The Top Ten Stories Affecting Thyroid Patients in the Decade from 2000-2009

This past decade, we've seen greater awareness on the part of patients and practitioners regarding the role that undiagnosed and insufficiently treated thyroid disease can play in causing or worsening other health conditions.

Here are some of the many conditions we now know can be exacerbated -- or even caused -- by thyroid disorders:

• Obesity and difficulty losing weight
• High cholesterol
• Heart disease
• Menopause/perimenopause symptoms
• Infertility
• Low sex drive/low libido
• Depression
• Metabolic syndrome/insulin resistance/pre-diabetes
• Breastfeeding difficulties
• Chronic hives/urticaria
• Carpal and tarsal tunnel syndrome
• Alzheimers disease
• Hair loss
• Chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia
• Adrenal fatigue/adrenal exhaustion
• Constipation

Note however, that thyroid tests are still not considered a standard part of an annual physical for men or women at any age. And surprisingly, even though the drug inserts themselves recommend thyroid testing before giving cholesterol-lowering medications or antidepressants, for example, many doctors still prescribe these medications without performing the appropriate thyroid tests first. Clearly, we still have a long way to go in recognizing the critical role that proper thyroid function has to overall health.