The Thyroid Whisperer

By Marina Yuabova

Integrative medicine uses the best of the worlds of modern and traditional botanical medicine as well as the best from all other alternative forms of medicine. This may include Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the Ayurvedic traditions, homeopathy or naturopathic medicine. If your healthcare professional is familiar with these approaches, she can choose the one most suited to your unique needs and perspectives.

Functional medicine focuses on the most optimal functioning of the body with all its cells, tissues and organs, and looks at these functions holistically.

The body can very often be healed, but a person will not feel all that much better unless the mind and the spirit are healed as well. In my hands, the mind, body and spirit are all listened to and addressed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jul 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781716756405

Book preview

THE

THYROID

WHISPERER

DR. MARINA YUABOVA

Copyright © 2020 Dr. Marina Yuabova.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored,

or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical,

or electronic—without written permission of the author, except in the

case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized

reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

The information, ideas, and suggestions in this book are not intended

as a substitute for professional medical advice. Before following any

suggestions contained in this book, you should consult your personal

physician. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible

for any loss or damage allegedly arising as a consequence of your use

or application of any information or suggestions in this book.

ISBN: 978-1-6847-1993-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7169-1292-4 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or

links contained in this book may have changed since publication and

may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those

of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher,

and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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Lulu Publishing Services rev. date:   04/03/2020

INTRODUCTION

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Dr. Marina Yuabova, FNP, BC

Hello ~ First, a little bit about me. You can call me Dr. Marina!

I am a Family Nurse Practitioner and Assistant Professor at City University of New York and the founder of Integrative Health and Aesthetics, aiming to restore health and beauty holistically. My extensive training and broad experience make me a unique medical professional with vast knowledge in functional, natural and alternative medicine approaches.

Following my completion of a Bachelor of Science, and Master of Science degree with a specialty in Family Health from SUNY Stony Brook, I received my Doctorate of Nursing Practice from SUNY Stony Brook, publishing my thesis on depression screening in patients suffering from physical trauma.

I have also earned additional certifications in ozone therapy, medical prolozone therapy, T3 therapy (optimizing body temperature and thyroid function with hormones, botanicals and nutrition), weight management, and medical fitness in primary care, as well as clinical application of IV nutrient therapy, PRP for sexual wellness, life lift, thread lift, aesthetic medical procedures, injectables, micro-needling, skin care and sclerotherapy.

Currently, I am Board Certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), Board Certifies as Naturopathic Doctor, Board Certified in integrative medicine, Fellow Member of the American Academy of Ozonotherapy, a Member of American Association of Integrative Wellness.

I have dedicated my career to the art and science of Functional Wellness and Aesthetics and continue to learn about new technologies aimed toward restoring health and wellness with minimal risk to my clients.

Certifications

• ANCC Board Certified in Family Health

• Board Certified as Functional, Integrative Medicine Practitioner by The American Association of Integrative Medicine.

• Board Certified as a Naturopathic Doctor, American Naturopathic Medical Certification Board.

• Fellow of American Academy of Ozone therapy.

• IRB research coinvestigator of American Academy of Ozone therapy.

• Member of International Fellowship in Advanced Aesthetic Science

WELCOME

So many come through the doors of my clinic exhausted and nearly at the end of their ropes—they have seen doctor after doctor and gone through many tests, procedures and protocols. Some have never had their condition adequately explained to them—no one has taken the time or the effort.

I believe that everyone should be empowered to take control of their health. To do this, knowledge is key. Without knowing the basics, how can one know the questions to ask? How does one know that the healthcare provider is considering all the aspects of a patient’s life in order to find the best way that patient can recover their health and wellness?

Integrative and functional medicine are relatively new ways of thinking about health and wellness.

Integrative medicine uses the best of the worlds of modern and traditional botanical medicine as well as the best from all other alternative forms of medicine. This may include Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the Ayurvedic traditions, homeopathy or naturopathic medicine. If your healthcare professional is familiar with these approaches, she can choose the one most suited to your unique needs and perspectives.

Functional medicine focuses on the most optimal functioning of the body with all its cells, tissues and organs, and looks at these functions holistically.

The body can very often be healed, but a person will not feel all that much better unless the mind and the spirit are healed as well.

In my hands, the mind, body and spirit are all listened to and addressed. I will take the time to explain and discuss different approaches that might be most beneficial for you. Each patient is a unique person—and each person requires a unique approach.

