The Thyroid, Fibromyalgia and Lupus connection
Posted on Sun, Aug 07, 2011 @ 07:50 AM
Thyroid problems can often be found in those that also have been diagnosed with lupus or fibromyalgia. Lupus, fibromyalgia and thyroid problems share similar symptoms, and all are difficult to diagnosis from each other. It's hard when all one can tell a doctor that is that something is terribly wrong. To make matters worst, symptoms might change on a daily basis, and symptoms for all three illnesses can vary with patients. There does seem to be a connection with those getting diagnosed with one of these illnesses and having two of them, or lupus, fibromyalgia and thyroid problems.
The thyroid is an endocrine gland in the front of the throat. It makes necessary hormones T3 and T4 that regulate metabolism. Even slightly higher (hyperthyroidism) or lower (hypothyroidism) amounts of these hormones can cause significant health problems. Symptoms can include weight gain or lose, depression, anxiety, fatigue and insomnia, to name a few. Thyroid problems are diagnosed with a blood test for the thyroid hormone levels of T3 and T4. However, sometimes an individual can have borderline levels of these hormones and still have symptoms. Dr. Johnson uses functional ranges in blood tests using concepts in functional medicine. Our functional ranges are more "tight" than traditional average blood lab ranges that you see reported on your test results. We input your blood test result into a special Blood Nutrition™ software program. Using a functional ranges is one of the "secrets" to why Dr. Johnson can unravel the mystery of the patient's illness, that other doctors have not had success with. Another secret is using the methods developed by Dr. Datis Kharrazian to find out if you have one or more of the 24 patterns of thyroid malfunction.
Fibromyalgia is one of the most difficult of the illnesses to diagnose. Often a doctor will simply eliminate other problems such as thyroid illness or lupus. There is a limited test where pain near 12 joints in the body is tested. Symptoms of fibromyalgia include mainly fatigue and joint and muscle pain. However, a number of other varying symptoms can be found in patients. Fibromyalgia and thyroid problems may easily be connected and hard to tell apart from one another at borderline thyroid hormone levels.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease where the body's immune system attacks tissues in various parts of the body. Internal organs such as the lungs and kidneys can be attacked. The linings of the organs can be attacked causing a host of overall pain in the body. The symptoms can vary greatly but mainly include skin rashes, photosensitivity, mouth ulcers, chest pain or problems breathing, neurological problems or blood disorders, as well as fever, fatigue and hair loss. Some of these symptoms are very close to those with fibromyalgia and thyroid problems. Diagnosis of lupus is done by testing for high levels of antinuclear antibodies. As with the thyroid hormone level tests, borderline levels of antinuclear antibodies may still cause health problems.
There has been studies that indicate those with lupus may be more likely to develop thyroid problems. Since thyroid illness can also be an autoimmune disease, this connection makes perfect sense. Today fibromyalgia has only a limited test as nothing physiologically can be found connecting all patients with the disease. But, because of the common symptoms, one suffering from thyroid illness or lupus might also have fibromyalgia even if a doctor can not diagnose it.
Fatigue, pain and symptoms that can occur in all three illnesses connect lupus, fibromyalgia and thyroid illnesses. Not all doctors might see the connection and instead only treat one or two of these diseases, then wonder why a patient is still experiencing problems. The connection between the illnesses is something that Dr. Karl Johnson and other like-minded doctors are looking into. With the advent of specialized testing developed by Dr. Aristo Vjodani, which are available at Johnson Chiropractic Neurology & Nutrition, we are finding a possible link.
One of the most important concepts that set Dr. Karl Johnson apart from other traditionally trained doctors is his "treat the patient, not the diagnosis" approach to patient care. Johnson Neuro-Metabolic Therapy is a mulit-pronged diagnostic and treatment approach whose goal is to balance body chemistry, reduce imbalanced in brain function and mitigate the effects of stressors on the body. In short, we “dig deep” to find out the underlying cause to your chronic condition nightmare.