May 2001 -- Richard and Karilee Shames are husband and wife as well as doctor and nurse AND thyroid practitioner and thyroid patient. Karilee herself is hypothyroid as are several of the couple’s children. They have been working with people suffering from “low thyroid” for over twenty-five years.
- If you continue to have problems even after being prescribed proper amounts of thyroid hormone, you could have an adrenal problem as well.
- The adrenal glands main purpose is to produce and release certain regulatory hormones and chemical messengers.
- The two primary adrenal hormones, adrenaline and cortisol, help control body fluid balance, blood pressure, blood sugar and other central metabolic functions.
- Low adrenal can actually cause someone’s thyroid problem to be much worse than it would be otherwise.
- Hypothyroid patients need to be aware of their adrenal hormone levels since many of the symptoms of adrenal problems are the same as hypothyroid symptoms.
- Many doctor’s over look adrenal problems except in extreme cases such as Cushing’s Syndrome (excess adrenal function) and Addison’s Disease (extreme decreased adrenal function).
- Conventional tests aren’t adequate for adrenal functions since they generally consist of a 24 hour urine test that does not take into account different levels of hormones in the urine at different times of the day.
- A more accurate test would be to collect samples at 4 different times of the day, giving a more detailed picture of the patient’s daily cyclical adrenal function.
TO CONTACT THE SHAMES:
Richard Shames, M.D. offers consultations by telephone, online or in person. For information, see [link url=http://www.thyroidpower.com/consults.html]www.thyroidpower.com[/link]
