b>Chapter 14: Exciting New Approaches in Thyroid Treatment 157</b></p> <p>Preventing Ill Effects of Large Doses of Iodine 157</p> <p>Finding Out More about Hypothyroidism 158</p> <p>Treating (or not treating) subclinical hypothyroidism 158</p> <p>Finding the right dose of hormone 159</p> <p>Determining the prevalence of hypothyroidism 160</p> <p>Linking heart disease and hypothyroidism 160</p> <p>Dealing with Hyperthyroidism 161</p> <p>Measuring calcium levels 162</p> <p>Controlling weight gain 162</p> <p>Revolutionising thyroid surgery 163</p> <p>Gathering clues to hyperthyroid eye disease 163</p> <p>Treating Goitres and Nodules 164</p> <p>Performing surgery after ethanol injections 164</p> <p>Shrinking goitres 164</p> <p>Developing New Approaches in Thyroid Cancer 165</p> <p>Understanding the impact of radioiodine exposure 165</p> <p>Blocking oestrogen slows tumour growth 166</p> <p>Predicting thyroid cancer 166</p> <p>Detecting residual thyroid cancer 166</p> <p>Following up thyroid cancer treatment 167</p> <p>Knowing what to expect from medullary thyroid cancer 168</p> <p>Using recombinant TSH to treat thyroid cancer 169</p> <p>Testing calcium levels after cancer surgery 170</p> <p>Tackling Iodine Deficiency Disease 170</p> <p>Recognising the importance of selenium 170</p> <p>Using iodised oil for goitres 171</p> <p>Increasing the intelligence of babies born to hypothyroid mothers 171</p> <p><b>Chapter 15: Living with Thyroid Problems: Diet and Exercise 173</b></p> <p>Guaranteeing Your Best Nutrition 173</p> <p>Maintaining a Healthy Weight 174</p> <p>Calculating your body mass index 175</p> <p>Measuring your waist size 176</p> <p>Losing excess weight 177</p> <p>Selecting a variety of foods 177</p> <p>Choosing your fats wisely 182</p> <p>Checking out your cholesterol 182</p> <p>Moderating your sugar intake 184</p> <p>Sifting the salt 184</p> <p>Drinking alcohol in moderation 185</p> <p>Going Organic 186</p> <p>Thinking about food safety 186</p> <p>Clarifying the Thyroid–Weight Connection 187</p> <p>Does my metabolism slow when I lose weight? 187</p> <p>If I’m treated for hyperthyroidism, am I doomed to gain weight? 187</p> <p>Considering Iodine in Your Diet 189</p> <p>Getting enough iodine in a vegetarian diet 189</p> <p>Exercising for Your Thyroid 190</p> <p>Recognising the natural consequences of ageing 190</p> <p>Working out with hypothyroidism 191</p> <p>Exercising with hyperthyroidism 192</p> <p>Meeting your minimal exercise needs 193</p> <p>Introducing Leptin: The New Hormone on the Block 194</p> <p>Understanding the functions of leptin 194</p> <p>Interacting with thyroid hormone 195</p> <p><b>Chapter 16: Helping Yourself: Herbs and Homeopathy 197</b></p> <p>Finding a Reputable Practitioner 198</p> <p>Digging into Medicinal Herbs 199</p> <p>Bladderwrack 199</p> <p>Bugleweed 200</p> <p>Korean ginseng 200</p> <p>Motherwort 200</p> <p>Oats 201</p> <p>Siberian ginseng 201</p> <p>Turmeric 201</p> <p>Valerian 201</p> <p>Understanding Homeopathy 202</p> <p>Discovering homeopathic remedies 202</p> <p>Taking a remedy 203</p> <p>Arsenicum album 203</p> <p>Iodum 204</p> <p>Belladonna 204</p> <p>Natrum Mur 204</p> <p><b>Part IV: Special Considerations in Thyroid Health 205</b></p> <p><b>Chapter 17: Examining the Genetic Link to Thyroid Disease 207</b></p> <p>Genetics for Beginners 207</p> <p>A monk and his pea plants 208</p> <p>Talk the talk 209</p> <p>The great divide 209</p> <p>Genes, chromosomes, and the traits they create 210</p> <p>The secret lives of genes 211</p> <p>Shall I form a liver or a brain? 