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There are several nutrients and foods that have been shown to impact thyroid function. There are trace minerals that if deficient can negatively impact thyroid function while there foods if consumed can also impact thyroid function.
Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone is made by the thyroid gland which is a butterfly-shaped gland in the front of the neck. It produces the hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), which control metabolism. This affects how many calories you burn, how warm you feel, how much you weigh, and how the bodies handles many other vital functions of the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems. Hypothyroidism results in a slower metabolism and slower heartbeat.
The Thyroid Gland |
The most common form of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. This condition occurs when your immune system produces antibodies that attack the cells of the thyroid gland, resulting in chronic thyroid inflammation and destruction, resulting in the loss of thyroid function. After Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, the other less common causes include hypothyroidism as a result of neck radiation for lymphoma and treatment of hyperthyroidism or thyroid cancer with radioactive iodine or surgery.
Other causes of hypothyroidism include:
- Subacute thyroiditis—This occurs when there is inflammation of the thyroid gland following a viral upper respiratory tract infection.
- Drugs—Drugs used to treat hyperthyroidism, lithium (used to treat certain psychiatric disorders), certain cardiac medicines, and other medicines (tumor necrosis factor, interleukins, alpha interferon) can cause this condition.
- Medical treatments—Treatments include radiation or surgical removal of part of the thyroid gland (called subtotal thyroidectomy) for the treatment of other thyroid diseases.
- Idiopathic thyroid atrophy—The thyroid tissue shrivels up (atrophies) for unknown reasons.
- Iodine deficiency—This occurs when a thyroid gland does not get enough iodine to produce thyroid hormone (this is rare in the United States)
- Iodine excess—Certain foods (such as shellfish) and certain medicines (such as cough medicine) contain large amounts of iodine, which can ultimately block thyroid hormone production. This is also rare.
- Infiltrative illnesses—These include cancers and certain infections.
- Pituitary adenoma—This is a benign tumor of the pituitary gland that can cause a problem signaling the thyroid to make thyroid hormone.
- Postpartum thyroiditis—This condition usually improves without treatment but may persist.
- Chronic thyroiditis—This usually occurs after hyperthyroidism.
About 5% of Americans have hypothyroidism. This condition usually occurs in adults. But, in some cases, children or infants may have hypothyroidism (called cretinism ). Children require treatment as quickly as possible or mental retardation may result.
What are the risk factors of hypothyroidism?
What are the symptoms of hypothyroidism?
How is hypothyroidism diagnosed?
What are the treatments for hypothyroidism?
Are there screening tests for hypothyroidism?
How can I reduce my risk of hypothyroidism?
Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone is made by the thyroid gland which is a butterfly-shaped gland in the front of the neck. It produces the hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), which control metabolism. This affects how many calories you burn, how warm you feel, how much you weigh, and how the bodies handles many other vital functions of the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems. Hypothyroidism results in a slower metabolism and slower heartbeat.
The Thyroid Gland |
The most common form of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. This condition occurs when your immune system produces antibodies that attack the cells of the thyroid gland, resulting in chronic thyroid inflammation and destruction, resulting in the loss of thyroid function. After Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, the other less common causes include hypothyroidism as a result of neck radiation for lymphoma and treatment of hyperthyroidism or thyroid cancer with radioactive iodine or surgery.
Other causes of hypothyroidism include:
- Subacute thyroiditis—This occurs when there is inflammation of the thyroid gland following a viral upper respiratory tract infection.
- Drugs—Drugs used to treat hyperthyroidism, lithium (used to treat certain psychiatric disorders), certain cardiac medicines, and other medicines (tumor necrosis factor, interleukins, alpha interferon) can cause this condition.
- Medical treatments—Treatments include radiation or surgical removal of part of the thyroid gland (called subtotal thyroidectomy) for the treatment of other thyroid diseases.
- Idiopathic thyroid atrophy—The thyroid tissue shrivels up (atrophies) for unknown reasons.
- Iodine deficiency—This occurs when a thyroid gland does not get enough iodine to produce thyroid hormone (this is rare in the United States)
- Iodine excess—Certain foods (such as shellfish) and certain medicines (such as cough medicine) contain large amounts of iodine, which can ultimately block thyroid hormone production. This is also rare.
- Infiltrative illnesses—These include cancers and certain infections.
- Pituitary adenoma—This is a benign tumor of the pituitary gland that can cause a problem signaling the thyroid to make thyroid hormone.
- Postpartum thyroiditis—This condition usually improves without treatment but may persist.
- Chronic thyroiditis—This usually occurs after hyperthyroidism.
About 5% of Americans have hypothyroidism. This condition usually occurs in adults. But, in some cases, children or infants may have hypothyroidism (called cretinism ). Children require treatment as quickly as possible or mental retardation may result.
What are the risk factors of hypothyroidism?
What are the symptoms of hypothyroidism?
How is hypothyroidism diagnosed?
What are the treatments for hypothyroidism?
Are there screening tests for hypothyroidism?
How can I reduce my risk of hypothyroidism?
