Hypothyroidism Diet Info

Hashimoto's Disease

An autoimmune disease is one where the body incorrectly attacks tissue and organs within the body that it was supposed to protect. It’s the anti-bodies that are produced by your immune system that causes the damage to your thyroid.

The thyroid with the help of the pituitary gland helps to control your body’s metabolism. When the thyroid comes under attack its ability to make the hormones necessary to maintain a balanced metabolism is seriously jeopardized. The 2 primary hormones that the thyroid produces are thyroxine (T-4) and triiodothyronine (T-3). These maintain the rate at which your body uses the food that you consume, they also help maintain your body’s temperature and control your heart rate.

Without these hormones your body’s chemistry will be off balance and you may begin to experience any number of symptoms that are associated with hypothyroidism.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms you should make an appointment to see your doctor as soon as you can. The sooner you can determine that this may be the cause of your problem the better. Hypothyroidism is nothing to fool around with, not to mention that it can make dieting difficult to impossible without proper treatment. Any hypothyroidism diet plan should first include getting your hormone levels under control.

Hypothyroidism caused by Hashimoto’s disease can cause a number of other serious health issues if left untreated:

* It can cause a Goiter. Continuous stimulation of your thyroid to release it’s hormones can result in the thyroid becoming enlarged, this is known as a goiter.

* It causes birth defects. Babies born to women who haven’t been treated for hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto’s disease may exhibit a higher risk of birth defects than the babies born to healthy moms. But, if any of these conditions are found within the first few months of a baby’s life, chances of developing normally are very good.

* Mental health issues can occur. Early in Hashimoto’s disease depression can happen and could become more severe over time. Hashimoto’s disease can also cause the libido in both men and women to decrease.

* In severe circumstances myxedema coma. This rare, often life-threatening condition can develop due to long-term hypothyroidism if Hashimoto’s disease is left untreated. Its signs and symptoms include intolerance to the cold and drowsiness followed by extreme lethargy and unconsciousness.

* Last but not least, heart related issues. Hashimoto’s disease could also increase the risk of getting some form of heart disease. This is primarily due to the higher levels of LDL(the “bad” kind) cholesterol.

As you can plainly see it’s important to get this disease treated. Once treated and managed you can continue to enjoy a full and productive life. It also makes the chances of losing weight on a hypothyroid diet that much better.

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