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Through the hormones it produces, the thyroid gland influences almost all of
the metabolic processes in your body. Thyroid disorders can range from a
small, harmless goiter (enlarged gland) that needs no treatment to life-
threatening cancer. The most common thyroid problems involve abnormal
production of thyroid hormones. Too much of these vital body chemicals
results in a condition known as hyperthyroidism. Insufficient hormone
production leads to hypothyroidism.
Although the effects can be unpleasant or uncomfortable, most thyroid
problems can be managed well if properly diagnosed and treated.
c

 
 
    

 are due to an overproduction of thyroid
hormones, but the condition can occur in several ways:
V x


: The production of too much thyroid hormone.
V  

 
 Nodules develop in the thyroid gland and begin to
secrete thyroid hormones, upsetting the body's chemical balance; some goiters may contain several of these
nodules.
V ë
  


 inflammation of the thyroid causes the gland to "leak" excess hormones, resulting in
temporary hyperthyroidism that generally lasts a few weeks but may persist for months.
V 





 
   
  

 : Although rare, hyperthyroidism can also
develop from these causes.
  

, by contrast, stems from an underproduction of thyroid hormones. Since your body's energy production
requires certain amounts of thyroid hormones, a drop in hormone production leads to lower energy levels. Causes of
hypothyroidism include these:
V 

   


 In this autoimmune disorder, the body attacks thyroid tissue. The tissue eventually dies
and stops producing hormones.
V G 
   

 The thyroid may be surgically removed or chemically destroyed as treatment for
hyperthyroidism.
V ^  

  

 Cold and sinus medicines, the heart medicine amiodarone, or certain
contrast dyes given before some X-rays may expose you to too much iodine. You may be at greater risk for
developing hypothyroidism, especially if you have had thyroid problems in the past.
V £

 This drug has also been linked as a cause of hypothyroidism.
Untreated for long periods of time, hypothyroidism can bring on a myxedema coma, a rare but potentially fatal condition
that requires immediate hormone injections.

  

 



  


 A lack of thyroid hormones in the system at an early age
can lead to the development of cretinism (mental retardation) and dwarfism (stunted growth). Most infants now have their
thyroid levels checked routinely soon after birth. If they are hypothyroid, treatment begins immediately. In infants, as in
adults, hypothyroidism can be due to these causes:
V A pituitary disorder
V A defective thyroid
V £ack of the gland entirely
A hypothyroid infant is unusually inactive and quiet, has a poor appetite and sleeps for excessively long periods of time.

     
 
 is quite rare and occurs in less than 10% of thyroid nodules. You might have one or more
thyroid nodules for several years before they are determined to be cancerous. People who have received radiation
treatment to the head and neck earlier in life, possibly as a remedy for acne, tend to have a higher-than-normal propensity
for thyroid cancer.
(http://women.webmd.com/guide/understanding-thyroid-problems-basics)
Hypothyroidism can cause a variety of changes in a woman's menstru al periods: irregularity, heavy periods, or loss of
periods. When hypothyroidism is severe, it can reduce a woman's chances of becoming pregnant.

 
 


    







  

  

!

 


 
 


 This form of thyroid inflammation is painless and causes little or no gland
enlargement. However, the condition interferes with the gland's production of thyroid hormones. Thyroid horm one may
leak out of the inflamed gland in large amounts, causing hyperthyroidism that lasts for several weeks. £ater on, the injured
gland may not be able to make enough thyroid hormone, resulting in temporary hypothyroidism. Symptoms of
hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism may not be recognized when they occur in a new mother. They may be simply
attributed to lack of sleep, nervousness, or depression.
 
 


 

 
 
      While it is active, however, women oft en benefit
from treatment for their thyroid hormone excess or deficiency. Some of the symptoms caused by too much thyroid
hormone, such as tremor or palpitations, can be improved promptly by medications called beta -blockers (e.g.,
propranolol). Anti-thyroid drugs, radioactive iodine, and surgery do   need to be considered because this form of
hyperthyroidism is only temporary. If thyroid hormone deficiency develops, it can be treated for one to six months with
levothyroxine. Women who have had an episode of postpartum thyroiditis are very likely to develop the problem again
after future pregnancies. Although each episode usually resolves completely, one out of four women with postpartum
thyroiditis goes on to develop a permanently underactive thyroid gland in future. Of course, levothyroxine fully corrects
their thyroid hormone deficiency, and when used in the correct dose, can be safely taken without side effects or
complications.

 
 
 "

Rarely, a baby may be born without a thyroid gl and. This birth defect is   caused by thyroid problems in the mother. If an
infant's hypothyroidism is not recognized and treated promptly, he/she will not develop normally. Most thyroid
medications will have no effect on the baby. The exception to this generality is the administration of radioactive iodine to
the mother during pregnancy. Radioactive iodine can cross the placenta and it can destroy thyroid cells in the foetus.
(http://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/thyroid/thyroid -problems-pregnancy)

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 me tabolism.

In fact 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 don't know it. For an overview of how thyroid
hormone is produced and how its production is regulated, check out our thyroid hormone production page.


   


There are two fairly 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 mass of thyroid producing cells left within the
body is not enough to meet the needs of the body, the patient w ill develop hypothyroidism. Remember, this is often the
goal of the surgery for thyroid cancer.

