Did you know January is National Thyroid Awareness month? Well in case you missed that last episode of Oprah to alert you to this fact, it doesn't necessarily make it up there on the list for celebrations. While you can't really break out the bubbly and give each other "thyroid awareness presents", you can at least do your part to become more aware about this essential part of your body.
There are a number of conditions that can affect the thyroid, its function and its structure:
Hypothyroidism – too little thyroid hormone (symptoms tend to mirror those of a slowed metabolism, such as fatigue and weight gain)
Hyperthyroidism – too much thyroid hormone (symptoms tend to mirror those of a fast metabolism, such as anxiety and rapid weight loss)
AutoImmune Thyroid Disease - There are two different autoimmune diseases in which an immune system dysfunction targets the thyroid - Graves' disease and Hashimoto's disease. In the United States, the vast majority of thyroid patients are either hypothyroid or hyperthyroid due to an autoimmune disease.
Thyroiditis, and many more conditions can be viewed at http://www.thyroid.org and http://www.aace.com/
Nutrition plays a very important role in the function of your thyroid - you not only need iodine, but other nutrients to function normally. Trace elements and minerals such as mercury, toxic at any dose, and iron and zinc, are essential for health but toxic is excessive amounts, alter thyroid function. It can be a fine balance between getting enough of everything you need, and not getting too much.
There is no one mineral or "magic pill" to for proper thyroid support, however a balanced diet with equitable minerals and trace elements will go a very long way to keep your endocrine system healthy. Low protein and/or inappropriate fatty acids can actually decrease your body's ability to produce hormones or increase cellular resistance to hormones. Making sure your diet contains adequate protein and potassium and that your supplements contain enough but not too much of essential elements may restore thyroid function, will support thyroid disease treatment and likely protect the healthy thyroid from disease.
Please talk to your friendly 20/20 physician or dietician if you have more questions about your thyroid function. It is better to have this knowledge and be fully aware of what is going on inside of your body. Happy Thyroid Awareness Month!
