Hyperthyroidism

In 1991, when First Lady Barbara Bush began looking slimmer, the gossip columnists speculated that she had adopted some miracle diet or had begun working out with a personal trainer or both. The White House promptly issued curt denials.

Then Mrs. Bush's face began looking different. . . something about her eyes. They seemed larger and the skin around them looked puffy.

Concerned, Mrs. Bush paid a visit to the White House doctor. He diagnosed Grave's disease, an autoimmune disorder that's the most common cause of an overactive thyroid gland, or hyperthyroidism.

Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland whose "wings" nestle on either side of your windpipe, just below your Adam's apple. The thyroid plucks iodine from your blood and uses it to make two hormones, called triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). These hormones regulate an enormous number of body processes, including your metabolism-that is, the rate at which your body uses food to produce energy.

In hyperthyroidism, the pituitary gland in your brain spurs your thyroid to make more of its hormones, which in turn speeds up your metabolism. You feel hungrier than usual, but oddly, you lose weight. Your heart races. You feel warm, and you sweat more. You're nervous, and your hands may shake. You have more frequent bowel movements, along with possible diarrhea, fatigue, and muscle weakness. And if you have Grave's disease, which causes about 85 percent of all cases of hyperthyroidism, you're more likely to have teary eyes. Your eyeballs are also likely to protrude and may redden easily.

Some women who have hyperthyroidism notice that their menstrual periods are lighter and less frequent.

Usually, hyperthyroidism affects adults in their twenties or older, says Lawrence C. Wood, M.D., president and medical director of the Thyroid Foundation of America in Boston. While anyone can develop the condition, it's 5 to 10 times more common in women than in men, according to endocrinologist Laird D. Madison, M.D., Ph.D., of the Center for Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Molecular Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago. The American College of Physicians urges doctors to test every woman over age 50 for hyperthyroidism every 5 years.

Scientists have identified several risk factors for hyperthyroidism. You may be at greater risk of hyperthyroidism if you're a smoker or if you've recently had stressful experiences. Your family history may also be a factor. If you had head or neck x-rays during childhood or if you have an autoimmune disorder such as rheumatoid arthritis, you may be at higher risk for hyperthyroidism.

Also, new mothers should be on the lookout for possible thyroid problems. Giving birth sometimes alters levels of thyroid hormones. If you're at risk for hyperthyroidism, or if you're displaying any symptoms of the condition, your doctor may recommend diagnostic tests.

If you've been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, your doctor has probably put you on a prescription medication. Pharmaceuticals are the first line of treatment, and they do an excellent job of controlling thyroid problems. While alternative therapies usually cannot reverse hyperthyroidism by themselves, they may help when combined with mainstream therapies, says Joseph Pizzorno Jr., N.D.

Best Ohoices

Visualization

Cahn your spirit. According to Dr. Pizzorno, stress control is the single most important thing you can do on your own to normalize your thyroid function.

The following visualization technique is recommended by Gerald N. Epstein, M.D., director of the Academy of Integrative Medicine and Mental Imagery in New York City.

Close your eyes and take three breaths. See yourself becoming very tall, with your long arms reaching up to the sun. Take a piece of sun in your hands and place it on your lower throat. Visualize golden rays of light streaming around your body. See red and blue beams of light crisscrossing in your thyroid, helping it function normally. Sense a channel of red light guiding hormone flow from your pituitary gland to your thyroid. When the red and blue lights move evenly and smootwy between your pituitary gland and thyroid, feel your thyroid functioning well. Exhale and open your eyes.

Home Remedies

Toss tobacco. Smoking raises your risk of hyperthyroidism. So if you smoke, quit.

Cut your caffeine intake. When you feel overstimulated by an overactive thyroid, the last thing you need is a caffeine buzz. Dr. Pizzorno recommends avoiding caffeine-containing foods and beverages such as coffee, tea, cola, cocoa, and chocolate.

Also steer clear of over-the-counter drugs that supply caffeine. If you're not sure, ask your pharmacist.

Get your Zzzs. Sleep is a marvelous stress reducer, says Scott Luper, N.D., an instructor at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. By controlling your stress, you minimize your thyroid symptoms. He urges you to get a full night's sleep-and to squeeze in a daily postlunch nap when you can.

Other Good Choices

Nutrition

Whip up some coleslaw. Cabbage, turnips, rutabagas, peanuts, pine nuts, and millet all contain compounds that may help regulate an overactive thyroid.

Because the compounds are inactivated when cooked, these foods should be eaten raw. So make yourself some coleslaw from cabbage or munch on handfuls of peanuts or pine nuts.

Keep in mind that these foods have only modest effect on your thyroid. Still, including them in your diet can't hurt and might help, Dr. Pizzorno says.

Herbal Medicine

Tnunpet bugleweed. "Bugleweed has a long folk history as a treatment for hyperthyroidism," says James Duke, Ph.D., "It's widely used in Europe to treat early-stage Grave's disease."

Quit using kelp. Commission E, the German panel that evaluates the safety and effectiveness of herbal medicines, advises people with hyperthyroidism not to take kelp supplements. A type of seaweed, kelp is high in iodine. And too much iodine can aggravate hyperthyroidism.

Homeopathy

Consider your constitution. According to Dr. Luper, homeopaths usually prescribe a constitutional medicine for hyperthyroidism. Constitutional means that the medicine treats your whole body, not just a particular symptom. Natrum muriaticum and Iodium are two such medicines. To find out which one best suits your individual symptoms, consult a homeopath.

Chinese Medicine

Douse the flames. "Hyperthyroidism is difficult to treat with Chinese medicine," says Efrem Korngold, O.M.D., L.Ac. "But in mild cases, Chinese medicine may help." For treatment, Dr. Korngold prescribes herbs such as gentian root, bupleurum root, gardenia fruit, and Chinese angelica (dang gui). He also prescribes mother-of-pearl shell, a mineral.

Target your thyroid. You may get relief by applying steady, penetrating fmger pressure to each of the following points for 3 minutes.

• Pericardium 6, located in the middle of your inner wrist, 2 1/2 finger-widths above the wrist crease
• Kidney 3, located on your inner ankle in the hollow between your anklebone and Achilles tendon
• Extra Point Yin Tang, located just above the bridge of your nose, exactly between your eyebrows

Naturopathy

Get goose bumps. Applying a cold compress may help. It's an old naturopathic remedy for an overactive thyroid. Hold the compress to your throat for 15 minutes a day, Dr. Pizzorno suggests.

Medical Measures

There are three mainstream treatments for hyperthyroidism: radioactive iodine, antithyroid drugs, and surgery. Most physicians recommend radioactive iodine because it's quick and simple. Just one capsule or cup of liquid usually does the job within 2 months, though sometimes you need a second dose.

The downside of all three treatments is that in the long run, they often cause hypothyroidism-that is, an underactive thyroid. If this happens, you must take a supplemental hormone called thyroxine every day for the rest of your life.