Main cause of hypothyroidism:

There are many causes for hypothyroidism. the most common cause being auto immune diseases such as hashimoto thyroiditis.

I will once again start by restating the initial common symptoms and signs of an underactive thyroid.

Common symptoms:

• Fatigue which can at times causes you to be lethargic because all you want to do is sleep.
• Unexplained weight gain and difficulty losing weight
• Constipation
• Sluggishness
• Depression
• Memory loss, loss of mental cognition or difficulty concentrating (this is huge)
• Increased sensitivity to cold
• Pale, dry skin
• Muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness
• Muscle weakness
• Heavier than normal menstrual periods
• Abnormal periods in general
• Brittle fingernails and hair or hair loss

The myth about hypothyroidism and weight gain:

Yes when you have hypothyroidism you do gain weight however obesity is not one of the medical conditions caused by hypothyroidism.

On average if your hypothyroidism is brought under control and properly maintained, then you really shouldn’t gain more than 10 to 15 pounds. If you do then you should probably re-examine your eating and exercise habits and figure out where the rest of the weight gain is coming from.

Doctors

More than likely a primary care doctor will be the one that will initially test patients with hypothyroidism for and discover your hypothyroidism. From that point forward it’s usually the best idea to be treated by an endocrinologist because they specialize in treating thyroid disease and properly measuring your hormone deficiency.

Check-ups

In order to determine what’s causing your thyroid dysfunction your endocrinologist will conduct blood tests to check your thyroid hormones and they should then conduct a physical examination as well.

During the physical examination the doctor will check the typical vitals, run through the list of symptoms with you asking if you are currently experiencing any of them and last move on to checking your fingernails, your hands and feet for possible bloating then they should feel around on the thyroid gland, with their fingers, checking for any abnormalities.

If they find any suspicious abnormalities on your thyroid gland then they should send you for an ultrasound in order to rule out the possibilities of nodules, goiter, thyroid cancer or any other thyroid disorders.

At first your check-ups should happen every 6-8 weeks until your medication is regulated and after that every 6-12 months for the rest of your life if you have permanent hypothyroidism.

Thyroid Medication

Once you have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism your doctor will prescribe a hormone replacement medication. Your medication is not something to fear. If you properly take your medication, it will help you to get back to functioning normally.

The thing that you have to become and remain aware of is the fact that this medicine is a thyroid hormone replacement medication. It is a synthetic hormone meant to replace what the body is lacking in normal thyroid hormone production. Simply put it’s meant for when your thyroid gland can no longer produce enough thyroid hormone to function on a normal level.

When thyroid medication is not taken as directed it is then that it can cause problems with your health. It is not a diet pill and should never be thought of or treated as if it were.

Thyroid Disfunction: Is Not Always an Issue With the Thyroid Gland

The thyroid gland is not the only gland that can cause hypothyroidism, it can also be caused by issues with the pituitary gland. Again your endocrinologist would be able to figure out if this is the case.

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Treat Your Thyroid Disorder First

Before you start to consider what to do about a hypothyroidism diet there is something that you need to do or all of the diets out there just aren’t going to work. Focus on receiving some proper hypothyroidism treatment.

See your doctor, have your thyroid or tsh levels checked. If you do in fact have thyroid problems, your doctor will start you on a thyroid medication such as Synthroid which is a synthetic hormone. The next step is that the doctor should be checking your thyroid levels every four to six weeks until your body is receiving the proper amount of thyroid hormone that it needs in order for you to function properly. This is a progressive process and an extremely important process as well. Once your thyroid levels are in proper working order you should be re-checked every six to twelve months.

One of the last things that you should ever do if you believe that you are experiencing thyroid symptoms is to try to self treat your potential thyroid disease. You could cause yourself some serious health issues if you try this.

Your doctor will determine your initial need for thyroid treatment based on various potential health conditions that you may have, as well as on your age and any other medications that you may currently be on, that could adversely affect your thyroid medicine. From there he/she will increase or decrease your thyroid medication accordingly until your thyroid levels are as close to normal as they can be.

Supplements Can Be Harmful

You should also be aware that kelp supplements can actually be harmful to the thyroid if a person is susceptible to thyroid disease or thyroid disorders, such as a family history of it. The levels of iodine found in kelp supplements is quite a bit above the recommended daily allowance and if you are pre-disposed to possible thyroid disorders the excessive exposure to the iodine can actually trigger your thyroid disease. This is not good! Besides in the United States iodine is very much available and consumed in so many of our common foods. Never self medicate let your doctor provide you with a good medical hypothyroidism treatment.

