Thyroid Problems and Thyroid Problems Supplements

What is the thyroid?

Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck, just above your collarbone. It is one of your endocrine glands, which make hormones. The thyroid helps set your metabolism - how your body gets energy from the foods you eat. Millions of people in the U.S. have thyroid diseases. Most of them are women. If you have a thyroid disease, your body uses energy more slowly or quickly than it should. A thyroid gland that is not active enough, called hypothyroidism, is far more common. It can make you gain weight, feel fatigued and have difficulty dealing with cold temperatures. If your thyroid is too active, it makes more thyroid hormones than your body needs. That condition is hyperthyroidism. Too much thyroid hormone can make you lose weight, speed up your heart rate and make you very sensitive to heat. There are many causes for both conditions. Treatment involves trying to reset your body's metabolism to a normal rate.

Thyroid Problems which might affect you

Hhyperthyroidism
Hypothyroidism
Thyroid nodules
Thyroiditis
Thyroid cancer
Goiter

What is hyperthyroidism?

Some disorders cause the thyroid to make more thyroid hormones than the body needs. This is called hyperthyroidism (hy-pur-THY-roi-diz-uhm), or overactive thyroid. The most common cause of hyperthyroidism is Graves' disease. Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disorder, in which the body's own defense system, called the immune system, stimulates the thyroid. This causes it to make too much of the thyroid hormones. Hyperthyroidism can also be caused by thyroid nodules that prompt excess thyroid hormones to be made

What are the symptoms of hyperthyroidism?

At first, you might not notice symptoms of hyperthyroidism. They usually begin slowly. But over time, a speeded up metabolism can cause symptoms such as:

Weight loss, even if you eat the same or more food
Eating more than usual
Rapid or irregular heartbeat or pounding of your heart
Anxiety
Irritability
Trouble sleeping
Trembling in your hands and fingers
Increased sweating
Increased sensitivity to heat
Muscle weakness
More frequent bowel movements
Less frequent menstrual periods with lighter than normal menstrual flow if you are a woman

In addition to these symptoms, people with hyperthyroidism may have osteoporosis, or weak, brittle bones. In fact, hyperthyroidism might affect your bones before you have any of the other symptoms of the disorder. This is especially true of postmenopausal women, who are already at high risk of osteoporosis.

What is hypothyroidism?

Hypothyroidism (hy-poh-THY-roi-diz-uhm) is when your thyroid does not make enough thyroid hormones. It is also called underactive thyroid. The most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States is Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease, in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the thyroid. This attack damages the thyroid so that it does not make enough hormones. Hypothyroidism also can be caused by:

Treatment of hyperthyroidism

Radiation treatment of certain cancers
Thyroid removal
In rare cases, problems with the pituitary gland can cause the thyroid to be less active.

What are the symptoms of hypothyroidism?

Symptoms of hypothyroidism tend to develop slowly, often over several years. At first, you may just feel tired and sluggish. Later, you may develop other symptoms of a slowed down metabolism, including:

Weight gain, even though you are not eating more food
Increased sensitivity to cold
Constipation
Muscle weakness
Joint or muscle pain
Depression
Fatigue (feeling very tired)
Pale dry skin
A puffy face
A hoarse voice
Excessive menstrual bleeding

In addition to these symptoms, people with hypothyroidism may have high blood levels of LDL cholesterol. This is the so-called "bad" cholesterol, which can increase your risk for heart disease.

To keep your Thyroids healthy it is wise to take some Thyroid Supplements.

What are thyroid nodules?

A thyroid nodule (NAHD-yool) is a swelling in one section of the thyroid gland. The nodule can be solid or filled with fluid or blood. You can have just one thyroid nodule or many.

Most thyroid nodules do not cause symptoms. But some thyroid nodules make too much of the thyroid hormones, causing hyperthyroidism. Sometimes, nodules get to be big enough to cause problems with swallowing or breathing. In fewer than 10 percent of cases, thyroid nodules are cancerous.

Thyroid nodules are quite common. By the time you reach the age of 50, you have a 50 percent chance of having a thyroid nodule larger than a half inch wide. We do not know why nodules form in otherwise normal thyroids.

You can sometimes see or feel a thyroid nodule yourself. Try standing in front of a mirror and raise your chin slightly. Look for a bump on either side of your windpipe below your Adam's apple. If the bump moves up and down when you swallow, it may be a thyroid nodule. Ask your doctor to look at it.

What is thyroiditis?

Thyroiditis (thy-roi-DY-tiss) is inflammation, or swelling, of the thyroid. There are several types of thyroiditis, one of which is Hashimoto's disease. Other types of thyroiditis include:

Postpartum thyroidits

Like Hashimoto's disease, postpartum thyroiditis seems to be caused by a problem with the immune system. In the United States, postpartum thyroiditis occurs in about 5 to 10 percent of women. The first phase starts 1 to 4 months after giving birth. In this phase, you may get symptoms of hyperthyroidism because the damaged thyroid is leaking thyroid hormones out into the bloodstream. The second phase starts about 4 to 8 months after delivery. In this phase, you may get symptoms of hypothyroidism because, by this time, the thyroid has lost most of its hormones. Not everyone with postpartum thyroiditis goes through both phases. In most women who have postpartum thyroiditis, thyroid function returns to normal within 12 to 18 months after symptoms start.

