[Histological detection of dried tiny thyroid tissue in health foods]

Two patients were diagnosed as having hyperthyroidism, and both had taken the same health food. We compared three kinds of histological methods to detect thyroid gland in this health food. The first method used cytology; the second applied the cell-block method; and the last is a modification of the cell particle (CPCB) method proposed by Ushijima. It is the third method that achieved superior results, and this enabled the morphological detection of thyroid gland. Certain kinds of health foods contain dried thyroid as a "slimming supplement", and intake of these products may damage health. Histological techniques are effective for detecting the existence of dried thyroid gland. A health food is very different from clinical specimen; therefore, we have to devise appropriate skills for examining it. Such examinations will be important in the future, because it is expected that the risks of damaging health by consuming certain kinds of health food will increase.