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In these cold months, many people notice all kinds of winter weather discomfort. Dry, itchy skin and hair, being cold all the time and perhaps getting tired more easily. Normal for this time of year, right? Well, there might also be something else going on with your body that you may not have thought about.
Everyone has hormones produced by their thyroid that are important to their body. The thyroid gland is located in the throat, right next to the windpipe or "trachea". Most people will never notice it, and that's ok. You should not be able to feel it or see it if it is functioning normally. In some people, however, the thyroid can stop functioning normally and change the hormone levels in the body. This can produce some of the symptoms of many thyroid disorders. Sometimes your body can produce too much thyroid hormone, but the most common one is hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is a condition where the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormone for the body to work normally.
In hypothyroidism, the body's processes start to slow down because there isn't enough thyroid hormone. This can happen for many different reasons. It can happen in patients undergoing radiation treatment, with autoimmune diseases, damage to the body, and sometimes it can happen because of medicines that are taken. Most often, though, it is a disease that can be passed down through your family and may not
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have a medical reason.
When the thyroid hormone is low, you may start to see some symptoms. These include feeling colder, getting tired more easily, drier skin and dull hair, forgetfulness and depression, and constipation to name a few. Although these sound like a pretty clear picture, the only person that can diagnose hypothyroidism is your physician. Most people will have some symptoms, but some people may not have any or may have different symptoms than another person. Your physician can do a simple blood test to check the levels of the thyroid hormone and determine if there is a problem. They will also check your thyroid gland and look for symptoms of the body such as dry skin, swelling, slower reflexes and a slower heart rate. This disease also can be hereditary, which means that other members of your family might also
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have the disorder.
If your physician determines there is a problem such as hypothyroidism, there are simple treatment options. There are replacement hormones that will bring your body's levels back to normal. You must get your hormone levels checked more frequently when starting medication, but then usually once per year. This disease usually does not go away and the person will be on medicine lifelong, and usually with no further problems.
If this sounds like a problem you or someone you know is having, for additional information contact your physician or pharmacist or visit the American Thyroid Association at www.thyroid.org.
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