2. The hormones released by the parathyroid glands that increases the concentration of calcium in the blood

3. Stimulates the breakdown Of bone; causes a decrease in blood calcium concentration.

4.  The parathyroid glands are located in the neck, near or attached to the back side of the thyroid gland.  Parathyroids almost never develop cancer--so stop worrying about that!  You can easily live with one (or even 1/2) parathyroid gland.

5. 1) There are no drugs that will make parathyroid disease better….None. 2) Nearly all parathyroid patients have symptoms; 95% know it--and feel bad. Most of the rest just don’t know it until the disease is fixed. 3) Symptoms of parathyroid disease do NOT correlate with the level of calcium in the blood. Many patients with only slightly elevated calcium and parathyroid hormone will have BAD symptoms and develop severe osteoporosis. 4) All patients with parathyroid disease have calcium levels and PTH levels that go up and down. Fluctuating levels of calcium are typical of parathyroid disease. 5) All patients with hyperparathyroidism will develop osteoporosis. ALL.

6. 6) Taking Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva, or Reclast (etc) will NOT help bones that are being attacked by a bad parathyroid. These osteoporosis drugs have no place in the treatment of parathyroid disease. 7) Parathyroid disease will get worse with time in all patients. It will not stay the same, nor will it get better on its own. 8) There is only one treatment for parathyroid disease (hyperparathyroidism): Surgery 9) Nearly all parathyroid patients can be cured with a minimal operation. The days of big dangerous parathyroid surgery are gone (so don't let your surgeon perform one on you!). 10) The success rate and complication rate for parathyroid surgery is VERY dependent upon the surgeon’s experience.

7. What it is - One of the parathyroid glands has lost its control mechanism and continues to make large amounts of parathyroid hormone without paying attention to how high the blood calcium is. What causes it - development of a benign tumor in one of the parathyroid glands

8. Symptoms: › Difficulty concentrating › Fatigue › Frequent bowel movements › Goiter (visibly enlarged thyroid gland) or thyroid nodules › Heat intolerance › Increased appetite › Increased sweating Treatment: Antithyroid medications Radioactive iodine (which destroys the thyroid and stops the excess production of hormones) Surgery to remove the thyroid

9.  What is it- › loss of calcium from bones. The bones become thin.  Causes this: The more PTH that is released, the softer your bones become. http://parathyroid.com/osteoporosis.htm

10.  Most doctors will recommend you take calcium pills to restore bone density. › The most common asked question about the pill, is how long to take it. Dr. Norman usually recommends you take for a year every single day after surgery.  DO NOT TAKE CALCIUM PILL IF BAD PARATHYROID IS SRILL IN NECK!!!!!!! BIG BIG BIG NO NO!!!!!!!

11.  The parathyroid makes more PTH if there is less calcium in the blood and less PTH if there is to much calcium in the blood.  If working correctly then the parathyroids will shut off and on multiple times a day.  People with normal activity will have a calcium levels that are constant. There is no variability.  Example: › If someone has a calcium level of 9.6 one day, then their level will be between 9.4 – 9.8 for the rest of their life.