Thyroid Problems...Healthy People Co will support you for Hypothiroidsm with the following products Healthy Coffee, Goji man, Be vida, Green Oxigen and Everlax.

      Thyroid problems? ....
Healthy People Co will support you for Hypothiroidsm with the following products Healthy Coffee, Goji man, Be vida, Green Oxigen and Everlax.

Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the body lacks sufficient thyroid hormone. Since the main purpose of thyroid hormone is to "run the body's metabolism," it is understandable that people with this condition will have symptoms associated with a slow metabolism. The estimates vary, but approximately 10 million Americans have this common medical condition. In fact, as many as 10% of women may have some degree of thyroid hormone deficiency.   Hypothyroidism is more common than you would believe, and millions of people are currently hypothyroid and do not know it.      





How Your Thyroid Works




"A delicate Feedback Mechanism"                                                   


Your thyroid gland is a small gland, normally weighing less than one ounce, located in the front of the neck. It is made up of two halves, called lobes that lie along the windpipe (trachea) and are joined together by a narrow band of thyroid tissue, known as the isthmus.  


The thyroid is situated just below your "Adams apple" or larynx. During development (inside the womb), the thyroid gland originates in the back of the tongue, but it normally migrates to the front of the neck before birth. Sometimes it fails to migrate properly and is located high in the neck or even in the back of the tongue (lingual thyroid) this is very rare. At other times it may migrate too far and ends up in the chest, (this is also rare).


The function of the thyroid gland is to take iodine, found in many foods, and convert it into thyroid hormones: thyroxin (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). Thyroid cells are the only cells in the body, which can absorb iodine. These cells combine iodine and the amino acid tyrosine to make T3 and T4. T3 and T4 are then released into the blood stream and are transported throughout the body where they control metabolism (conversion of oxygen and calories to energy).


Every cell in the body depends upon thyroid hormones for regulation of their metabolism. The normal thyroid gland produces about 80% T4 and about 20% T3, however, T3 possesses about four times the hormone "strength" as T4.  





The thyroid gland is under the control of the pituitary gland, a small gland the size of a peanut at the base of the brain (shown here in orange). When the level of thyroid hormones (T3 & T4) drops too low, the pituitary gland produces Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), which stimulates the thyroid gland to produce more hormones.





Under the influence of TSH, the thyroid will manufacture and secrete T3 and T4 thereby raising their blood levels. The pituitary senses this and responds by decreasing its TSH production. One can imagine the thyroid gland as a furnace and the pituitary gland as the thermostat. Thyroid hormones are like heat. When the heat gets back to the thermostat, it turns the thermostat off. As the room cools, (the thyroid hormone levels drop), the thermostat turns back on (TSH increases) and the furnace produces more heat (thyroid hormones).



Another gland, known as the hypothalamus regulates the pituitary gland itself. The hypothalamus is part of the brain and produces TSH Releasing Hormone (TRH), which tells the pituitary gland to stimulate the thyroid gland (release TSH). One might imagine the hypothalamus as the person who regulates the thermostat since it tells the pituitary gland at what level the thyroid should be set.





Causes of Hypothyroidism





There are two common causes of hypothyroidism. The first is a result of previous (or currently ongoing) inflammation of the thyroid gland, which leaves a large percentage of the cells of the thyroid damaged (or dead) and incapable of producing sufficient hormone. The most common cause of thyroid gland failure is called autoimmune thyroiditis (also called Hashimoto's thyroiditis), a form of thyroid inflammation caused by the patient's own immune system.


The second major cause is the broad category of "medical treatments."  The treatment of many thyroid conditions warrants surgical removal of a portion or all of the thyroid gland. If the total masses of thyroid producing cells left within the body are not enough to meet the needs of the body, the patient will develop hypothyroidism. Remember, this is often the goal of the surgery for thyroid cancer.


However, at other times, the surgery will be to remove a worrisome nodule, leaving half of the thyroid in the neck undisturbed. Sometimes, this remaining thyroid lobe and isthmus will produce enough hormones to meet the demands of the body. For other patients, however, it may become apparent years later that the remaining thyroid just cannot quite keep up with demand.


Similarly, goiters and some other thyroid conditions can be treated with radioactive iodine therapy. The aim of the radioactive iodine therapy (for benign conditions) is to kill a portion of the thyroid to prevent goiters from growing larger or producing too much hormone (hyperthyroidism).


Occasionally, the result of radioactive iodine treatment will be that too many cells are damaged so the patient often becomes hypothyroid within a year or two. However, this is usually greatly preferred over the original problem.





There are several other rare causes of hypothyroidism, one of them being a completely "normal" thyroid gland that is not making enough hormones because of a problem in the pituitary gland. If the pituitary does not produce enough thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) then the thyroid simply does not have the "signal" to make hormone. Therefore, it does not.  





     Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

Fatigue

Weakness

Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight

Coarse, dry hair

Dry, rough 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

 Part 2: Diagnosis and Treatments of Hypothyroidism.





Since hypothyroidism is caused by too little thyroid hormone secreted by the thyroid, the diagnosis of hypothyroidism is based almost exclusively upon measuring the amount of thyroid hormone in the blood.  There are normal ranges for all thyroid hormones, which have been calculated by computers that measured these hormones in tens of thousands of people. If your thyroid hormone levels fall below the normal range, that is consistent with hypothyroidism these tests are very accurate and reliable and are so routine that they are available to everybody





REMEMBER





Hypo = too little


Thyroidism = disease of the thyroidThus,


 hypo-thyroidism = a disease of too little thyroid activity.





The idea is to measure blood levels of T4 and TSH.  In the typical person with an under-active thyroid gland, the blood level of T4 (the main thyroid hormone) will be low, while the TSH level will be high. This means that the thyroid is not making enough hormones and the pituitary recognizes it and is responding appropriately by making more Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) in an attempt to force more hormone production out of the thyroid. 





 In the more rare case of hypothyroidism due to pituitary failure, the thyroid hormone T4 will be low, but the TSH level will also be low. The thyroid is behaving "appropriately" under these conditions because it can only make hormone in response to TSH signals from the pituitary.  Since the pituitary is not making enough TSH, then the thyroid will never make enough T4. The real question in this situation is what is wrong with the pituitary?  However, in the typical and most common form of hypothyroidism, the main thyroid hormone T4 is low, and the TSH level is high. 


The next question is when is low too low, and when is high too high?  Blood levels have "normal" ranges, but other factors need to be taken into account as well, such as the presence or absence of symptoms.  You should discuss your levels with your doctor so you can interpret how they are helping (or not?) fix your problems.





      Treatment of Hypothyroidism





 Each individual  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. 








     Potential Dangers of Hypothyroidism  





Because the body is expecting a certain amount of thyroid hormone the pituitary will make additional thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in an attempt to entice the thyroid to produce more hormone. This constant bombardment with high levels of TSH may cause the thyroid gland to become enlarged and form a goiter (termed a "compensatory goiter").


Left untreated, the symptoms of hypothyroidism will usually progress. Rarely, complications can result in severe life-threatening depression, heart failure, or coma.


Hypothyroidism can often be diagnosed with a simple blood test. In some persons, however, it is not so simple and tests that are more detailed are needed.  Most importantly, a good relationship with a good endocrinologist will almost surely be needed.   


Hypothyroidism is completely treatable. However, this is a simplified statement, and it is not always so easy y factors will go into the treatment of hypothyroidism and it is different for everybody.  




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