Common Endocrine Disorders

Hyperthyroidism: The thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormone, leading to weight loss, increased heart rate, nervousness and sweating. The most common cause of hyperthyroidism is Grave’s disease, an autoimmune disorder. Other causes include growths in the thyroid gland and thyroiditis, an inflammation of the thyroid gland. Untreated hyperthyroidism can lead to atrial fibrillation and osteoporosis.

Hypothyroidism: The thyroid gland produces too little thyroid hormone with common signs being fatigue, depression, dry skin, dry, brittle hair, intolerance to cold, constipation and memory problems. Hypothyroidism is usually caused by autoimmune thyroiditis or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

Adrenal insufficiency: When the adrenal glands release too little cortisol and sometimes aldosterone, adrenal insufficiency can occur. Symptoms include dehydration, skin changes, stomach upset and fatigue. Addison’s disease is a type of adrenal insufficiency.

Hypoparathyroidism: This is a condition where there is too little parathyroid hormone in the body, which can cause abnormally low levels of calcium in the blood. Symptoms can include nervousness, headaches, weakness with muscle cramps and spasms.

Cushing’s disease: The overproduction of a pituitary gland hormone leads to an overactive adrenal gland and can cause Cushing’s disease. The latter causes fat to accumulate in the face, back and chest and can also lead to acromegaly, in which the hands, feet and face are larger than normal.

Hypopituitarism: When the pituitary gland releases few or no hormones, hypopituitarism may develop. Women with this condition may stop getting their regular menstrual periods.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): A leading cause of infertility, PCOS occurs when the ovaries produce too many androgens that interfere with the development and release of eggs.

Sources: hormone.org, webmd.com, livescience.com

By Cynthia McFarland

Everything was fine until your boss announced that he expects you to lead the big presentation at the next client meeting. Where did that queasy feeling come from? Why have you had to use the bathroom three times in the past hour? Whoever coined the phrase “butterflies in the stomach” knew exactly how you feel… and it’s not pretty.

When you’re stressed out or depressed, this can literally change the way your bowels function, hence all those bathroom visits before your public speaking event. It works the opposite way, as well. If you’re dealing with painful stomach cramps or a virus has you running to the bathroom with an acute case of diarrhea, you’re going to feel it mentally and emotionally, not just physically.

Mind-Gut Connecti on

“THERE IS NO ORGAN AS CLOSELY CONNECTED TO THE BRAIN AS THE GASTROINTESTINAL (GI) SYSTEM,” OBSERVES DR. DOUGLAS DROSSMAN, CO-FOUNDER OF THE CENTER FOR FUNCTIONAL GI & MOTILITY DISORDERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL. Dr. Drossman is president of the Rome Foundation that provides guidelines for diagnosis and care of functional GI disorders and also is currently in private practice in Chapel Hill where he focuses on patientcentered care.

“It is in fact ‘hardwired,’ meaning that there are direct nerve connections between the two organs,” Drossman explains. “This begins in the embryo as the neural crest, a sheet of nerves. As the embryo grows, the nerves develop into the brain, the spinal cord and the nervous system of the GI tract—the enteric nervous system. This means that we experience emotions through our gut, and gut problems are experienced in the brain.”

Lest you think you’re a freak of nature, rest assured, that’s not the case. Actually, you’re quite normal.

Drossman points out that the mind-gut connection has been well-recognized across cultures and throughout history. Consider the following quotes: