With the recent marketing tactics of many companies, we all think we have a thyroid disorder. I mean, how else do we explain the fact that we can’t seem to lose weight. It couldn’t be the lack of a healthy diet or exercise plan, nor could it be all the fast food many of us eat, no way!

So in reality, what is hypothyroidism? The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland in the throat, and hypothyroidism is when that gland does not produce enough hormones. This tiny hormone can significantly decrease your metabolism, and those who suffer from this disease commonly suffer from tiredness, weight gain, feeling cold all the time, sore muscles, a hoarse voice, constipation, etc.

Most cases of hypothyroidism are mild or at least start out mild, and many don’t even notice them. Sometimes, people even recover from this problem without any treatment. However, most cases get worse without treatment, not better.

So who is at risk? It occurs more commonly in older individuals, women, those with another autoimmune disease such as type 1 diabetes, iodine deficient individuals, and sometimes those on certain medications such as lithium carbonate.

The conditions described by most diet pills claiming to target the thyroid gland occur in severe cases. Most cases do not reach that level of severity, and if you suspect that you suffer from a thyroid disorder, you should consult your doctor. Just because you are tired or get cold easily does not mean you have an under-active thyroid. A blood test is required to diagnose. For those that do have a diagnosed thyroid disorder, the only medications currently proven to effectively treat the symptoms are prescriptions.

1. http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/underactive_thyroid.html

This entry was posted on Monday, December 29th, 2008 at 2:24 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.