How to Control Thyroid?

Perchlorates are odorless, colorless salts that dissolve in water and are found naturally in certain parts of the United States. They're mainly manufactured for explosives, fireworks, and rocket motors, and they've contaminated the water supplies in areas throughout the nation.

The gland can store a very large amount of hormone—so much that if the gland released all of its hormone into the bloodstream at once, it could kill you (this is known as thyrotoxicosis), says Linda Anegawa, a Hawaii-based physician with a specialty in obesity medicine.

Because a large percentage of U.S. produce is irrigated with perchlorate-contaminated water, perchlorate is also prevalent in the U.S. food supply and many Americans are exposed to low levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Fortunately thyroid hormone is very tightly regulated by constant, exquisitely sensitive signals traveling between the brain, the gland, the body’s tissues, and the blood concentrations of the hormone at any given moment.

Since high levels of perchlorates may reduce your thyroid hormone levels by blocking your thyroid from taking up iodine, which it needs to produce thyroid hormones, it's sensible to stay up on your area's perchlorates contamination and maximum state levels for perchlorates in the water. Also, if you use well water, consider having it tested for perchlorates contamination.

To meet the increased metabolic needs of a pregnancy, a mother’s brain stimulates the thyroid gland to produce more hormone. “In the uterus, the fetal thyroid gland begins to function by 18 weeks of gestation.

Celiac disease, an autoimmune condition that causes your intestines to react abnormally to gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, oats, and other related grains) is three times more common in people with autoimmune thyroid disease like Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease.

Should the fetus not get enough thyroid hormone from either the mother or from its own gland, severe outcomes can occur including abnormal brain development, abnormal growth of the skeletal system, problems with the placenta, or even miscarriage and increased perinatal mortality risk,” Anegawa says.

It's unclear why exactly this association exists, but it may be in part due to the genetic component that autoimmune diseases have, as well as the fact that both conditions are fairly common.

“I sometimes see patients with very elevated cholesterol on cholesterol-lowering medication that doesn’t seem to be working. But then I discover that their thyroid function is off-kilter,” says Anegawa.

In these cases, she generally recommends adjusting a patient’s thyroid medicines or beginning treatment for at least six to eight weeks prior to checking the blood cholesterol level.

This has helped some of her patients reduce their doses of cholesterol medicines, or stop taking them completely. “[Thyroid hormones] may someday be used as a cholesterol treatment, especially for patients who cannot tolerate statins, the most commonly used drugs,” she says.

A specially engineered form of thyroid hormone that only targets heart cells is under research as a treatment for heart failure, Anegawa says. Another form of the hormone, which selectively can enter nerve cells, may someday be a treatment for neurodegenerative disease.

Additionally, celiac disease causes poor absorption of essential minerals like iodine and selenium, which can lead to deficiencies and trigger thyroid dysfunction.

While scientific data doesn't traditionally support the use of a gluten-free diet in treating people with autoimmune thyroid disease, some studies have shown that a low-gluten diet may be beneficial for people with Hashimoto's disease in helping to prevent potential complications and possibly even the progression of the condition.

While some research suggests that people living in areas with fluoridated drinking water are at a higher risk of developing hypothyroidism than people without fluoridated drinking water, other research has not shown this. Until this link has been fully teased out, it's not generally recommended to avoid fluoride.

Seeing your primary care doctor for your regular checkups is important, not only for your overall health but also for your thyroid health.

This is especially true if you're at risk for developing thyroid disease; for example, if you have a family history of Hashimoto's thyroiditis or Graves' disease. In this case, your doctor will likely want to test your thyroid hormone levels on a yearly basis.

It's good to take preventative measures when it comes to your thyroid to help lessen your risk of problems, but keep in mind that nothing is a sure bet, especially if autoimmune thyroid disease runs in your family.

At the very least, following many of these tips will keep you on top of what's going on with your thyroid and help you be proactive in getting treatment as early as possible, should the need arise.

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in the neck that controls metabolism and energy, and is hailed as the “master gland” of our complex, interdependent endocrine system.

It’s the spoon that stirs our hormonal soup, producing several hormones that transport energy into every cell in the body vital for feeling happy, warm, and lithe. The gland acts as boss of our metabolism

Symptoms of hypothyroidism include weight gain and fatigue — as well as constipation, depression, low body temperature, sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating, edema (fluid retention), hair loss, infertility, joint aches and light sensitivity.

It’s estimated that hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid, affects more than 30 million women and 15 million men. (Hyperthyroidism, or overactive thyroid, is much less common.)

The most common cause of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune condition that causes the body to attack its own thyroid tissue.