Even though your butterfly-shaped thyroid gland is small and located right at the base of your neck, its hormones regulate a lot. This includes your metabolism — which impacts growth, appetite, and weight — your heart rate, and your body temperature, to name a few.
But things can go awry when your thyroid becomes either underactive or overactive — conditions known as hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, respectively. Since January is Thyroid Awareness Month, it’s the ideal time to talk about how important your thyroid is, the symptoms that may point to thyroid disease, and effective treatments.
At Primary Care Walk-In Medical Clinic, Dr.Neha Meshwari, Dr. Pankaj Chopra, and their caring team provide just the right care when you need it, from help with common winter ailments, immunizations, and walk-in care to treatment for injuries, allergies, and chronic conditions.
If you notice signs of a dysregulated thyroid, be sure to seek treatment so you can get an accurate diagnosis and get your thyroid condition corrected.
Your endocrine system is an amazing, highly sophisticated messaging system within your body that regulates its systems through hormone production. Another gland, the pituitary, instructs your thyroid to make and release two important hormones — triiodothyronine 3 and thyroxine (T3 and T4 for short).
We mentioned hypothyroidism is when your thyroid is sluggish and less active than it should be, while a thyroid that works overtime means you have hyperthyroidism.
Certain symptoms are linked to each. An autoimmune condition called Hashimoto’s Disease causes hypothyroidism, as does a lack of the mineral iodine. Another autoimmune disease, Graves disease, causes hyperthyroidism, and so does ingesting too much iodine and some types of thyroid nodules that can develop.
If you’re diagnosed with a thyroid condition, know that you’re far from alone — about 20 million people live with some type of thyroid condition in the United States.
We’ve created an informative list of symptoms associated with thyroid disease. If you experience any, get your thyroid checked out at Primary Care Walk-In Medical Clinic.
If your heart rate is too fast, it may mean you have an overactive thyroid, while a slower-than-normal heart rate would lead your doctor to think you have an underactive thyroid.
If you “run hot,” this typically means you may have hyperthyroidism; if you seem to always be shivering, an unenergetic thyroid may be to blame.
Constantly feeling tired and draggy is a hint that your thyroid may need revving up, and feeling hyperactive is an indication that your thyroid needs to be slowed down.
This crosses over to your mood as well. If you feel down and depressed more often, you may be coping with hypothyroidism. Conversely, if you feel jumpy and anxious a lot of the time, you may have hyperthyroidism.
If you tend to sweat and your skin is often clammy and moist, it means your thyroid is working overtime, and if you struggle with dry skin, your thyroid is underperforming.
Hyperthyroidism causes irregular periods and amenorrhea (when your period stops coming altogether), while unusually heavy flow during your period is an indication of hypothyroidism.
Thyroid disease can cause gut problems as well, including frequent bowel movements and diarrhea if you have an overactive thyroid, and constipation if you have an underactive thyroid.
These thyroid symptoms can be confusing because they are all problems you might not immediately attribute to an imbalanced thyroid, or you may just brush them off as something temporary. Paying attention to these symptoms can help you get to your provider sooner rather than later, to be evaluated for thyroid disease.
If you’re diagnosed with either hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, these are usually lifelong conditions, but they can be managed with medication and other treatments.
Primary Care Walk-In Medical Clinic offers patients dealing with hypothyroidism hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which can help your hormones become regulated if they’re low. Your Primary Care Walk-In Medical Clinic provider will advise you on the best delivery method for your treatment, as there are several methods.
Once you start HRT to correct a thyroid issue, we monitor you regularly using a simple blood test to ensure that your levels are where they should be. Hyperthyroidism can be corrected with medication.
Don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment at the Primary Care Walk-In Medical Clinic at our Gilbert, Fountain Hills, Mesa, or Scottsdale office by calling us or reaching out to us through our website.
