WOMEN / HEALTH SPECIAL...... THYROID ALERT FOR WOMEN!

 THYROID ALERT FOR WOMEN! 

The disorder is affecting younger women too, of late. Here’s how to battle it with the right approach 

    It’s one of the most common disorders that can affect an individual owing to the fast lives we lead. Alarming figures say it attacks close to 12 million people, annually, and yet the unfortunate part is that many don’t even know they have a thyroid disorder. Have you wondered why you are gaining too much of weight even when you are  eating less food? Are you worried why your child scores poor marks in exams despite putting in a lot of effort? Do you know why one of your close friends finds difficulty in conceiving a child or experiencing miscarriages? It could well be due to the thyroid gland.
THE CULPRIT
The thyroid gland is located in the front of your neck with two lobes on either side of your wind pipe. The gland is controlled by the pituitary gland that lies underneath your brain in your skull. The pituitary senses the level of thyroid hormones in your blood stream and secretes thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). “This hormone activates the thyroid gland to produce thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) hormones. Thyroid gland needs iodine to produce T3 and T4 hormones. Both too much and too little iodine can cause the thyroid to malfunction,” explains Dr Nupur Krishnan.
What is a GOITER?
This is the enlargement of the thyroid gland that takes place when essential nutri ents like iodine and selenium are deficient in the diet. The gland thus grows in an effort to filter more blood to get the scarce nutrients out of the blood supply. occurs in about 5 % of thyroid patients.

DIETARY TREATMENT

Consumption of sufficient iodine and Vitamin A helps in reversing Hypothyroidism. The recommended dietary allowances(RDA) for iodine is 150 mcg (micrograms) per day for adults.
Virgin coconut oil offers hope for those suffering from hypothyroidism. It contains medium chain fatty acids, which increase metabolic rate and promote weight loss. Avoid artificial sweeteners made of aspartame.
Avoid peanuts, millet and rapeseed (canola oil)
Avoid smoking and a high dose of nutrition supplements. Avoid salads of raw vegetables
made with those of the cabbage
family like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables. They contain a substance known as goitrogens, which affects thyroid hormones and may lead to goiter. By cooking these vegetables goitrogens can be destroyed and its adverse effects can be reduced. Consume more seafoods, especially ocean fish, which is a good source of iodine. Even people on a low-salt diet can get plenty of iodine from green leafy vegetables, milk and milk products.
Have eggs as well as deep yellow or orange fruits and dark green vegetables which help in meeting additional vitamin A requirements. Pregnant women need 220 mcg iodine per day and nursing mothers, 290 mcg. Iodised salt provides 2 to 6 gm of salt each day.
Although antithyroid medications cut down the thyroid gland’s overproduction this alone may not be the best approach because hyperthyroidism may reoccur once medications is stopped. You can take some extra supplements like evening edible coconut oil, primrose oil, flaxseed oil or fish oil to help with the dryness and hair loss.

Ismat Tahseen BT130511