4 Signs You May Have a Thyroid Disorder

More than 25 million Americans suffer from some sort of thyroid disorder, yet only a fraction of them know that the thyroid is to blame for their symptoms. Make sure you are familiar with the following 4 signs of a thyroid disorder so you can seek the treatment you need to restore your health.

What is the Thyroid and its Disease?

The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland that sits at the base on your neck. It’s designed to produce essential hormones that control how fast your body burns calories, how fast your heart beats, and more. Due to the central role of the thyroid in supporting optimized body function, any disorder or disease of the thyroid will create noticeable symptoms.

Hypothyroidism is the most common thyroid disease. It develops as a result of underactive thyroid hormone production. Without enough thyroid hormone, the body’s metabolism and other important functions begin to slow, leading to the following 4 main symptoms.

Weight Gain

If your thyroid isn’t producing enough of its hormone, you will likely struggle regularly with weight gain and the inability to lose weight. Perhaps you blame yourself for not exercising right, or you assume your food choices need to change, but the truth is that a deficiency of thyroid hormone has slowed your metabolism to a crawl.

Fatigue

You might also feel fatigued day after day, despite sleeping 8 to 10 hours a night. Hypothyroidism causes chronic exhaustion because it slows the thyroid’s production of the hormone that controls energy balance. On the other hand, if you feel nervous and jittery all the time, your thyroid could be over-producing its hormones in a condition known as hyperthyroidism.

Always Feeling Cold

The body warms up when it is burning calories. Hypothyroidism might cause you to feel cold because it decreases your basal metabolic rate and limits the amount of heat your body produces. If you are unusually sensitive to cold rooms and cold weather, it could be a thyroid disorder.

Hair Loss

Hair loss doesn’t just affect aging men. Since your hair follicles are regulated by the thyroid hormone, you may experience hair loss as a result of hypothyroidism. Without enough thyroid hormone, your hair follicles stop regenerating and the hair falls out but doesn’t grow back.

About 12 percent of Americans develop a significant thyroid condition in their lifetime. If you are part of that 12 percent, you can seek relief through thyroid disorder management at MindBodySpirit Care in Tampa, Florida.

Dr. Shemesh is a holistic and integrative health expert who has years of experience helping his patients manage their thyroid disorder through simple yet powerful lifestyle changes and natural treatments. Call (813) 935-2273 today to make your first appointment.