Talk:Myxedema

Comment
Myxedema can occur in hypothyroid and post-thyroidectomy cases (see article). Prescription of thyroid hormone can prevent deterioration, however in severe cases mental problems presenting as psychosis, often misdiagnosed as textbook schizophrenia can occur.

In the diet, the amino acid tyrosine is used in the healthy thyroid gland in the manufacture of thyroxine for use in the human body.

Tyrosine is also used in the manufacture of the neurotransmittter dopamine, produced in attraction to a new mate (Dr. H.E. Fisher, "Why We Love") and in pursuit of a goal or solving a mystery. Lack of success in the above stimulates us to produce more dopamine in order to push us to try harder in our achievements. Overload of dopamine has been identified in schizophrenia cases post drug abuse where dopamine receptors in the brain have been desensitised or damaged (Dr. D. Grandy, OHSU). Tyrosine also is used in the manufacture of adrenalin and noradrenalin, our 'fight or flight' hormones (P. Holford, The Optimum Nutrition Bible/Optimum Nutrition For The Mind)

Faced with particular external stimuli, dopamine, adrenalin and noradrenalin are produced. It is possible that in a patient with myxedema, an inactive or under-functioning thyroid, or post-surgical thyroidectomy, the absence of a healthy thyroid gland means that excess tyrosine is available for uptake in the body to produce these chemicals to levels that outweigh the receptors and are detrimental to the body, brain and mental health, leading to psychotic hallucinations and possible adrenal exhaustion also.

Tyrosine is a non-essential amino acid because the body derives what it needs from essential amino acids in the diet, converting it from phenylalanine. I have found in the last year that by limiting researched sources of pure tyrosine, especially by eliminating cheese and meat from my diet and only consuming poultry or fish in small quantities four times a week, eating a healthy diet by making up protein elsewhere with vegetable sources, I have stopped experiencing severe psychotic episodes and hallucinatory/automatic thoughts have also disappeared, which only began occurring post-thyroidectomy. Limiting caffeine has also helped reduce my adrenal responses.

More research is needed in this area as to how absence of an endocrine function in the body affects other organs and functions, particularly where a redundant nutrient may cause overload or exhaustion leading to biologically-caused mental illness.

(c) Lisa Scullard, ITEC Therapist Scullard.L 19:24, 1 December 2006 (UTC)

Hypothyroidism is correct.

If you read the initial article fully it describes Myxedema/myxoedema as a hypothyroid (underactive) condition. This condition can and has occurred following surgery to REMOVE a hyperactive thyroid, where a reversal into hypothyroid status has resulted. Thanks to the Angry Pharmacist for confirming this. Scullard L. 81.179.93.45 (talk) 17:11, 21 November 2007 (UTC)

Merging with Hypothyroidism
I think that the article must be merged with Hypothyroidism. Please see this reference- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001393/.

If there is no objection, I should proceed for that. Thanks. -- Abhijeet Safai (talk) 12:20, 22 February 2013 (UTC)

This page is confused and very confusing.
While Lisa Scullards comments about tyrosine, thyrometabolic disturbance and cortico-adrenal hyper-reliance and subsequent effects on physical and mental health are extremely interesting and pertinent in the wider debate of thyrometabolic disorder, they are misplaced here. This area of medicine about which she talks is proving to be an area of great interest to any doctor that is intrigued by the great 'not understood' conditions of 'sub-clinical hypothyroidism' (WHO ref to follow), 'fibromyalgia', 'treatment resistent depression/schizophrenia/mood disorders', 'chronic fatigue/myalgic encephalitis'. Increasing evidence is pointing towards a previously (past 50 to 60 years) unacknowledged form of hypothyroidism (scandinavian reference to follow) that destroys the 'grandfather' evidence of TSH assay (thyroid stimulating hormone assay) being the be all and end all of thyrometabolic disturbance diagnosis.

Unfortunately, "Myxedema" is not a word that is interchangeable with "Hypothyroidism". Indeed, the 'medical slang' usage of the term Myxedema/Myxoedema for hypothyroidism (wiki link av.) originated because it was believed, in the victorian era, that the physical sign of a thickened, oedematous skin that was thickened with a mucinous deposit within the sub-dermal layers, ie. a "mucinous swelling" expressed in Greek(?) as "Myxoedema" (ref) was thought by medics at the time to be solely ever occurent in thyroid disease, particularly hypothyroidism. Something similar does occur in a form of hyperthyroidism (Grave's Disease - where an auto-immune reaction to the thyroid tissue results in an overactivity of the thyroid gland) with a clinical appearance of pretibial myxedema (wiki link av.)

Therefore, this page needs completely re-written.

Firstly, the definition of the clinical dermatological sign of 'myxedema' should be described, with reference(s), regarding what occurs visually/externally (with pictures?) and how this is described pathologically and scientifically.

Secondly, an explanation of how this clinical sign was (?still is) thought to be 'pathogneumonic' to (?spelling!), ie, a clinical sign that only occurs in~, thyrometabolic disease. How the name of this clinical sign therefore became synonymous with 'hypothyroidism/?hyperthyroidism' and lead to the old fashioned terms such as 'myxedema madness'. Note that this phrase is used, ?somewhat satirically, as the title of one of the books that is coming from the consumer/supplier, or patient lobby, campaigning side of the debate to have the unrecognised field of 'Non TSH dependent thyrometabolic disorder, diagnosis and treatment' recognised by the wider international scientific and medical societies and organisations.

Thirdly, links to this debate should be made, if pages exist within wikipedia, with cautionary notes that this is not accepted medical wisdom but rather a hypothetical debate gathering momentum from disaffected patients and doctors who are finding that their own experience of thyrometabolic symptoms and treatment is at odds with the decades long accepted medical wisdom.

Dr Iain Macphail MB,ChB (talk) 14:12, 21 April 2013 (UTC)

WTF is this condition, anyway?!
This page is complete mumbo-jumbo to the average reader. Even after reading the article, I'm still not sure what this condition actually is, except that it is associated somehow with hypothyroidism. Does it have symptoms? Signs? What does it look like? Right now, this is all jargon that is pretty well meaningless to the uninitiated, and it really needs to be fixed by someone who knows was this condition is.

Sweet byrd (talk) 01:11, 27 November 2014 (UTC)

Removed original research
"Also called as Gull's disease is the main symptom of underactive thyroid gland(e.g.: hashimoto's thyroiditis).This article discusses the dermatological changes.", as added via this edit: here.

No citation whatsoever, poorly worded and unnecessarily repeated content. --Qwerty Binary (talk) 02:38, 21 September 2016 (UTC)