Replied by Ron (Springfield, Ma Usa) on 11/10/2009
Hi Diana. Dry skin, brittle nails and no energy? Sounds to me as if you have several symptoms related to hypothyroidism. Some other possible symptoms could be weight gain, cold feet and/or hands, muscle/joint pain, depression, headaches, etc. The tip off for me was low morning body temperatures. As soon as you wake-up, place a non-digital thermometer under the armpit for 10 min. (stay quiet in bed). Temps between 97.8 F and 98.2 F are acceptable; for an under-active thyroid, lower temps are expected. You really need to see a physician and get checked out. This nothing to "play" around with. The thyroid gland controls your bodies metabolism and is the most important endocrine gland. A good book is Hypothyroidism Type 2 by Mark Starr, MD. The book and other sources clearly states that thyroid blood tests are often misinterpreted by most physicians, so good luck and get informed. I'm trying to get up-to-speed myself.
