Many of us with thyroid disease agree that the condition is due to the iodine deficiency.  Lot of people may not have idea that the gland responsible for our body’s growth and development.

Thyroid gland is a beautiful butterfly shaped gland sits low on front of our neck; it is one of the largest glands in the endocrine system. Here are five main things to known about your thyroid condition.5 Important Things you should know about Thyroid

Know your Thyroid Health by 5 Main ways

      1. Thyroid and Types

Thyroid gland manufactures the thyroid hormone which is responsible in many body functions like activating brain chemistry, regulate metabolism,  growth and development of body, helps in protein break down and able to process carbohydrates and vitamins. There are three main types of thyroid conditions.

Hypothyroidism: If the pituitary gland does not make enough TSH thyroid hormone produced by the thyroid gland will be less and this condition is called hypothyroidism.  Hyperthyroidism: If the pituitary gland produces more TSH than required then the thyroid gland starts producing more hormone than needed this leads to a condition known as hyperthyroidism.

      2. Symptoms

The symptoms can vary from person to person in most of cases it affects the functions of your body right from the heart, lungs and emotional health.

  • A sudden or unexpected weight gain or weigh loss
  • Feeling tired or week after sleeping for 9 to 10 hours.
  • Mood changes related to anxiety, depression etc.
  • Hormone differences such as premenstrual syndrome, low sex drive and infertility.
  • Experiencing pain such as joint, tendonitis, muscle pain etc.
  • Having a body temperature bellow 98.5f. Feeling cold when other is not.
  • Constipation problems.
  • Swelling of neck, snoring, change in voice.
  • Having poor concentration and memory.
  • Raising the heart rate and can be result to hyperthyroidism.
  • Excessive hair loss with cracked nails and feet.

      3. Diagnosis or lab tests

The diagnosis of thyroid can be done by various medical ways. It includes the following testing where we can check the values of thyroid levels including both hyper and hypothyroidism. There are different types of tests that are performed to detect the thyroid.

Blood test, thyroid imaging test, biopsy and other tests like saliva test, urinary test, iodine patch test and basal blood temperature testing.

      4. Food and nutrition

After diagnosed with thyroid, you need to take care of thyroid diet. You should avoid goiter genetic foods such as tomatoes, sweet potatoes, spinach, eggplant, cauliflower cabbage, broccoli, sprouts, kale, leeks and radish. Fruits include currents, figs, peaches, strawberries, pears and grapes.

      5. Treatment

After the diagnosis if your thyroid test or profile values are not normal then the further procedure is continued that includes the following treatments. All thyroid problems can be treated to normalize the thyroid functions.  The treatment includes radioactive treatment, radiation therapy and thyroid surgery. In many of the cases it can be managed by medication.

Iodine intake: The thyroid gland needs some amounts of iodine supplement, because our body will not make iodine. Include iodine foods such as saltwater fish, daily products, eggs and include iodized salt which is rich in iodine.

All these above mentioned information will help you to guide you in providing the required information about thyroid problems and the perfect diet tips to follow for normal thyroid maintenance.