213</p> <p>The Origins of Genetic Thyroid Diseases 214</p> <p>Inheriting a disease through a single gene 214</p> <p>Inheriting a disease through multiple genes 216</p> <p>Inheriting a chromosome abnormality 217</p> <p>The Future of Managing Hereditary Thyroid Disease 218</p> <p>Genetic engineering 218</p> <p>The ethics of germline gene therapy 219</p> <p><b>Chapter 18: Controlling Thyroid Disease during Pregnancy 221</b></p> <p>Looking at Normal Thyroid during Pregnancy 222</p> <p>Pregnancy and Hypothyroidism 223</p> <p>Decreased fertility 223</p> <p>Iodine deficiency 224</p> <p>Autoimmune hypothyroidism 224</p> <p>Hyperthyroidism in Pregnancy 225</p> <p>Postpartum Graves’ disease 229</p> <p>Gestational transient thyrotoxicosis 229</p> <p>Hydatidiform mole and choriocarcinoma 231</p> <p>Finding New Thyroid Nodules during Pregnancy 231</p> <p><b>Chapter 19: Developing Thyroid Conditions in Childhood 233</b></p> <p>Understanding the Onset of Thyroid Function 233</p> <p>Screening the Newborn 235</p> <p>Coping with Hypothyroidism in Children 236</p> <p>Transient congenital hypothyroidism 237</p> <p>Congenital hypothyroidism 237</p> <p>Acquired hypothyroidism 239</p> <p>Dealing with Hyperthyroidism in Children 241</p> <p>Signs and symptoms 241</p> <p>Laboratory confirmation 243</p> <p>Treatment 243</p> <p>Diagnosing Goitres in Children 245</p> <p>Linking Nodules and Cancer in Children 245</p> <p><b>Chapter 20: Maturing: Thyroid Disease in Later Life 247</b></p> <p>Assessing the Extent of the Problem 248</p> <p>Understanding Sources of Confusion in Diagnosis 249</p> <p>Acknowledging other diseases 249</p> <p>Taking medications 250</p> <p>Discovering Hypothyroidism in Older People 250</p> <p>Deciphering signs and symptoms 251</p> <p>Getting laboratory confirmation 252</p> <p>Trying thyroid hormone for subclinical patients 252</p> <p>Taking treatment slowly 253</p> <p>Managing Hyperthyroidism in Older People 253</p> <p>Sorting through confusing signs and symptoms 254</p> <p>Securing a diagnosis 255</p> <p>Checking Out Thyroid Nodules in Older People 256</p> <p><b>Part V: The Part of Tens 257</b></p> <p><b>Chapter 21: Ten Myths about Thyroid Health 259</b></p> <p>I’m Hypothyroid, So I Can’t Lose Weight 259</p> <p>I’m Hyperthyroid, So I Can’t Gain Weight 260</p> <p>Breastfeeding and Antithyroid Pills Don’t Mix 261</p> <p>Brand Name Thyroid Hormone Pills Are Best 261</p> <p>I Have to Take Thyroid Medication for Life 262</p> <p>Natural Thyroid Hormones Are Better Than Synthetic Hormones 263</p> <p>Thyroid Disease Is Catching 264</p> <p>Iodine Deficiency Is a Medical Problem 264</p> <p>The Higher My Autoantibody Levels, the Worse My Thyroid Disease 265</p> <p>Clinical Symptoms Are More Reliable Than Blood Tests 266</p> <p><b>Chapter 22: Ten Ways to Maximise Thyroid Health 269</b></p> <p>Screening at Appropriate Intervals 270</p> <p>Checking Thyroid Function As Your Body Changes 270</p> <p>Performing a ‘Neck Check’ 271</p> <p>Getting Enough Iodine to Satisfy Your Thyroid 272</p> <p>Stopping Thyroid Medication, If Possible 272</p> <p>Using Both Types of Thyroid Hormone 272</p> <p>Preventing the Regrowth of Thyroid Cancer 273</p> <p>Anticipating Drug Interactions 274</p> <p>Protecting Your Thyroid from Radiation 275</p> <p>Keeping Up-to-Date with Thyroid Discoveries 275</p> <p><b>Part VI: Appendixes 277</b></p> <p>Appendix A: Glossary of Key Terms 279</p> <p>Appendix B: Sources of More Information 283</p> <p>Index 285</p> <p> </p>

<b>Alan L. Rubin</b>, MD has over thirty years' experience treating thyroid conditions and is the co-author of Diabetes For Dummies. <p><b>Dr. Sarah Brewer</b> is the co-author of Arthritis For Dummies, a health writer and broadcaster, and a former Health Journalist of the Year.</p>

Includes information on the latest thyroid treatments<br /> <br /> <p>Understand and manage your thyroid condition</p> <p>Don't get pushed around by the little gland in your neck. Whether you suffer from an underactive or overactive thyroid, nodules, or a goitre, Thyroid For Dummies has all the jargon-free information you need to get to grips with the problem and expert advice on how to get your condition under control.</p> <p>Discover how to</p> <ul> <li>Tell if you have a thyroid problem</li> <li>Understand the treatments on offer</li> <li>Deal with your condition day-to-day</li> <li>Get the right diet and exercise</li> <li>Manage thyroid conditions in children and older people</li> </ul>

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