Know Your Thyroid

Tired? Moody? Can’t lose weight or remember where you parked your car (again)? Your thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland at the base of your neck that help regulate metabolism, may be out to lunch .  Now, new research offers one more reason to get yours checked: A  malfunctioning thyroid raises your odds for heart disease.

Start with a thyroid hormone test at age 35, then repeat it every other year at your annual physical. Older people, women and anyone with a family history of thyroid troubles are at highest risk.

Even a  slightly under active thyroid is worth fixing. It can boost energy, help you lose weight and help clear foggy thinking, memory lapses and depression.

So, what messes with this gland? In the old days, an iodine poor-diet was assumed to be the cause of a sluggish thyroid. Today we’ve discovered that the biggest threat comes from an autoimmune condition called Hashimoto’s disease, in which your misguided immune system kills off thyroid-hormone producing cells in the gland. Viral infections, drugs (like lithium and amiodarone) and even pregnancy also can leave your thyroid stuck in low gear.

Warning signs include tiredness, forgetfulness, stubborn weight gain, feeling cold, constipation, sore muscles, a puffy face and dry hair, skin and nails. If you want to do a quick home test, these drills can help you spot trouble:

The swallow check: Tip your head back a little and take a sip of water. Watch the lower part of your neck above your collarbone and just below your voice box- while you swallow, looking for ulges or bumps. Do this several times. If you notice any bumps, bulges or protrusions, tell you doc. You may have an enlarged thyroid gland or a thyroid nodule that needs further checking.

The Eyebrow Test: stand in front of a mirror. Hold a pencil up to the outer corner of your left eye, so that the pencil is vertical – one end points to the floor, the other to the ceiling. Check to see if there’s eyebrow hair to the left of the pencil. One sign of low thyroid is the loss of eyebrow hair here. I you’re hairless  there, check the symptom list again, and talk with your doc.

Ask for TSH test. “TSH” stands for “thyroid –stimulating hormone” – a compound produced by the pituitary gland that tells your thyroid to pump out metabolism controlling hormones of its own. A TSH of 10 ml U/L  or more is a sign that you have hypo (low) thyroid; from 5 to 10 indicates that you may have the condition and it should be investigated, even if hormones produced by your thyroid, called T3 and T4, are still normal. Normal is 04 to 4.0 Solve the problem. Taking the synthetic thyroid hormone levothyroxine every day can normalize your thyroid hormone levels and take care of the symptoms.

Thanks,

The Hindu- Well Being,

27/01/2013