Thyroid & Symptoms of Tyroid
The thyroid is one of the largest endocrine glands in the body.
(1) If you constantly feel tired or exhausted despite getting more than adequate sleep,
(2) If you have trouble remembering things or have poor concentration
(3) If you have often cold, especially at your extremities (hands and feet)
Located just beneath the larynx, the thyroid gland controls metabolic function, activating more than one hundred enzymes responsible for a number of cellular functions, such as weight, skeletal structure, circulation, energy levels, mood, stress, libido, memory, sleep, hair, and nails.
By utilising iodine, found in foods like bread, seafood and salt, the thyroid gland manufactures the hormones, thyroxine and triiodothyronine. These hormones send messages to specific organs and tissues, telling the cells within to speed up or reduce their activities of converting food and oxygen into energy, heat and living tissue.
With thyroid hormones activating over one hundred cellular enzymes, it’s not surprising that a multitude of problems occur when this gland is not working properly.
Common symptoms associated with an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), as well as those mentioned previously, are slow reflexes, muscle weakness, pain or stiffness in muscles and joints, hoarse or deepening voice, infertility, a lump in the throat or enlarged thyroid gland. Less common symptoms include irregular heartbeat, chest pain, dizziness, rashes and allergies, visual disturbances, dry eyes and mouth, or blood pressure problems.
Thyroid is often caused by a lack of iodine in the diet.Lack of iodine prevents the thyroid from producing T4, causing the thyroid to enlarge, eventually forming a goitre.
Low iodine intake is not the only cause of underactive thyroid. The thyroid gland is part of a complex system that includes the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands, liver and kidneys, as well as cytokines.
A malfunction in one of these components can result in the thyroid becoming underactive.
Nutritional deficiencies may be an underlying cause in an underactive thyroid.
Copper, zinc, and vitamins A, B2, B3, B6 and C, are necessary for T4 production, while selenium and zinc are necessary for conversion of T4 to T3.
Although hypothyroidism can affect every part of the body, not everyone suffers from all the associated symptoms or to the same extent.
Genetics, lifestyle, background, human uniqueness, and environment all influence symptoms experienced by individuals, and blood tests alone don’t indicate the exact cause.
Thyroxin replacement is the treatment often used to restore normal levels of thyroid hormones. T3 and T4 need monitoring to maintain correct levels, and if necessary, the thyroxin dosage adjusted. Other medications and nutritional supplements may interfere with thyroxin replacement therapy, so it is important to inform your doctor of anything you take, no matter how insignificant it seems. Once thyroxin replacement has begun, it is usually for life, as it suppresses production of the body’s own thyroid hormones.
Treatments such as reflexology, kinesiology and chiropractic may be helpful to stimulate thyroid activity.
Exercise and a healthy diet are essential. Diet without exercise, even with thyroxin replacement, will be less effective in relieving the effects of hypothyroidism.
A weight-reducing diet may further-reduce the metabolism in patients with under-active thyroid as the body tries to conserve energy.
Exercise helps prevent the reduction of metabolic rate, therefore a daily exercise programme of thirty to sixty minutes, including aerobic and weight training components, is required.
