Thyroid Symptoms - Do You Have Symptoms Of Thyroid Problems?

Thyroid symptoms afflict at least 10 million persons in the USAalone. Symptoms of thyroid problems often go undiagnosed, makingit difficult to really know just how many people are sufferingfrom thyroid symptoms. Thyroid gland functions includeregulating the metabolism rate of the body. Women are much morelikely than men to have thyroid dysfunction - as many as 10-20%of women and 1-2% of men may have symptoms of thyroid problems.One type of thyroid dysfunction is the condition calledhypothyroidism, also referred to as low thyroid or underactivethyroid. When thyroid function is too sluggish, one effect isthat metabolism in the body slows down more than it should. Muchless common are thyroid symptoms caused by hyperthyroidism or anoveractive thyroid.When the metabolism slows down due to underactive thyroidfunction, the result can be symptoms such as fatigue, weightgain and depression. And other symptoms may be experienced,often seemingly unrelated. Hypothyroidism or low thyroidsymptoms of thyroid problems include: • Fatigue and weakness •Depression • Weight gain • Low basal temperature, coldintolerance, cold hands and feet • Dry and coarse skin • Heavymenstrual periods • Insomnia • High cholesterol • Sluggishbowels, constipation • Poor memory, forgetfulness, dementia •Nervousness and tremors • Immune system problems • Hair loss Having thyroid symptoms is related to hormone levels and hormoneimbalance. Three related hormones for a woman are estrogen,thyroid hormone and progesterone. Understanding the interplaybetween these three hormones helps one better understand how toapproach treating thyroid symptoms.In the best-seller What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You AboutMenopause, Harvard-trained family physician Dr. John R. Leeexplains his results in treating women having symptoms ofthyroid problems. In a broad sense, estrogen makes calories fromfood to be stored as fat. Thyroid hormone makes calories fromfood to be converted into energy. Excess estrogen interfereswith normal thyroid hormone function. Progesterone helps"oppose" and keep undesirable side effects of excess estrogenfrom happening. Progesterone helps the body use fat for energy,and when progesterone is present in healthy levels, the thyroidfunctions more as it is supposed to. Dr. Lee found a clearpattern in his patients with a progesterone deficiency - theirunderactive thyroid symptoms lessened when natural progesteronesupplementation was done and hormone balance was achieved. Read more about hormone imbalance, how progesterone deficiencyhappens and how to have balanced hormones for better health.There is an online womens hormone health test you can take tofind out more about your health, with physician-basedrecommendations based on your answers. If you have thyroidsymptoms, learn more about the natural approaches recommended bynaturopathic physicians for treating symptoms of thyroidproblems.Copyright 2005 InfoSearch Publishing