Hypothyroidism + Males.
13 years ago
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13 years agoRelated Discussions
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Comments (41)(((HUGS))) Lars. I'm not posting much any more, but I saw this and wanted to tell you I had parathyroid disease. The first indication were my calcium levels, which were very low as the parathyroid disease was sucking the calcium out of my bones. Sometimes it's hard to realize when your life isn't normal, as these things have a habit of creeping up on you, and your ''new normal'' seems like a continuation of the same old thing. They removed one parathyroid, and I have to tell you that within one week, I had my old energy back. That was when I realized things had really changed in a big way! The surgery was not a big deal, although I had to spend the night in the hospital so they could check on me until the next morning. (The worst part was I was in a room with a Laotian grandmother who spoke no English and was feeling so bad all she could do was moan. I finally went to sleep in the waiting room to get away from her until they moved me to a different room.) You will need a few days recovery time, but you'll be amazed at the difference in the way you'll feel in less than a week. The scar was miniscule, and in fact, I don't ever notice it any more, as the doctor made the incision in a normal neck fold. I just wanted you to know you will feel like a new man once you have that thing out of there, even with your current family trials. It's amazing how much your (para)thyroid can affect your hormone levels, which has everything to do with your health and feeling of well-being. You're going to be amazed at how much better you feel! (I think depression is also common because you're so tired and hormonal, although it's easy to think you're keeping up because it was a long time getting to that point.) I actually found someone doing the operation on-line and it was helpful to watch, since I knew what I could expect. The surgery itself lasts about 40 minutes, so you'll be in and out. I hope this helps you; it certainly helped me. My advice? Get it done ASAP; you'll be glad you did!...See Moresoy...for or against?
Comments (25)WATCH WHAT YOU READ THE TRUTH IS, SOY IS GOOD FOR YOU! According to Maureen Kennedy Salaman, President of the National Health Federation, even people who should know better have been jumping on the conventional medicine bandwagon to blast soy products. Numerous websites warn that soy products which are very popular contain chemicals, toxins, and growth inhibitors - but when you do research on these so-called dangers, you discover that every negative assumption is based on a healthy truth. And therein lies the problem. One of the arguments against soybeans is the allegation that the phytic acid in soybeans also called phytates blocks the absorption of minerals in the intestine. Although phytates do bind with minerals, they do so in order to stop free radicals and keep the minerals at safe levels in the body. Phytates shield us from dangerously high levels of iron. In some animal studies it has been shown that phytates even stop the growth of cancerous tumors. Phytates are found in foods high in fiber. Since fiber rich foods protect against colon and breast cancers, it is now thought they are the protective agent in fiber. It appears that binding minerals in the intestines that phytates inhibit the cancer process, especially when it comes to iron. Iron generates free radicals and phytates act as an antioxidant. Excessive iron is also known to increase the risk of heart disease. Even a small amount of phytates in food can reduce iron absorption by half; but the effect is less marked if a meal is supplemented with ascorbic acid, which can also help in the absorption of zinc and calcium. Phytates are also known to help prevent cancer by building the immune system. By working directly to control cell growth, pyhtates may be an ideal protective agent against a wide range of cancers. Fiber, along with its associated phytates, also provide benefits by regulating the absorption of glucose from starch. Soybeans are unique among plants foods in supplying all of the essential amino acids that the human body needs. In addition soy contains genistein and daidzein, plant hormones that seem able to either mimic or counter the effects of estrogen. A Harvard study states that soy products are associated with fewer hot flashes and because soy isoflavones-bioflavonoids have certain estrogenic effects, women and researchers have looked to soy as a possible hormone replacement therapy. The same study also showed an increase in bone-mineral content and density after postmenopausal women took an isoflavinoid rich soy preparation. Another published study claimed that 'soys estrogenic effects are associated with elevated rates of breast cancer'. The authors claim was based on a study of women with 'estrogen receptive positive' cells. This means they were already sensitive to estrogen. Its like giving milk to someone who is lactose intolerant then proclaiming milk to be harmful. Another interesting fact is that soy isoflavones resemble tamoxifen, already used for breast cancer prevention but is a much healthier alternative. One of the most nefarious claims about soy is that infants of both sexes who are fed soy milk MAY later develop hormonal abnormalities such as early menstruation or delayed male genital development. This has just not been shown to be true in any study. In one study on osteoporosis, post-menopausal women showed an increase in bone-mineral content and density in the lumbar spine after taking an isoflavone rich soy preparation. But rather than highlight the truth, the authors of one study chose to emphasize the fact that there was no increase in the thigh bone. Six months is too short a period of time to see results using food products. Eating 25 grams of soy protein a day has been shown to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease - according to the FDA (and you know how conservative they are) Vegetarians have long used soy protein as meat substitutes because soybeans offer all the amino acids essential to human nutrition something other beans and plants do not. So enjoy Soy! Drink it, eat it, snack on it, cook with it - and profit from its many wonderful properties....See MoreSkin problem?
