Monday, February 05, 2007

Is Your Thyroid Making You Fat?

You might wonder if your thyroid is to blame for your excessweight. In fact there are a number of questions which requireanswers when the subject of thyroid disease arises. Some of thecommon questions you should seek answers to include:

* Have you been to the doctor yet?* Will thyroid hormone treatments help you achieve your ideal weight?* Are there risks associated with thyroid treatments* Can herbal supplements help?

This article will examine each of these questions in detail. Inanswering these questions we hope to enlighten you about theseverity of thyroid disease as well as the potential treatmentsas well as the risks associated with these treatments.

Have You Been to the Doctor Yet?

The most important consideration when you are concerned aboutthyroid disease is when you are going to visit a doctor. A tripto the doctor to determine whether or not thyroid disease ispresent is extremely important and should be one of the firststeps you take if you suspect thyroid disease. Some of thesymptoms of hypothyroidism include weight gain, fatigue,depression, forgetfulness, dry hair, dry skin, sensitivity tocold, heavy menstrual periods and constipation. Some of thesymptoms of hyperthyroidism include nervousness, irritability,difficulty sleeping, sensitivity to heat, weight loss and moistpalms.

If you are experiencing several of these symptoms a trip to thedoctor to discuss the possibility of thyroid disease isdefinitely warranted. Your doctor can perform a simple blood testto determine whether or not thyroid disease in the form ofhyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism is present. Once the conditionis diagnosed a treatment program can be designed to rectify thehormone levels and help you lose any excess weight caused by thecondition.

Will Thyroid Hormone Treatments Help You Achieve Your IdealWeight?

Whether you are suffering from hyperthyroidism and a loss ofweight or hypothyroidism and a weight gain, you might wonder ifthyroid hormone treatment can help you to achieve your idealweight. This is a rather difficult question to answer because thesubject of weight and thyroid function is rather complicated.

The American Thyroid Association discusses the subject of usingthyroid hormones for the purpose of weight loss in the followingstatement, "Thyroid hormones have been used as a weight loss toolin the past. Many studies have shown that excess thyroid hormonetreatment can help produce more weight loss than can be achievedby dieting alone. However, once the excess thyroid hormone isstopped, the excess weight loss is usually regained." Thisstatement alludes to the use of thyroid hormone to stimulateweight loss but also implies weight gain is likely to follow whenthe treatment ends. If you are considering hormone treatments forthe purpose of losing weight you should be aware that the hormonetreatments will likely only reduce the amount of weight caused bythe hormonal imbalance. Any additional weight will require a dietand exercise program to eliminate the excess weight.

Are There Risks Associated with Thyroid Treatments

There are risks associated with just about any treatment plansand thyroid treatments are no exception. One risk which mustalways be considered is overcorrection of the problem. If yousuffer from hypothyroidism, or a lack of thyroid hormone, yourtreatment could cause the opposite condition. This condition isknown as hyperthyroidism, or excessive thyroid hormone. TheAmerican Thyroid Association explains additional risks bystating, "Furthermore, there may be significant negativeconsequences from the use of thyroid hormone to help with weightloss, such as the loss of muscle protein in addition to any lossof body fat. Pushing the thyroid hormone dose to cause thyroidhormone levels to be elevated is unlikely to significantly changeweight and may result in other metabolic problems."

Can Herbal Supplements Help?

You might wonder if there are herbal supplements which can assistyou in obtaining your weight loss goals by regulating the amountof thyroid hormone in your system. There are herbal supplementssuch as Thyvox which can be used for this purpose. Visiting thefollowing website will help you to learn more about Thyvox andhow you can use it to achieve your weight loss goals:http://www.thyvox.com/. It is important to carefully review this websiteand other sources to learn as much as you can about thesupplement before you make the decision to start using it.

----------------------------------------------------------Disclaimer: This article is not meant to provide health advice and is for general information only. Always seek the insights of a qualified health professional before embarking on a health or fitness program.

This article is provided by the vTeam, Kamau Austin Publisher. Visit Health and Fitness Vitality and the Fit After Forty blog at... http://www.healthandfitnessvitality.com/ for more articles on how health is your greatest asset.


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2 comments:

Susan "Thyroiditis Treatment" Adams said...

Hypothyroid can make you fat. By this people have it frustrating suffered from disease to other disease and makes it more complicating.

Shirley Donalds said...

I started seeing good results in my body after taking bovine thyroid capsules . I would like to recommend this to anybody with thyroid problems too.