If you were a diligent kid in your fifth grade, you might remember your teacher telling you about different types of vitamins and the diseases caused by the lack of consuming vitamins. I have faint memories of my teacher talking about diseases like, night blindness, Beri-Beri, anemia, scurvy!! Ring a bell? I can recall thyroid as well.
If not that, I can recall my grandma taking 125 mcg Thyronorm every day in the morning, like a ritual. I also heard one of my friends telling me this : “the doctor has asked me to put a check on my body weight because I have hypothyroid”. And then someone advised her to drink “Methi Dane ka paani” as home remedies to the rescue always.
Thyroid is a very common health problem across the globe. But not a lot of people know about it properly. It affects women more than men. As a fact, every one in eight women is exposed to the risk of having thyroid. So let us try to delve deeper to find out more about this and take one thing, each for ourselves from this.
The thyroid is an endocrine gland that sits in our necks and secretes its hormones directly into the bloodstream. It is situated on the lower side of the neck in front, below Adam’s apple to be precise. It secretes thyroxine (T4) predominantly, along with other hormones. These hormones affect body activities at large. They influence metabolism, heart rate, body temperature, and brain development during formative years.
But why are they so common in women? That’s because women are more susceptible to frequent hormonal changes in them. Think about it! Every month in the year women face hormonal changes. Pregnancy and menopause are also major contributors. This interplay of several hormones and changing graph of the hormonal imbalance is one of the reasons why women are more likely to experience the symptoms of thyroid. Apart from this, one of the more reasons is that the autoimmune responses in a woman’s body are more common than in men. An autoimmune response is nothing but responding to various infections or diseases by our immune system. A woman’s body reacts more quickly to the changes around her.
Before we directly jump onto the solutions of it, let us understand the different types of conditions one can have if the thyroid is rebellious and their symptoms.
Different thyroid conditions
1. Goitre: A very common swelling condition of the thyroid gland. The lack of iodine in the body is a predominant cause of why one can have this. The condition is a result of the enlarged thyroid gland that causes swelling in the neck region. The common symptoms are swelling across the neck region, tightness in the throat, difficulty in swallowing, and breathlessness.
2. Hyperthyroidism: When there is excessive thyroid hormone production in the body, it causes hyperthyroidism. The most common cause of the body secreting more hormones is Grave’s disease, which is an autoimmune disorder. It causes the gland to secrete more hormones to fight the diseases. The link is often genetic. Symptoms include rapid weight loss due to increased metabolism, palpitations, increased appetite, sweating, frequent fatigue, and restlessness. Mood swings and irregular menstruation are also the symptoms.
3. Hypothyroidism: Lack of adequate amount of thyroid hormone in the body causes hypothyroidism. Slow metabolism, weight gain, constipation, slow heart rate, and sluggishness are the common symptoms.
4. Thyroiditis: It is the condition that causes inflammation in the thyroid gland. Usually kicks off due to autoimmune disorder fighting against some virus or infection. Symptoms occur according to the degree of inflammation. It can range from having no symptoms to it being very painful. The symptoms include excess sweating, heat intolerance, or cold intolerance. The strength of thyroiditis is a symptom of hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism.
5. Thyroid Cancer: The cancer of the thyroid may include a lot of factors, genetic or environmental. Cancer occurs generally in the cells of the thyroid. It can have no symptoms or also be aggressive depending upon the severity. It can be treated. Pain in the neck is a common symptom with enlarged or swollen lymph nodes.
6. Thyroid Nodule: This is the condition that is caused due to lumps in the thyroid gland. The lump can be solid or fluid-filled. It causes pain in the throat. Unless it is cancerous, there is no harm, and surgery can be done easily.
Above all, the most common triggering factor can be stress and anxiety. Too much stress and anxiety can cause excessive release of the thyroid hormones or a lower level of it. Keep tracking your stress-mometer to stay healthy!
Till now, we have seen that all thyroid conditions have similar symptoms. All differ in only the amount of severity. Let us now talk about the diagnosis because one might skip observing the symptoms unless our reflexes are activated through pain. Moreover, the symptoms are quite similar to other health problems.
There are several diagnostic techniques to check the thyroid but the most common is a blood test.
A blood test reveals basic information like the levels of T3 and T4 hormones in the body, enough to identify whether the gland is overstimulated or under-stimulated. It also reveals information about TSH (Thyroid-stimulating hormone) which regulates the secretion of other thyroid hormones like T3 and T4. High TSH indicates hypothyroidism and low TSH indicates hyperthyroidism. The other tests include: -
· Thyroid biopsy and tests to check thyroglobulin to check cancer in the gland
· Thyroid scan in which a small amount of radioactive iodine is given through the mouth to get projected images of the gland
· Thyroid ultrasound – to detect the abnormal areas of the gland by using sound waves through a probe placed on the neck
What Diet should one maintain to control the thyroid?
Very simple! Eat a balanced, nutritious diet, full of proteins, vitamins, minerals, fats, and remember to not cut down on carbs. Eat simple homemade food and you will be good to go. A well-balanced diet will give you a well-balanced T4 in your body! Soaking fenugreek or coriander seeds in water at night and drinking the same after boiling it in the morning, will help in balancing the thyroid level as well!
But let me give you some foods that you can have during breaks, or whenever you are hungry in the middle of the day.
1. Dry fruits and nuts – almond, walnut, hazelnuts, cashews, peanuts
2. Makhana
3. Citrus fruits – Orange, Mosambi, Lemon
4. Sweet potato
5. Berries
6. Pumpkin seeds, chia seeds
7. Green tea
8. Coconut
9. Probiotic yogurt or ice cream
10. Eggs – scrambled, boiled, or whichever way you like!
But one small piece of advice – avoid too many dairy products in your intake. Women especially are affected by too much milk production intake, which impacts the hormone level in their bodies. Caffeine is also not good for the thyroid and one suffering from any thyroid disorder should not consume it.
Hope you all now have a complete guide to the thyroid. Have a good meal and relax to calm your thyroid!
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Credit Author: Jahnvi Bedia
All photos credited and designed by Freepik and Unsplash