Hypothyroidism is often treated with thyroid hormone replacement therapy. The most common treatment is Levothyroxine (LT4) which is a replacement for T4 thyroid hormone because tissues convert T4 to T3 to maintain physiologic levels of the T3. The administration of T4 results in increased amounts of T3 and T4 in the body. There are also natural thyroid hormones on the market which combine both T3 and T4 since they are desiccated thyroid hormone from pigs.
Hypothyroidism is often treated with thyroid hormone replacement therapy. The most common treatment is Levothyroxine (LT4) which is a replacement for T4 thyroid hormone because tissues convert T4 to T3 to maintain physiologic levels of the T3. The administration of T4 results in increased amounts of T3 and T4 in the body. There are also natural thyroid hormones on the market which combine both T3 and T4 since they are desiccated thyroid hormone from pigs.
Natural thyroid replacement was the standard of care until the 1980's but it was replaced by lethyroxine at that time. Today, this therapy is prescribed by:
- Naturopaths (ND)
- Integrative Physicians (MD)
Natural thyroid replacement uses desiccated porcine thyroid in a pill form. This process involves cleaned, dried, and powdered thyroid gland, joined with binders to make a pill. Currently, it is used by a minority of health care professionals in the United States, with levothyroxine being prescribed primarily. However the proponents of natural thyroid replacement have strong belief in its effectiveness in treating hypothyroidism.
Brand names of natural thyroid replacements include:
- Armour
- Naturethroid
- Westhroid
- Qualitest
Natural Thyroid replacement is done using desiccated pig thyroid which contains both T3 and T4 hormones. This form of thyroid replacement is believed to the most similar to the T3/T4 ratios in humans.
Liothyronine (T3), a very short-acting thyroid hormone, is often given to patients after their thyroid is removed surgically for thyroid cancer. It is not prescribed as often as levothyroxine (T4), which is usually the choice of most physicians. This medication Liothyronine is sometimes prescribed along with levothyroxine in a few select cases.
Levothyroxine is a commonly prescribed treatment for hypothyroidism. It is a thyroid replacement therapy to address low T3 hormone levels.
Brand names of Levothyroxine include:
- Synthroid
- Levothroid
- Levoxyl
- Unithroid
Levothyroxine is taken once a day. The dose of levothyroxine is based on your thyroid function tests, age, weight, the presence of any heart conditions, and the presence of remaining thyroid gland. Getting to the right dose can take time, as it is very individual and the range of the correct dosage is narrow. The dosage is gradually increased every 6-8 weeks until the blood levels of TSH is in the normal range.
If you are elderly or have a heart condition, your doctor will start with a very lower dose to give your body a chance to get used to the higher thyroid hormone level. After you have reached normal levels of TSH, your doctor may want to see you at least twice a year to make sure your levels continue to be in the normal range. Sometimes, thyroid blood levels can get higher or lower over time, making it necessary to increase or decrease the dosage of medicine.
You may begin to feel better within one to two weeks after starting medication, but often it can take longer. In fact, it may take three to six months after your blood levels are normal before you really feel well. Once this happens, you must continue to levothyroxine, as hypothyroidism is not curable. You will likely need thyroid hormones for the rest of your life. Remember to take your thyroid medication on an empty stomach since calcium, iron, soy, and multivitamins in the stomach will interfere with its absorption. Do not take it along with any diary, iron, or soy products as they can also interfere with absorption.
Once you start on a certain brand of levothyroxine, you should stay on that brand; the same dose of another brand may be absorbed differently in your body. If you change your dose or brand, you will be asked to have your blood levels of TSH checked about six weeks later.
Levothyroxine (LT4) is a thyroid hormone replacement therapy which addresses low T4 thyroid hormone levels in the body. This type of thyroid hormone replacement therapy is more common than Liothyronine (T3), a thearpay for replacement of low T3 thyroid levels.
The doctor will perform a physical exam and ask about your symptoms and medical/family history. Hypothyriodism is often found in families. The exam may reveal a goiter (enlarged thyroid), slow reflexes, dry skin, slow and hoarse speech, and/or a large tongue.
Your doctor may also do the following tests:
Blood Tests—Blood tests measure the level of thyroid hormones and thyroid antibodies. The diagnosis of hypothyroidism is made if the serum level of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is elevated, and if the levels of serum free T4 (free thyroxine), and sometimes total T3, are low. These results mean that the thyroid gland is not making enough thyroid hormone.
The presence of thyroid antibodies may also signal autoimmune hypothyroidism, such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, but is not needed for the diagnosis of hypothyroidism. The most common cause of hypothyroidism is autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimotos).
Some blood tests performed for other reasons may raise suspicions about hypothyroidism and should be followed up, for example, blood tests that show high cholesterol, anemia, or low sodium.
Experiences
I started on Naturethroid a few weeks ago. My doctor diagnosed me with hypothyroidism and started with one grain. My main symptom has been weight gain so I haven't seen any difference there but will keep watching the impact of the thyroid medication on it.
I started on Naturethroid a few weeks ago. My doctor diagnosed me with hypothyroidism and started with one grain. My main symptom has been weight gain so I haven't seen any difference there but...
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