| By hypothyroidism, the thyroid gland is producing too | | | | hypothyroidism.*Iodine deficiency can cause |
| less hormones to stimulate the metabolism or the | | | | hypothyroidism, since the thyroid hormones contain |
| body is not able to utilize the hormones. The lack of | | | | iodine. In Europe and America the food is seldom |
| thyroid hormones slows down the metabolism and | | | | short in iodine, but bad nutrition may result in iodine |
| thus all the activities in the body, giving a combination | | | | deficiency.*Surgery or radiation at the thyroid area |
| of many symptoms related to slowness of bodily | | | | can destroy enough tissue to cause |
| processes. Hypothyroidism is common, but the | | | | hypothyroidism.*Injury or disease in the pituitary or |
| frequency of the condition is not well determined. | | | | of the part of the brain controlling the pituitary may |
| Some authorities estimate that 0.5% of the total | | | | cause a decrease in secreted thyrotropin, and then |
| American population have the disease to some | | | | the thyroid will respond by producing less of its own |
| degree. The frequency is much greater among | | | | hormones with hypothyroidism as a result.*Some |
| people over 50 years of age than among young | | | | people have symptoms of hypothyroidism even |
| people. THE SYMPTOMS AND COMPLICATIONS OF | | | | though the amount of thyroid hormone in the blood |
| HYPOTHYROIDISM The most common early | | | | is normal. One of the symptoms is raised levels of |
| symptoms are: Mental and physical fatigue, | | | | thyrotropin, indicating that the body signals need for |
| weakness, weight gain or over-weight, and | | | | more thyroid hormones. This variant may be caused |
| depression.One or more of these symptoms also use | | | | by conditions elsewhere in the body that make it |
| to appear early: Constipation, sensitivity to coldness, | | | | difficult for the hormone to reach their destination in |
| cold hands and feet, thick tongue, decreased | | | | the cells. In many of these cases the immune system |
| sweating, dry hair, thin brittle hair, thin brittle nails, | | | | produces anti-bodies against the thyroid hormones. |
| muscle and joint pain, pale or yellowish skin. One or | | | | This variant is called sub-clinical hypothyroidism, and |
| more of these symptoms usually appear later: Poor | | | | responds to the same treatment as ordinary |
| memory, slow thought process, drowsiness, slow | | | | hypothyroidism.*Some types of food can contribute |
| speech, thinning of eyebrows, hoarseness, poor | | | | to a depressed thyroid function or aggravate |
| circulation, dry and flaky skin, decreased taste and | | | | hypothyroidism when eaten raw in great amounts: |
| smell, menstrual irregularities, skin thickening, puffy | | | | Brussel sprouts, broccoli, corn oil, cabbage, cauliflower, |
| face, puffy hands and feet, swelling of extremities, | | | | kale, kohlrabi, radishes, rutabaga, soy and turnips. By |
| overall swelling, muscle spasms, muscle atrophy, joint | | | | cooking these vegetables, the depressing effect is |
| stiffness.In children or young persons hypothyroidism | | | | decreased. *Factors suspected for causing |
| may give developmental problems, like disturbed | | | | hypothyroidism are: The artificial sweetener |
| tooth development and short stature.Hypothyroidism | | | | aspartame, mercury pollution, dental fillings containing |
| increases the risk of elevated cholesterol levels, heart | | | | mercury, fluoride and heavy metal pollution.HOW CAN |
| disease and diabetes (diabetes mellitus). This occurs | | | | HYPOTHYROIDISM BE TREATED For serious |
| even by moderately decreased thyroid production. | | | | hypothyroidism caused by tissue destruction, external |
| THE THYROID GLAND AND ITS HORMONESTo | | | | supplement of thyroid hormones is necessary.When |
| understand the hypothyroidism, some knowledge | | | | the condition is caused by lack of iodine in the diet, |
| about the thyroid gland and its hormones is | | | | dietary changes and iodine supplements will be a part |
| essential.The thyroid gland produces hormones that | | | | of the treatment.Less serious, but painful |
| accelerate and in other wise regulate metabolism. A | | | | hypothyroidism is sometimes also treated with |
| part of metabolism is the process of breaking down | | | | hormone supplements. In these cases it is difficult to |
| energy containing nutrients, and using the energy to | | | | find the right dose, and treatment may result in |
