Is Thyroid Function and Hormone Conversion At the Center of the Mystery?
Dr. John C. Lowe, one of the nation’s pioneers in fibromylagia research, has, in a 1997 research study* reported in the Clinical Bulletin of Myofascial Therapy, that he found clear relationships between thyroid function and fibromyalgia, and believes that some form of hypometabolism, including thyroid dysfunction, may in part explain FMS. (Thyroid status of 38 fibromyalgia patients: Implications for the etiology of fibromyalgia) In studying patients with diagnosed fibromyalgia, Dr. Lowe ran thyroid function tests on each patient. Those with elevated TSH levels (indicating hypothyroidism) did not undergo TRH stimulation tests. Those who had normal TSH levels were subsequently also given a TRH stimulation test. Of the patients studied: • 10.5% had primary hypothyroidism. • 36.8% were diagnosed as euthyroid (in normal thyroid state) • 52.6% had results, via the TRH test, that were consistent with central hypothyroidism. Overall, the results of this analysis suggest that approximately 64%
