Plenty of people are walking around today with symptoms that could be the result of thyroid problems. The problem is, many of these same symptoms could also be from dozens of other diseases that are more well known, and much more common, leading to lots of misdiagnosis’ and confusion. Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis symptoms can include sweet cravings, fatigue, depression, difficulty in losing weight, and an extreme feeling of low energy. Most doctors will think you have depression, fairly common these days, and subscribe one of the most popular drugs of all time to help. Let’s examine some more facts about Hypothyroidism and ways of living well with Hashimoto Disease.
The Full List Of Symptoms Is Staggering For Hashimoto’s
One huge problem with this disease is that, since the thyroid gland has connections to all other glands and organs throughout the body, when it’s not working properly, it has far reaching effects, similar to quite a few other diseases.
If you’ve noticed rapid hair loss, hair thinning, dry flaking skin, and unusually cold hands and feet, then you should probably take note. If those symptoms were included with extreme fatigue, leading to excessive napping, brain fog and inability to concentrate, along with constipation, then you have some reason to worry. As you can see, these are very general, to the point of being widespread and could include the entire population of the U.S. on any given day.
Autoimmune is when your own body, for reasons not entirely clear, has decided that a particular gland, organ, or part thereof, is a foreign body, so it attacks it with all its mite, like it would a viral or bacterial infection. Eventually, if nothing is done to stop it, your body will literally eat away at the thyroid until it’s gone. Replacing the hormones that the thyroid gland produces won’t do much to stop the actual autoimmune problem, and some research has indicated it may trigger a faster decline of the gland.
Insist On A Few Tests To Make Sure Of The Diagnosis
If you’re reading this article hoping to diagnose yourself, you’re not alone, it happens quite frequently with this particular disease because it’s difficult to narrow down, and the symptoms are real, but varied. Your doctor can run a test to see if there is an elevated amount of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) which is made by the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland will overproduce this hormone because the thyroid gland is not doing its job, this is a good indicator.
After that test, your doctor will most likely test for TPO antibodies (thyroid peroxidase), these are the abnormal antibodies that are at the root of the problem, but this is a more difficult and sensitive test than the other. These tests are also important for your doctor to determine the level of medication that you will need to level out your thyroid hormones and get you back to feeling normal once again.
Be Aware Of Vitamin B12 And D Deficiencies And Celiac Disease
In recent studies there seems to be an odd link between many autoimmune diseases and a deficiency of the vitamins B12 and D. Sometimes bringing these back up to normal levels has helped alleviate some of the symptoms of hypothyroidism, at least partially. Vitamin D is connected to the immune system and a deficiency can cause a wide range of different immune problems.
There also seems to be another link to Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance, so it would be a good idea to get checked for all three in order to eliminate any precursor problems that may exist. Research is just now discovering that many autoimmune diseases are linked to problems in the gut, or gut bacteria, so you should be aware.
Be Cautious Of Any Doctor Prescribing Iodine
Iodine has long been linked to the thyroid gland, many people exposed to radioactive iodine from nuclear plants and bombs, have developed thyroid problems, such as thyroid cancer and hypothyroidism. Too much iodine can actually cause hypothyroidism as well, so be wary of any doctor that wants to prescribe this as a cure. Always get a second opinion with complete explanations of why and what they are doing.
If You’ve Been Bitten By A Tick Or Had Lyme Disease Tell Your Doctor
A significant percentage of people that have had Lyme disease, a bacterial infection carried by ticks, have gone on to develop hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. There is a test called the ELISA test that can determine if you’ve been exposed, if so, there are several antibiotics you can take to eliminate the bacteria in your system. While research has been inconclusive of the exact link between the two diseases, it’s impossible to ignore the statistics.
Ways Of Living Well With Hashimoto Disease
After you’ve been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s and begun treatments recommended by your health care professional, there are still things you can do to help yourself feel better. It’s important to eat a well balanced diet, more than ever before, avoid smoking and drinking to excess, and get plenty of good quality rest. An exercise program can help depression and also increase testosterone levels which will raise energy levels and make you feel much better. Since hypothyroidism is far more common in women than men, it’s thought that testosterone may play a role, but it is unknown exactly what.
I hope that you’ve learned enough information on your autoimmune disease, at least so you can go forward and get some tests to determine your exact problem. If it does turn out that you have hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis then at least you have the comfort of knowing why you have the symptoms that you do and some of the ways of living well with Hashimoto Disease.
