Excerpt from David Derry, about.

com In the mid 1980s I had a chronic asthma patient who developed an inflammation of his thyroid. After consultation with an endocrinologist he was put on Eltroxine (T4). One day when the patient came in later he mentioned that the thyroid trea tment improved his asthma considerably. At the same time, my office receptionist had severe asthma since the age 12 requiring constant medications and multiple hospital visits. She knew about the results on this patient, she asked if she co uld try thyroid as well. I started her on 180 mg of desiccated thyroid and withi n a month raised her to 250 mg. This was in about 1986. She has been free of ast hma symptoms since then. She still takes some medication occasionally but has no t been in hospital for asthma since. Encouraged by these results, I proceeded to work my way through all of my chroni c asthma patients. At the time there were 22 severe asthmatics who came into my office on a regular basis for asthma attacks. Some came into the office once a m onth (or more often when in trouble) and some twice a year. Over about a 2-3 yea r period I gradually put all of them on desiccated thyroid. All patients improve d tremendously. I would not say all of them were completely cured but the improv ement was striking. Two things followed from this. By 1990 all asthma patients w ere on thyroid and thus from 1990 to 2002, I did not see another acute asthma at tack in my office and none of these 22 patients came in for their asthma. The ot her slightly embarrassing problem was for a few months my waiting room became qu ite slow because of the absence of these asthma patients. From there I went on t o learn what other benefits thyroid medication might have. So it is my impression asthma is a low thyroid problem which can be better contr olled and dealt with by thyroid treatment. Two patient who have been on these do ses of thyroid for more than 15 years have had bone density tests show their bon e density was completely normal. Prednisone (cortisone) used for acute severe as thma attacks has more serious potential for causing bone problems. Thyroid treat ment, especially with supplementary iodine (Lugol's one drop daily) does not alt er bone density short term or long term. The only literature I can find on asthma and thyroid hormone was from the early part of the last century when many physicians found thyroid improved asthma. One 1911 study in a large Paris asthma clinic found thyroid treatment effective tre atment for asthma.(1) However, adrenaline was discovered at the same time. Conse quently all severe asthma patients went on daily injections of adrenaline for ma ny years. The potential for using thyroid to help asthma was gradually forgotten . There was a study in 1968 in which they used growth hormone and thyroid to tre at asthmatic children. They attributed the improvement to the growth hormone not the thyroid. (2) It has been noted repeatedly that asthma incidence is increasi ng in all age groups. I feel this is the result of a lower intake of iodine occu rring in many families from decrease consumption of table salt. (3-6) The lower intake of iodine tends to make thyroid glands work poorly and cause hypothyroidi sm and thus increase the chances of asthma in those who are susceptible. We know that by tracing radioactive thyroid hormone injected into animals shows the hormone concentrates in the aveoli of the lungs. These are the lower air sac s that we have to exchange oxygen with. Also for a good 100 years iodine prepara tions have been used on chronic chest problems and asthmatics. Iodine is excrete d in the lung mucus. In fact iodine in excreted in all mucous secretions such as the mouth(saliva) stomach, bowels, cervix, and lungs. The iodine in the mucous likely helps to kill any bacteria or viruses. Thus both iodine and thyroid hormo ne are involved in lung physiology. For example most, if not all, sleep apnea pa tients are fixed with adequate doses of thyroid. Chronic obstructive lung diseas e (COPD) also is helped by thyroid hormone treatment.

The amount of iodine in the lung mucus possibly explains the paradox that the Ja panese who are amongst the heaviest smokers in the world also have one the lowes t lung cancer rates. It is likely the high levels of iodine in their blood is ex creted in the lung mucus. This iodine then by apoptosis (natural cell death)coul d be killing off any abnormal cells as they develop that are caused by the cigar ette carcinogens. In addition iodine reacts directly with carcinogens and chemic al to render them inactive. (7) The Japanese have had an average dietary iodine intake of about 10 mg for many centuries. If the level of iodine intake is above 2-3 mg daily then the thyroid gland becomes saturated within two weeks and does not take iodine up anymore. Thus the most of the iodine can then go to the othe r parts of the body to carry out iodine's mulitple important functions. The most important of these is relataed to killing off of pre-cancerous abnormal cells. Our intake of iodine as laid down by the WHO is around 15-200 micrograms. This i s about one tenth the needed dose to saturate the thyroid gland. So most iodine or a large part of the dietary iodine in Westerners goes to the thyroid gland. T his leaves less than optimal amounts going to the rest of the body. The origin of your problem may be low iodine intake over a long period. But your breathing problems could easily be a mild asthma from your hypothyroidism. This means if you were treated adequately for you thyroid problem all your symptoms would go as well as your breathing problem. Having said all that, my inclination - from what you have told me - is to have t he lump removed. I hope this helps you handle your problem. David References 1. Levy,L. and de Rothschild,H.. Asthme endocritique. In: Endocrinologie. Nouvel les etudes sur la physiopathologie du corps thyroide et des autres glandes endoc rines, edited by L. Levy and H. Rothschild, Paris: 1911, p. 325-391. 2. Collipp P.J.. Short asthmatic children and human growth hormone. Evaluation o f albumin-bound growth hormone. Clin Pediat (Phila) 7:659-664, 1968. 3. Thomson, C.D. Colls, A.J. Conaglen, J.V., M. Macormack, M. Stiles, and J. Man n Iodine status of New Zealand residents as assessed by urinary iodide excretion and thyroid hormones. British Journal of Nutrition 78, 901-912 1997. 4. Lee,R., Bradley,R., Dwyer, J., Lee,S.L. Two much versus too little: The impli cations of current iodine intake in the United States. Nutritional reviews. 57, 177-181. 1999. page 178 5. Hollowell,J.G., Staehling,N.W., Hannon,W.H. et al. Iodine nutrition in the Un ited States. Trends and public health implications: Iodine excretion data from n ational health and nutrition examination surveys I and III (1971-1974 and 1988-1 994). J Clin Endocrinol Metab 83:3401-3408, 21998. 6. Kamala Guttikonda, Cheryl A Travers, Peter R Lewis and Steven Boyages Iodine deficiency in urban primary school children: a cross-sectional analysis. MJA 200 3; 179 (7): 346-348 7. Derry,DM Breast cancer and iodine, Trafford Publishing Victoria Canada, 2001.