This book was developed with you in mind—to give you the knowledge base and a reference to look at when questions or uncertainties come up. Dr Marina will always be willing to answer your questions, but it may be handy to have something to look at on your way to and from work or school! If something is not clear, please don’t hesitate to ask. If you are not happy about some answer—ask again! We will do everything we can to explain our procedures and approaches as clearly as possible.

This book is about the thyroid gland—but it is also about how the thyroid gland interacts with the adrenal glands and the female reproductive system. We are used to looking and learning about all the pieces, but sometimes, we have to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. The information may be new to you and it may seem too complex at first—again, don’t hesitate to ask.

After giving birth to my 4th child, I felt as if I were falling apart. I had a hard time focusing on my patients and I had a hard time at home. I was given Armour thyroid first, with no improvement—then, my doctor switched me to Synthroid, increasing the dose every three months—and still no improvement! I was getting worse—not better!

Finally, I decided to take control and take control of my own health. After learning more about Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, I began to understand that the symptoms and the blood work results often do not match—and that each person had to be treated individually so that they would begin to feel better, to recover and to heal.

This is why I decided to write this book—I wanted to let everyone in on what I had learned. The public needs to better understand the thyroid—after all, one out of every three women has the symptoms of thyroid dysfunction! That’s a lot of women—and all of them should be given the resources—the key—to understanding the thyroid so they could be empowered with the knowledge they needed to feel better, to recover and to heal.

To Your Health!

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1:Hypothalamus, Pituitary, Thyroid, Adrenal and Reproductive Hormones

Figure2: Negative Feedback Control of T4 and T3 Production

Figure3: HPA Axis, Reproductive Hormones: The Connections

Figure 4: Thyroid Hormones

Figure 5: Poster form circa 1927. Note the statement Help Keep your Family Goiter-Free!

Figure 6: The Bell Curve used to determine reference ranges

Figure 7 Severe goiter. Photo by Almazi (released to public domain via Wikimedia.org (Goitre.jpg)

Figure 8: Common Hyperthyroid Symptoms

Figure 9 The 24-hour cortisol cycle:

Figure10: Stress and the HPA Axis

1

CHAPTER

Thyroid—and other

hormone—Basics

Your thyroid gland lies at the base of your neck—it is shaped a bit like a butterfly or a bow tie. Each wing of the butterfly is a thyroid lobe and lies on either side of your windpipe, connected by a bridge of thyroid tissue known as the isthmus.

The thyroid is a relatively small gland, but don’t be fooled by its size! It may be small, but it influences nearly every cell, tissue and organ of your body. Even in those cells the thyroid doesn’t directly affect—mature red blood cells, for example—the thyroid gland still is involved and affects the process that produces red blood cells. The main thyroid hormones are T4 (thyroxine) and T3 (triiodothyronine). When something goes wrong with the thyroid and thyroid hormones—even slightly wrong—this can and does affect multiple body systems.

Some Thyroid Basics

Before we go into more detail about what the thyroid does, let’s get into an overview of the endocrine or hormonal system.

Figure12.jpg

Figure 1:Hypothalamus, Pituitary, Thyroid,

Adrenal and Reproductive Hormones

The Endocrine System

Have you ever noticed that beyond the complicated nature of many terms in medicine, many of the prefixes are the same? Knowing a bit about those can help you better understand your own body.

Endo is one of those prefixes—and it means internal or within. Crinis is a Greek term that means to secrete. So, the term endocrine means hormones that come from within glands and are secreted directly into the blood (internally) to influence the function of cells, tissues and organs that are some distance from the original gland—but within the body. This can be compared to the term exocrine—the prefix exo means outer, outside or external. Exocrine glands secrete substances outside the body. Sweat glands are an example of an exocrine gland—the thyroid, on the other hand secretes inside (within) the body.

The endocrine system is the collection of glands and the hormones they secrete within the body to influence the function of other parts of the body.

The endocrine system includes the pituitary gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, adrenal glands, pancreas, the ovaries in females and the testicles in males. It also includes the hormones those glands secrete—and there are many, many different types of endocrine hormones all with their own unique patterns of function.

Quite commonly, the secretion of these hormones is controlled by something called a feedback loop system. Here are the main points about how thyroid hormone is controlled:

• The hypothalamus, located deep within the brain, senses the levels of T4 and T3 in the blood and when they are low—or when triggered by stress or cold—releases a hormone known as thyrotrophin-releasing hormone or TRH.

• TRH acts on part of the pituitary gland, also located deep within the brain. TRH