Comments (17)My SIL's Shar Pei had very similar skin issues. Sweet dog. Anyway they were able to minimize the hair loss using allergy meds and a special diet. They never were able to completely get rid of all the bald spots. Sometimes her coat would fill in and look nice, but then you could tell when her allergies were acting up, and she have those tiny bald spots all over her body... In the summer time she would get considerably worse on her hind quarters and the Vet figured it was grass or bugs on the grass that were irritating her allergies. I know they spend a lot of money on various tests for skin diseases and allergies. They were able to make significant improvements with food changes and some other changes (minimizing exposure to household cleansers on the floors - stopped their lawn service - no lawn chemicals etc.) As she got older, she lost most of her wrinkles and if her allergies were acting up she'd loose a lot of hair. When they moved into a new neighborhood, with an old bald dog, they were known as the family with the weird dog. With no wrinkles and no hair, her breed was unrecognizable. And she would sit on guard, like Shar Pei's do... and she would look like a statue in the yard. If you hadn't loved her for years, you would think she was very scary......See MoreWhen to spay my dog?
Comments (21)I am not sure why this is such an emotionally charged and controversial topic... I guess it has to do with people's not liking others telling them what to do, no matter the risks. It is also amazing how many 'facts' there are stating exactly the opposite things. If one searches hard enough one can find the facts to support their position, even if its completely the opposite of the other side of the argument. It's as bad as politics. It basically comes down to there being no perfect answer no matter which argument you side with. All you can do is what makes the most sense to you once you have 'learned' as much as you can and have some or lots of actual hands-on experience, either raising dogs or helping them with their illnesses. I am not a researcher or in a position to spew facts based on my own research, but I can at least make conclusions from years of working under various situations (shelter, rescue groups, large practices and small, individual practices) of 27 years as a veterinarian. The opinions I have formulated are not necessarily strictly scientific nor are they based on statistics... they are strictly opinions based on observations... no hard facts or numbers. However, coming from that background, most politically active dog breeders and others with other less clear agendas will automatically disregard anything I say as highly biased (and theirs aren't?) and self serving. I have never worked for myself and my earnings have never been based on the amount of revenue I bring in (as much as some employers have tried to make it so) and I gain nothing from either spaying or neutering dogs, or from removing their mammary tumors later in life, other than the satisfaction of having saved a pet here and there and relieved some of their pain and discomfort. It is part of the job, one which I have grown to like just because I am good at it... but I get no satisfaction at seeing old dogs that have been spayed have urinary incontinence issues any more than I have at seeing old intact females with malignant mammary cancer. I feel for all these pets that have problems and do my best to take care of their problems as they arise. As for the down sides of spaying dogs, I cannot add much to either argument except for the mammary tumor one. Having worked at rescue practice for over 6 years and seen thousands of old dogs that desperately needed homes, it was striking to see how many unsprayed ones indeed had mammary tumors (unfortunately we were not in a position financially to biopsy any of these tumors so I have little feeling for how many were malignant or benign unless they happened to grow right back or the dogs subsequently died of metastatic disease). But in my opinion any tumor is best not to have if it were a choice of having one or not. I did end up removing most of these dog's tumors and spaying them at the same time. Though I cannot say exactly since I did not count, at least a third of these unsprayed older dogs had one form of mammary cancer or another. I did not see a single spayed dog with a mammary tumor on the other hand. So I can at least say with some confidence that if you want your pet dog to not develop mammary cancer, it would be best to spay it. The earlier dogs are spayed the less likely they will be to develop these tumors, too, though I could not say from my personal experience at what age you wait until, that the odds get as high as one out of three. My 'feeling' is that