Weight gain and hair loss due to thyroid disorder

I was one of the 8 million people who suffered with many problems, and didn’t know what was going on. What was this problem that allowed me and others to walk around not noticing any differences in our health thus remaining undiagnosed–the culprit was Thyroid Disease! There are more than 20 million people suffer from a thyroid disorder, and of that number more than 10 million women have low-grade thyroid imbalance. So, how did I find out I had a problem? A family friend saw me during holiday break and told my mom that I needed to have my thyroid checked because my eyes looked bigger than normal. Though I was really offended at the time, her guess was correct! I had hyperthyroidism for months and never knew it!

What is thyroid?
The thyroid is a gland that sits in the neck and is shaped like a butterfly.

Is the thyroid gland important?
The main function of the thyroid gland is to produce thyroid hormone, which regulate the functioning of the body including regulating mood, emotions, and many other brain functions. In fact, this gland controls the body’s metabolism; specifically it controls the amount of energy the body burns.

What happens if there is a problem with my thyroid gland?
If the thyroid gland is not performing correctly, there are two most common problems, which are as follows:
1. Hypothyroidism (Hashimoto’s thyroiditis)–this occurs when there is not enough thyroid hormones thus causing the thyroid to become underactive; according to many studies this affects about 10 percent of the population and is the most common cause of an underactive thyroid.

2. Hyperthyroidism (Graves’ disease)–this occurs when there is an excess of thyroid hormones thus causing the thyroid to be overactive.

What are some of the obvious signs of a thyroid problem?
Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism have different signs or symptoms. The following are a few signs to make note of:

Hypothyroidism: weight gain, tiredness, increased sleepiness, hair loss including loss of eyebrows, joint pain, constipation, forgetfulness, decreased ability to pay attention and focus, cold intolerant, depression, dry skin, etc.

Hyperthyroidism: weight loss, Fatigue, shakiness, increased bowel movement, restlessness, warm intolerant, rapid heartbeat, anemia, increased sweating, irregular menstrual periods, decreased fertility

Is thyroid disease hereditary?
Thyroid disease is an autoimmune disorder, and there is a high percentage that it could be hereditary, but it is not always the case. There could be other factors that trigger this disease and it differs for everyone.

Is there a way to find out if my thyroid gland is okay?
If you are uncertain about whether your thyroid is not properly functioning, please make an appointment with your general physician and ask to have your thyroid levels checked. This is not traditional tested in the yearly physical exams, it is only ordered if necessary or upon patient request. If your thyroid levels indicate that you are hypo or hyperthyroid active, then please make an appointment with an endocrinologist, a doctor who specializes in the endocrine system which includes the thyroid gland, or a naturopathic doctor who specializes in thyroid disorders.

I am writing this post not to scare you, but instead to give you information with the intent of you being proactive about your health. If you have more questions, please post a comment!  You can also send me comments via Twitter and Facebook.

Are you getting enough Vitamin D?

In addition to eating a healthy, balanced nutritious diet, taking the proper amount of vitamins and minerals are also equally important.  In fact, vitamins and minerals work with nutrients to help the body function properly such as converting carbohydrates, fats and proteins produce energy.[1] There are many vitamins and minerals with different purposes and it is important to at least take a multivitamin to meet the recommended daily amount.  Vitamin D is important for both men and women because it helps deposit calcium in ones bones and protects against bone disease.  As people age, after age fifty, the need for Vitamin D doubles!

Vitamin D is also important for people who struggle with thyroid disease.  After speaking with my doctor about my thyroid issues (not functioning properly), she ordered an exam to determine my Vitamin D and magnesium levels.  She indicated that there had been studies performed that indicated that Vitamin D is necessary for many thyroid patients, especially those diagnosed with hypothyroid disease…like myself! Moreover, according to Mary Shomon, author of Living Well with Hypothyroidism”, Vitamin D appears to be necessary in order for the pituitary gland to produce thyroid hormone, as well as in supporting  the enzyme to convert T4 (inactive thyroid hormone) into T3 (the active type).[2]

After reviewing the test results with my doctor, I learned that I was in fact deficient in Vitamin D!  I had forgotten that in 2005 I stopped drinking milk and consuming many of the foods that had Vitamin D. Thank goodness for good doctors! Immediately, she gave me Vitamin D liquid drops, as well as tweaked my compounded thyroid medication.  Within a month, my hormones started bouncing back into place!!  I was in shock; I was beginning to feel normal again!

How much Vitamin D do you need?

Birth to Age 50: 200 IUs

Ages 51 – 69: 400 IUs

Age 70 and up: 600 IUs

Where can you get Vitamin D?  Salmon, tuna, fortified foods such as milk, juice, whole grain breakfast cereals, supplements, etc. Also, Vitamin D is made by the body after sunlight hits the skin, but one should limit this exposure time to about 10 to 15 minutes twice weekly. (NOTE: If you’re vegan like myself, I recommend that you purchase the Vitamin D liquid drops and speak with your healthy practitioner regarding the appropriate dosage amount for you.)

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[1] Duyff, Roberta Larson. Complete Food and Nutrition Guide. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.: New Jersey. 2006.

[2] Shomon, Mary J.  Living Well With Hypothyroidism. HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.: New York. 2000.

