Air Force Airman 1st Class Julia Maldonado, a medical laboratory technician, tests a blood sample at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. Thyroid disease is diagnosed by a test that checks the amount of thyroid-stimulating hormone, or TSH, in a patient’s blood. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Teresa J. Cleveland) by: Military Health System Communications Office
FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Mood changes, unexplained weight gain or loss, and frequently feeling too hot or too cold can be signs of any number of health issues. But as many women are discovering, these also are signs of thyroid disease.
Thyroid disease is more common in women than men, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and it’s also more prevalent in older people. As many as 30 million Americans have thyroid disease, according to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, and half of these cases may go undiagnosed.
Because of enhanced awareness, “More and more Military Health System providers are ordering thyroid testing when assessing patients, and more and more patients are asking providers if their symptoms are related to the thyroid,” said Army Maj. Kate Kinnaird, an endocrinologist at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Virginia.
“So we’re screening more for thyroid disorder than we used to,” she said, “and we’re detecting more and more cases of thyroid dysfunction.”
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland at the base of the throat. The pituitary gland sparks it by releasing thyroid-stimulating hormones, or TSH. The thyroid then sends its own hormones into the bloodstream to regulate physical energy, body temperature, weight, and mood.
“When a patient presents with depression or anxiety, one of the first things we do is a thyroid test,” said Army Reserve Lt. Col. Amanda Cuda, a family medicine physician who’s serving as an assistant professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.
“We want to make sure the thyroid isn’t a component, especially if someone hasn’t had depression or anxiety previously,” she said.
A simple blood test diagnoses thyroid disease. If a patient’s TSH level is high, the pituitary gland is trying to stimulate an underactive thyroid, or hypothyroid. Symptoms include dry skin, hair loss, difficulty concentrating, and weight gain.
If the TSH level is low, the pituitary gland is trying to slow down an overactive thyroid, or hyperthyroid. Symptoms include rapid heartbeat, weight loss, nervousness, and irritability.
A study published in the October 2012 issue of Medical Surveillance Monthly Report found increased rates of thyroid disorders among U.S. military members during a 10-year period ending in 2011. The study’s authors note the higher rates may be linked to increased testing of service members with symptoms including depression, sleep disorders, and menstrual and fertility problems, all of which have been linked to thyroid disease.
“We don’t fully understand why more women than men have thyroid disease,” Kinnaird said. One possible reason is that most thyroid disorders are autoimmune-based, and autoimmune diseases are more common in women than in men.
“Think of an autoimmune disease as the body fighting against itself,” Cuda said. Autoimmune hyperthyroidism is also known as Graves disease. Autoimmune hypothyroidism is called Hashimoto’s disease.
“There’s also been an increase in autoimmune disorders in society in general,” Cuda said. “Just about everything you can think of might trigger a thyroid disorder in someone who has a family history, including dietary changes, smoking, stress, a viral infection, or environmental exposures.”
Other causes of thyroid disorders include iodine deficiency, which is uncommon in the United States, and having had head and neck radiation.
For patients with an underactive thyroid, physicians prescribe replacement thyroid hormone medication. An overactive thyroid is less common. In those cases, treatment options vary, depending on what’s causing it. “Some forms of hyperthyroidism resolve on their own,” Kinnaird said, “and some require treatment with medication, radioactive iodine, or thyroid surgery.”
Untreated, thyroid disease can lead to a number of serious health issues, including elevated cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. Pregnant women, and women up to a year after childbirth, also can develop thyroid issues, Kinnaird said. The thyroid can become overactive or underactive, or sometimes a hyperthyroid phase is followed by a hypothyroid phase. Usually, these dysfunctions resolve on their own, she said.
Also, all newborns are screened for congenital hypothyroidism, Cuda said. Untreated, it can cause growth and developmental delays.
Thyroid cancer is three times more common in women than in men, according to the CDC. But the death rate is very low compared to other cancers.
“The good news is that most thyroid problems can be detected and treated,” Cuda said.
Read More ...
---
FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Mood changes, unexplained weight gain or loss, and frequently feeling too hot or too cold can be signs of any number of health issues. But as many women are discovering, these also are signs of thyroid disease.
Thyroid disease is more common in women than men, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and it’s also more prevalent in older people. As many as 30 million Americans have thyroid disease, according to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, and half of these cases may go undiagnosed.
Because of enhanced awareness, “More and more Military Health System providers are ordering thyroid testing when assessing patients, and more and more patients are asking providers if their symptoms are related to the thyroid,” said Army Maj. Kate Kinnaird, an endocrinologist at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Virginia.
