Do you have Thyroid Problems?

Could you have an overactive or under-active thyroid and not even know it? Millions of Women—and a high percentage of women in menopause and perimenopause (the decade or so before menopause during which hormonal, emotional, and physical changes begin)—do. A thyroid imbalance is not always easy to recognize. Physicians continue to argue whether a minimal thyroid imbalance affects mental and physical health. But the truth is that it does—and big time.

Do you have any of the following symptoms?

• Always fatigued or exhausted
• Irritable and impatient
• Feeling too hot or too cold
• Depressed, anxious, or panicky
• Bothered by changes in your skin or hair
• At the mercy of your moods
• Inexplicably gaining or losing weight
• Losing your enthusiasm for life
• Sleeping poorly or insomniac

Are you feeling burned out from having acted on an excess of energy for several months? Are you listless, forgetful, and feeling disconnected from your friends and family? Are people telling you that you've changed? Are you taking Prozac or a similar drug for mild depression but still feeling that your mind and mood are subpar? Or have you been treated for a major depression in the past five years?

If you suffer from more than one of these symptoms or answered yes to one or more of these questions, you could be one of the many people with an undiagnosed thyroid condition. Although some of these symptoms may seem contradictory, all of them can be indications of a thyroid imbalance.

A simple blood test can help you screen for thyroid problem

Why Thyroid Imbalances Are Frequently Unsuspected

Stress, depression, anxiety, tiredness, and other emotional or mental states can mask a thyroid imbalance. 

Your doctor may perceive symptoms caused by a thyroid imbalance as trivial, primarily because many of us complain of varying degrees of tiredness, lack of interest in life, and weight problems. Quite often, thyroid imbalance makes you suffer from symptoms of depression, but the symptoms and what is causing the symptoms are not addressed by your physician. Depression is the most common condition seen in general medical practice and the most common mental effect of thyroid imbalance. Researchers estimate that, at any given time, 10 percent of the population suffers from depression; over a lifetime, the prevalence may be as high as 17 percent. Most patients with mental health problems seek help from primary care physicians rather than psychiatrists. Quite often these physicians have received no training or inadequate training in assessing, detecting, and managing subtle mental disorders. Internists and family practitioners may feel uncomfortable dealing with mental anguish and may stick to the familiar territory of performing a physical examination, performing laboratory tests, and prescribing medications.

I have no mood at everything

When obvious stress is present, such as a difficult divorce, a stressful job, or other personal problems, your doctor is unlikely to consider a thyroid dysfunction as a possible cause of or a contributing reason for your symptoms. He may tell you, "You're doing too much, it's all stress!" if you complain about tiredness, feeling down, anxiety, and weight gain. Yet, stress itself can trigger a thyroid imbalance and contribute to depression.

So stressful

The wide range of physical symptoms can mask a thyroid imbalance. 

If your symptoms are predominantly physical, your doctor may focus on the organ or organs involved instead of searching for a general body imbalance and an underlying condition. He or she may end up treating you for specific symptoms and fail to diagnose the thyroid condition that is causing the symptoms. For instance, rapid heartbeat is a common symptom of an overactive thyroid that often leads physicians to consider heart disease. But if the heart evaluation is normal, doctors often dismiss the patient as anxious.

Doctor, My heart is beating fast.

Gynecological and hormonal symptoms can mask a thyroid imbalance. 

Women with a thyroid imbalance frequently seek help from their gynecologists because their symptoms, both physical and mental, have evolved concurrently with the onset of heavy or irregular menstrual periods or loss of menstrual periods. Their symptoms, including the menstrual problems, are often attributed to gynecological or hormonal changes. They are often told that they are becoming menopausal or are perimenopausal.

My hormone went up and down, so do my mood

Thyroid symptoms are often dismissed as unimportant "female complaints." 

Women are more likely than men to have their thyroid disorders misdiagnosed, perhaps because many doctors often attribute women’s complaints to anxiety. Doctors may misperceive the emotional effects of a thyroid imbalance as "typical female complaints." Or they believe the symptoms are hypochondriacal. Such prejudices can result in failure to diagnose a thyroid imbalance.

Oh no doctor, what happen to me?

If you suffered from the symptoms above, then you might at risk of Thyroid problems. Please consult your family doctor and get a thyroid screening done at nearest health screening centre.

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Top 10 Cholesterol-Fighting Foods

Snack on nuts. Drizzle a little olive oil on your salad. Dine on salmon. Have a little chocolate—guilt-free! These eating strategies (and more) can help reduce your cravings for high cholesterol foods and lower "bad-guy" LDLs, maintain "good-guy" HDLs, and help you reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. If you're already eating plenty of them, keep up the good work. If not, begin adding them into your diet today.

Soy: The Smart, Delicious Alternative

Reducing saturated fat is the single most important dietary change you can make to cut blood cholesterol. Used as a replacement for meat and cheese, soy foods help your heart by slashing the amount of saturated fat that you eat.

