Hypothyroidism, What is it and What Can You Do About it?

by Steve Simpson

Do you know anybody that suffers from Hypothyroidism? Most people would answer no if they themselves were not affected; however the chances are good that you actually do. Thyroid disease symptoms affect millions of adults in the United States alone. The purpose of this article is to answer the question of just what is Hypothyroidism, as well as look at the causes, symptoms, diagnosis and of course the treatment.

Hypothyroidism is the medical name for when your thyroid gland, which is about the size of a golf ball, fails to produce enough or the right amounts of different hormones. It can also be known as an under-active thyroid. Hypothyroidism refers to any state in which thyroid hormone production is below normal. The thyroid gland is situated under the pituitary gland and can become quite inflamed if not treated.

The thyroid gland's main purpose is to produce hormones like thyroxine (T4 or thyroid hormone). Thyroid hormones are extremely important in controlling the body's energy, but also its use of other hormones and vitamins, and the normal growth of body tissues. One of the problems lies in the fact that the symptoms of hypothyroidism are very diverse and can be linked to other illnesses, so doctors often have a lot of trouble properly diagnosing hypothyroidism as the cause.

Thyroid function is generally weakened by stress on the body, this can be in the form of physical, but is usually mental or emotional. How you would be feeling if someone was to say to you that you looked stressed. It can also be cause by your environment, pollution, unhealthy eating, or a number of other culprits do to with your lifestyle. Unfortunately a lifestyle change is not as easy as it sounds.

Thyroid problems are becoming more and more commonplace in society these days, with more people being diagnosed every week. Some other causes of hypothyroidism can include being exposed toxins including some chemicals, drugs, radiation, pesticides and excessive consumption of saturated fats as it can be linked to obesity and high cholesterol. It is important to know what to look for then if you may be hypothyroid.

Thyroid disease symptoms can go undiagnosed and even be misdiagnosed due to the symptoms being seen in many other diseases. Approximately 10-20 percent of women and 1-2 percent of men have symptoms of thyroid problems. Since the main role of thyroid hormone is to look after the metabolism of the body it is not a stretch to think that people suffering from hypothyroidism will have symptoms associated with a slow metabolism.

Some symptoms of hypothyroidism, including fatigue, poor attention span, unexplained weight gain, numbness, and tingling of the hands or feet are also prominent symptoms of a normal pregnancy. There are also many causes, which bring about cramps for instance, but malfunctioning of thyroid gland may attribute a great concern of this.

Some of the other most common experiences can be if you are having any unnatural emotions of sadness or depression, lack of interest in daily things, or an abnormal feeling of being distant from others. These are all signs that you are hypothyroid. If anyone is experiencing more extreme symptoms such as significant weight loss, vomiting, increased blood pressure, or persistently fast heart rate, you should immediately book in to have some blood tests to look for hypothyroidism.