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Different Thyroid Health Problems – a Look at 4 Common Types

Thyroid health problems are varied. This is the reason behind why you should go to your doctor first before you even look for a product that is fit for your condition. What may be good for a particular type of thyroid problem may not be ideal for the other.

A List of Thyroid Health Disorders

Thyroid health disorders are often diagnosed by your doctor. You have to see him first before you actually look for a treatment for your plight. In this regard, familiarize yourself with the 4 types.

  1. Hypothyroidism or the underactive thyroid

Hypothyroidism is the most common type among thyroid disorders. In here, the thyroid produces only a small amount of the thyroid hormone than what the body needs in order to function properly. This is usually caused by Hashimoto’s disease.

With this kind of disease, the body’s immune system (which normally protects you from disease) considers the thyroid as a foreign invader and causes damage to the thyroid. Upon destroying the thyroid, it will become enlarged and this is what they call the goiter.

Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid Cancer

Lack of iodine can also cause hypothyroidism which is very common outside the United States. Many products in the United States are supplemented by iodine like salt and bread. A female who is above 40 years old and has a history of thyroid disease and recently gave birth to a baby can increase the risk of having hypothyroidism.

  1. Hyperthyroidism or overactive thyroid

Opposite to hypothyroidism, an overactive thyroid gland produces too much of the thyroid hormone more than the body needs in order to be healthy. It usually affects more women than men. The entire thyroid becomes large and overactive. In some cases, older women suffer from toxic nodular goiter, wherein overactive thyroid cells form a lump in the neck and produce more thyroid hormone. Some thyroid disorders also cause overactive thyroid which later turn into underactive thyroid due to a damage done to the thyroid gland.

  1. Postpartum thyroiditis

This type of thyroid disorder usually happens after giving birth. The woman’s thyroid becomes swollen and larger or inflamed. This can change the levels of thyroid hormone in the body. Sometimes low level comes next after a high level of thyroid hormone. But after around 6 months, this disease vanishes without causing any damage to the thyroid.

This thyroid disorder is not easy to detect because the symptoms like trouble in sleeping, fatigue, depression and weight change are all common to a woman who recently gave birth. Since the symptoms are mild, only a short term of treatment is required until the thyroid is back to normal. In some instances, a woman can develop hypothyroidism after pregnancy which needs long-term treatment or medication.

  1. Thyroid Cancer

This disease is usually found as a lump or nodule in the thyroid gland. This is not common because most thyroid nodules are benign. Signs of thyroid cancer are swelling in the lymph nodes of the neck and having trouble in swallowing or in breathing. People who experienced head or neck x-ray treatments for tonsillitis or other conditions (1920-1960) are prone to this cancer. This can be treated thru surgery which removes the cancer and followed by radioactive iodine therapy which totally kills the cancer.

It is sometimes hard to detect whether an individual has a thyroid disorder because the signs common among these diseases is also present in other conditions. If you suspect that you are suffering from thyroid disorder, consult your doctor and ask if a blood test for thyroid disease is necessary. Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) is a simple blood test to detect an overactive or underactive thyroid disorder.

While it is true that it is hard to determine the signs of thyroid health problems, you don’t have to worry as treatments are available for such disorders. To prevent worsening of these problems, it is better to use natural thyroid supplements like the ones listed in this page: Top Thyroid Supplement.

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