Risk factors for postpartum thyroiditis include having:

An autoimmune disease, like type 1 diabetes
A personal history or family history of thyroid disorders
Having had postpartum thyroiditis after a previous pregnancy
Silent or painless thyroiditis
Symptoms are the same as in postpartum thyroiditis, but they are not related to having given birth.

Subacute thyroiditis

Symptoms are the same as in postpartum and silent thyroiditis, but the inflammation in the thyroid leads to pain in the neck, jaw, or ear. Unlike the other types of thyroiditis, subacute thyroiditis may be caused by an infection.

What are the symptoms of thyroid cancer?

Most people with thyroid cancer have a thyroid nodule that is not causing any symptoms. If you have a thyroid nodule, there is a small chance it may be thyroid cancer. To tell if the nodule is cancerous, your doctor will have to do certain tests (see How are thyroid diseases diagnosed?). A few people with thyroid cancer may have symptoms. If the cancer is big enough, it may cause swelling you can see in the neck. It may also cause pain or problems swallowing. Some people get a hoarse voice.

Thyroid cancer is rare compared with other types of cancer. It is more common in people who:

Have a history of exposure of the thyroid to radiation (but not routine X-ray exposure, as in dental X-rays or mammograms)
Have a family history of thyroid cancer
Are older than 40 years of age

What is a goiter?

A goiter is an abnormally enlarged thyroid gland. Causes of goiter include:

Iodine deficiency. Iodine is a mineral that your thyroid uses for making thyroid hormones. Not getting enough iodine in your food and water can cause your thyroid to get bigger. This cause of goiter is uncommon in the United States because iodine is added to table salt.
Hashimoto's disease
Graves' disease
Thyroid nodules
Thyroiditis
Thyroid cancer

Usually, the only symptom of a goiter is a swelling in your neck. But a very large or advanced goiter can cause a tight feeling in your throat, coughing, or problems swallowing or breathing. Having a goiter does not always mean that your thyroid is not making the right amount of hormones. Depending on the cause of your goiter, your thyroid could be making too much, not enough, or the right amount of hormones.

How are thyroid disorders diagnosed?

Thyroid disorders can be hard to diagnose because their symptoms can be linked to many other health problems. Your doctor will start by taking a medical history and asking if any of your family members has a history of thyroid disorders. Your doctor will also give you a physical exam and check your neck for thyroid nodules. Depending on your symptoms, your doctor may also do other tests, such as:

Blood tests
Testing the level of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in your blood can help your doctor figure out if your thyroid is overactive or underactive. TSH tells your thyroid to make thyroid hormones. Depending on the results, your doctor might order another blood test to check levels of one or both thyroid hormones in your blood. If your doctor suspects an immune system problem, your blood may also be tested for signs of this.

Radioactive iodine uptake test
For this test, you swallow a liquid or capsule containing a small dose of radioactive iodine (radioiodine). The radioiodine collects in your thyroid because your thyroid uses iodine to make thyroid hormones. Then, a probe placed over your thyroid measures the amount of radioiodine in your thyroid. A high uptake of radioiodine means that your thyroid is making too much of the thyroid hormones. A low uptake of radioiodine means that your thyroid is not making enough of the thyroid hormones.

Thyroid scan
A thyroid scan usually uses the same radioiodine dose that was given by mouth for your uptake test. You lie on a table while a special camera creates an image of your thyroid on a computer screen. This test may be helpful in showing whether a thyroid nodule is cancerous. Three types of nodules show up in this test:

Thyroid nodules that take up excess radioiodine are making too much of the thyroid hormones, causing hyperthyroidism. These nodules show up brightly on the scan and are called "hot" nodules.
Thyroid nodules that take up the same amount of radioiodine as normal thyroid cells are making a normal amount of thyroid hormones. These are called "warm" nodules.

Thyroid nodules that do not take up radioiodine are not making thyroid hormones. They appear as defects or holes in the scan and are called "cold" nodules. Hot nodules are almost never cancerous. A small percentage of warm and cold nodules are cancerous.

Thyroid fine needle biopsy
This test is used to see if thyroid nodules have normal cells in them. Local anesthetic may be used to numb an area on your neck. Then, a very thin needle is inserted into the thyroid to withdraw some cells and fluid. The withdrawal of cells and fluid is called a biopsy (BY-op-see). A special type of doctor called a pathologist (path-ol-uh-jist) examines the cells under a microscope to see if they are abnormal. Abnormal cells could mean thyroid cancer.

Thyroid ultrasound
The thyroid ultrasound uses sound waves to create a computer image of the thyroid. This test can help your doctor tell what type of nodule you have and how large it is. Ultrasound may also be helpful in detecting thyroid cancer, although by itself it cannot be used to diagnose thyroid cancer. You may have repeat thyroid ultrasounds to see if your nodule is growing or shrinking.