Thyroid Disease

The following paragraphs summarize the work of thyroid disease diet experts who are completely familiar with all the aspects of thyroid disease diet. Heed their advice to avoid any thyroid disease diet surprises.



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What is the Thyroid? The thyroid is a small gland, shaped like a butterfly, located in the lower part of your neck. The function of a gland is to secrete hormones. The main hormones released by the thyroid are triiodothyronine, abbreviated as T3, and thyroxine, abbreviated as T4. These thyroid hormones deliver energy to cells of the body.

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What Diseases and Conditions Affect the Thyroid?

The most common problems that develop in the thyroid include:

1. Hypothyroidism -- An underactive thyroid.



Hypothyroidism means a reduced level of thyroid hormone (thyroxine). This can cause various symptoms, the most common being: tiredness, weight gain, constipation, aches, dry skin, lifeless hair and feeling cold.

Treatment is usually easy by taking a tablet each day to replace the missing thyroxine. Treatment usually works well and symptoms usually go. Hypothyroidism means a reduced level of thyroid hormone (thyroxine). This can cause various symptoms, the most common being: tiredness, weight gain, constipation, aches, dry skin, lifeless hair and feeling cold. Treatment is usually easy by taking a tablet each day to replace the missing thyroxine. Treatment usually works well and symptoms usually go.

2. Hyperthyroidism -- An overactive thyroid.




Hyperthyroidism means having an overactive thyroid gland. It results in an excess of the thyroid hormones, making the body's functions "speed up" and causing symptoms such as restlessness, anxiety and weight loss. Hyperthyroidism means having an overactive thyroid gland. It results in an excess of the thyroid hormones, making the body's functions "speed up" and causing symptoms such as restlessness, anxiety and weight loss.

Hyperthyroidism, over-production of T3 and T4 can cause the body's metabolism to speed up resulting in characteristic symptoms.

The thyroid hormones are thyroxine (also called T4 because it contains four iodine atoms) and triiodothyronine (also called T3 because it contains three iodine atoms). These are released into the blood stream.

3. Goiter -- An enlarged thyroid.



Smoking may increase your risk of developing an enlarged thyroid gland, known as a goiter, in areas that suffer iodine deficiency.

Cigarette smoke contains thiocyanate, a chemical that can interfere with the thyroid's ability to use iodine. In the research, Danish experts studied adults with some iodine deficiency, and discovered that smokers were almost three times more likely than nonsmokers to have a goiter.

4. Thyroid Nodules -- Lumps in the thyroid gland.



Thyroid nodules are very common. A nodule is a swelling or lump, which can be a solid or liquid filled cyst or mass. Most are benign, but a small percentage can be cancerous. So you should always have a nodule evaluated by your physician as soon as you notice it. Symptoms of a nodule can be varied.

Some people have hyperthyroidism symptoms -- such as palpitations, insomnia, weight loss, anxiety, and tremors -- and others have hypothyroidism symptoms -- weight gain, fatigue, depression. Some will cycle back and forth between hyperthyroid and hypothyroid symptoms. Some people mainly have difficulty swallowing, a feeling of fullness, pain or pressure in the neck, a hoarse voice, or neck tenderness. And finally, many people have nodules wiht no obvious symptoms related to thyroid dysfunction at all.

5. Thyroid Cancer -- Malignant thyroid nodules or tissue.

Although there are several types of thyroid cancer the vast majority are papillary, follicular, or a mixture of these two types of cancer. This cancer is extremely slow growing compared with most other cancers; therefore, it offers a very excellent chance of cure. So good was the "cure rate" that for many years it was not felt necessary to follow patients after their surgery: "The patient with thyroid cancer will generally outlive his surgeon".



Thyroid cancers represent approximately 2% of clinically detected malignancies. The most common tumor types, arising from follicular epithelium (i.e., papillary, follicular, and Hürthle cell cancers), occur three times more often in women and increase in incidence with age. Medullary thyroid cancer arising from parafollicular C cells represents less than 10% of all thyroid cancers but has special importance because of its common familial occurrence.

