The thyroid gland lies just below the Adam’s apple (and yes, women DO have an Adam’s apple) and is shaped somewhat like a butterfly.  It regulates your metabolism which means that all organs in the body depend on its ability to work correctly.

There are two major types of thyroid distress:  Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism.  In the first, the thyroid is not producing enough hormones to keep the metabolism up to speed.  In the second case, there is too much thyroid being produced and the body reacts by increasing the metabolism which creates a whole different set of problems.  It is the first scenario, hypothyroidism, which will be discussed here.

Weight gain is a major problem as the metabolism is so slow that it does not burn calories at a normal rate.  It also causes one to feel sluggish and fatigued. Often, hypothyroidism will cause the skin to become dry and cracked and the hair to be coarse and dull.  Occasionally, hair loss is noted.  Muscle aches and pains, swelling from water retention and an aversion to cold temperatures are also possible.

The first thing one must do when suspecting a thyroid problem is to visit a physician who will perform a head to toe physical to rule out any other medical causes for the weight gain or other problems.  Then a blood test will be ordered to check the TSH levels and other thyroid levels in your body. TSH, or Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, is a key factor when determining how the gland is working in your body.  A high TSH level indicates that the thyroid is not working properly and the body is trying to compensate for lack of the proper hormones. Specialists in thyroid and other gland disorders are endocrinologists.

Often a physician will prescribe a synthetic thyroid hormone to regulate the TSH levels in the blood.  If this does not seem to be working, an additional thyroid medication may be required.  As the physician watches your condition on a regular basis, he or she might require that you have an ultrasound, with or without a biopsy.  If a nodule or a goiter is found, the biopsy will be absolutely necessary to rule out cancer or other diseases. The biopsy usually consists of a pathologist inserting three very fine needles into the thyroid to extract cells for review.  This is often done in conjunction with an ultrasound.

One disease that is actually quite common for people with a low functioning thyroid is Hashimotos Thyroiditis.  The symptoms are much the same as those for a low functioning thyroid, but may show signs of spreading cells which could lead to cancer if not monitored regularly.  Hashimoto’s disease comes on gradually and symptoms may be scarce at first.  But some of the more prevalent symptoms are: dry skin, depression,

Sensitivity to cold, muscle aches and pains, fatigue, high cholesterol counts and weight gain.  The weight gain could be as much as twenty pounds and is hard to lose even with the most rigid of dieting plans.

The only way a person can be sure that weight gain is associated with a malfunctioning thyroid gland is to see a physician who specializes in diseases of the glands or an endocrinologist.  He or she can tell you for sure if your thyroid is out of whack and help you to understand what choices you have for treatment.  Treatments range from medication to surgery and should be considered very carefully.

Oprah Winfrey has been in the spot light for quite a few years now with her weight problems. There is hardly a person in America who does not know about her struggles with weight. Obviously she is no slacker and has worked really hard to take off the weight, only to see it come back with a vengeance and tip the scales even more than before. Finally, she has a clue as to why she has so much trouble losing her weight. She has a thyroid problem.. Her thyroid gland is diseased and has probably been out of balance for a very long time, if not her entire life. How many other women have experienced this same problem without realizing that they too have either a diseased thyroid gland or at least a sluggish or under active thyroid gland that does not produce enough of this all important hormone?

If your thyroid gland is not working properly, you will find it almost impossible to lose weight and keep it off. Have you ever heard for women who work out in the gyms at least 5 hours a week and still struggle with losing weight? I have heard of them and now I know why. A thyroid imbalance known as hypothyroidism can do severe damage to a woman’s ego, self esteem and body image. Not only that, not enough thyroid hormones circulating in the body can cause all kinds of health problems. You may be reading this article just for information to help you fix your low self esteem, others really need this information to save their health from deteriorating.

If you are embarrassed about the way you look because of excess body fat, it may not be your fault at all. I’m not talking about over eating. You more than likely are watching your diet. I’m talking about not eating the right foods that will feed your thyroid gland naturally and help keep it balanced so that you have a naturally balanced body weight and a good self image. But first of all, you should go to your doctor and be tested for a thyroid balance if you have been dieting and exercising like crazy and still struggling with your weight.