Choosing a Doctor to Treat Your Hypothyroidism

So you might be asking; just how does a person choose a doctor who can properly handle your hypothyroidism treatment. The answer is simple. You want to start with your primary care physician. They can run your initial exam where they should check the front of your neck for the possibility of an enlarged thyroid or goiter as well as conducting blood tests, testing your tsh, t4 and t3 thyroid levels.

Should the results of these tests show that you do in fact suffer from some form of thyroid disease then the next step that you want to take is to have your primary care physician recommend you to a reputable endocrinologist.

An endocrinologist specializes in the endocrine system of your body so they can provide you with a more in-depth diagnosis of your thyroid symptoms and advise you on how to properly treat different areas of your body that have been affected by your lack of metabolism and hypothyroidism.

On a personal note, I highly recommend that you do get an endocrinologist and that you not let your primary care physician talk you out of doing so, especially if you want the best possible hypothyroidism treatment that you can get. Also keep in mind that there are some endocrinologists out there that do specialize in thyroid disease and hypothyroidism treatment.

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Hypothyroidism Symptoms

In case at this point you are thinking either, what are the symptoms of hypothyroidism or how would I know if I have a thyroid problem, I’ll reiterate a few of the symptoms.

If you currently have fatigue, unexplained weight gain, an enlarged thyroid gland or inflammation at the front of your neck, dry skin and hair, depression and constipation contact your doctor and have him or her run blood tests to see if you have a thyroid condition. Your doctor will be able to tell if your body is producing too little or too much thyroid hormone.

There are in essence two kinds of hypothyroidism, temporary and permanent hypothyroidism. Your doctor will determine which one you have. The conditions tend to affect more women than men.

Temporary Hypothyroidism

In the case of temporary hypothyroidism, your thyroid problems can be caused by thyroiditis, to much iodine (which can actually worsen existing hypothyroidism), to little iodine (causing an iodine deficiency) and various medications especially if you are pre-disposed to hypothyroidism through a family history.

Because the food and cooking supplies in United States contain plenty of iodine it’s unusual to see hypothyroidism which is caused by an iodine deficiency in this country. We are actually more likely to see this caused by an over intake or consumption of iodine in those who use iodine supplements, such as kelp pills, that are sold in health food stores and aren’t regulated by the FDA and therefore tend to exceed the recommended daily allowance. It’s still recommended however that people who are hypothyroid stay away from soy and soy based products.

Permanent Hypothyroidism

With permanent hypothyroidism the thyroid gland is damaged and cannot be cured. However your hypothyroidism can be treated, on a permanent basis, with success under proper medical advice, diagnosis, treatment and prescribed, proper levels of thyroid hormone medicine.

Always have your doctor provide medical advice and proper information with regard to your thyroid disorder whether you suffer from hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. (See Hypothyroidism Treatment)

There are a variety of things that cause permanent hypothyroidism:

• Autoimmune diseases: Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is the most common cause of hypothyroidism, it is an autoimmune disease. With Hashimoto’s thyroiditis the immune system attacks the thyroid because it views the thyroid gland as a foreign object and then creates antibodies that over time shut down the thyroid gland.

A couple of other autoimmune diseases that put people at high risk for hypothyroidism are systemic lupus and type 1 diabetes.
Although pregnancy doesn’t actually cause hypothyroidism, a thyroid problem can develop both during and after pregnancy.

• Pituitary gland disorders: Issues with the pituitary gland such as pituitary surgery and tumors can slow or stop production of the tsh hormone which then causes it to send messages to the thyroid to decrease t3 and t4 hormones thus causing your hypothyroidism.

• Exposure to radiation or radiation treatment: The radioactive iodine that is used in these treatments destroys part or all, of the thyroid. Therefore if you’ve ever been treated with radioactive iodine this could cause you to develop thyroid disease.

• Thyroid surgery: Naturally if either part or all of your thyroid has been removed it may or will never fully function, I say may because on rare occasions a partial thyroid can still function enough to create a persons necessary, required amounts of thyroid hormone.