is is somewhere in middle age, but I cannot back that up with numbers or facts. As to other problems associated with not spaying dogs (nothing to do with what age one spays them) I did a LOT of pyometra surgeries at this practice as well as the practice I work at now which is a community that is not exactly swimming in money, so many people do not get their dogs spayed. Pyometra, or infected uterus, is a commonly fatal disease that sometimes will kill pets even if you get the surgery done (just too late sometimes- the infection has gone too far). I would say that pyometras are a lot less common than mammary tumors, but their occurrence is more tragic as without immediate treatment, most dogs die (over 95%)... while mammary tumors that are not removed can often be ignored and may never end up killing the dog as long as they don't get too large or spread. So there is less a need of urgency with those. Still, those are two relatively common diseases that are nearly 100% preventable from spaying. On top of these are the dystocia emergencies I see all the time now in my emergency practice. Most of these pregnant dogs that are now in crisis are results of 'accidental' breeding (at least that is the most common situation presented by their owners and I have no specific reason not to believe them all, though I seriously doubt all of them are telling the truth). This is another avoidable situation that often ends tragically (if not for the mother, who can at least be spayed then) often for the puppies who have died in the process of not being able to be born properly. It gets very sad sometimes to work emergency. As far as the down sides to spaying and neutering dogs, I have seen plenty of female dogs with mild to moderate cases of urinary incontinence. This is an 'annoying' disease, and often uncomfortable if not treated (for both dog and owner) and I certainly would not wish it on any dog (or person). But I have yet to see a single dog die of this condition, nor one not respond to rather inexpensive medication. Sure I would like it for these pets to not have this problem, but I would gladly chose this over any of the above situations. As for all the other reasons for not spaying dogs, I have seen very few of these 'problems' in private practice. I have never seen a 'stunted' dog from a spay or neuter... though I have seen pit bulls and rotweillers that were neutered before a year of age have more slender builds (normal size and normal health)- most notable is these male dogs do not have the massive skulls and facial musculature of their unneutered counterparts. Though a massive head on some of these dogs is 'cool' sometimes, I do not know if that is enough of advantage to not neuter them. However, when it comes to neutering males, I do see few medical advantages... some behavioral advantages come to mind, but not too many medical ones (prostatitis is the major one I can think of right off, but this is not a super common condition anyway- not at least like mammary tumors or pyometras are in female dogs). Back to the original question on this old thread- when is the right time to spay a dog? Since in my practices I do not get to follow too many dogs their entire lives, I cannot make too many conclusions about what early spay and neuter do to dogs. I have done my share of these, though I personally don't like to do these surgeries before 6 months, but no other reason than I find them easier surgeries at that age. I have not seen any long term problems in the few dogs that I have been able to keep up with, other than urinary incontinence in some female dogs (in my unscientific observations, I would say about 1 out of 30 female spayed dogs develop this problem and age of spay seems to make no difference, at least when done early. I have not seen an older spayed dog (over 5) develop this problem after a spay... but by that age I do see lots of other problems from NOT being spayed showing up... When I see unspayed dogs in practice I do mention the above observations of mine... once... if the owners are not receptive to these comments I do not mention it again. Changing some people's minds about potential sensitive issues like this is like trying to change their political or religious views and that is certainly not my job or business. I still do my best to treat all the dogs and cats I see no matter what choices their owners have made ,and try as much as possible not to make owners feel bad about their choices, unless they border on negligence or cruelty (thankfully these are rare situations). Just an opinion... and only based on personal experience. Feel free to rail on me all you like. I just felt I had to say something....See MoreRelated Professionals
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