It’s one of those days…life w/hypothyroid

OMG, this morning was one of those darn mornings!!!!!!!!!!! I got up with all intentions of exercising but I was due for a weigh-in prior to the workout. So, I took off all of my heavy garments so I didn’t have any extra stuff adding to the fat, and as I stepped on the scale I was excited because I had been eating well and reducing the late healthy snacking. I knew that I hadn’t exercised in a couple of days, but I hadn’t been eating like a pig either. Well, as I stepped on that scale, confident that I was going to be a few inches closer to my 1 pound loss per month goal, I was surprisingly shocked at what I saw! I gained 1.6 pounds in 5 days!!!!!!! I was UPSET, angry, disappointed and sad. What happened? So, rather than exercising at that moment, I decided to meditate and pray to remain calm and optimistic that I will get better—one day I will loose all of the weight that my body is holding on to due to an out-of-whack thyroid. I felt better, but I did feel the need to post my feelings as a status update on my twitter and facebook page and I did get a few comments confirming the same thing.

After my sadness, I decided that I will not stress out about this gain, but instead try to remain calm. I think what has been happening is that I have been under quite a bit of stress with my business and volunteer activities. So, rather than stress about my 1.6 pound increase, I am going to keep repeating my affirmations and keep expecting the best in terms of my health! I spoke with Mary Shomon, a thyroid activist and author, over the weekend and she said that it is likely that my adrenals are low and that my body is likely going through other hormonal changes since I am… hmmm, getting older.

I am waiting on the test results from a recent saliva test and allergy test that I took a week ago. Even though I was calm that day, I would not be surprised if my adrenals where crazy! I’ll share with what happens!

PART 2: I Survived…
I survived today and I felt so much better after writing out my feelings and taking a step back to think about life. Of course, my mom had to give me a little shake too to remind of these things. So, as I close out my day to prepare for the next day, I’m feeling great about life despite the setback with this crazy, hormonal, autoimmune disorder!

Do You Have a Thyroid Problem?

Major Endocrine System

There are many people who walk around everyday and not even know that they have an overactive or underactive thyroid problem. There are more than 20 million people who suffer from a thyroid disorder, more than 10 million women have low-grade thyroid imbalance, and nearly 8 million people with thyroid imbalance remain undiagnosed!¹ I was one of those 8 million people who suffered with many problems, but didn’t even know what was going on. It wasn’t until a friend of the family saw me and said that I needed to have my thyroid checked because my eyes looked bigger than normal. Though I was really offended at the time, her guess was correct! I had hyperthyroidism for months and never knew it!

The thyroid gland sits in the neck and shaped like a butterfly. The main function of the thyroid gland is to produce thyroid hormone, which regulate the functioning of the body and at the same time is a bona fide brain chemical that regulates mood, emotions, and many other brain functions.¹ In fact, this gland controls the body’s metabolism; specifically it controls the amount of energy the body burns. When the thyroid gland is not performing correctly, the two most common problems with the thyroid are as follows:

1. Hypothyroidism (Hashimoto’s thyroiditis)—this occurs when there is not enough thyroid hormones thus causing the thyroid to become underactive; this affects 10 percent of the population and is the most common cause of an underactive thyroid.¹
2. Hyperthyroidism (Graves’ disease)—this occurs when there is an excess of thyroid hormones thus causing the thyroid to be overactive.

In both cases, the body faces a number of symptoms/problems. For example in the table below there is a list of the most common symptoms for each.

Hypothyroidism	Hyperthyroidism
General tiredness	Fatigue
Weight gain	Weight loss
Aches and pains in joints and muscles	Shakiness
Constipation	Increased frequency of bowel movements
Increased sleepiness	Restlessness
Brittle hair	Brittle nails
Hair loss, including loss of eyebrow hair	Hair loss
Feeling cold even in warm temperatures	Feeling hot and becoming intolerant of warm and hot temperatures
Depression	Eye irritation
Dry and pale skin	Increased sweating & thirst
Forgetfulness	Rapid heartbeat, palpitations
Mental sluggishness	Shortness of breath
Decreased ability to pay attention and focus	Anemia
Irritability	Increased hunger and food consumption
Seizures	Irregular menstrual periods
	Decreased fertility

Table 1.  Most common symptoms for both hypo- and Hyperthyroidism.¹  There are other symptoms.

   
Since I’m all about food, I must tell you about the foods that are not in your best interest to eat if you have a thyroid imbalance? These foods listed in Table 2 contain a substance called goitrogens, according to research goitrogens suppress the functioning of the thyroid gland by interfering with the iodine uptake.2 The best diet for those of us with a thyroid imbalance is one that includes healthy foods with a low glycemic index such as whole grains, low in fat, low in simple sugars and high in protein.

Foods to Eat	Foods to Avoid
Whole grains	Turnips
Tuna	Cabbage
Salmon	Mustards
Lean beef	Soybeans
Sunflower seeds	Peanuts
Oatmeal	Pine nuts
Carrots	Millet
Almonds	Spinach
Beans	Strawberries
Leafy green veggies	Peaches
Maple syrup

Table 2.  Summary of some foods to eat and to avoid when challenged with a thyroid imbalance.

I know; I know; what are you going to eat??  Well, there are lots of foods that you can eat and in my upcoming cookbook, I have simple recipes that are excellent for the thyroid.  (Please email info@rhondascooking to put your name on the cookbook pre-order list!)

 

If you are uncertain about whether your thyroid is not properly functioning, please make an appointment with your general physician and get tested.  If you your thyroid levels indicate that you are hypo or hyperthyroid active, then please make an appointment with an endocrinologist, a doctor who specializes in the endocrine system which includes the thyroid gland.  If you have further questions, please email info@rhondascooking.com.

 

¹Arem, Ridya.  The Thyroid Solution.  New Jersey: The Random House Publishing Group, 2006.

²“Goitrogen.”  Wikipedia.  July 14, 2008. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goitrogen>.  July 30, 2008.

Source: Photo wikipedia.