Are you tired of those usual housekeeping routines? Do you still feel no energy after getting up in the morning and feel you should remain asleep for some more time? Do you always feel cold and should dress up in layers before going out? Are you irritated by that always dry and itchy skin? Are you suffering from unexplained weight gain that is very difficult or even impossible to take off? If your answers are ‘yes’ to most of these questions then it is likely that you are suffering from underactive thyroid and if you are, the good news here is you can completely cure it and get your normal life back without spending money on those costly products. We will discuss about the causes, symptoms and diagnosis before proceeding to the treatment options.

What is thyroid gland?

Thyroid gland is the ‘butterfly shaped’ gland located in lower front of the neck. Thyroid gland makes thyroid hormones which then transported to all the organs of the body through blood and which are important for normal body function.

What is hypothyroidism?

Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland fails to produce enough of the thyroid hormones which are required for normal functioning of the body. There are various conditions that can cause hypothyroidism.

What are the causes of hypothyroidism?

There are many reasons that can cause hypothyroidism. Below are few of them in descending frequency of occurrence.

Autoimmune thyroiditis:

There are two types of autoimmune thyroiditis, the most common being Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. This affects of about 60% of the total hypothyroid population and is the leading cause of hypothyroidism in United States. The other common autoimmune condition which causes inferred production of thyroid hormones is atrophic thyroiditis. Autoimmune simply means, when bodies self immune system identifies the cells of its own organ as foreign entity; it starts defense against that gland by producing antibodies against it and starts the gland destruction process. Although there are many causes that trigger’s the autoimmune responses in human body, the main and most important cause to start the defense against its own thyroid gland is the gluten rich food. We are going to discuss about this in detail in treatment options.

Surgical removal of thyroid gland:

For some reasons like nodular goiter, thyroid cancer or graves disease, if the gland is completely removed then the person will be hypothyroid and will need thyroid hormone supplements throughout his life. If the gland is partly removed however, it may or may not produce sufficient thyroid hormones.

Radiation:

If for some of the thyroid conditions the person is treated with radioactive iodine or if radiation therapy was the treatment for cancer then chances are likely that the person may develop hypothyroidism.

Congenital Hypothyroidism:

When babies are born with some problems in thyroid gland or does not have the thyroid gland itself, then it is called as congenital hypothyroidism.

Viral Thyroiditis:

When viral infection affects thyroid gland, it may produce less thyroid hormone for a time or the person may become hypothyroid for the rest of the life.

Medicines:

Certain medicines such as estrogen containing birth control pills, amiodarone, lithium, interferon alpha, interleukin 2 and fluoride from any sources such as tap water or toothpaste can interfere with the thyroid glands ability to make thyroid hormone in some persons.

Iodine deficiency:

Even though Iodine deficiency is less common now because of the availability of iodized salt, some soil is naturally devoid of iodine. Therefore the population using the produce which came from this soil may suffer from underactive thyroid of this kind. Also the people who already have underactive thyroid, may need little more supply of iodine ( who developed underactive thyroid conditions because of previous long term use of non iodized salt and the produce devoid of iodine)than the Iodine provided by iodized salt.