WELLNESS AUTHOR
Mike de Lota, M.D.
UNDERSTANDING HASHIMOTO’S THYROIDITIS n What you need to know about this common autoimmune condition.
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pproximately 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease and, of those, 60% are unaware of their condition. In my years of medical practice, on any given week, I will encounter several such individuals. Just this week, a 42-year-old woman came into my office complaining of low energy, weight gain and feeling cold “even when everyone else around me is hot!” She is frustrated with her lack of weight loss despite having increased her exercise intensity and starting a low carb, portion control diet. And, other than her family history of autoimmune disease, she is otherwise healthy without other medical issues. Her story is common and her frustration shared by many, and it all stems from her thyroid.
JULY 2021
Small Gland, Large Impact The thyroid is a small, butterflyshaped gland located in the front of the neck that usually cannot be felt with our hands. It secretes thyroid hormones which play a vital role in nearly every organ system of our bodies like development of the brain and nervous system, regulation of mood, energy levels, temperature, metabolism and weight change, hair, skin and nail growth, digestion and heart rate. Generate too little of it (i.e. hypothyroidism), and your body feels “slower” than usual, causing slow heart rate, tiredness, depression and constipation. Hypothyroidism can also cause a slow metabolism, which leads to weight gain. Generate too much (i.e. hyperthyroidism) and the pendulum swings in the other direction, making your body function “faster,” causing rapid
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heart rate, anxiousness and jitters, diarrhea and a faster metabolism, leading to weight loss.
Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: How it works and how it feels
While the vast majority of Americans have a normal functioning thyroid gland, as noted earlier, approximately 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease. Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is one such thyroid
