Hypothyroidism, Thyroid Disease
What causes hypothyroidism (under-active thyroid)? One of the most common causes of hypothyroidism worldwide is a thyroid autoimmune condition called Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Other causes include thyroid destruction (from radioactive iodine or surgery), iodine deficiency, congenital hypothyroidism, pituitary or hypothalamic disease, environmental toxins, food sensitivities, blood sugar imbalance, infections, sex hormone imbalance, nutrient deficiencies, and poor adrenal function.
The immune system serves as a defense system to eliminate foreign invaders like viruses, bacteria, and cancer. Yes, that makes logical sense, but where things get complicated is when your immune system makes mistakes and attacks your own body parts as if they were the enemy and that includes your thyroid gland. [Read more…]
I was 17 years old. I went to my doctor about my painful, irregular, extremely heavy menstrual cycles. I was not sexually active. The answer. Birth control. No thyroid test, by the way these symptoms are typical in hypothyroidism, which would have saved me from decades of undiagnosed hypothyroidism. [Read more…]
Dr. Amy Myers is a former autoimmune patient who has empowered thousands of people to reverse Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Graves’ disease, and other autoimmune diseases. [Read more…]
Since starting Hypothyroid Mom over 5 years ago this topic has been the one to intrigue me the most. I have the good fortune of connecting with many of the world’s leaders in thyroid health and one topic comes up time after time. Infection. Often times chronic and so silent and difficult to pinpoint, these infections go undetected for decades with disastrous results. [Read more…]
It’s all about tigers. Tigers? Yes tigers. [Read more…]
A Hypothyroid Mom reader named Jenny contacted me with her story of postpartum thyroiditis and it felt so familiar. I have lived through postpartum thyroiditis after the birth of both my sons. At a time when a mother is expected to be filled with joy at the miracle of her babies, women with postpartum thyroiditis struggle feeling alone, often misdiagnosed with postnatal depression or anxiety, all while their thyroid is left unaddressed but wreaking havoc on the mother’s mind and body. But no one really wants to hear that. We are hushed and dismissed or carelessly misdiagnosed with mental health issues.
It is well known in the medical world that there are 3 times in a woman’s life when she is most vulnerable to develop a thyroid condition or worsen an existing one, known as the 3 Ps: Puberty, Pregnancy/Postpartum, and Perimenopause. With over 700 million people with thyroid issues worldwide, and over half unaware of their condition, postpartum thyroiditis is more common than anyone can imagine, yet thyroid testing is not part of routine screening at a woman’s first prenatal visit when she is newly pregnant (and it should be!) nor at the first postnatal checkup around six weeks after giving birth (and it should be!) .
Jenny wrote,
“I write to you Hypothyroid Mom not to complain or grumble, but to raise awareness. To be a silent friend so that other women can read and feel someone understands. During my harder days, I felt so alone.” [Read more…]
Hashimoto’s. It’s the number one cause of hypothyroidism, yet few of my Hypothyroid Mom readers have heard of it. Hashimoto’s. It’s more than a thyroid condition. It’s an autoimmune condition, yet thyroid medication is often the only treatment offered. Hashimoto’s. It’s a sadly common health condition that can come with all sorts of symptoms that doctors may mistakenly attribute to mental health issues. Hashimoto’s. It’s not all in your head. If you aren’t feeling well, it’s because thyroid hormone replacement medication doesn’t address the autoimmune component. Hashimoto’s. It’s possible to determine the root cause. It’s possible to reduce thyroid antibodies. It’s possible to feel well. [Read more…]
I hear from parents of children struggling with symptoms that look a lot like hypothyroidism and they wonder, “Does my child have hypothyroidism?” I also hear from parents of children already diagnosed with hypothyroidism trying to determine if their child’s seemingly unrelated symptoms could actually be a red flag that their hypothyroidism is not being well treated. Hypothyroidism is wrongly assumed to be an illness only found in “older” women. This is far from the case. I hear from women of all ages, men, as well as parents of children and adolescents with hypothyroidism every single day.
[Read more…]
A doctor will run the lab test TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). If TSH is above the “normal” range, the person is diagnosed with hypothyroidism. “Normal” is far from normal for many thyroid patients, but that’s another story and you can read more about that here. Out comes the prescription pad to write a prescription for thyroid hormone replacement medication. All too often the patient fails to feel better and sometimes even feels worse than before. There starts a lifelong journey with doctors chasing the patient’s symptoms prescribing one after another of different medications all while the patient continues to struggle. There is zero investigation into the WHY of hypothyroidism in too many cases.
WHY? This is a common sense question in the case of most diseases, yet for some strange reason it is completely overlooked when it comes to thyroid disease.
WHY do YOU have hypothyroidism?
Isn’t that an important question?
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