“It’s often named a hidden epidemic: 1 in 10 Americans suffers from a thyroid disorder.” – with this worrying words the author Ridha Arem, M.D., expert in Metabolism and Endocrinology at Baylor College of Medicine, and acclaimed endocrinologist at Houston’s Ben Taub General Hospital, introduces readers to his acclaimed book “The thyroid solution”, a work filled with sound scientific evidence and remarkable patient stories.
According to the author, millions of undiagnosed people worldwide are suffering the hard consequences of thyroid dysfunction, including both physical manifestations like high cholesterol levels, fibromyalgia, weight gain or loss, sexual dysfunction, infertility, chronic fatigue and neurological problems like severe depression, mood swing disorders, memory loss, impaired cognition, irascibility, anxiety. In fact, in many dramatic cases, patients tend to isolate themselves from their friends, relatives, partners in an attempt to run from noise and stimuli or due to irritability, a general lack of energy or constant sleepiness.
The problem is aggravated by the fact that the medical community is not sufficiently knowledgeable about the impact of this problem on the mind-body health and only views and consequently treats it as a physiological dysfunction solely.
So what is “The Thyroid Solution”? Turns out, it is a holistic approach including both medical intervention with conventional, yet highly successful hormonal treatment procedures in tandem with a mix of exercise, diet, and stress control.
The book explains the most common afflictions of the endocrine gland (either hypothyroidism – insufficient function or hyperthyroidism – excessive function) and the most frequent causes leading to them (diet, pollution, lifestyle, autoimmune diseases, etc.) It also describes the logic behind thyroid hormone treatments for overactive or underactive thyroid, the T4 /T3 combination or T3 treatment alone, especially effective for patients suffering from depression and low energy. To better understand the importance of T3 it is worth mentioning that it was identified in synapses between nerve cells and was proven to regulate the levels and effect of serotonin, noradrenaline, and GABA, which are key neuromediators responsible for depression as well as for practically every aspect of nervous system activity.
As for the diet, among the things Dr. Arem recommends are protein-packed, fiber-rich foods – a combination of the traditional Mediterranean and the Protein-Rich Oriental (PRO) diets as well as proper intake of vitamins, fatty acids and antioxidants. In fact, in 2013 Ridha will write a separate book related to this problem (“The Thyroid Solution Diet”).
Since “The Thyroid Solution” was published in 2007, it has become a half million-copy bestseller providing help to numerous people, but also highlighting in a bald manner how dysfunction of the body can lead to dysfunction of the mind and how a potential cure should consider both.