Underactive Thyroid Symptoms - Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism and the underactive thyroid symptoms it causes is a common problem faced by millions of people around the world. Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid glands fail to produce enough hormones. In such a condition, the hormones fail to stimulate the metabolism system of the body and slow down the processes of the body. Various research carried by medical experts have deduced that the occurrence of Hypothyroidism is more common among people above the age group of fifty years that in a lesser age group bracket, but it does not mean that people who are less averse to it will stop taking precautions. Hypothyroidism increases the cholesterol level and makes a person more immune to heart disease and diabetes.

Underactive Thyroid Symptoms:

Certain symptoms of Hypothyroidism in the initial stages may include weakness of the body, mental fatigue, and increase in the normal weight, depressive behavior, headache, and stomach pain, feeling excessive cold, pains in the body, pain in the joints, Constipation, hair fall, brittle nails, pale face, muscle pain and more. These are some of the normal symptoms that one can go through while facing Hypothyroidism.

In the later stage when the problem increases, the symptoms may include a loss of memory, improper speech condition, drowsiness, dizziness, memory loss in frequent periods, irregular menstrual condition, dry skin, loss of appetite, muscles spasms and more. Pregnant women will have regular spells of dizziness and children will have to suffer from various developmental problems like stagnant height, excessive weight gain and memory problems.

Causes of Hypothyroidism:

As mentioned earlier, Hypothyroidism is a common disease and may occur due to a variety of reasons. It may occur due to unhealthy and unhygienic eating habits leading to thyroid problems. Eating sugary or starchy food and junk foods may often give trouble to the thyroid glands. Surgical removal of the entire thyroid glands, chronic stress, Autoimmune Diseases like Hashimoto's thyroiditis and atrophic thyroiditis that can appear suddenly and radiation treatment, which tends to harm the thyroid glands are some of the other causes that may cause Hypothyroidism.

Congenital Hypothyroidism, a term used when a child is born without a thyroid gland or has a dysfunctional one is also quite common among children. Viral or Autoimmune Thyroiditis leads to Hypothyroidism and so does any disease in the Pituitary gland. Certain medications like Lithium and interferon alpha have also been known to cause side-effects causing Hypothyroidism. Other causes may include consuming low or no iodine and infiltration by bacterial agents that harm the thyroid glands.

Underactive Thyroid Treatment:

One of the most common treatments recommended by doctors is to replace the thyroxine with another thyroid hormone called levothyroxine. This option is very safe and does not require you to incur huge expenses on medical bills. But for this, the metabolism rate of the body is needed to be checked to make it normal and only then it should be done. There are various other treatments that are available too, but this particular treatment is considered much safer than the rest. Natural treatments are also available, but that depends on the severity of your condition. If levothyroxine is just on stage one, these treatments are often found to be beneficial.

Hypothyroidism is not an incurable disease and with time, medications and precautions, the treatments will be helpful in the long-term. The most important part to consider is that you must immediately consult a doctor in case you start seeing the symptoms.

Yellow Palms and Feet - I may have hypothyroidism

Have you noticed that yellow palms, feet or cheeks? Maybe you are more tired than normal or perhaps have cramping or even weight gain?

You may be suffering from a condition known as hypothyroidism. This disorder is a reduction of thyroid function and it can wreak havoc on you. Besides the symptoms noted above, there are many other symptoms, however, most people typically suffer from only a few of the symptoms, not all of them.

Currently, it is believed that hypothyroidism is caused by...

1. Liver weakness and/or stress
2. Estrogens and other estrogen-like substances that can form from some plastics and other substances in the environment.
3. Polyunsaturated oils
4. Radiation
5. Fluoride
6. Too much or too little iodine
7. Mercury poisoning
8. Nutritional deficiencies
9. Central hypothyroidism which can be caused by certain types of infection, stress or a deficiency of sleep.

Depending on your cause of hypothyroidism, there are many forms of treatment. In many cases, don't be surprised if prescription medication doesn't cure you. Often times you need to make significant changes to your diet as well as take natural remedies to finally rid yourself of the worst symptoms.

Wishing you all the best,
Lyric

Hypothyroidism Questionnaire - Find out if you have it?

Editorial Review: Below is a commonly used questionnaire to help determine if hypothyroidism is a condition you may suffer from.

Take the test, add up your scores and see if this is a condition you likely suffer from... But, if you are visiting this site, it is likely you are already dealing with something that isn't making you feel good. Or, you have yellow palms and are looking to avoid all the symptoms below before they occur.

