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Thyroid Awareness Month

January is Thyroid Awareness month and a press release dated the 2nd January 2008 from the American Associiation of Clinical Endocrinologists is advising expectant and pregnant mothers to get their necks checked.

I remember falling pregnant with my first child and I thought that everything was fine but shortly after I slowly began putting on weight and I felt my body was on ‘a go slow’. When I fell pregnant with my second child, my weight ballooned. That was back in 1982.

I went through many tests and was even called a hypochondriac, because my doctor couldn’t find anything wrong. I had diabetes tests and every test imaginable except for one. A simple thyroid blood test.

In 1998 a locum (a doctor who was covering for my regular doctor) found me in her rooms suffering from heart flutters. She did an ECG but at that time, it stopped. Out of the blue she asked me if I had ever had my thryoid tested.

She sent me for the test and immediately gave me a prescription for Thyroxine. The blood tests were completely surprising and it was a relief to find that there was actually a name to all my medical problems finally.

Please don’t go through years of not knowing. If you are unsure, have your neck checked. Have the blood test and eliminate it before it turns your world upside down.

Take some time and read the press release – Expectant and Pregnant Mothers: Get Your Neck Checked.

Toni Livesey

Posted in PressRelease, Thyroid Information

Hashimotos Disease

Hashimoto’s Disease is the most common thyroid disorder, and causes the thyroid organ to stop producing sufficient amounts of hormones. This is called Hypothyroidism.

The hormones that are produced by the thyroid have many tasks, and when these tasks are not completed, many different kinds of symptoms emerge. Some of the more common ones include: tiredness, depression, weight gain, and intolerance to the cold.

Because of the fact that the symptoms of Hashimoto’s Disease can be so vague, it has sometimes been referred to as the ‘great masquerader’.Click Here for a huge list of symptoms that can be a sign of this disease.

This also means that a lot of people think that they merely have a cold, or a Doctor may convince them that another illness is occurring. Therefore there are a large percentage of untreated thyroid disorder sufferers. In the United States alone there is an estimated 13 million undiagnosed sufferers. For more details read this article go here.

For a disease that can be treated so easily, if left untreated, Hashimoto’s disease can cause all kinds of discomfort and pain. For more information check out The Thyroid Foundation of America or Thyroid Australia

Russ Egan

Posted in Diseases, Hashimotos, Thyroid Information

Thyroid Disease

Thyroid disease is a misunderstood condition…

For years people especially women from around the world are misdiagnosed with various illnesses including depression when in fact they maybe suffering from a thyroid disease. Too often doctors around the world look at other health issues rather than taking an ‘outside the box’ approach and look beyond depression or the possibility of a person being a hypochondriac

The affects of a thyroid problem can be devastating, depressing and in some cases some people feel that they are going crazy, because they are not properly diagnosed in the first place. .

We hope to help others understand that this disease that can sometimes cause death in some circumstances, the devastating affects it can have on relationships and the health and wellbeing of individuals that live day to day hoping that someone will tell them what is wrong with them.

Our aim is to give you as much information as we can about the different symptoms and list some of the similar medical conditions that are often recognised as other illnesses and medical conditions before a thyroid disease is detected.

Goiter – Goiter is an enlargement of your thyroid gland. The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland weighing less than an ounce, located just below your Adam’s apple. Hormones produced by your thyroid gland regulate all aspects of your metabolism, from the rate at which your heart beats to the speed at which you burn calories.

Graves’ Dermopathy – Graves’ Dermopathy is a rare skin disorder associated with Graves’ disease, a common form of overactive thyroid. It results from a build up of protein in the skin.

Graves’ Disease – is a type of hyperthyroidism that is caused by a generalised overactivity of the entire thyroid gland. It is named for Robert Graves, an Irish physician who was first to describe this form or hyperthyroidism about 150 years ago.

Hashimoto’s Disease – Hashimoto’s disease is a problem with your thyroid gland located in your neck. The thyroid gland makes hormones that control how your body uses energy. When you have Hashimoto’s disease, your immune system begins to attack your thyroid gland, causing it to become swollen and irritated. When this happens, your thyroid can’t make hormones as it should.

Hyperthyroidism – sometimes your thyroid gland produces too much of the hormone thyroxin – a condition known as hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid disease). This can accelerate your body’s metabolism – sometimes by as much as 60 percent to 100 percent – causing sudden weight loss, a rapid or irregular heartbeat, sweating, and nervousness or irritability.

Hypothyroidism – sometimes your thyroid doesn’t produce enough hormones, upsetting the balance of chemical reactions in your body. This condition is known as hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid disease.

Posted in Thyroid Information