Recalculating for Health
By:
Shem Altman MD
Patrick was a successful corporate
investor. His knack for predicting financial trends netted him a
six-figure salary in his late twenties. Life was good and the
future was bright. However, as time went on, he began to feel
increasingly fatigued in the afternoons. He began to need
afternoon naps more and more. He gradually began to gain weight.
Constipation began to plague him. At times he felt quite
depressed. His libido all but disappeared. He began to take too
many sick days because he just did not feel well. His thinking
began to slow, and he was no longer as skilled at predicting the
financial trends, the very talent which served him so well.
Eventually he made mistakes, and lost his company money. He then
lost his job. Life became bleak.
Patrick went to the doctor at the
urging of his family, and he explained his condition, a variety of
mild, subtle complaints, which appeared to be unrelated. The
doctor did some blood tests, and proclaimed there was no medical
illness, but suggested there was a psychological condition, which
could be treated with Prozac. Patrick did not believe the
doctor. He never had this type of problem before, nor did anyone
in his family. He was convinced there was some undetected medical
condition, not a psychiatric illness. Through word of mouth, he
heard of the doctor who had been the expert consultant to other
doctors, and who now saw patients. He came to see me.
His story was not new to me, but
merely a variation of a theme seen many times before. Suspecting
undetected low thyroid function, he was given the TRH stimulation
test. In this test, thyrotropin-releasing hormone is given and
changes in thyroid function are serially measured. It revealed he
did in fact have hypothyroidism, or low thyroid function. The
problem was that routine thyroid testing failed to find the
problem. To understand why this happens all too often, one must
first understand how the thyroid works.
The thyroid is part of the endocrine
system. It functions as the body’s “thermostat,” controlling the
rate of many biochemical activities. When its function decreases,
so do all the regulated activities in the body. The endocrine
system regulates the body through chemical messengers, called
hormones. Unlike the nervous system, which controls the body via
electrical connections called nerves, and can send signals in
seconds, the endocrine system takes minutes to hours to send its
signals. It is like the difference between communicating by
letters instead of over the telephone. Both are effective, but
the timing is different.
When a routine blood test is taken, it
measures hormones at the instant the blood is drawn. This is
known as a static test. We do not know if it represents the usual
level of the hormones or if it is going up or going down. And, we
know nothing of how the hormones react to changing conditions in
the body, and if they are being regulated properly. The TRH
stimulation test works because it is a dynamic test, testing the
connection between the brain, the pituitary gland and the thyroid
gland for responsiveness. It is that responsiveness, the ability
to change in a changing environment, which is the hallmark of
healthy endocrine function.
Using natural hormone replacement
therapy, Patrick’s symptoms all but disappeared. His mind became
sharp again, the constipation resolved, and unwanted pounds were
shed. He no longer required afternoon naps, and is now ready and
able to return to work. It was Patrick’s belief that there was
more to his condition than he was told, and his motivation to
return to health, that led him to find the answers he knew were
out there to be found. Fortunately, happy endings still exist.
Shem Altman MD is a board certified
Pathologist and is a former Statewide Medical Director for
SmithKline Beecham Clinical Laboratories. Dr. Altman currently
practices Integrative Medicine at Life Management Center in
Brandon. For further information call (813) 653-2610.www.LifeMC.us
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