Hypothyroidism is an ailment condition in which your body lacks in thyroid hormone. The main purpose of thyroid hormone is to control and manage the metabolism of the body. So the people with hypothyroidism will have a slow metabolism. World over lot many people are suffering from this disease. It is estimated that about 10% of female may have some degree of thyroid hormone deficiency.
Hypothyroidism Causes
There are two common causes of hypothyroidism. The first is a result of prolonged inflammation of the thyroid gland, which causes a large percentage of the cells of the thyroid dead and incapable of producing required hormone. Sometime autoimmune failure of thyroid gland also takes place.
Surgical treatment requires removal of some portion of thyroid gland and the remaining tissues or cells may not meet with the requirement of body ‘s thyroid hormones.
Similarly goiter and some other thyroid conditions can be treated with radioactive iodine therapy. The purpose of the radioactive iodine therapy (for benign conditions) is to kill a portion of the thyroid gland to prevent goiter from growing larger or producing too much hormones.
Sometimes , the result of radioactive iodine treatment will be that too many cells are damaged so the patient often becomes hypothyroid within a year of surgery .
There are several other rare causes of hypothyroidism, one of them being a completely "normal" thyroid gland that is not making enough hormone because of a problem in the pituitary glands. If the pituitary does not produce enough thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) then the thyroid simply does not have the "signal" to make hormone. So it will not produce enough hormone..
Symptoms of Hypothyroidism
Fatigue, Weakness, Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight, Coarse, dry hair, Dry rough and pale skin, Hair loss, Cold intolerance (you can't tolerate cold temperatures like those around you),Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches, Constipation, Depression, Irritability, Memory loss, Abnormal menstrual cycles, Decreased libido
Each individual patient may have any number of these symptoms, and they will vary with the severity of the thyroid hormone deficiency and the length of time the body has been deprived of the proper amount of hormone.
You may have one of these symptoms as your main complaint, while another will not have that problem at all and will be suffering from an entirely different symptom. Most people will have a combination of these symptoms. Occasionally, some patients with hypothyroidism have no symptoms at all, or they are just so subtle that they go unnoticed.
If you have these symptoms, you need to discuss them with your doctor. Additionally, you may need to seek the skills of an endocrinologist. If you have already been diagnosed and treated for hypothyroidism and continue to have any or all of these symptoms, you need to discuss it with your physician.
Hypothyroidism’s effects and danger to body:
Because the body is expecting a certain amount of thyroid hormone the pituitary will make additional thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in a effort to force the thyroid gland to produce more of hormone. This continuous bombardment with high levels of TSH will cause the thyroid gland to become large/swollen type and form a goiter.
If it is not treated , the symptoms of hypothyroidism will keep on progressing. Sometimes the complications can result in severe life-threatening depression, heart failure, coma etc.
Hypothyroidism can be diagnosed with a simple blood test. But in some cases more detailed tests are required.
Hypothyroidism is completely treatable in many patients by taking a small pill once a day. However , it is not so easy and patients may have to undergo different procedures to get an exact treatment.
Hypothyroidism home treatment:
1) Take a tablespoon of ground Flaxseeds and take with water every day on empty stomach. It will help a lot in long run.
2) Those suffering from hypothyroidism must increase their intake of Iodine. The iodine level of your body can be increased by including natural sources of Iodine in your food. Some of these are Yogurt, Fish, Meat, Eggs, Seafood, Potato, Parsley, Banana, Oatmeal and salt.
3) Early sunshine is good for health. To allow your thyroid gland to function in a proper manner, it is important to expose your body to sunlight for at least 15 to 20 minutes daily (in the early hours only).
4) Ginger Tea: You can drink this herbal tea three to four times a day. Dried ginger can also be consumed as well in a diet.
5) Increase Protein level: Proteins transport thyroid hormones to all your tissues and enjoying it at each meal can help normalize thyroid functioning.
6) Greatly reduce or eliminate caffeine and sugar, including refined carbohydrates like flour – which the body treats like sugar itself.
7) You should avoid certain fruits and vegetables that can diminish the thyroid’s production of thyroxin such as Broccoli, Cabbage, Peaches, Pears, Almonds, Corn, Turnip, Peanuts, Spinach, Radish etc. If necessary they should be taken in very small quantities.
8) Exercise regularly to improve blood flow, which will help supply the cells in your body with sufficient oxygen and other necessary nutrients.
Essential oils – there are some essential oils such as basil oil, clove oil, neem oil, peppermint oil, rosemary oil, thyme oil, coconut oil etc. You can apply this on the itching area for relief.