In either case, we highly suggest you visit here to feel better as quickly as possible.

Good Luck,
Lyric

First, add a 1 next to the symptom if you suffer from it, or a 0 if you don't.

Symptoms

____ 1. Fatigue
____ 2. Low Body Temperature
____ 3. Weight Gain
____ 4. Brain Fog
____ 5. Hard to Concentrate
____ 6. Difficulty Thinking
____ 7. Poor Memory
____ 8. Poor Short Term Memory
____ 9. Slow Thinking
____ 10. Depression
____ 11. Moody & Irritable
____ 12. Low Sex Drive
____ 13. Restless Sleep
____ 14. Outer Eyebrow Thinning
____ 15. Hair Loss
____ 16. Sensitive to Cold
____ 17. Cold Hands & Feet
____ 18. Slow Pulse
____ 19. Low Blood Pressure
____ 20. Less than 1 BM Daily
____ 21. Dizziness or Poor Balance
____ 22. Fluid Retention
____ 23. Recurrent Headaches
____ 24. Recurring Infections
____ 25. Bags under Eyes
____ 26. Bloated Face
____ 27. Pasty, Puffy or Pale Skin
____ 28. Decreased Body Hair
____ 29. Enlarged Tongue
____ 30. Teeth Imprints on Tongue
____ 31. Thinning Eyelashes
____ 32. Yellow Palms & Soles
____ 33. Dry Skin
____ 34. Skin itch in Winter
____ 35. Decreased Sweating
____ 36. Elevated Cholesterol
____ 37. Sleep Apnea
____ 38. Nasal Congestion
____ 39. Hand & Feet Numbness
____ 40. Hoarse Voice
____ 41. Joint Stiffness & Pain
____ 42. Muscle Aches

Total for A _______ + 8 = __________


Score is less than 10, you have low probability of having hypothyroidism

If your score is higher than 10, move on to Section B&C. If your score in this section is greater than 10, you have at least a medium probability of having hypothyroidism. We suggest that you visit your doctor and Click Here to begin feeling better right away.

Section B Risks

Health History
____ 1. Do you have auto-immune disease such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or sarcoidosis?
____ 2. Have you ever been treated for any type of thyroid disease or thyroid condition?
____ 3. Have you ever been on lithium or amiodarone?

Section C Risks


Diet & Lifestyle History
____ 1. Have you ever smoked or used tobacco?
____ 2. Have you ever taken iodine supplements with 1,000 mcg (1 mg) or more of iodine?
____ 3. Do you avoid eating ALL of these foods: salt, seafood, dairy and seaweed?
____ 4. Do you often eat raw brussel sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, millet,
radishes, rutabagas, soy or turnips?

Family History (Genetically related parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles.)
____ 5. Does any family member have auto-immune disease such as Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis or Sarcoidosis?
____ 6. Has a family member had thyroid disease?

Women Only

____ 7. PMS, PMDD, or PCOS
____ 8. Excessive Menstrual Bleeding
____ 9. Have you been pregnant at least once?
____ 10. Have you ever had a miscarriage?
____ 11. Are you 40 years of age or older?

Men Only

____ 12. Erectile Dysfunction
____ 13. Gynecomastia (enlarged breasts)
____ 14. Are you 50 years of age or older?

Total for Section C:
This is your Symptom Score
1) Multiply Section B Total by 10. B X 10 = _____.
2) Multiply Section C Total by 5. C X 5 = ______
Add Line 1) and Line 2) together. Line 1) + Line 2) = ______This is your Risk Score.

Diet of Hypothyroidism - Eat This, Not That!

 

Editorial Review: Below is an article on the diet of hypothyroidism with the thought that if you eat the right foods and avoid the wrong foods you can actually start to feel better. 

To an extent this is true. The old saying of "you are what you eat" is accurate even here, but when dealing with such an excruciating debilitating condition as hypothyroidism, diet is not enough. 

If you have hypothroidism, you have already learned that the prescription medications out there... the ones that were even supposed to cure you, haven't  made you feel any less tired. 

Luckily for some people the combination of eating the right foods and avoiding the wrong ones, and using a new program that details natural therapies to support your thyroid has been extremely effective. 

You don't have to feel tired all time. You don't have to keep gaining weight. Visit the hypothroidism natural solutions site to turn the corner and begin the process of getting back to how things used to be.

