Thu 28 May 2009
The Real Story Behind Your Thyroid…Are Your Symptoms Normal?
Posted by Penny Logan under Health
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Are you tired all the time? Do you have trouble losing that stubborn weight? What about depression? Can it be possible that you really do have thyroid issues?
Shaped like a butterfly or shield (which is why its name comes from the Greek “shield”), the thyroid is a vital part of the body’s endocrine system. It is a gland that is under the Adam’s apple and located before the trachea in the neck. The hormones it produces get moved throughout the body via the bloodstream to supply bodily tissues; these hormones include T4, or Thyroxine, and T3, or Triiodothyronine.
One’s metabolism is really how well one can convert food to energy, and the thyroid hormones act to regulate this ability. Also, the thyroid hormones must convert food into waste, which utilizes additional energy. There are many other systems in the body that are affected by the efficiency of the thyroid, simply by its function to control the metabolic rate. For example, one’s calcium levels in circulation in the blood are affected by the production of calcitonin, a thyroid hormone. Tyrosine and Iodine are vital and necessary components of hormonal creation within the thyroid.
Over ten million women could be affected by thyroid deficiencies on a subnormal level, and be totally unaware of this condition. Women aged 35 to 55 are most affected, especially those who are perimenopausal or menopausal.
Studies have been performed by the Thyroid Foundation of America that give an estimate of the group of females that are impaired by a lowering of thyroid function at over 11 million. A considerable amount of countless females can have slight symptoms when one takes into consideration that a women may possibly have a slight deficiency in thyroid function. This condition is known as hypothyroidism and many women can have problems with this that are between the ages of 35 and 55, who are simultaneously going through the change of life which does include hormonal changes.
Since the thyroid primarily controls the body’s metabolic rate, its malfunction can cause all sorts of negative symptoms, including hot flashes, wakefulness, exhaustion, crankiness, brain fog and irregular heartbeat.
Since thyroid hormones affect one’s metabolism, one can notice any deficiency when there are symptoms related to weight control and the ability of the body to utilize and process fats, vitamins, and carbohydrates. These important hormones are also indicated in the proper function of one’s digestive system, muscular and nervous system, circulatory and reproductive systems, as well as some cellular functions including the manufacturing of the substance that makes energy and the normal functioning of body organs. The thyroid also regulates how a body uses the oxygen it receives through breathing.
When a person gains weight or becomes obese, it can be an indicator that the body is not creating sufficient hormones from the thyroid gland. These hormones actually result in energy for the body and without that, the body slows down and one’s metabolism becomes stagnant.
A person’s appetite or craving for food is also affected. Leptin, a hormone that comes from fat cells, has been shown by studies to be modulated by thyroid hormones, and this factor is what controls hunger and regulates energy within the body. Other functions are also noticed such as the ability to rise after sleeping at night and the ability to control weight and energy levels.
There are numerous symptoms that hypothyroidism shares with other malfunctions that can occur in the body. Because of this, hypothyroidism is known as the “great imitator.”
When a person has the following medical symptoms, why have they been told their thyroid is normal?
* Fatigue in the morning
* Memory malfunction
* Brain “fuzziness”
* Rash eruptions
* Severe headaches, or migraines
* More susceptibility to hot and cold conditions
* Parched facial skin, facial puffiness and noticeable eyebrow and hair thinning
* Dispirited nature (more observable in seniors)
* Tendency to panic or get anxious in normal situations
* Desire for additional sleep
Unfortunately, when a doctor orders the usual thyroid tests performed (including the TSH and T4 tests) one’s thyroid levels are not always correctly evaluated. In fact, there are those who may believe that because of these tests, they do not have low thyroid levels, and that may actually be the case. The brain’s pituitary gland is responsible for the secretion of TSH and this in turn signals thyroid secretion of T4 (not the vital hormone of the thyroid); the body then changes this hormone into T3, which is the vital form of the hormone. The problem with diagnosing hypothyroidism today is that TSH levels are evaluated as to an increase as the T4 and T3 hormone levels fall. This is a successful way to diagnose very ill patients, but does not reveal those who are only slightly affected by these indicators and need a proper diagnosis involving other contributing factors.
When a woman knows there is a thyroid problem, it can be frustrating to seek assistance and be continuously misdiagnosed in this regard. Once the truth is exposed, women sense relief as they are able to gain hope in the proper diagnosis and alleviation of their resulting symptoms, coming from a low normal thyroid condition.
An up-to-date medical analysis was recently cited in the Archives of Internal Medicine journal, and it suggests that those with subclinical (low normal) hypothyroidism have a higher tendency to get hardened arteries (by 70%) and heart attacks (by 200%). So many millions of women will have a lack of energy along with depression and an inability to lose pounds because of the misdiagnosis of low normal thyroid conditions. One must return to the optimum thyroid level in order to alleviate these symptoms and feel renewed energy and health.
Do not hesitate now to get your thyroid consultation, at no charge. Don’t wonder any more why you are experiencing these rough symptoms…find out the truth and get on your way to better health and a better life rather than discontentment and frustration.
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