“So we’re screening more for thyroid disorder than we used to,” she said, “and we’re detecting more and more cases of thyroid dysfunction.”
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland at the base of the throat. The pituitary gland sparks it by releasing thyroid-stimulating hormones, or TSH. The thyroid then sends its own hormones into the bloodstream to regulate physical energy, body temperature, weight, and mood.
“When a patient presents with depression or anxiety, one of the first things we do is a thyroid test,” said Army Reserve Lt. Col. Amanda Cuda, a family medicine physician who’s serving as an assistant professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.
“We want to make sure the thyroid isn’t a component, especially if someone hasn’t had depression or anxiety previously,” she said.
A simple blood test diagnoses thyroid disease. If a patient’s TSH level is high, the pituitary gland is trying to stimulate an underactive thyroid, or hypothyroid. Symptoms include dry skin, hair loss, difficulty concentrating, and weight gain.
If the TSH level is low, the pituitary gland is trying to slow down an overactive thyroid, or hyperthyroid. Symptoms include rapid heartbeat, weight loss, nervousness, and irritability.
A study published in the October 2012 issue of Medical Surveillance Monthly Report found increased rates of thyroid disorders among U.S. military members during a 10-year period ending in 2011. The study’s authors note the higher rates may be linked to increased testing of service members with symptoms including depression, sleep disorders, and menstrual and fertility problems, all of which have been linked to thyroid disease.
“We don’t fully understand why more women than men have thyroid disease,” Kinnaird said. One possible reason is that most thyroid disorders are autoimmune-based, and autoimmune diseases are more common in women than in men.
“Think of an autoimmune disease as the body fighting against itself,” Cuda said. Autoimmune hyperthyroidism is also known as Graves disease. Autoimmune hypothyroidism is called Hashimoto’s disease.
“There’s also been an increase in autoimmune disorders in society in general,” Cuda said. “Just about everything you can think of might trigger a thyroid disorder in someone who has a family history, including dietary changes, smoking, stress, a viral infection, or environmental exposures.”
Other causes of thyroid disorders include iodine deficiency, which is uncommon in the United States, and having had head and neck radiation.
For patients with an underactive thyroid, physicians prescribe replacement thyroid hormone medication. An overactive thyroid is less common. In those cases, treatment options vary, depending on what’s causing it. “Some forms of hyperthyroidism resolve on their own,” Kinnaird said, “and some require treatment with medication, radioactive iodine, or thyroid surgery.”
Untreated, thyroid disease can lead to a number of serious health issues, including elevated cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. Pregnant women, and women up to a year after childbirth, also can develop thyroid issues, Kinnaird said. The thyroid can become overactive or underactive, or sometimes a hyperthyroid phase is followed by a hypothyroid phase. Usually, these dysfunctions resolve on their own, she said.
Also, all newborns are screened for congenital hypothyroidism, Cuda said. Untreated, it can cause growth and developmental delays.
Thyroid cancer is three times more common in women than in men, according to the CDC. But the death rate is very low compared to other cancers.
“The good news is that most thyroid problems can be detected and treated,” Cuda said.
Read More ...
---
Battlefield acupuncture shows promising results downrangeResearch has shown how beneficial battlefield acupuncture can be in combat settings. Not only does it reduce the use of medication with potentially harmful side effects, administering BFA is an easy and highly effective tool for pain management. (Air Force photo) by: Shireen Bedi
FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Air Force providers are using acupuncture as an effective holistic treatment option for pain relief, even in combat settings.
Prescribing pain medication to treat both acute and chronic pain is the traditional treatment. Unfortunately, the side effects of these medications can impede an Airman’s ability to complete their mission, and opioid pain medications can be dangerously habit forming. In searching for other methods to control pain, providers developed battlefield acupuncture techniques.
“Sometimes increased use of pain medication has been shown to have diminished effects and require additional medication,” explained Dr. Richard Niemtzow, a developer of battlefield acupuncture (BFA) techniques. “This is just one of the many reasons why it is so important to search for alternative treatments to work in conjunction with traditional pain management.”
Niemtzow and his team specifically worked on bringing BFA to the military and tested its efficacy in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is a type of ear acupuncture, or auricular acupuncture, which treats acute and chronic pain. This type of acupuncture localizes needles to the ear and is used to complement traditional treatment.