Here's to your Recovery,

Lyric 

 

Hypothyroid Diet

By Alison Cassar 

 

Hypothyroidism (under-active thyroid) can remain undetected for years. People commonly have the symptoms of hypothyroidism even though their blood tests indicate that their thyroid function is 'normal'. This is because standard pathology tests for thyroid function can have difficulty detecting 'sub clinical' cases of hypothyroidism. The most common symptoms of hypothyroidism are chronic tiredness, constipation, feeling the cold and dry skin. If you are in a high risk category for thyroid dysfunction - have a family member with a thyroid condition (especially your mother); are at the menopausal age; have experienced lots of stress in the past two-three years; or have hormonal imbalances - then it's important that you support your thyroid, even if the tests tell that your thyroid is 'normal'. One of the best ways to support thyroid function is with diet.

Certain foods improve hypothyroidism by supplying the essential minerals that the thyroid needs to function and produce hormones.
These include:

1. Tyrosine-rich foods. The amino acid tyrosine combines with iodine to make the hormone thyroxine. These foods include meat, fish, turkey and chicken breast, low fat milk and yogurt, almonds, avocado, bananas, lima beans, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, lentils. Supplements of tyrosine should be taken on an empty stomach so that it doesn't have to compete with other amino acids.

2. Iodine-rich foods. Iodine is needed to make thyroid hormones. Ideal food sources include Celtic sea salt, seaweed (sushi, nori rolls), salt water fish and sea food. Iodized salt is available but should be used in small amounts once or twice a week along with a good quality Celtic sea salt. Iodine supplements are usually in the form of kelp tablets. Consult your health practitioner before using these, because the wrong dose can unbalance your thyroid.

3. High quality protein. All of our body's glands and hormones are made from protein. Try to eat high quality lean protein at every meal.

4. Selenium-rich foods - meat, chicken, salmon, tuna, seafood, whole unrefined grains, brazil nuts, brewer's yeast, broccoli, dairy products, garlic, onions and black strap molasses.

5. Supplements of Vitamin B complex and essential fatty acids because they help to balance the entire hormonal system.

6. Sunlight - while not a food, its important to get a daily dose of safe sun. Light stimulates the pineal gland, which in turn positively affects the thyroid as well as all the other endocrine glands.
Certain foods are detrimental for hypothyroidism because they can inhibit the production of thyroid hormones.

1. Soy products. Isoflavones are hormone-like substances found in soy products. High consumption of soy products have been found to suppress thyroid function in some people and can even cause or worsen hypothyroidism. In particular, an isoflavone called genistein, appears to reduce thyroid hormone output by blocking the activity of an enzyme called thyroid peroxidase. This enzyme is responsible for adding iodine onto the thyroid hormones.

How much is too much soy? Each person can tolerate a different amount and unfortunately soy is hidden in many processed and refined foods. If you have a family history of thyroid disease or a diet low in the minerals iodine and selenium, you need to be careful of your soy intake. Reduce your consumption of soy products (soy milk, tofu, tempeh, miso, soy sauce) to a maximum of two or three times per week. If you have already been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, or you display the common symptoms, then reduce your intake to less than twice in a week.

2. Cruciferous vegetables - broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, mustard, rutabagas, kohlrabi, and turnips. Isothiocyanates are the category of substances in cruciferous vegetables that have been associated with decreased thyroid function. They appear to reduce thyroid function by blocking thyroid peroxidase, and also by disrupting messages that are sent across the membranes of thyroid cells. Cooking these vegetables does make the isothiocyanates less available. Also, because they are so good for us in other ways, only restrict this group if you have been actually diagnosed with hypothyroidism or have strong symptoms.

3. Low progesterone goes hand in hand with low thyroid, so avoid foods that promote oestrogen dominance. This includes any animal product that has not been produced organically (chicken, eggs, dairy, beef, lamb, pork, etc.). All of these foods are available organic.

4. It is believed by some researchers that chlorine and fluoride (found in most tap water) block iodine receptors in the thyroid gland, eventually leading to hypothyroidism.

5. Gluten is linked to thyroid dysfunction (both hyper and hypo thyroid) so if you have any digestive problems or any one in your family with a gluten sensitivity, it would be worth dramatically reducing your gluten intake.

Please note: The information in this article is not intended to take the place of a personal relationship with a qualified health practitioner nor is it intended as medical advice.

Alison Cassar is a naturopathic practitioner and nutritionist and runs a busy clinic in Sydney, Australia. Her particular interest is chronic tiredness as it’s a very common presenting symptom in clinic. Her website and e-book http://whydoifeeltired.com/explores the many causes of tiredness as well as solutions and prevention.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alison_Cassar