The Thyroid Foundation of America says YES!

There could be tens of millions of women in American suffering from an under active thyroid gland who aren’t even aware that this little gland causes their problem. Certainly there are over 11 million women known to have a thyroid gland not working properly, says the Thyroid Foundation of America.

Women ages 35 to 55 are most affected – during this time women start and go through the change of life – menopause.

Cold hands and feet, low body temperature, headaches, insomnia, dry skin, puffy eyes, hair loss, brittle nails, joint pains, constipation, mental dullness, tiredness, frequent infections, hoarse voice, ringing in the ears, dizziness, loss of sex drive and weight gain (sometimes uncontrollable) are some of the symptoms caused by underproduction of thyroid gland hormones.

Current research has led doctors to believe that an under active thyroid gland could be the primary cause of obesity. Thyroid function is something one needs to consider in solving these problems, especially in women.

A thyroid disease causes your body to use energy more slowly or more quickly than the optimum level. Hypothyroidism is the condition where the thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones. Hyperthyroidism is the condition where the thyroid produces too much. The most common disease is hypothyroidism – not enough hormones – which leads to depression, high cholesterol, hot flashes, irritability, and palpitations, in addition to the symptoms listed above.

Controlling thyroid hormone production can help control weight gain.

As main regulators of the body’s rate of metabolism, thyroid hormones regulate how the body burns carbohydrates and fats. Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland does not produce enough of these “energy-generating” thyroid hormones, causing a low resting metabolic rate, which can cause weight gain and obesity.

Appetite can also be affected by lack of thyroid hormones. The hormones have been shown in some studies to regulate the levels of leptin in the body, another hormone, which is produced from fat cells. Leptin is believed to be used by the body to regulate hunger and energy levels.

When your thyroid hormone production is too low, you lack energy – affecting not only weight, but also how well you sleep, how much stamina you have for the day, and how easy it is to get up in the morning. Handling daily tasks is a hardship, especially when this condition is added to the stress and emotional mood swings associated with menopause.

In addition to the condition of an under active thyroid gland, hypothyroidism can also include hormone imbalance. There can be a deficit of the thyroid gland’s main hormone, T4 or thyroxin. But thyroxin must be converted by the liver to its active form, T3 or triiodothyonine. The body then must utilize T3. Symptoms of hypothyroidism can be caused by malfunction of any of these processes, bringing on a slow down of bodily functions.

The lack of uniformity of symptoms makes thyroid diseases hard to diagnose, and for that reason the only certain way to detect the condition is blood tests.

Control of thyroid hormone production, can result in:

1. Increase in energy burned with a higher metabolic rate.

2. Diets now work for weight loss because failures were caused by hormone imbalance.

3. Less feelings of hunger.

4. Remedy of other hypothyroid symptoms.

What is Adrenal fatigue?

* Feeling fatigued?

* Feel exhausted when confronted with difficult situations?

* Having trouble getting up in the morning?

* Need coffee, tea or sugary treats to keep going during the day?

If your answer is yes to any one of the above questions, you could be feeling letargic because of the effects from Adrenal Fatigue. It is the latest condition affecting much of the population in the industrialized world. It is truly the 21st century physical condition. Adrenal fatigue can occur in anyone who has severe or constant physical or emotional stress in their life. It also can be a contributing factor in other ailments such as being overweight, reactions to food and the environment. Despite the fact that adrenal fatigue affects millions of people traditional medicine does not identify or treat it as a medical condition.

This physical problem has had other names and the problem has described as a reduced adrenal gland function, very low adrenal action, a never-ending fatigue. This problem can make your life very difficult. Adrenal fatigue is generated when the adrenal gland cannot meet the body’s requirements. The adrenal gland is vital to supplying the secretion of the correct hormones that create the energy for the body from the food and supplements taken. The level of physical and mental pressure that is being faced by a person is what decides the need that is put on the adrenal glands to create more hormones. In very bad situations, the gland is operating so far below how it should be that the individual is extremely exhausted throughout the day and can only be active for a short period of time. In today’s society people can experience stress demands every few minutes. Because the adrenal manages many of the hormones for the body to function well, if the demand out-weighs the production, it can affect the water and mineral balance, converting food and supplements to energy, protein utilization, utilization of sugar properly, coronary regulation and libido. Life has periods where upsetting situations and physical overloads occur, if the adrenal cannot meet the demand with the correct amount of hormone production, you can become lethargic and fatigued.

What kind of people get adrenal fatigue?

At some time in our lives we all can suffer from a lowered production of adrenal. Getting sick, losing a job or a loved one or even a trying plight are apt to make even a well person suffer from a lowered adrenal function. Certain factors can make you prone to adrenal fatigue. These include habits such as being a cigarette smoker, narcotics, not getting enough rest, bad food choices, too much stress and like smoking, drugs, too little sleep, poor diet or too many pressures and reoccurring immunity problems that result in infections.

How common is adrenal fatigue?

The US, as a country, suffered one of the worst stress inducers, the attack of 9-11. Since this time over 80% of North Americans have suffered from adrenal fatigue in some way. The severity and length varies from a short term temporary condition to it lasting for a long period of time and becoming quite incapacitating.

How can you tell if you have Adrenal fatigue? If you suffer from the following symptoms frequently, then you may be suffering from Adrenal fatigue:

* If you feel tired for no reason most of the time.

* Getting out of bed in the morning, even when you go to bed at a reasonable hour, is difficult.

* Feeling rundown with no energy or completely swamped.

* Not able to bounce back easily from a sickness or physical/mental pressures

* Experience strong cravings for sweet or salty snacks?

* Feeling best only in the evening?

These are some of the other health conditions that can be affected by adrenal fatigue

* Low blood sugar

* Muscle pains

* Diabetes

* Infections that occur over and again

* Food, plant and animal allergic reactions

* Joint inflammation, joint deformities, arthritis symptoms

* Problems sleeping

* Arduous Menopause

* Faulty coordination of the balance of female hormones

Adrenal Fatigue can be a serious and, if untreated, can potentially be a life threatening condition. It can be easily diagnosed and many times is handled with proper nutrition and sometimes hormone correction or supplements.