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4C Daily News – Saturday, September 29, 2012 Glory Days & maturity AKRON, Ohio (MCT) — Joanne Urbany knows what it means to step out on faith. Urbany, 64, and her ing. We had never heard of Akron, Ohio, but we believe this is where the Lord wants us," Urbany said. "We still don't fully understand his plan for us, but we're trusting him." One part of the plan that is clear to the mother and daughter is their means of income: Come Up Higher Christian Gifts and Books. The Rev. Mark Ford, daughter, Joanna Hallibur- ton, 23, both gave up jobs and the comfort of being near family in New Jersey to move to Akron, Ohio, in obedience to God. "It's scary, but it's excit- executive director of Chris- tian leadership group Love Akron Inc., said he is hopeful the business will succeed. "I have a lot of respect for someone who would give up security to do what they believe God is calling them to," Ford said. "I think a Christian retailer is a good addition to the city. She certainly has some nice things to offer." Urbany said the goal of the store is to offer quality merchandise at affordable prices. Her shelves include Bibles, devotionals, Blue Mountain greeting cards, wall art, magnets, book- marks, fair trade items, Holy Land gifts, new baby gifts, music, books and unique gifts for baptisms, dedications, christenings, confirmations, weddings, anniversaries, bereavement and other events. She dis- DEAR DOCTOR K: I have hypothyroidism and take syn- thetic thyroid hormone. Is it OK to switch brands or switch to a generic? It's OK to switch, so long as your doctor monitors your thyroid blood tests. It is very important to get your dose right: Your thyroid gland influences your metabolism. It affects everything from body temperature to body weight, energy level, even fertility. Thyroid hormone comes in DEAR READER: two forms, called T4 and T3. Although there is some contro- counts recovery Bibles by 30 percent. "We want to provide resources for people to help them grow in their faith and for healing and comfort," Urbany said. "My vision for the store is to follow through with what the Lord told me to do: to help addicts come up higher." Urbany, a licensed drug and alcohol counselor, said the Lord gave her a vision in 1999 for Come Up Higher Ministries to help ex-offenders with addic- tions to drugs and alcohol. She has spent more than 10 years working with inmates in the New Jersey Department of Corrections and has directed an outpa- tient program for addicts. Although her counsel- ing ministry has focused versy on this point, most thy- roid experts here at Harvard Medical School think that T4 and T3 pills are equally effective. Most often, doctors treat with a synthetic form of T4 called levothyroxine sodium. Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. lifestyles Mother-daughter journey leads to Christian bookstore In addition to providing personal income, Urbany and Halliburton said, their hope is the store can gener- ate funds for Come Up Higher Ministries. Halliburton, who has an MCT photo Owner Joanne Urbany, left, works with her daughter, Joanna, as they prepare for the open- ing of the Come Up Higher Christian Gifts & Books in Akron, Ohio. on offenders and ex- offenders with addictions, she said she also has a heart for helping anyone in pain who is dealing with issues like job loss or divorce. She views the measure the levels of the T4 and thyroid-stimulating (TSH) hor- mone. TSH is a brain hormone. When the brain senses your T4 levels are low, it makes more Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland is not making enough thyroid hormone. Two blood tests are used most often to diagnose hypothyroidism; they TSH. The TSH then signals the thyroid to make more T4. So, paradoxically, when your thyroid gland starts to not make enough T4, your T4 level is low but your TSH level is high. These tests help diagnose hypothy- roidism, and enable your doctor to determine if your treatment dose is correct. (I've put a picture explaining how the thyroid works on my website, AskDoc- torK.com.) make enough T4, you need to take some thyroid hormone in pill form. Finding the right dose of treatment involves some trial and error. Your initial dose is an educated estimate. To check if it's correct, your doctor will mea- If your thyroid gland can't Akron store as a resurrec- tion of the Come Up High- er Christian Gifts and Books store she initially opened in 2005 in Audubon, N.J., and operat- ed for two years. sure your blood levels of TSH (and, sometimes, also T4). If your TSH level still is high, you need a higher dose of T4. If the TSH level is normal, you're on the right dose. If the TSH level is too low, your dose is too high. There are many brands of syn- thetic T4, and each is as good as the next. However, problems can occur when you switch brands. Small differences between brands can significantly impact how much T4 your body absorbs. Even slight changes in amounts of T4 absorbed may affect your overall health. If you must switch — if your health plan changes its list of approved drugs, or if another brand is cheaper — tell your doc- undergraduate degree in psychology, said she hopes to earn a graduate degree at some point to continue working with youth. She was employed as a foster parent recruiter in New Jersey when she was inspired by God to move to Ohio. "My hope is that my mom can continue her ministry with adults and that I can help youth that are struggling with issues like divorce," Halliburton said. "I'm still not sure why God chose Akron, but I can't wait to see how it unfolds." Careful monitoring ensures right dosage of thyroid hormone tor. He or she should measure your TSH level after you start the new brand and make necessary adjustments to your dosage. I also wouldn't recommend taking a generic version of syn- thetic T4. You're not guaranteed to receive the same generic ver- sion every time you refill your prescription. This inconsistency may throw off your thyroid hor- mone levels. What's more, the FDA allows a certain degree of difference between a generic and its brand-name equivalent. This slight difference can have a sig- nificant impact on thyroid hor- mone levels. If you must switch to a gener- ic, your doctor should regularly monitor your TSH levels. Every picture tells a story. http://dfm-ssp.medianewsgroup.com Visit dfm-ssp.medianewsgroup.com throughout the day. See photojournalism at its best. Bookmark dfm-ssp.medianewsgroup.com today. If every picture is worth a thousand words, the dfm-ssp.medianewsgroup.com Media Center will take your breath away. 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