DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Last week my doctor told me I had hyperthyroidism. He wants to wait another six months before he prescribes anything for me. He did not tell me what or what not to do. I am 72. I would like to help myself now and not wait six months. How? – R.G.

ANSWER: Thyroid hormone keeps the body running at peak performance and at the proper speed. Too much of it – hyperthyroidism – races the body motor far past the legal speed limit. People become hyperactive. Their hearts beat fast. When they are in a room whose temperature is comfortable for everyone else, they feel hot. They sweat easily and profusely. Their hands often tremble. They are weak and pooped out. They lose weight in the face of a hearty appetite and increased food consumption. Frequently they have a swelling in the lower neck known as a goiter – an enlarged thyroid gland.

Many times, older people with hyperthyroidism do not have all of the above florid signs and symptoms. They often have what’s known as apathetic hyperthyroidism – too much thyroid hormone with only subtle symptoms of an excess. Fatigue and weight loss might be their only manifestations.

I am sorry to disappoint you, but there isn’t a whole lot people can do on their own to correct a runaway thyroid gland. Treatment options for such people include medicine, radioactive iodine and surgery. None of those falls into the self-help category.

Hyperthyroid symptoms usually get worse without treatment. Perhaps your symptoms are so mild and your degree of hyperthyroidism so minimal that your doctor is waiting to see if things will straighten out on their own. Mild hyperthyroidism sometimes does.

The thyroid gland booklet goes into all aspects of treatment for over- and underactive glands. Readers can order a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue – No. 401, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.50 U.S./$6.50 Can. with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 17-year-old female who has been taking medication for a hypoactive thyroid gland since I was 14. At 5 feet 1 inch tall, I am, by far, a lot shorter than the rest of my family. The next shortest is 5 feet 7 inches. Could my hypoactive thyroid gland have caused me to be so much shorter? – J.D.

ANSWER: Thyroid hormone has a powerful influence on growth. With a thyroid hormone deficit – hypothyroidism – growth slows, bones don’t mature, and puberty is delayed. You might have been 14 when the thyroid hormone deficiency was discovered, but it could have occurred at a younger age.

Once the missing hormone is supplied in pill form, growth returns to normal.

However, when the deficit has been there for a very long time, a child might not be able to attain his or her genetically determined adult height. With a severe and prolonged deficiency, there can be as much as a 2.8-inch (7-cm) change from what the programmed height would have been.

Let me also add that you are not past the age when growth stops. You have years ahead of you to catch up. How about letting me know what your height is on your 19th birthday?

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I would like any information you have concerning low hemoglobin. My father has an ongoing problem with this. He has been going in for a monthly vitamin B shot. – Anon.

ANSWER: Hemoglobin is a huge protein within red blood cells. It acts as a magnet for oxygen. When red blood cells pass through the lungs, their hemoglobin grabs onto oxygen. They release it when they get to parts of the body where oxygen is needed.

Hemoglobin serves as a marker for red blood cell numbers. A low hemoglobin level, therefore, indicates a low number of red blood cells, and that is anemia. There are many different caused for anemia.

I bet your dad’s monthly shot of vitamin B is vitamin B-12, a lack of which produces pernicious anemia. If my guess is correct, your dad’s hemoglobin ought to reach the normal level soon.