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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A hypothyroidism diet can mean many things to a lot of people. Some people might think of it as a means for them to lose weight. Others may think of diet for hypothyroidism as a way to maintain the weight they have and hopefully to not gain any more. While still others don’t even bother maintaining a proper diet thinking that losing weight with hypothyroidism is the holy grail of weight loss and that it doesn’t really exist. I hope this last one doesn’t describe you.

If you’re suffering from low thyroid function this question can mean a lot of things to you. What group do you fall into? What does a diet for hypothyroidism mean to you?

Hopefully you fall somewhere in the middle. It’s a positive goal to want to lose weight. Millions of people everyday work towards this goal. It’s good to want to be healthy and fit. But, when your thyroid is under producing your chances realistically decline. So, is that the end of it?

Absolutely not!

First and foremost, you goal should be to become the healthiest you that you can be. Whatever that means to you. It could mean getting into shape so that you reduce your blood pressure, resting heart rate and stress. Or, it could mean getting your triglycerides and cholesterol down. It could even mean getting your muscles stronger so you can enjoy some activity that you like to do. It should at least mean getting your thyroid levels regulated.

But, it doesn’t have to mean that you lose a whole lot of weight. Unless of course you’re so overweight that it is dangerous for your system.

You should keep your goals realistic. You should realize that for you to be able to maintain your weight or sustain any kind of weight loss you must get your hormones regulated. This typically means getting a prescription for a synthetic thyroid hormone.

By getting your thyroid levels regulated you give your body the fighting chance it needs to stay healthy and even possibly lose weight. But don’t make this your only priority. Unregulated thyroid levels can reek havoc on the body over the long term.

Next, since you have hypothyroidism, you should be looking at what foods are good for you to eat and which ones to steer clear from. There are also others that you can have in moderation. Essentially you stay away from most foods that are what they call Goitrogens. These are foods that interfere with the body’s absorption of iodine and as a result suppresses how your thyroid functions. These include raw broccoli, anything soy, peanuts, raw spinach and Brussels sprouts. Just to name a few.

So, I’ll ask you again. What does it mean to be on a hypothyroidism diet? Hopefully, at least part of the answer is to be a more healthier you.

Cheers!

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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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In this article we’re going to discuss just what hypothyroidism is and some of the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism.

If you’ve been feeling chronically tired for a while or are having difficulty in losing weight then it’s entirely possible that you could be suffering from hypothyroidism. There are many symptoms attributed to hypothyroidism and we’ll address these in a later post.

For now, let’s talk about what hypothyroidism is and then go from there.

Hypothyroidism is the medical condition whereby your thyroid is not producing the levels of the hormone the body needs to maintain a properly balanced metabolism. This is why when suffering from Hypothyroidism many of the complaints people have are also symptomatic of a slow metabolism or chronic fatigue.

Millions of people suffer from hypothyroidism and its various symptoms. In fact, it’s entirely possible that you could have this condition and not even know it. With today’s lifestyle it’s not beyond the realm of possibility to feel run down all the time. But, when it becomes more than just feeling tire because of keeping up with the pace of life today it’s time to start looking for other possibilities.

So, why does this happen? Why does your thyroid just up and quit on you? There are a couple of common reasons why your thyroid’s hormone production reduces or even stops. First, one of the most common causes of this is due to an inflammation of the thyroid gland. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an inflammation of the thyroid due your body’s own immune system acting on the gland.

Another common reason of what causes hypothyroidism is through the treatment of other medical conditions. For example, the removal of part or all of the thyroid gland due to cancer.

Removal of part of the gland may not leave enough of the thyroid to produce enough of the hormones that you need.
The treatment for goiters can severely limit the thyroids ability to produce these hormones. The use of radioactive iodine is commonly used to treat goiters or hyperthyroidism (too much hormone production), but this sometimes has the opposite effect thus the patient becomes hypothyroid.

In rare instances another cause can be attributed to the pituitary gland and not associated with the thyroid at all. In fact, the thyroid can be completely healthy but it’s not getting the signal from the pituitary gland to produce the proper levels of thyroid hormones. The mechanism for this is the TSH or Thyroid Stimulating Hormone. The pituitary releases this hormone signaling the thyroid to do its thing. So, when a healthy thyroid doesn’t get the message it won’t create its hormones.

Well, I hope I’ve at least answered a couple of questions pertaining to what hypothyroidism is and some of the general causes of this condition and what you need to know prior to starting a hypothyroidism diet.

Stay healthy!

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