Dear Readers,

It is time again to get out the backpacks and school supplies. When I was in a traditional medical practice, the summer months were very slow. It would seem that people manage to stay healthier in the summer than they do in the winter or fall. There may be something to that. Every parent and teacher knows that when you get a large group of children together, especially when they have not been around each other all summer, sore throats, coughs and colds begin. Why do some children get sick?

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Did anyone ever tell you that you should “take time to smell the roses”? Doug told me that I should start. This statement is simply good medicine. I have been a physician for twenty-five years now (it is crazy how time flies), so forgive me if I quote an old comic strip character:

“We have met the enemy and he is us.” –Walt Kelly, Pogo comic strip. 

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How much do you know about vitamin D?  In the world of vitamins and supplements, it is an unsung superhero. Until recently, the benefits of adequate vitamin D have largely gone unnoticed. Let me explain.  If you have a chronic fungal infection, you most likely have a Vitamin D deficiency. Bold statement but that has been my clinical experience.  So which came first, the fungal infection or the vitamin D deficiency?  With that, let’s begin this month’s case study.

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It should not surprise you that, in most cases, I learn about alternative medicine the same way that most of you do; by reading a book. Recently I began reading a book by Dr. Cass Ingram and, in the Introduction, he said some things that rang very true to me. “People rely on doctors, but they shouldn’t. They should rely on themselves. They should rely upon doctors only for emergencies. Or, the doctor must play the role of diagnostician for preventive purposes.” He goes on to say, “...ultimately people must do all that they can to take responsibility for their own health. What’s more, they should seek to understand how their bodies work. This will empower them with the knowledge necessary to protect themselves. Such people, armed through education, are, in fact, formidable.”1 This brings us to this month’s case study. I hope that you will find this presentation interesting. This patient’s history will be presented to you much the same way it is to me when I ask the question, “So tell me, what brings you here?" With that said, let’s begin.

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On January 12, 2010, Haiti was struck by a powerful 7.0 earthquake. The epicenter of the quake was located about 16 miles west of Port-au-Prince, the capital city of Haiti. To say that the country was taken by surprise is an understatement. There is no disaster plan for earthquakes in Haiti. The last earthquake to level Port-au-Prince was in 1770. It has been reported that over 220,000 people were killed and approximately 1.3 million were made homeless. It has also been estimated that over 300,000 people have been injured. The city of Wichita Falls, Texas, where I live, has a population of about 100,000. Just imagine, in a few minutes the population of two cities such as Wichita Falls would be dead and the entire population of Dallas, Texas homeless.

I am telling you this because, during the past month, I went to Haiti as part of a medical mission team.

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I thought that I would take a break again from my usual case presentation to talk about another common, but frequently under-diagnosed, medical condition, hypothyroidism. Don’t misunderstand me, chronic fungal infection is probably the most under-diagnosed medical condition. With regards to hypothyroidism, I think that Dr. Mark Starr has described the situation very well: “We are living in an environment where thyroid disease has become an epidemic throughout our society...The average physician has virtually stopped physically examining their patients and listening to their medical history and, instead, relies on blood tests to determine their diagnoses.” One of the problems with hypothyroidism is that it can occur slowly over many years and often the symptoms and signs are attributed to aging. 1

Having said that, let’s start our class, Thyroid 101, a little bit traditional and a little bit alternative.

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