Then, learn all you can about adding the most thyroid nourishing foods to your diet and removing the bad ones. Bad foods meaning certain products containing soy, diet bars, diet sodas and certain vegetables that are bad for the hypothyroid sufferer, vegetables like peas and corn and other bad for thyroid vegetables, like broccoli for example.

Learn how to add in the good foods like coconut oil, certain nuts, whole organic milk products, the best kinds of vegetables for you and many others. Protect yourself image. You can find more information on what the best approach to defending yourself against an imbalanced thyroid in eBooks online. You can find invaluable information from people who have been in your shoes and found a way out.

1. Doing nothing. Some people think they can stabilize or get over having an under active thyroid by doing nothing. They do not take medication or seek out natural cures, hoping it will just go away. The truth is, only treating your thyroid condition will bring about weight loss and bring back your energy levels so that you are not so fatigued.

2. Taking Synthetic medication may not be working for you and this can slow down or delay weight loss. Thyroxine is not going to help everyone who has a thyroid disease. Sometimes the dosage is wrong or the patient can be helped with an alternative medication or natural supplementation. Make sure you talk with your doctor if you are already on synthetic medication and you are still not losing weight. Especially speak with your doctor if you are experiencing listlessness, slow movement, memory problems, and depression.

3. You may not have found the right medication dosage. After about 3 or 4 months, if you are still not feeling better and starting to lose weight, you should have your T3 levels checked again. Also talk to your doctor about trying Armour Thyroid or Nature-Thyroid, to see if that will relieve your symptoms and allow you to begin losing weight.

4. You or your doctor may not know the current TSH level recommendations so you are not being treated for hypothyroidism. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists now recommends that TSH levels should not be above 3.0. If they are above this level, it is considered to be hypothyroid instead of being capped at 4.0 as it was in the recent past.

5. You may be mistakenly eating soy products thinking that will help. Too much soy in your diet can slow down your thyroid and make your condition worse. As result your weight loss will be stalled or even stopped. Talk to your medical doctor about the consumption of soy products and how they may affect your condition.

6. Too much stress during your lifetime has led to adrenal gland burn out and impair weight loss. If your have had a lot of stress or under stress now, you should have your doctor test you for adrenal gland function. Getting the proper treatment for your adrenals can help you get back on track for weight loss.

As you can see from the above 6 reasons how a thyroid problem can prevent your weight loss, it can also affect your overall health. It is important that you educate yourself on this condition for a happier and healthier lifestyle.

Your thyroid gland is located at the front of the bottom of your neck. It has the responsibility to release the proper amounts of thyroid into the body. When the thyroid levels are too low, the pituitary glad will release the Thyroid Stimulating Hormones, also known as TSH. This in turn begins the production of more thyroid hormones that will be released into the body, the metabolism is normalized and weight gain is controlled.

Gaining weight can be the most common symptom of an under active thyroid. It does not matter why your thyroid isn’t producing enough of the hormone. If it isn’t, weight gain will be the expected result. Thyroid is the hormone that regulates the body’s metabolism and when it is out of balance and a thyroid disorder exists, the body will need less energy to tap into and will store the excess energy as sugar and fat in the body. You may eat fewer calories and still not be able to lose weight when your thyroid is not functioning properly. If you have an under active thyroid, you will be tired all the time, have muscle cramps, suffer depression and irritability as well as the inability to lose weight.

On the other hand, if you have an overactive thyroid, you may lose weight and not be able to gain. You will suffer such symptoms as trembling, insomnia, unable to catch your breath and be really fatigued.

Weigh gain has been identified as a major symptom of an under active thyroid. Weight gain leads to fatigue which leaves the sufferer to be too tired to exercise to burn more calories. If you can not increase your activity, you are too tired to exercise. It all becomes a vicious cycle.

If you are experiencing an unexplained weight gain, go to your doctor and ask to have your thyroid levels checked. If the results come back showing hypothyroidism, you will be given a thyroid hormone regime and your doctor will monitor your progress. Once you heal your thyroid disorder and begin to lose weight, you will have more energy. Your hormone level will be brought back into balance and your metabolism will speed up and weight loss will come naturally.