Читать книгу The Healthy Thyroid: What you can do to prevent and alleviate thyroid imbalance - Patsy Westcott - Страница 13

This book is an exploration of these and other issues. Chapter 2 looks in detail at the thyroid gland and how it works to enable readers to understand the links between the thyroid and other body systems, and why – when it goes wrong – there may be such wide-ranging effects. The chapter also outlines some of the latest thinking on the immune system and the part it plays in thyroid problems.

Chapter 3 examines all the things that can go wrong with your thyroid, and explores some of the latest theories for how thyroid problems arise in an attempt to answer that nagging question, ‘Why me?’ There is also more detailed information on thyroid nodules (lumps) and thyroid cancer. Despite being one of the simplest forms of cancer to treat, survival rates in the UK have, until now, lagged woefully behind those of other countries.

Chapter 4 tackles the problem of getting a proper diagnosis. It includes a description of the various tests that may be performed, and explores the issue of what is normal and the difficulties involved in interpreting thyroid function tests.

Chapter 5 describes the available treatments, including medications, surgery and radiotherapy, and explains how they work, including their pros and cons. It also covers the debate over newer – and the revival of older – forms of treatment, and how you can work with your doctor to find the treatment that is right for you.

Chapter 6 covers the different ways you can help yourself, such as by paying attention to what you eat, making sure you get the right amount of exercise and managing stress, as well as how to come to terms psychologically with having thyroid disease.

Chapter 7 looks at how complementary therapies can help you manage your thyroid problems. These therapies are much more widely accepted now than when the first edition of this book was written, and many doctors and healthcare practitioners now acknowledge the part these therapies can play alongside conventional medical treatment.

Chapter 8 is devoted to thyroid eye disease, a particularly devastating condition about which too little is known, even now, and includes the still controversial issue of how it should be treated.

Chapter 9 describes how thyroid problems can affect you at different points in the female reproductive cycle, and includes important new information on how thyroid problems can affect menstruation, fertility, pregnancy and life after childbirth.

Chapter 10 looks at the problems that may be caused by thyroid disease at around the menopause and as we get older.

Chapter 11 investigates some of the major issues in thyroid disease and the advances made in our current understanding of the disorder, as well as takes a peek into the future at possible new treatments.

Finally, there is a glossary of terms relevant to thyroid disorders, and a list of books, websites and organizations that may prove helpful.

The more you know about the way your body works, the better able you will be to help yourself if something goes wrong. The objective of this book is to provide the information you need to help yourself, to work with your doctor to get the best treatment for your problems, and to feel more in control of your body and your life – something that women with thyroid problems often feel they have lost.

This book does not intend to tell you what to do or replace medical advice. There is a great deal of controversy surrounding thyroid problems – how they come about and how they should be dealt with. The main areas of debate have been outlined in this volume to give you an idea of what different experts think so that you can make up your own mind about how to live with your thyroid problems.