Some reasons why a person would need to have thyroid surgeries would be if they were diagnosed with goiter, thyroid cancer, Graves disease or thyroid nodules. In most cases after such surgeries thyroid hormone replacement becomes a necessity for the body to properly function on a metabolic level.

Now that we understand what causes hypothyroidism, it’s pretty safe to say that there are very few steps that can be taken in order to prevent hypothyroidism. At most with the help of medical professionals we can however control the affects of this disease.

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Do You Have Dry, Ridged, Brittle, or Splitting Nails?

Dry, ridged, brittle, splitting or peeling nails is just one of the many symptoms that can affect someone who is suffering from hypothyroidism.

One of my first recommendations to you if you have these symptoms would be to contact your doctor to run tests for hypothyroidism and any of the other many diseases that brittle nails could be a symptom of. Our focus here will be on the causes and effects of hypothyroidism nail ridges and what you have to do to promote good thyroid health and healthy nail growth.

Why Does Hypothyroidism Cause Vertical Ridges, Splitting or Peeling Fingernails?

The reason that a person who suffers from hypothyroidism develops brittle nails and fingernail ridges is because; hypothyroidism is a disease that, if left untreated, will eventually slow down all of your bodily functions including metabolism. When this happens your body creates less heat and sweats less because as cells slow down they require less energy. Your sweat glands provide moisture to both your nails and skin. Because your sweat glands are not operating to full capacity, they are not providing the proper amounts of moisture to your nails and nail bed therefore causing your hypothyroidism nail ridges and/or brittle nails. This can be frustrating for anyone who likes healthy fingernails.

So What is the Treatment to Reducing hypothyroidism nail ridges?

Should you run right out and purchase all of the nail care products and nail strengtheners on the market?

You absolutely should not. If you notice that you hypothyroidism nail ridges or dry, cracked, splitting nails call your Doctor and have him or her run T3, T4, and TSH tests to find out if you do in fact have hypothyroidism. If the test results prove that you do have hypothyroidism, you should have your Doctor refer you to a good endocrinologist for proper treatment for thyroid disease.

How Can an Endocrinologist Help With hypothyroidism nail ridges?

An endocrinologist will track your T-levels: T3, T4 and TSH on a regular basis, making sure that your thyroid medication is properly regulated. At first this will be every 6-8 weeks until your thyroid levels are normal and after that the thyroid tests will either be annually or bi-annually depending on your situation and your endocrinologist. One of the things that your endocrinologist will check on during your appointments is your fingernails. He or she will be looking for the tell tale signs of hypothyroidism nail ridges.

After you have been tested thyroid disease and it turns out that your T3, T4 and TSH levels have been regulated then it’s possible that care for your hypothyroidism nail ridges is just a matter of adding more water to your diet regularly as well as simple cardiovascular exercise, such as walking, to get your blood pumping better and to increase these bodily functions that have kicked into slow gear and caused your brittle nail ridges.

Your endocrinologist certainly should be able to determine whether you require an adjustment in your thyroid medication or if adding water to your diet and simple exercise to your daily routine will contribute to your healthy nail growth and make hypothyroidism nail ridges a thing of the past. As a matter of fact he or she will probably make this healthy recommendation anyway.

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Have you been dieting and exercising but the weight isn’t coming off? Have you been faithful to your hypothyroidism diet but nothing is working? Are you thinking of giving up?

Before you quit read this post.

On the Today show this morning they had Mom, CEO and super model Kathy Ireland talking about her new book “Real Solutions for Busy Moms”. During the segment it came up that Kathy had gained 25 pounds over the course of time because of being too busy to take care of herself the right way.

Now, she didn’t go into detail as to how she lost the weight but something she said did resonate with me and it should be a good message for you to get. Especially if you’re thinking of quitting your diet.

What she said is that besides the way she looked, it had occurred to her, “What she was doing to herself on the inside?” What were her protein and triglyceride levels in her system? What was she doing to her body by not taking care of it?

You should be asking yourself not “is this worth it, I’m not losing any weight, why bother” but what the cost of not eating healthy and exercising is doing to your system on the inside. First of all, you can lose the weight. In all likelihood it’s just going to take you longer to achieve your goals. But, in addition to this, the goal for your hypothyroidism diet should also be to maintain a healthy system by keeping your triglycerides and cholesterol levels in the normal ranges, building muscle that’s going to burn fat and most of all by maintaining your thyroid levels.

