[TI] More on Grave's Disease

[JAL]

Dear Ken "I'm not a doctor, but I play one on [TI]" Geraci,

Thank you for your valuable information. Anyone who suspects they might have
thyroid problems SHOULD bring this to their physician's attention, as it is
something which is VERY easily checked through blood tests. 

Janet Larocco

------ Original Message ------
Received: Sun, 24 Feb 2008 02:05:33 AM CET
From: Ken Geraci <ken_geraci at yahoo.com>
To: terminiimerese at comunesofitaly.org
Subject: Re: [TI] More on Grave's Disease

Graves Disease is apparently a genetic
autoimmune disorder that is NOT as rare among us
Termitani as it is with the general population. In
addition to symptoms such as possible weight loss,
tremors/trembling hands, emotional excitability and
bulging eyes/retracted eye lids, there can also be
other symptoms such as high blood pressure, excessive
sweating, heat intolerance, skin rash problems on the
lower legs, irritability, restlessness, lack of
concentration, memory losses, diarrhea, hair loss,
sensitivity to light and even goiter (swelling of the
thyroid gland) in extreme cases.  As I understand it
the immune system goes into "overdrive" attacking
parts of the body it shouldn't, including the body's
own chemical messengers that tell the thyroid gland
when there's already enough thyroid hormone. Since the
thyroid gland doesn't get these intended chemical
messages, it keeps making more and more thyroid
hormone which then starts some of the unhealthy
symptoms described above. Sometimes the thyroid gland
will eventually burn out from the excessive work
causing another disease called Hashimoto's Disease
(which my sister now also has). Anyhow, if anybody on
this list is suffering from more than a few of the
above described symptoms they should mention to their
doctor the possibility of Grave's Disease since it is
not as rare among us as it is in the general
population.

Dr. Ken Geraci (yes, I'm kidding about the doctor
title but the rest of the above info is real)