LGR Holistic Wellness

As many as 20 million people in the US have some type of thyroid disease. There are experts that believe 12 million or more in the United States have a thyroid condition and are unaware of the problem.

At least 1 in 8 women will develop a thyroid issue in her lifetime, and women are 5 to 8 times more likely to develop a disease or disorder of the thyroid gland than men.

There are many types of thyroid problems, as well as causes, and the most common is Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Also called Hashimoto’s Disease, approximately 14 million in the US suffer from this condition.

Medical Breakthrough

The disease is named for the Japanese surgeon that discovered it in 1912. The talented medical scholar and researcher found new pathological characteristics in thyroid tissue samples. He published his findings, reporting a previously undiscovered disease, in a German journal on clinical surgery.

The 30 page article was his only publication on the thyroid gland, and was destined to become globally influential. He discovered the disease which would be named after him after ruling out chronic infection and Graves’, Ridel’s and Mikulicz’ diseases in 4 middle-aged women.

He had the knowledge to declare he discovered a new disease, where other physicians familiar with the thyroid were misdiagnosing previously known diseases. The autoimmune disease he discovered is the primary cause of hypothyroidism, characterized by the attack of thyroid tissue by the human immune system.

Why The Immune System Attacks the Thyroid

The human body is under constant attack from a multitude of pathogens, from the environment and even from the food you eat. Your immune system is always on the lookout for invaders that may cause health problems.

When the body’s immunity is weakened it is very susceptible to infection from many sources, bacterial and viral. If the immune system is seriously compromised, the body cannot defend itself and will not survive without medical intervention.

Your skin is the first level of defense of your immune system, which includes multiple physiological processes and body parts. When this health-supporting mechanism discovers something that it believes can cause you harm, your body releases chemicals to defend itself.

Doctors really don’t understand why some immune systems recognize a healthy thyroid as an enemy agent and attack it, but this is exactly what happens with Hashimoto’s disease.

The condition is often associated with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and occurs twice as often in women as in men. Since the thyroid is associated with so many important bodily processes, a condition like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis can be more than just a little problematic.

Many Possible Causes

Your heart rate, metabolism, physical development and mental abilities are all coordinated in some part by your butterfly-shaped thyroid gland. While the exact cause of Hashimoto’s is not understood, health care professionals specializing in the thyroid gland believe that genetics may play a part in many cases.

Sex hormones may play a role, and pregnancy is a common causal factor. Excessive levels of iodine have also been blamed for this condition, as well as radiation exposure. Symptoms can be mild to begin with and may take years to develop, which is one of the reasons why this is such a misdiagnosed disease. Often the first sign there is a problem is an enlarged thyroid that causes a swollen mass to develop on the neck or under the underarm area.

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

Treating health problems quickly and properly is necessary for many reasons. Nobody wants to feel sickly, and taking care of health issues as soon as possible keeps you feeling healthy and happy, rather than sick and miserable.

This is the case with hypothyroidism, a condition where your important thyroid gland is not releasing enough hormones. At first, and this could last for years, symptoms may be insignificant or invisible. Left unattended, hypothyroidism can lead to deteriorating health that includes death in rare cases.

That is why it is so important to recognize the signs that your thyroid is not producing healthy levels of T3 and T4 hormones. An under-active thyroid could be causing health problems which have frustrated your every effort to defeat them. Your thyroid is related to your metabolism, your growth and development, and mental functioning.

Because of the health implications, it is important you report the following symptoms to your doctor if you experience them, so you can get an under-active thyroid under control quickly.

• You feel fatigued and “run down” for no apparent reason. Are you tired frequently? Do you have a problem understanding exactly why you don’t have any energy? This could be a sign your thyroid is not producing enough hormones to keep your metabolism and energy levels where they need to be.
• You feel constipated regularly.
• In many cases, an under-active thyroid can cause unexplained weight gain. You may be exercising and eating smart, drinking lots of water every day and getting a lot of sleep, but you are still gaining weight. If you have a hard time losing weight, or you gain weight and can’t figure out why, hypothyroidism may be the cause.
• You experience a sore throat or have a hoarse voice.
• High cholesterol is sometimes a sign of hypothyroidism.
• Have you noticed lately you have a problem with cold temperatures? If you have recently developed an increased sensitivity to cold temps, your thyroid may not be working properly.
• When you don’t produce enough thyroid hormones, you could develop dried-out skin.
• A weakness in your muscles, as well as aches and pains in your muscles and swelling in your joints, can develop due to a problem with your thyroid.
• Depression, anxiety and difficulty remembering simple things are all signs your thyroid is under-productive.
• If your heart rate is lower than normal, your hair is starting to thin out, or you experience heavy or irregular menstrual periods, hypothyroidism could be the culprit.

When to Get Help

As you can see from the list above, many of the symptoms of a “low thyroid” are common to other health conditions. If you’re feeling fatigued and tired, this could happen for any number of reasons. Constipation could be linked to choosing the wrong food at dinner. Pain in your joints could be the result of you running a marathon, and thinning hair might just be male pattern baldness.

When several of the above signs appear, that’s when you know there could be a problem with your thyroid. If you experience multiple symptoms of a thyroid which is not producing enough hormones, talk to your doctor. Tell them about your concerns.

Thyroid problems are more common in women than men. However, both men and women should communicate with their physician that they have concerns about their thyroid when several of the symptoms just discussed are present.