Is the Runaway Bride hyperthyroid?

[shockra]

I'm probably not the only one who noticed Jennifer Wilbanks's bug-eyed, scary look. Interestingly, I found this online tonight by the author of a book I just read last week, Living Well with Hypothyroidism.

Dear Jennifer: Please Get a Thyroid Test
From Mary Shomon,
Your Guide to Thyroid Disease.

May 4 2005

An Open Letter to the "Runaway Bride," Jennifer Wilbanks

Dear Jennifer:

By now, we've all seen your picture. Your startled looking expression, with the whites of your eyes showing above and below your pupils. Your neck, with a suspicious looking thickness. And of course, your behavior -- a thirtysomething woman who has supposedly found the man of your dreams, planned a huge, lavish wedding, and then decided on the spur of the moment to cut your hair, hop a bus to Vegas, and call in claiming you'd been kidnapped, only to later reveal to the world that it was a case of cold feet.

I can't tell you how many emails I've received from concerned thyroid patients around the country who are worried about you. And I'm worried about you as well. Because we all have one thing on our minds when it comes to your case: Could you have Graves' disease? Could your thyroid be overactive -- a condition known as hyperthyroidism?

Because, from what we can see, you appear to have classic symptoms.

First, there's the major stress of planning a wedding with 600 invitees, and a whole slew of bridesmaids. Major life stress is commonly known trigger for onset of Graves' disease. One study found that stress actually increased the occurrence of Graves' by almost 8-fold. In another analysis, a severe emotional stress was seen as the primary precipitating factor in the develop of Graves' disease in 14 percent of the patients studied. And getting married is stressful. On the Holmes and Rahe Life Change Scale -- the famous ranking of the stress "value" of various life events -- a wedding is right up there with death of family or friends, going to jail, and getting fired.

http://thyroid.about.com/od/newscontroversies/a/runawaybride.htm

She's skinny, moody, confused, and from something posted here yesterday -- appears to be "oversexed." I don't know if hyperthyroid causes a high sex drive, but since hypothyroid causes a lack of sex drive, it would be logical.

Incidentally, George and Barbara Bush have BOTH had Graves' disease. Thyroid disease is highly genetic, so what does that say about Boy George?

I really like Mary Shomon's book. She's up on all the latest, including treating hypothyroidism with T3 (Cytomel) rather than T4 (Synthroid) which doesn't work for MOST hypothyroid patients. She goes into the reasons why Synthroid became the thyroid drug of choice, and it wasn't effectiveness, it was (and is) drug company pressure.

[Spinzonner]

1. Or Marty Feldman's love child

[shockra]

2. Ha.

Well, after you posted that I HAD to look it up. Yes, Marty Feldman was hyperthyroid. :)

Edit: dyslexic spelling.

[Cattledog]

3. She is a convicted shoplifter .

Reported in today's Atlanta Journal. 3 arrests. Late nineties. The DA who convicted her is now her attorney.