Recognizing and Understanding Hypothyroidism Symptoms

signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism

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Your thyroid gland may be much smaller than a child’s fist, but it is extremely important. Cells are everything in the body and a properly functioning thyroid gland regulates cell reproduction and how your body uses energy. Hypothyroidism is a common condition and it can cause an irregular heartbeat. There have been estimates that about 30 million North Americans have thyroid disorder and more than half of them don’t know they have it. What are the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism? They can be chronic dry skin and brain fog. Cytomel is a medication that can treat hypothyroidism.

There are many professions where you need to have good, steady hands. Think of being a surgeon with a scalpel for example! Steady hands are important for prep cooks too for the same kind of reason, and another aspect of having hypothyroidism is that it can cause people to have hand tremors. It also affects women more than men and may make you much more sensitive to cold – something that’s going to be an issue if you live anywhere above the 49th parallel or just below it. Then you have the fact that cold weather can worsen arthritis too and you can see how getting treatment is necessary.

Part of the reason many of the people with hypothyroidism don’t start on a hypothyroidism treatment medication is that the symptoms are known to onset very slowly for a lot of people. Knowing what are the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism can be helpful because there can be health complications if an underactive thyroid is left unchecked.

Aches, Inches, and Puffiness

We talked about how hypothyroidism affects women more than men, and it also is less common for people who are under 60. This is also around the same age that people start writing off their chronic aches and pains spots as part of getting old, but too much joint and muscle pain can be a sign of hypothyroidism too. Joint pain in the knees and ankles is the worst for a lot of people in their 60s, but eggshell membrane for joint pain is something they can look into. This is something that people have been doing to treat arthritis and joint pain.

Try adding 3 or 4 eggshells with some milk in a blender and drink this mixture twice a day if you’d like to try this for yourself, and you can also get eggshell membrane in a supplement too. All of this has nothing to do with what are the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism, but as we’ve laid out there is a connection between hypothyroidism, arthritis, and intolerable joint pain. Everyone needs to be able to remain active as they get older, and that certainly applies to people with hypothyroidism. On that subject another sign of hypothyroidism is decreased sweating.

So, if you’re getting the physical exercise you should no matter what age you are and you’re not breaking a sweat like you used to, this may also be one answer to what are the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism. 

Other Common Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

You need to also be careful about not developing high cholesterol if you have an underactive thyroid. A lowered heart rate because of improper cell function can occur with hypothyroidism, and then if your cholesterol is higher too you are more at risk of having arterial plaque buildup for some people. More specific for hypothyroidism patients is developing myxedema coma, an uncommon condition but one that can lead you to have severe breathing difficulties. Thyroid dysfunction can be an issue for women when they are pregnant, but it is more likely you’ll have hypothyroidism past middle age if you’re a woman.

What are the other signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism? They include:

  • Fatigue
  • Puffy face
  • Constipation
  • Heavy or irregular menstrual periods for women
  • Goiters
  • Thinning hair

Hypothyroidism can also be worsened with an iodine deficient diet, and that is a simple supplement fix for anyone so long as you can get tested for this. Bugleweed is a type of herbal supplement that is not common but it is one of the natural supplements for hypothyroidism that you may want to add to your medication to enhance the effectiveness of it, and you won’t need a prescription to get it.

That’s all for what are the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism here, and if you want to know more about self-therapy for a sluggish thyroid there is plenty of information out there on the Internet. Cytomel is an excellent hypothyroidism medication, but you might want to try other approaches too.


IMPORTANT NOTE: The above information is intended to increase awareness of health information and does not suggest treatment or diagnosis. This information is not a substitute for individual medical attention and should not be construed to indicate that use of the drug is safe, appropriate, or effective for you. See your health care professional for medical advice and treatment.


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