Do you have brain fog and fatigue? Are you sweaty and anxious?
Over 30 million American’s have thyroid disorders, yet more than half remain undiagnosed and untreated. Many experience symptoms, but dismiss them as coming from other causes.
According to The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), thyroid disease is more common than diabetes and heart disease, or breast cancer. In fact, more than all types of cancer combined.
What is the thyroid gland?
The American Thyroid Association explains the thyroid gland as a butterfly-shaped gland located in the lower portion of the neck. The thyroid makes hormones that are carried through the blood to every tissue in the body. The thyroid affects vital tasks such as regulating body temperature, brain, muscle, and other organ functions.
What goes wrong?
Thyroid problems range in severity from a harmless goiter to advanced cancer (though rare). The two main conditions are hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism.
Thyroid disorders are more prevalent in women and those with a family history of thyroid dysfunction. The metabolism is affected by either too much or too little hormone being released by the thyroid gland. The hormones produced by the thyroid affect almost every metabolic process in our body.
Hypothyroidism - When one has too little thyroid hormone in their blood, it is referred to as hypothyroidism. This occurs by the thyroid gland being underactive or by not producing enough thyroid hormone.
Here are some of the main symptoms of an underactive thyroid:
Causes:
Hyperthyroidism - This occurs when one has too much thyroid hormone present in their blood. The thyroid is referred to as overactive.
As with hypothyroidism, your metabolism is affected; however, this time, one may initially feel like they have more energy. Eventually, this feeling can change to tiredness with hyperthyroidism as well. In most cases, symptoms come on slowly which makes them easily mistaken for stress symptoms:
Causes:
Additional Thyroid Concerns
Goiter - A goiter is an enlarged thyroid gland.
Causes:
A doctor can perform a physical examination when an enlargement has been found. Next, you will likely have a blood test to determine thyroid hormone levels and ultimately the cause of your goiter. Additional tests may be taken if the doctor feels it’s necessary to research the cause further.
Thyroid Cancer - Thyroid cancers are rare. Past radiation treatments to the head or neck have been shown to increase risk of nodules becoming cancerous later in life. Most thyroid cancers do not spread beyond the neck and respond well to treatment.
What to do
The treatment options will be different depending on the thyroid condition you have. Discuss your options with your doctor so that together you can determine the best course of action.
Hypothyroidism is most commonly treated by supplementing the amount of hormone your body makes with a pill form of that hormone. There are both synthetic and natural options.
Hyperthyroidism has many more choices of treatment which are often decided on by age, the severity of the condition, and other medical concerns.
According to Dr. Fuhrman, thyroid disease prevention may be possible when addressed early. He believes that a Nutritarian diet has the potential to improve thyroid function because it reduces inflammation, promotes the removal of toxins, and improves gut health.
Thyroid and pregnancy
The thyroid may encounter changes in hormones and size during pregnancy. These relatively minor changes are completely normal.
However, pregnancy impacts treatment and dosing for hypothyroidism, and it is important to follow up with your doctor to monitor your condition.
Looking for more details on how the thyroid works? Click this link for a more detailed description and diagram. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0072572/
Thanks to the American Thyroid Association for supplying most of the research provided in this post.