Please don’t let hypothyroidism become a springboard for other diseases and conditions. Heart disease, various kinds of cancers and diabetes become real possibilities if you don’t take care of yourself. This is even more true if you lose your enthusiasm for being healthy because of hypothyroidism.

The problem stems from a society that promotes beauty in unhealthy way by rewarding us for when we look like or strive to look like super models and condemning us when we don’t. My sister-in-law knows about this first hand. She is overweight and she has heart trouble. She was the victim of depression eating but she’s on the mend both mentally and physically.

The reason I mention her is that just a week or so ago when she was in the supermarket parking lot, she had used one of the motorized baskets to get her goods to the car. While she was packing her stuff into her car some “lovely human being” commented in a not too nice a fashion that “if she wasn’t so fat she wouldn’t need to use the cart to carry her groceries to the car”. Oh my God! I couldn’t believe it when I heard it. I couldn’t believe that there are such uncaring and insensitive people out there and who are brazen enough to act like this guy did. But they are out there. She took it in stride so don’t worry about her.

The point I’m trying to make is that you shouldn’t worry about what society thinks about you or how you look. You should only be concerned about how you feel and how healthy you are. The message that I’m trying to send is that you shouldn’t give up on your hypothyroidism diet. Your goal should be not only to lose some of the unwanted weight but also to become the healthiest person that you can be.

I know you can do it!

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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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Symptoms that may indicate Hypothyroidism

In an earlier post I touched upon what hypothyroidism is and some of the common causes such as the autoimmune disease, Hashimoto Thyroiditis or thyroid cancer. This time we’re going to take a hard look at the symptoms of hypothyroidism and when you should seek medical advice.

An underactive thyroid can lead to a number of thyroid disease symptoms that you can suffer from. The issue is that hypothyroid symptoms sometimes go unnoticed or are taken for granted. To most they may seem innocuous at first. However as time goes by, your thyroid reduces its production of hormones and your metabolism slows down, causing these symptoms to become more and more severe should you ignore your thyroid condition and choose not to get proper thyroid treatment such as a thyroid hormone replacement therapy.

It’s a Slow Process

It can take years for the symptoms of hypothyroidism to manifest themselves fully but once they have started they require a thyroid treatment such as a daily dose of a synthetic thyroid medication.

The following is a list of some of the more common, noticeable symptoms of hypothyroidism…

• Fatigue
• Low blood pressure
• Unexplained weight gain or difficulty in losing weight
• Constipation
• Sluggishness
• Depression
• Decreased libido
• Memory loss, loss of mental cognition or difficulty concentrating
• Increased sensitivity to cold
• Pale, dry skin
• elevated cholesterol levels
• Muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness
• Pain, stiffness or swelling in your joints
• Muscle weakness
• Heavier than normal menstrual periods
• Brittle fingernails and hair or hair loss

Listen to What Your Body is Telling You

Now, depending on how abnormal your thyroid levels are you may experience any or all of these hypothyroidism symptoms. It’s important to be in tune with your body and what it’s trying to tell you. If you are suffering from any of these symptoms then you may be suffering from a low thyroid.

Neither thyroid disease nor the symptoms of hypothyroidism are something to be taken lightly as they can seriously affect your health. Goiters (an enlargement of the thyroid gland) can occur when the thyroid is bombarded with requests to make hormones that it cannot deliver on. This happens when the pituitary gland overproduces TSH trying to get the thyroid to create more of its hormones. In rare situations if this condition is left untreated, life threatening complications can occur such as depression, coma or heart failure. This is due in large part to a condition known as Myxedema.

Myxedema affects the skin and subcutaneous tissue under the skin. The common characteristics of this symptom are puffiness around the face and eyes. It is a thickening of the skin caused by prolonged untreated hypothyroidism that can eventually result in a loss of brain function known as Myxedema Coma. As much as I hate to leave this post on a low note, it is extremely important to know and understand the symptoms of hypothyroidism and the increased risk factors that can arise from leaving it untreated.

There is Hope!

There is good news however, once diagnosed, an underactive thyroid can be successfully treated and you can lead a healthy and normal life.

Finally once your thyroid levels are under control and you’ve experienced a reduction of the symptoms of hypothyroidism you can then begin to think about a hypothyroidism diet and exercise program for weight loss.

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