Thyroid tissue (both normal tissue and cancerous tissue) produces a protein called thyroglobulin which is measured by performing a blood test

A rare type of thyroid cancer (medullary cancer) produces a hormone called calcitonin. Medullary cancer is more malignant than papillary or follicular cancer just described.

A fourth type of thyroid cancer called anaplastic cancer is very malignant, but it is less common than the other types and occurs primarily in elderly people.

6. Thyroiditis -- Inflammation of the thyroid.

Thyroiditis is an inflammation (not an infection) of the thyroid gland. Several types of thyroiditis exist and the treatment is different for each.

The three types of thyroiditis are: Hashimoto's thyroiditis (autoimmune thyroiditis), subacute painful thyroiditis (granulomatous thyroiditis), and subacute painless thyroiditis (silent lymphocytic thyroiditis, postpartum thyroiditis).

- Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Hashimoto's thyroiditis is the most common type of thyroiditis and the most common cause of hypothyroidism.

Hashimoto’s disease is a member of the family of “auto-immune” diseases such as Rheumatoid arthritis.

- Subacute painful thyroiditis, which is probably caused by a virus, usually begins suddenly. In this disorder, inflammation causes the thyroid gland to release excessive amounts of thyroid hormones, resulting in hyperthyroidism, almost always followed by transient hypothyroidism and finally normal thyroid function.

Subacute painful thyroiditis often follows a viral illness and begins with what many people call a sore throat but actually proves to be neck pain localized to the thyroid. Many people with subacute painful thyroiditis feel extremely tired. The thyroid gland becomes increasingly tender, and the person usually develops a low-grade fever (99 to 101° F). The pain may shift from one side of the neck to the other, spread to the jaw and ears, and hurt more when the head is turned or when the person swallows. Subacute painful thyroiditis is often mistaken at first for a dental problem or a throat or ear infection.

- Subacute painless thyroiditis occurs most often among women, typically just after childbirth, and causes the thyroid to become enlarged without becoming tender. The disorder recurs with each subsequent pregnancy. For several weeks to several months, a person with subacute painless thyroiditis has hyperthyroidism followed by hypothyroidism before eventually recovering normal thyroid function.

Thyroid Diet

The Thyroid Diet will help many previously unsuccessful dieters get diagnosed and treated and proper thyroid treatment may be all that’s needed for you to successfully lose weight.

The Thyroid Diet discusses optimal dietary changes, including how a thyroid sufferer should focus on a low-glycemic, high-fiber, lower-calorie diet, optimal timing of meals for maximum hormonal impact, thyroid-damaging foods to avoid, helpful herbs and supplements, and more.

Getting a good amount of fiber is one of the basic tactics that most thyroid need to follow in order to lose weight. Fiber has so many benefits for hypothyroid people trying to lose weight. With slowed digestion, and sometimes even constipation as a result, fiber can help promote regularity. Fiber also slows the digestive process, and can help prevent dramatic swings in blood sugar. Fiber can help lower cholesterol. And, fiber can help you lose weight, because it fills you up, and may reduce your hunger levels. With 17 grams of fiber in each serving, this is the most fiber-intense drink mix you can find. With 0 calories, but packed with nutrition, it's a really excellent way to go high-fiber as part of your weight-loss effort.

In a study reported on in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it was found that green tea extract resulted in a significant increase in energy expenditure (a measure of metabolism), plus also had a significant effect on fat oxidation. While some of the effects were originally theorized to be due to the caffeine content of green tea, the researchers discovered that the tea actually has properties that go beyond those that would be explained by the caffeine. Moss also feels that green tea may be a good choice for thyroid patients because, unlike caffeine, " green tea has the potential to accelerate metabolism -- which can help weight loss slightly -- without overstimulating your adrenal glands."And even a small effect can go a long way, when you are dealing with a metabolism that may not rebound entirely, despite hypothyroidism treatment.