MYXEDEMA-SIMPLE GOITER-Pregnant women

MYXEDEMA

 In this condition produced by thyroid under functioning, the patient is sluggish physically and mentally, cannot stand the cold, sometimes develops a tongue so large and thick that it sticks out of the mouth. Treatment, by administration of thyroid hormone, usually brings marked improvement. Some babies are born with thyroid deficiency. 

Any child who seems to be developing too slowly-for example, in following objects with his eyes or holding his head erect-should be checked by a physician for thyroid deficiency. The earlier such a child is treated, the better the chances for normal development.

SIMPLE GOITER

 To function normally, the thyroid must have iodine. Lacking sufficient iodine, it cannot produce the normal quantity of hormone. In an effort to compensate, the gland enlarges until a noticeable lump may appear in the throat. The swelling, or goiter, may become large enough to interfere with breathing or swallowing. 

Thyroid hormoneconsists of about 65 percent iodine, but the amount of iodine needed in food to avoid goiter is small. Iodized table salt-an amount no more than ordinarily used with meals-is enough, even in areas where the soil is completely lacking in natural iodine. Too much iodine may cause a skin eruption. 

Although consuming iodine does not cute a simple goiter, it will prevent one and will stop an existing goiter from enlarging further. Anyone with even a small goiter should have medical attention for it. 

It is especially important for expectant mothers who live in regions such as the Rocky Mountain States, the Great Lakes Basin, and the Upper Mississippi River Valley, where the soil is lacking in iodine, to follow doctor's orders about the amount of iodine they need. Insufficient iodine in the diet may cause a mother to produce a child with thyroid deficiency.

However, most pregnant women develop a slight enlargement of the thyroid, and this should cause no undue worry. 

Harmones and glands - overactivity and underactivity

Many hormones

The Endocrine Glands I 263 is known to pour out a dozen or so; the adrenals more than 30. The following table shows a number of the hormones and some of the dis- eases resulting when a gland is too active or not active enough: Disease Caused by Exophthalmic goiter (also Myxedema, called Graves' disease or cretinism (in hyperthyroidism) infants)

ROLL CALL OF THE GLANDS 

The Islets of Langerhans Diabetes is the most familiar of the diseases caused by endocrine gland disorder. GLAND Thyroid Parathyroid Islets of Langerhans (pancreas) Adrenal Cortex Medulla Gonads Female (ovary) Male (testis) Pituitary anterior lobe posterior lobe HORMONE Thyroxin Parathormone Insulin Cortin, cortisone, etc. Adrenaline Estrogen (estrin) Androgen (testosterone) Corticotropin, thyrotropin, gonadotropins, lactogenic hormone, prolactin Vasopressin, oxytocin

OVERACTIVITY 

Hyperparathyroidism (osteitisfibrosacystica) Hyperinsulinism Cushing's syndrome, adrenal hypercorticism, adrenal virilismHyperadrenalism, pheochromocytoma Menstrual irregularities Excessive virilism Cushing's syndrome (hyper adrenalism) r gigantism (acromegaly) 

UNDERACTIVITY Parathyroid tetany Diabetes mellitus Addison's disease May contribute to symptoms of Addison's disease Menopause Eunuchism Dwarfism, Simmonds' disease Diabetes insipidus The islets of Langerhans of the pancreas secrete insulin.

This hormone enables the body to use, or burn, sugar and starch after they have been converted by digestive juices into glucose. The body must utilize glucose (sugar) to provide heat and energy and to help in utilization of other foods. Any sugar the body does not immediately need is stored in the tissues to be drawn on later, like money in the bank. 

When the islets fail to provide insulin to spark this process, the sugar passes unused into the blood and is eliminated in the urine. The quantity of urine increases, causing the diabetic to become thirsty and to drink more fluid, which in turn is quickly eliminated. Not all reasons why the islets may fail to produce enough insulin are known. 

The Nose and Mouth health issues and preventive care

Nose and health problems

The ordinarily healthy nose needs little special care. Avoid the use of nose drops, sprays, or sniffers unless your physician prescribes them for a specific purpose. Their continued use can cause irritation or injury. They will not cure postnasal drip. Actually, the nose normally is moist inside, kept so by mucus and a thin watery secretion produced by small glands in the lining of the membranes. 

There is a continuous healthy process of flowing and drying and sweeping backward to the throat of any excess fluids and mucus. It's this process that accounts for a normal amount of mucus in the throat termed postnasal drip. Thus postnasal drip is a normal process. If the drip be- comes excessive and unpleasant, it may be because of infection, allergy, vitamin deficiency, excessively dry, heated wintertime environment, or other problems.

Nose drops and sprays will not help under these circumstances and may, in fact, add to the problem if your postnasal drip excess is due to overly sensitive membranes.

If you have a disturbing postnasal drip problem, the best thing to do is to see your physician for definitive diagnosis and treatment, with emphasis on preventive treatment. If you won't see a physician, the next best thing to do is leave the drip alone. Despite what you may have heard, we can assure you that mucus which accumulates is not "full of dangerous germs" and will not "poison you or ruin your digestion if you swallow it." It is quite harmless. Your mouth does not need and may actually be harmed by "medications" that claim to cure halitosis and other conditions. 

Mouthwashes, antiseptic lozenges, and gargles come in contact with only the surface of the mouth and do not reach any germs that are more deeply entrenched when infection is present. Halitosis, or bad breath, accompanies gum disease. It can also be caused by teeth and gums that are not kept properly clean. However, it may be due to inflamed tonsils, infections in or behind the nose, and conditions of the stomach or intestines. Certain foods, of course, cause odorous breath. 

Some diseases such as uremia produce foul breath. It is not always easy to tell whether or not one has a mild case of halitosis. It is sometimes possible to find out for oneself whether marked halitosis is present by forced expiration into your cupped hands held over mouth and nose. In any case, there is no need to worry endlessly about halitosis or spend time and money on remedies that do little good, since your dentist or physician will be glad not only to determine whether you do have halitosis but also, if you do, to help you find cause and cure. 

Like the nose and mouth, the throat does not need sprays, gargles, or lozenges to keep it healthy. Avoid them because their regular use may produce irritation. Sore throats are almost as common as colds, since a certain amount of throat inflammation may accompany a cold.