After I read this article and watched Dr. Lowe’s interview about the connection of Fibromyalgia to Hypothyroidism on Mercola, my first thought was “Thank God I don’t have fibromyalgia.” And then, “An article such as this could offer tremendous hope to those who suffer every waking moment with this racking muscle pain.” I have a number of friends who have been struck with fibromyalgia anywhere from their 30s to their 60s. And it is NOT pretty.
For those of you who are not familiar with fibromyalgia, the clinical definition according to the Mayo Clinic is
a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues. Researchers believe that fibromyalgia amplifies painful sensations by affecting the way your brain processes pain signals.
Symptoms sometimes begin after a physical trauma, surgery, infection or significant psychological stress. In other cases, symptoms gradually accumulate over time with no single triggering event.
Women are much more likely to develop fibromyalgia than are men. Many people who have fibromyalgia also have tension headaches, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety and depression.
While there is no cure for fibromyalgia, a variety of medications can help control symptoms. Exercise, relaxation and stress-reduction measures also may help.
Then I had a personal “aha”. Maybe my thyroid is the reason I am always COLD. At this point in my hormone cycle, I should always be HOT. While I have occasional hot flashes, most of the time I am cold. And even when I do have those hot flashes and start sweating like mad, I still end up feeling clammy cold. And then there is my battle with fatigue, hair falling out in chunks, my itchy skin and the acne that I never had in high school but here it is in my mid 40s. BOTHER!!!
So, why didn’t the routine blood tests ordered by my doctor in September point to hypothyroidism? Well, maybe I don’t have hypothyroidism. Maybe I am just stressed out. Or, as Dr. Lowe points out in his article, maybe it did not show up in the blood tests. He considers routine blood tests useless. That’s harsh but sometimes the truth is. We are tired, stressed and busy women and we want answers!
Dr. Lowe suggests a different way and that is going back to what worked. Looking at symptoms instead of simply treating them away, and charting the body’s measurements such as basal temperature, resting heart rate and morning weight measured over a series of days and weeks as a roadmap to the true origin of medical issues. And don’t be surprised if it’s been your thyroid all along.
Have any of you ever used basal temperature testing or resting heart rate to measure thryoid activity? I am curious what you learned.
