Page 8 June 2 0 1 4 By Claire Bowey, M.D. Some of my patients complain of feeling tired and sluggish. If they’re also frequently cold, constipated, have dry skin and hair, and are gaining weight, I’ll check for hypothyroidism — underactive thyroid. Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland, a butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck, produces too little thyroid hormone. If it’s too low, you’ll need to take a small levothyroxine pill daily. It has the same thyroid hormone replacement as the hormone produced by your body and works the same way. Heart-related Issues Hypothyroidism is more common in women and in those over 50. It’s important to have your levels checked annually because heart problems can occur even with mild hypothyroidism. Both thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) are related to heart disease because they affect your heart rate and the amount of blood your heart pumps. Thyroid hormones help your blood flow smoothly by relaxing the muscles of your blood vessels and keeping blood vessels open. Hypothyroidism also can lead to increased levels of LDL (the bad cholesterol), total cholesterol, triglycerides and other fats related to heart disease. Rare but serious heart disease problems can include: • Congestive heart failure, when the heart can’t pump enough blood for your body to work properly. • Heart attack, when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood in your heart. • Stroke, when blood vessels to the brain are blocked. • Peripheral artery disease, when your legs don’t get enough blood. • Sudden cardiac arrest, when your heart stops. You also can have a very slow heart rate and irregular heartbeats with hypothyroidism. Heart-related problems that can happen with hypothyroidism include: • Higher blood pressure. • Low heart rate — less than 60 beats a minute. • Increased stiffness of walls of the blood vessels. • Increased strain on the heart. • Enlargement of the heart. Hypothyroidism is a lifelong condition, but taking a daily thyroid hormone pill can prevent related health problems. Claire Bowey, M.D., is a family practice physician at Arcadia Family Clinic, 4131 N. 24th St., Suite B102, Phoenix, 602-955-6632, JCL.com/practices. Thyroid problems disguised By Steven Sarkis When I tell people what I do for a living and a little bit about myself, they often say something like, “Wait... so, you’re a judge, like a real judge!?” Yep. The next question is generally, “And you don’t have a law degree?” Nope. People often follow the initial conversation with things like, “I’ve always thought about running for Justice of the Peace” or, “I can’t believe the qualifications to become a Justice of the Peace are so low.” To which I often reply, “Well, the qualifications to become a Congressman, Senator, or heck, even President of the United States are also pretty low, you just need to be 35 and a citizen of the US. So...I suppose you could always give that a shot as well.” Most people don’t realize that Arizona is far from unique in its vast representation of non-attorney judges that take the bench through the election process. A total of 32 states hold competitive elections for their judges and many of these states do not require judges to be attorneys, even at the highest levels of the court system. In fact, Non-Attorney judges more common than you’d think not even our United States Supreme Court Justices, the highest judges in all the land who make the most important legal rulings regarding our nation’s future, are required to be attorneys. Of the 112 United States Supreme Court Justices, only 46 have had law degrees, an additional 18 attended some law school but did not receive a degree, and 47 received their legal education without attending law school at all. I won’t go into the long disputed argument of appointing versus electing judges, as there are valid pros and cons of each method. In the end, there are many ways to be trained in the law. Sure, law school is a good way, but it’s certainly not the only way. In Arizona all newly elected judges are put through Arizona Supreme Court certified training programs in addition to having on the job training and mentoring by veteran judges. And as anyone in any profession knows there is no substitute for real world experience. Steven Sarkis is the Justice of Peace for Arcadia Biltmore Justice Court. 480-941-8954 9:30 – 5:30 Monday – Friday • 9:30 – 5:00 Saturday • 5625 East Indian School Road, Phoenix www.oneposhplace.com Visit our Retail Showroom Also offering Award Winning Interior Design by Paige Bailey & Associates, Inc. OnePosh_Arcadia_4-2014.qxp_Layout 2 4/3/14 1:17 AM Page 1

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