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Cholesterol is essential for good health and found in every cell in the body. However, a high cholesterol level (LDL) in the blood has been associated with an increased risk of various problems, especially coronary heart disease. The most commonly known cholesterol raisers – genetics, diet or insufficient exercise - are not necessarily the problem for everyone. According to Mary Shomon, author of Living Well with Hypothyroidism, undiagnosed and under treated hypothyroidism can cause elevated cholesterol, and of the millions of Americans with thyroid disease, at least half are undiagnosed. According to the AACE (American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists) the most recent recommended range for diagnosis of hypothyroidism indicates that there are some 59 million Americans that have a thyroid condition. Many doctors rely on a normal TSH level ranging from 0.5 to 5.0. The new range recommended by AACE for TSH level is 0.3-3.0. The AACE believes the new range will result in proper diagnosis for millions of Americans who suffer from a mild thyroid disorder, but have gone untreated until now.
The link between high cholesterol and underlying hypothyroidism is vastly overlooked, even though the role of cholesterol in heart disease is heavily publicized. Many physicians order lab work to check for cholesterol regularly but ignore thyroid hormone levels. Unfortunately, this can result in prescriptions for expensive cholesterol-lowering drugs that don’t address the real problem, if hypothyroidism is involved. The National Cholesterol Education Program and the Food and Drug Administration recommend thyroid testing in all patients with high cholesterol levels. And the top-selling drug, Lipitor, indicates this quite clearly in their official “Prescribing Information” for physicians, stating “Prior to initiating therapy with Lipitor, secondary causes for hypercholesterolemia (e.g. poorly controlled diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, nephritic syndrome, dysproteinemias, obstructive liver disease, other drug therapy, and alcoholism) should be excluded…” With an estimated 59 million Americans having a thyroid condition, you would think that thyroid testing would be as common as cholesterol testing. So, if your lab results come back with elevated cholesterol and you have not been tested for your thyroid, before you agree to go on any medication, I would suggest you ask your physician to do a thorough thyroid elevation. This should include a physical examination, as well as TSH, T4, T3, Free T4, Free T3 and thyroid antibody tests. If you are presently on thyroid medication, you may want to discuss with your physician the reference range he or she uses for determining the amount of medication you are taking. I have many people who come to me that are presently taking thyroid medication and yet are still do not feel well and are very tired. In the next article I will give you a check list that may help you determine if you possibly have a thyroid condition. Comments or questions? Please contact Stephanie J. Ward, M.S., D.O.M., L.Ac. at
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