TSH of 5 means low thyroid

I am bone-tired all of the time. I also have dry skin, dry, brittle hair and nails that break easily. I asked my doctor if the problem could be linked to my thyroid. She ran a blood test for TSH and says it is OK. (It is just over 5.)

Your TSH level suggests inadequate thyroid hormone. There is a controversy about what TSH levels are normal, but thyroid experts now believe the range is between 0.3 and 3.

High cholesterol, depression, fatigue and difficulty losing weight are all indicative of low thyroid. So are dry skin, brittle nails, thinning hair and eyebrows, heavy menstrual periods and constipation.

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I wanted to share a method I have used several times for killing warts. My doctor gives me a recurring prescription for the antiviral drug amantadine. I take it with me when I travel in case I get the flu.

On a whim back in 2007, I cut a capsule open, squeezed the goo onto a wart on my neck and covered it with a bandage. I figured warts were viral and maybe an antiviral drug would work. During the next few days, this wart began to turn pink. After about a week, I was running my finger across it and it just fell off.

To our astonishment, we did find a suggestion that the antiviral influenza medicine amantadine might work topically against genital warts. The accounts were brief and published in Japanese and German journals decades ago. As far as we can tell, there has been no well-conducted research on this. You might have stumbled on something worth further investigation.

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Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist, and Teresa Graedon is an expert in medical anthropology and nutrition. www.peoplespharmacy.com