“What makes BFA different is that it is safe, easily teachable, and a highly effective treatment option,” said Niemtzow.
Utilizing BFA increases treatment options for Airmen downrange.
“BFA is portable in nature and does not require a lot of people to operate,” said Niemtzow. “Using this form of treatment would be an ideal alternative when considering the potential harm that the overuse of pain medication has on patients.”
Niemtzow worked with the Air Force on a study to determine if BFA is beneficial in a combat setting, with positive results. It assessed the feasibility of BFA, specifically focusing on how it works with the aeromedical evacuation system.
“We found that BFA did not interfere with the normal pre-flight preparation process and was an effective pain treatment option,” said Niemtzow.
With BFA localized only in the ears, it is easy to administer downrange. As Niemtzow explains, the patient does not have to lie down like other forms of acupuncture. This makes BFA ideal in austere combat environments where space and supplies are limited.
The treatment, much like other holistic options, is met with some resistance. Some have questioned acupuncture’s ability to actually treat pain and other health concerns such as post-traumatic stress.
“As we continue to study acupuncture, results have consistently shown how it can effectively treat pain, we hear less and less of that criticism,” said Niemtzow. “A recent study that examined BFA found that out of the nearly 600 patients who received acupuncture treatment, less than 10 patients reported no relief in pain.”
The potential benefits of BFA, especially when it comes to treating patients in a combat setting, could improve current treatment options where administering pain medication is not always a possibility.
Disclaimer: Re-published content may have been edited for length and clarity. Read original post.
Read More ...
---
Airman builds medical relationships in VietnamAir Force Maj. (Dr.) Cody Butler, a physical therapist and commander of the 78th Medical Group Clinical Medicine Flight, poses with other members of his engagement team in Tam Ky, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, Nov. 30, 2017. Butler was in Vietnam as part of a team seeing patients and building relationships with local physicians during the humanitarian assistance engagement Operation Pacific Angel Vietnam 2017. (Air Force photo by Jonathan Bell) By: Jonathan BellROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. — An Air Force physical therapist stationed here was one of 50 U.S. team members who recently spent more than two weeks in Tam Ky, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, seeing patients and building relationships with local physicians.
“Each day we bused out to a government community center where we provided family health, pediatric care and physical therapy assistance and dental care,” said Maj. (Dr.) Cody Butler, commander of the 78th Medical Group Clinical Medicine Flight.
“We would start seeing patients at about 7:30 in the morning and ran all day long,” Butler said.
Humanitarian Assistance Engagements
His efforts were part of Operation Pacific Angel Vietnam 2017 -- the last of four humanitarian assistance engagements that made up PACANGEL 17.
The program, which has been going on for a decade now, ensures that the militaries of various countries in the Pacific region are able to work together should a humanitarian assistance need arise. One of Robins Air Force Base’s physicians was given the opportunity to take part in the program, which is typically only attended by members of U.S. Pacific Command.
“I saw between 50 and a hundred patients a day,” Butler said. “To put that in perspective, I see about 10 to 15 a day while working at Robins.”
Building Relationships
The overall goal of PACANGEL was to try and build international relationships with the people of Vietnam. In addition to medical care, the team was able to go on a few evening excursions and experience the country outside of the treatment areas.
“It was interesting to see things like memorials and Viet Cong tunnels from their standpoint, where everything was, ‘The war against the Americans,’” Butler said. “So it was interesting seeing this communist country with statues and pictures of their leader Ho Chi Min everywhere as we’re trying to break the ice with these people.”
Butler said he interacted with some of the local Vietnamese physicians.
“In Vietnam, physical therapy is not well utilized -- people can’t afford it,” he said. “So, being able to teach these physicians some techniques and tricks of my trade, and then seeing them try it on patients, it was really neat to see them now have another option of care to provide to their patients.”
PACANGEL 17 conducted humanitarian assistance engagements in Bogo City and San Remigio, Northern Cebu Province, Philippines; Northern and Western Divisions, Fiji; and Gorkha, Nepal.
Butler said that by participating in humanitarian missions such as this, the Air Force is able to reinforce its capabilities to deliver assistance to areas that need it.
“You typically think of the pilots or launching satellites as making the difference,” he said. “But even us medics, we’re there to soften the hearts of the people and provide a service that only we could offer.”
Disclaimer: Re-published content may have been edited for length and clarity. Read original post.
Read More ...
Questions for MHS?
STAY CONNECTED:
Military Health System
The Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20301, United States
---
No comments:
Post a Comment