Life Fit Chat with Laura Lewis: Are you tired all the time?

by Laura Lewis (Subscribe to Laura Lewis's posts)
Apr 3rd 2008 6:00AM

Life Fit Chat with That's Fit Life Fit Expert Laura Lewis brings conversation provoking tidbits to your table, served up with a touch of spice! Byte-sized information that pack some punch, brought to you every Wednesday and Thursday!

Do you feel exhausted morning, noon and night? Do you find yourself hitting the snooze alarm until your honey literally kicks you out of bed? Maybe you require three cups of coffee before you can even begin to think about starting your day. If this sounds like you, you may have an under-active thyroid--a condition known as hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is a very common disease in both women and men. If you have an under-active thyroid, you may feel like you are always exhausted, and you probably have a hard time managing your ideal weight.

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the front of the neck. The thyroid is responsible for making hormones that control the way the body uses energy. Our thyroid controls our metabolism, and has a direct impact on the functions of the heart, muscles, bones and cholesterol. If you think about the body as a car, the thyroid is the engine.

Hypothyroidism is a disease of the thyroid which occurs as a result of the underproduction of thyroid hormones. If our thyroid does not produce a sufficient amount of hormone, our bodies respond with fatigue, depression, weight gain, high cholesterol, and sometimes even heart failure.

Approximately 25 million people suffer from hypothyroidism, and sadly half of them are undiagnosed. A simple blood test is all that is needed to diagnose an under-active thyroid.

There are several possible causes of hypothyroidism:

Hashimoto's thyroidit is an autoimmune disorder that causes the body to attack the thyroid tissue, causing the thyroid to cease hormone production.
If someone has suffered from an over-active, or hyperthyroid, the thyroid may have to be removed or destroyed. This will cause a lack of thyroid hormone.
Some medicines such as the heart medicine amiodarone may expose an individual to too much iodine. Radioactive iodine treatment for hyperthyroidism can also result in hypothyroidism.
The drug lithium, which is sometimes prescribed for bipolar disorders, has also been linked as a cause of hypothyroidism.

Hypothyroidism is easily treated with a synthetic thyroid hormone. This disorder is easily diagnosed, so if you feel tired all the time, you may want to have your doctor check you out.

Source

Comments (0)