Thyroid Awareness Week 2018 | What happens to an untreated thyroid condition?
Today’s Thyroid Awareness Week topic is going to touch on what happens is you don’t treat a thyroid condition either through not knowing or by ignoring.
I have now done both of these!
Looking back I’ve had all the tell-tale symptoms that pointed to an under active thyroid for years, but never put them together or thought that there was something wrong.
It wasn’t until I had a blood test for the Metabolic Balance programme that it first came up and I ignored it.
After ignoring it for a bit I then realised/remembered (?) that my Mum had been on Thyroxine for years and maybe this was more than a blip and I should go to the GP.
He redid the blood test, confirmed an under active thyroid, prescribed me Thyroxine and sent me on my way without wanting to discuss any alternatives with me.
So I did what everyone in denial does, and got the tablets but left them unopened and unused in the cupboard for 7 months….
In this time I started working with Laura at Nutritional Benefits and she showed me what the consequences were for not paying my thyroid some care and attention. I am so pleased she did! Given that my higher value was my health, not my pride. I started taking the Thyroxine in February this year. I still have my symptoms and I am working on improving the autoimmunity but knowing that there is something I can do to preserve my long term health is very important to me.
Here’s a list of the conditions associated with an untreated thyroid condition that are all preventable when the right interventions are applied.
- Depression and mental decline
- Increased memory and brain fog
- Associated diseases of the brain – Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s disease
- Heart disease
- Decreased lung function
- Liver diseases like hepatitis
- Abnormal swelling of the thyroid (goiter) which leads to problems swallowing
- Thyroid cancer
- Infertility and birth defects
- Degenerative eye sight
- Weight gain and obesity
- Joint and muscular pain
- Advanced hypothyroidism can lead to myxedema . It’s rare but signs and symptoms include low blood pressure, decreased breathing, lowered body temperature, unresponsiveness and even coma. In extreme cases, it can be fatal.
So, there you have it. Wouldn’t it be so much better to take some control over this and make brilliant decisions around your health that look after you long term?
That’s my plan and tomorrow I’ll share with you some ways that you can do that.