But 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 lob e 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 can't quite keep up with
demand.

Similarly, goitres 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 goitres 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 hyp othyroidism, 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 hormones (TSH) then the thyroid simply does not have the "signal" to make hormone. So it doesn't.

ë    



V Fatigue
V Weakness
V Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
V Coarse, dry hair
V mry, rough pale skin
V Hair loss
V Cold intolerance (you can't tolerate cold temperatures like thos e around you)
 V Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
V Constipation
V mepression
V Irritability
V Memory loss
V Abnormal menstrual cycles
V mecreased 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.

 

#
   


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 goitre (termed a "compensatory goitre").

£eft 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's not so simple and more
detailed tests are needed. Most importantly, a good relationship with a good endocrinologist will almost surely be needed.

Hypothyroidism is completely treat able in many patients simply by taking a small pill once a day. However, this is a
simplified statement, and it's not always so easy. There are several types of thyroid hormone preparations and one type of
medicine will not be the best therapy for all pat ients. Many factors will go into the treatment of hypothyroidism and it is
different for everybody.

(http://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/thyroid/hypothyroidism -too-little-thyroid-hormone)

 "   



Thyroid hormones affect every cell in the body. In hypothyroidism, the amount of hormone secreted by the thyroid gland
does not meet the body͛s demands.

Some causes of hypothyroidism include lack of iodine, autoimmune disease, viral or bacterial infections, radioactive iodine,
neck injury or surgery, problems with the pituitary in the production of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), or radiation
therapy. Additional causes of hypothyroidism, seen more by naturopathic physicians, include low mHEA
(dehydroepiandrosterone) levels or tyrosine or selenium deficiencies. Many women develop thyroid problems after
stressful physiological conditions such as pregnancy or traumas that increase the production of adrenal stress hormones.

x
#

 

If you are experiencing any symptoms of hypothy roidism (see sidebar) have your thyroid checked. The conventional
approach to diagnosing and treating hypothyroidism has benefited millions of patients; however, there are people whose
condition may be undetected by conventional laboratory thyroid -function tests.

£aboratory tests measure the level of TSH. The pituitary gland releases TSH to stimulate the thyroid, which, in turn,
produces the thyroid hormones T4 (free thyroxine) and T3 (triiodothyronine). The accepted normal range for TSH is 0.38 to
5.5IU/m£ (International Units per millilitre). Hypothyroidism is not suspected unless the lab values are greater than 5.5
IU/m£. However, some labs are now indicating that numbers within the range of 3.0 to 5.5 IU/m£ indicate what͛s known as
͞preclinical hypothyroidism.͟

$
% 
People who take thyroid hormone are led to believe that once on thyroid hormone, always on thyroid hormone. However,
this is not always the case. There is a delicate balance between the adrenal and thyroid glands. Studies show that elevated
levels of adrenocorticotrophic hormone, an adrenal hormone that stimulates the adrenal cortex to secrete cortisol (stress
hormone), causes a decreased response of TSH. Studies also show that plasma concentrations of mHEA, an adrenal
hormone, are significantly decreased in women with primary hypothyroidism.

If the adrenal and thyroid glands are treated with herbal or nutritional suppo rt at the same time as the thyroid hormone is
taken, it is possible to restore balance to these organs and eventually wean off the thyroid medication.

mo not attempt to go off of your prescription thyroid medication on your own. Seek the expertise of an alternative health
practitioner who can implement a nutritional program to restore balance to the adrenal and thyroid glands.



  



Severe clinical hypothyroidism usually requires the use of thyroid hormone available only by prescript ion. Most patients
are treated with T4 (Synthroid®), while many patients respond more favourably to desiccated thyroid hormone containing
both T4 and T3. Other patients, who do not respond to these therapies, are helped with T3 (Cytomel®).

For those people who have preclinical hypothyroidism with TSH values lower than 3.5 IU/m£, I would suggest treating your
thyroid with natural remedies first. Those with TSH levels over 3.5 may require thyroid hormone treatment.

ë    




V fatigue/lethargy
V constipation
V weight gain
V edema (water retention)
V headaches
V decreased libido
V depression
V memory loss and poor concentration
V dry skin
V thinning hair or loss of hair
V hoarseness/feeling of lump in the throat
V sensitivity to cold
V insomnia
V infertility
V severe menopausal symptoms

½


   



Iodine is required to make thyroid hormones. Bladderwrack, kelp, and dulse are rich natural sources of iodine. mosage: 300
to 400 mcg of iodine/day.

£-Tyrosine is an amino acid required to make thyroid hormones. mosage: 500 mg/day.

Ashwagandha (c
  

) has been proven helpful for low thyroid conditions. mosage: (standardized to contain
1.5% withanolides) 150 mg/day.

Selenium works as a cofactor for the enzyme that converts T4 to T3. mosage: 100 to 200 mcg/day.

Homeopathic remedies   

    or
   . mosage: 6X to 30X, 3 pellets, two to three times/day.

Make sure to avoid soy products as they may block the absorption o f thyroid hormone.
(http://www.alive.com/2056a5a2.php?subject_bread_cramb=482)
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