Wow, of all places, I read about this in the costco "Healthy Living" magazine you get for free at their pharmacy. Ironic, I know, to get a healthy living magazine at the same place you are getting prescription pills.

But in this month's magazine, lo and behold, an article entitled:
"Tired? Foregetful? The culprit could be your thyroid". Here's what it says, in a nutshell:

1.when the thyroid is not producing enough T3 (triiodothyronine) and T4 (thyroxine), hypothryroidism occurs. (Note: I am curious to see whether T3 is related to iodine, which lack of causes goiter, a neck bulge...in which case simply making sure you get enough iodine might improve things)

2. hypothyroidism, according to the article, is typically caused by an autoimmune disease. When levels of T4 are low "all the body's processes begin to slow, from the brain to the bowels. This can cause a variety of symptoms, including fatigue, intolerance to cold, loss of appetite, constipation, depression, difficulty losing weight, muscle cramps, and hair loss...brittle fingernails and dry skin....sounds a lot like many of the symptoms of PD to me.

More: women are more likely to suffer from this than men, and are at greater risk during pregnancy, after giving birth (Conductor71, this may be you), and around menopause. The risk also increases with age.

You can treat hypothyroidism with T4 supplements, which should diminish symptoms 6-10 weeks. You can tell if you have this with a blood test, and also, by self exam: look in a mirror and watch your throat as you swallow...if you notice any bulges or protrusions when you swallow, you could have hypothyroidism.

I found it particularly interesting that insufficient T4 levels causes all body processes to slow...this is what I think of as "aging", everything slows down.