Diagnosed with hyperthyroidism? Here are 10 Facts to know
If you’ve been diagnosed with an overactive thyroid, you might be concerned or even scared! There are some serious health consequences that come with unmanaged hyperthyroidism. But knowledge is power – and there are 10 important facts that you want to understand.
Diagnosed With Hyperthyroidism? Here Are 10 Facts To Know
What is hyperthyroidism?
Hyperthyroidism is a health condition that occurs when the thyroid gland becomes overactive and produces more thyroid hormones than your body needs.
An excess of thyroid hormones in the body will stimulate your cells, speeding up your body’s functions. This leads to a faster metabolism which is making your body work harder and faster.
The symptoms of hyperthyroidism
As thyroid function affects the whole body, there are dozens of symptoms you might experience with this condition. They can include:
Unexplained weight loss
Increased appetite
Heart symptoms such as racing heartbeat, skipped/irregular beats and palpitations
Shortness of breath
Increased sensitivity to heat
Increased sweating
Frequent bowel movements and diarrhoea
Goitre
Fatigue (feeling wired but tired)
Muscle weakness
Trembling, tremor or shakiness
Fine brittle hair
Mood symptoms such as nervousness, anxiety and irritability
Insomnia
The cause
There are a few major causes of hyperthyroidism. An autoimmune condition known as Graves' disease is the most common form.
Another cause is nodules or lumps that grow in the thyroid. These increase the production of thyroid hormone. This is referred to as toxic nodular or multi-nodular goitre.
Hyperthyroidism can be caused by thyroiditis or inflammation of the thyroid. This causes the thyroid to leak stored thyroid hormones. The most common form of thyroiditis is Hashimoto’s, another autoimmune condition.
Finally, there are some cases of the thyroid becoming overactive due to pregnancy, perimenopause, viral infections or from taking too much thyroid hormone when on medication.
How hyperthyroidism is diagnosed
An overactive thyroid diagnosis is often suspected based on symptoms, but confirmed with a blood testing measuring thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), T4 and T3. If Graves’ disease is suspected, this can also include thyroid antibody testing.
Conventional treatment of hyperthyroidism
There are several potential treatments you could be offered. In the initial stages, it is often treated with beta-blocker medication to slow the heart and anti-thyroid drugs to block the production of thyroid hormones.
If this is unsuccessful, other treatments such as thyroidectomy (surgical removal of the thyroid gland), or radioactive iodine (killing off thyroid tissue) may be considered. However, both these treatments are extreme and can cause their own problems such as hypothyroidism and lifelong reliance on thyroid medication.
Nutrition and lifestyle must be considered
The conventional approach leaves a lot to be desired. That’s why you need to know there is more to managing this condition than taking medication or causing irreversible damage!
The majority of contributing factors around hyperthyroidism can be reduced or removed by addressing your diet and lifestyle.
For example, steps that could be helpful include:
Increasing nutrient-dense foods
Removing dietary intolerances and trigger foods
Moving your body consistently
Optimising your sleep
Managing your stress levels
Removing environmental triggers
Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to diet and lifestyle changes for hyperthyroidism. It needs to be tailored based on your specific case and drivers behind your condition.
There are some things you’ll want to avoid
To help manage your condition, there are some things that are best avoided. This includes some specific food types (particularly if it’s due to Graves’), high stress, overheating during the summer months and specific forms of exercise.
Ongoing monitoring will keep you healthy and happy
There can be different factors that influence your thyroid function. This can also depend on the cause – be it autoimmune, pregnancy, perimenopause, environmental exposure, stress, nutrient deficiencies or a combination.
Frequent testing helps to ensure you’re taking the right medication dose. It’s also critical to ensure you’re not tipping into hypothyroidism – particularly if you’ve had any surgical intervention or radioactive therapy.
You need to take care of your thyroid to protect yourself against more serious conditions
It’s critical that you take hyperthyroidism seriously – which means not ignoring it or mismanaging it. If you do, you could end up with some pretty serious health concerns. They include:
Cardiovascular symptoms and conditions
Low bone density
Eye conditions and vision loss
Thyrotoxic crisis (thyroid storm)
You can feel well with hyperthyroidism!
When you receive a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism, it’s common to feel overwhelmed and powerless. In the initial stages, you may not even know what is driving the condition, let alone how to manage it!
But that doesn’t mean you need to suffer the symptoms forever. Your daily habits can make a massive difference – all you need to do is learn about your condition and empower yourself.
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