| produce molecules that all the processes and | | | | hormone poisoning. You can sometimes alleviate |
| activities in the body use as fuel. Another part is the | | | | hypothyroidism by reducing the amount of food |
| production of molecules that the body use as building | | | | suspected for depressing the thyroid function: Brussel |
| materials. The thyroid makes four hormones: | | | | sprouts, broccoli, corn oil, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, |
| Thyroxin (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), diiodothyronine | | | | kohlrabi, radishes, rutabaga, soy, soy products and |
| (T2) and monoiodothyronine (T1). The hormones | | | | turnips. However, these food types are valuable in |
| contain iodine, and the figures tell about the number | | | | many ways, so it is probably not wise to cut them |
| of iodine atoms in each hormone molecule. T3 is not | | | | out totally. Also try to avoid artificial ingredients like |
| made directly, but is produced from T4. T3 is a more | | | | the sweetener aspartame, conserving additives and |
| efficient hormone than T4. Therefore this conversion | | | | fluoride.Changing out mercury dental fillings and |
| is important.The pituitary, a gland under the brain, | | | | avoiding mercury or heavy metal exposure may help |
| produces a hormone called thyrotropin or thyroid | | | | to ameliorate the condition.You may also alleviate the |
| stimulating hormone (TSH) that enhances the activity | | | | condition by eating food that stimulates the thyroid |
| of the thyroid gland. If the body has too less thyroid | | | | function according to practical experience: Chia seed, |
| hormone in the blood, the pituitary produces more | | | | dulse, fish from the ocean, flax seed, pumpkin seed, |
| thyrotropin. This makes the thyroid gland speed up | | | | seaweed, coconut and brewer yeast.You can find |
| its own production. By a too heavy thyroid hormone | | | | nutritional supplements to help for hypothyroidism. |
| concentration, less thyrotropin is produced by the | | | | The compositions of these products vary:*They may |
| pituitary, and the thyroid gland slows down. This | | | | contain building materials that the thyroid uses to |
| feed-back mechanism regulates the metabolism of | | | | make its hormones, for example: iodine, |
| the whole body.THE MECHANISMS AND CAUSES OF | | | | acetyl-L-tyrosine or L-phenylalanine. *They may also |
| HYPOTHYROIDISM By hypothyroidism the body | | | | contain vitamins and minerals that stimulate the |
| does not get enough thyroid hormone, or the | | | | mechanism of hormone production by being a part of |
| hormones do not work effectively in the body. This | | | | necessary enzymes, or by helping the absorption of |
| causes the metabolism to slow down. When the | | | | the ingredients that hormones are made from, like: |
| metabolism decreases, the processes in the body do | | | | Magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper and vitamin |
| not get enough fuel and building materials, and all the | | | | E.*They may furthermore contain constituents that |
| body activities will therefore slow down. Energy | | | | stimulate tissue regeneration by being part of tissue |
| containing nutrient will also be stored as fat, since | | | | building enzymes, and thus helping to restore a |
| they are not broken down. Serious variants of | | | | degraded thyroid, for example: Folic acid or folate, |
| hypothyroidism are called myxedema. This is a rare | | | | vitamin B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid |
| condition. However, less serious, but painful variants | | | | or pantothenate), B6 (pyridoxine), B12 |
| are common. There are several reasons for | | | | (cyanocobalamin) and molybdenum.Knut Holt is an |
| hypothyroidism, each giving a variant of the | | | | internet consultant and marketer focusing on health |
| disease:*An autoimmune reaction against the thyroid | | | | items. TO FIND anti-aging supplements and natural |
| tissue can destroy the capability of the thyroid gland | | | | medicines against hypothyroidism, joint pain, heart |
| to produce hormones (for example Hashimoto's | | | | disease, hemorrhoids, depression, acne, eczema, |
| disease).*Sometimes the production of T3 by | | | | rosacea, scars, wrinkles, other skin problem and much |
| conversion from T4 is impaired. The total amount of | | | | more PLEASE VISIT:---- to reprint with the author's |
| hormones may be normal in these cases, but the | | | | name and link. |
| body is still lacking T3, and gets the symptoms of | | | | |