Why is saturated fat so bad for your heart? The liver uses saturated fat to make cholesterol, so eating foods with too much saturated fat can increase cholesterol levels, especially low-density lipoproteins (LDL)—the bad cholesterol. Saturated fats are usually found in animal products such as whole milk, cream, butter, and cheese, and meats, such as beef, lamb and pork. There are some plant-based saturated fats you should avoid too, notably palm kernel oil, coconut oil, and vegetable shortening.

Beyond replacing saturated fat, research suggests that compounds in soy foods called isoflavones may also work to reduce LDL cholesterol.

Beans: The High Fiber Solution

Except for your morning wheat bran, no food is more fiber-rich than beans. And beans are especially high in cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber. Eating a cup of any type of beans a day—particularly kidney, navy, pinto, black, chickpea, or butter beans—can lower cholesterol by as much as 10% in 6 weeks.

Soluble fiber forms a gel in water that helps bind acids and cholesterol in the intestinal tract, preventing their re-absorption into the body. This may be why soluble fiber helps to lower cholesterol levels (and decreases the risk of heart disease). Soluble fiber is also found in oats and oat bran, barley, brown rice, beans, apples, carrots, and most other fruits and vegetables.

Salmon: Amazing Heart-Friendly Fat

Research has shown certain types of fat actually protect against high cholesterol. Omega-3 fatty acids—found in salmon and other cold-water fish—help lower "bad" LDL cholesterol, raise "good" HDL cholesterol, and lower triglycerides.

Salmon is an excellent source of protein because it is high in omega-3 fatty acids called EPA and DHA that are good for your heart while low in cholesterol and saturated fat.

Avocado: Healthy Fat Superfood

Avocados are a great source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. It is a type of fat that may actually help to raise levels of HDL ("good"cholesterol) while lowering levels of LDL ("bad" cholesterol). And these delectable green orbs pack more of the cholesterol-smashing beta-sitosterol (a beneficial plant-based fat) than any other fruit. Beta-sitosterol reduces the amount of cholesterol absorbed from food. So the combination of beta-sitosterol and monounsaturated fat makes the avocado an excellent cholesterol buster.

Garlic: The Ancient Herb for Heart Health

For thousands of years, garlic has been used in nearly every culture in the world, and not just to repel evil. Its nutritional value and flavor have made it a kitchen staple. Ancient Egyptians ate garlic for stamina; in modern times, garlic has been found to lower cholesterol, prevent blood clots, reduce blood pressure, and protect against infections. Now research has found that it helps stop artery-clogging plaque at its earliest stage (called nanoplaque). How? Garlic keeps individual cholesterol particles from sticking to artery walls.

Spinach: The Heart Healthy Green Giant

Spinach contains lots of lutein, the sunshine-yellow pigment found in dark green leafy vegetables and egg yolks. Lutein already has a "golden" reputation for guarding against age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness. Now research suggests that just a ½ cup of a lutein-rich food daily also guards against heart attacks by helping artery walls "shrug off" cholesterol invaders that cause clogging.

Margarine: Best Spreads for Your Breads

Two margarines are proven to help lower your cholesterol numbers: Take Control and Benecol. They do so by blocking the absorption of the cholesterol contained in your food and bile.

Take Control margarine is made with plant sterols that are proven to lower both total and LDL cholesterol by up to 14%. The plant stanols in Benecol margarine work the same way. Both the National Cholesterol Education Program and the American Heart Association recommend these margarines.

Tea: The Hot and Cool Superdrink

Tea, whether it's iced or hot, delivers a blast of antioxidant compounds. Studies prove that tea helps to keep blood vessels relaxed and prevent blood clots. Flavonoids, the major antioxidants in tea, have been shown to prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol that leads to plaque formation on artery walls. These powerful antioxidants may even reduce cholesterol and even lower blood pressure.

Walnuts, Cashews, and Almonds: Go (Mixed) Nuts!

A moderate-fat diet that's rich in the healthy monounsaturated fats found in nuts may actually be twice as good for your heart as a low-fat diet. Nuts also have vitamin E, magnesium, copper, and phytochemicals that have been linked to heart health. And walnuts are also rich in omega-3s. People who eat nuts regularly have less heart disease and other illnesses than people who don't. The heart-healthy monounsaturated fats they contain are also better for your joints than the polyunsaturated fats found in corn and safflower oils.

Dark Chocolate: The Sweet Heart Bonus

Want to help your heart the next time you indulge in chocolate candy? Choose the dark or bittersweet kind. Compared to milk chocolate, it has more than three times as many antioxidants. These flavonoid antioxidants work to keep blood platelets from sticking together and may even help keep your arteries unclogged. Milk chocolate is good too, having as much antioxidant power as red wine. And what about white chocolate? Sorry, it has no flavonoids at all.

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