It's sometimes called a hidden epidemic: One in ten Americans--more than twenty million people--has a thyroid disorder. At any given time, millions of people have an undiagnosed thyroid disorder and experience a chronic mental anguish that almost certainly arises from the very same source. This health crisis flourishes in the shadows of the medical community because many primary-care doctors still don't recognize the importance of the thyroid in mind-body health. In fact, when they do diagnose a thyroid disorder, they treat it as a simple physical problem rather than what it really is: a complex blow to the body and mind--and an increasingly common cause of clinical depression, weight gain, fibromyalgia, high cholesterol, memory loss, anxiety, and other disorders. It's time to treat the source and not the symptom!

The Thyroid Solution is the first mind-body approach to identifying and curing thyroid imbalances. Written by a medical pioneer and leading authority in the field of thyroid research, this groundbreaking book offers Dr. Ridha Arem's practical program for maintaining thyroid health through diet, exercise, and stress control--and through his revolutionary medical plan, which combines two types of hormone treatments with astounding results. Inside you'll discover

- The thyroid basics--what it is, where it is, what it does
- How thyroid hormones affect the brain and alter mood, emotions, and behavior
- The difference between hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism and why both conditions are often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed
- What tests to ask your doctor to give you--and what they mean
- The facts your physician may not know about your thyroid, depression, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome
- The vital connection between stress and thyroid imbalance
- The benefits of antioxidants and essential fatty-acid foods and supplements
- How to recognize and cure the deep and lingering effects of a thyroid imbalance
- How thyroid hormone can work as an antidepressant when your thyroid gland is normal and conventional antidepressants have failed

Filled with remarkable and dramatic patient histories and interviews that document the dramatic results of Dr. Arem's bold new treatments, The Thyroid Solution now gives you and your doctor the tools you need to live a life with peace of mind . . . and body.

One in ten Americans suffers from thyroid dysfunction, yet most don't realize the mental and emotional components of this condition. "This is the first book to explain the hidden suffering that many patients have difficulty expressing and the first book to provide new ways of helping address and heal this suffering," promises author Ridha Arem, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and chief of endocrinology and metabolism at Ben Taub General Hospital, both in Houston, Texas. This book explains the link between stress and thyroid imbalance; how thyroid imbalance affects your emotions, sex life, and relationships; and how to cope with the effects of this imbalance. Because thyroid problems primarily strike women, a whole section deals with women's health issues, such as infertility, miscarriage, postpartum depression, premenstrual syndrome, and menopause. Another section provides practical tools, such as evaluating lab tests and self-diagnosis techniques, dealing with treatment problems and side effects, and preventing memory lapses and depression. The book covers lifestyle choices that affect thyroid health, such as diet, supplementation, and exercise. Frequent case studies (usually told as first-person narratives), checklists, and questionnaires help to simplify the material and make it easier to check the medical information against your own situation. Each chapter ends with "valuable points to remember," making review easy. If you suffer from thyroid imbalance, or think you might, this book could be a valuable resource. --Joan Price