Thyroid Disorders

Your thyroid is one of your body's most important glands. When your thyroid doesn't work properly, it can cause you to feel nervous or tired; make your muscles weak; cause weight gain or loss; impair your memory; and affect your menstrual flow. A thyroid disorder can also cause miscarriage and infertility.

About 13 million Americans—more of them women than men—are affected by a thyroid disease or disorder, according to the National Graves' Foundation. In fact, an estimated one in eight women will develop a thyroid disorder at some time in her life.

Women are five to eight times more likely to have thyroid dysfunction than men, but most don't know they have it. Women often overlook their symptoms or mistake them for symptoms of other conditions. For example, women are at particularly high risk for developing thyroid disorders following childbirth. Symptoms such as fatigue and depression are common during this period, but these are also symptoms of thyroid disease.

Thus, more than half of thyroid conditions remain undiagnosed, according to the Thyroid Foundation of America.

The thyroid gland manufactures and stores thyroid hormone (TH), often referred to as the body's metabolic hormone. Among other actions, TH stimulates enzymes that combine oxygen and glucose, a process that increases your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and body heat production. The hormone also helps maintain blood pressure, regulates tissue growth and development and is critical for skeletal and nervous system development. It also plays an important role in the development of the reproductive system.

Hypothyroidism (underactive):

When too little TH is released, the body's metabolic rate decreases, and the body slows down. Hypothyroidism often goes undiagnosed because its symptoms are often mistaken for or attributed to other conditions. Symptoms include:

• fatigue • depression • low body temperature • constipation • poor memory • trouble with concentration

• weight gain • dry or itchy skin • thin, dry hair/hair loss • hoarseness/husky voice • irregular or heavy menstruation • muscle aches

• puffy face, hands and feet • decreased taste and smell • slow heart rate • infertility • high cholesterol • goiter (enlarged thyroid gland)

Hypothyroidism can occur spontaneously, develop during or after pregnancy or after treatment for hyperthyroidism. You can be born with it or it can be caused by Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the leading cause of hypothyroidism.

Named for the Japanese health care professional who first described it in detail, Hashimoto's thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease. That means the immune system attacks the body's healthy tissues instead of fighting off invading bacteria or viruses. In this case, the immune system produces antibodies to attack the thyroid gland as if it were a foreign substance that needed to be destroyed. The resulting damage leads to reduced production of TH.

Hyperthyroidism (overactive):

When too much TH is released, the body's metabolic rate increases, and your metabolism speeds up. Symptoms of hyperthyroidism include:

• nervousness/irritability • weight loss • fast/irregular heart rate • exophthalmos (bulging eyes) • goiter (enlarged thyroid gland)

• heat intolerance/increased perspiration • changes in appetite • sleep disturbances (such as insomnia)

• muscle weakness • trembling hands • more frequent bowel movements • shorter and scantier menstrual flow

Reference: The Healthywoman.org

Dr. Stula is very sensitive to the symptoms that patients experience and will not let the thyroid go unchecked. What is interesting is often patients will state that they have been diagnosed with a thyroid disorder and have been medicated for years….but their symptoms persist. They state that they’ve been told as long as their thyroid tests are now normal no changes are needed with the medication. This becomes a source of frustration as they still don’t feel good. Dr. Stula often finds improvement is as simple as a change in medication or using a compounded formula.

If you are sick and tired of always feeling sick and tired…..give Dr. Stula a call.