Causes And Symptoms Of Damaged Thyroid Gland And What Your Tongue Reveals
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The hypothalamus is the body’s internal thermostat. It controls the body metabolism, weight, mood, energy and temperature by secreting hormones through thyroid glands. Any damage to the thyroid can lead to underactivity (hypothyroidism), overactivity (hyperthyroidism), inflammation (thyroiditis) or even thyroid cancer.
Causes Of Thyroid Gland Damage
If you have a thyroid issue, it might help to know the causes of thyroid gland damage. By reversing the causes, you could help reduce the symptoms and possibly even reverse the damage done.
- Ingestion of toxic pollutants such as tobacco, fluoride, heavy metals such as lead and mercury
- Exposure to radiation from CT scans, x-rays, radiotherapy or nuclear—this could possibly even lead to thyroid cancer
- Excessive consumption of soy products that have very high phytoestrogen content
- Long-term medication, especially of drugs prescribed for heart problems
- Excessive iodine intake or deficiency
- Excessive consumption of raw goitrogenic foods such as cruciferous vegetables or soy products
- Excessive and prolonged stress
Symptoms Of Hypothyroidism
When the thyroid gland is damaged and fails to produce adequate thyroxine hormones, there is a high possibility that the thyroid is underactive. If you have many of these symptoms, you may want to get tested to know for sure.
- Chronic fatigue
- Weight gain and swelling in the eyes, face and limbs
- Low body temperature and cold intolerance
- Feeling depressed, anxious and irritable
- Having short-term memory loss and difficulty concentrating
- High blood cholesterol level that does not respond to diet or any natural remedy
- Abnormal menstrual cycle, excessive bleeding, PMS cramps and infertility
- Chronic constipation
- Excessive hair loss, dull and brittle hair
- Loss of hair in the outer edge of eyebrows
- Dull-looking and thin skin
- Inflammation in wrist (carpal tunnel), chronic tendonitis and joint pains
- Muscle cramps, aches and pains, such as fibromyalgia
Read about simple diet and lifestyle modifications and nutrition that you can start adding to your life, if you suspect you have:
Hypothyroidism, and suggestion of beneficial juices
Hyperthyroidism, and suggestion of beneficial juices.
What Your Tongue Reveals About Your Thyroid
Your tongue can tell you a lot about your health. Specifically, certain changes in your tongue can indicate that something may be affecting your thyroid health. Try taking a closer look at your tongue to determine if your thyroid is in good condition or if there is something wrong with it.
Looking at your tongue provides a closer look at the function of your digestive tract. Your tongue is the only visible part of your body (including the rest of your mouth) that plays an important role in the digestion of your food.
Your tongue can show you what happens inside your body before you notice any serious deficiencies and imbalances, so it may give you some insight into forthcoming health issues that you may not otherwise know about.
Look at your tongue in the mirror. Try to find any changes in color, surface, coatings, size, and pretty much anything that could be considered as a sign.
Healthy Tongue
A healthy tongue is pink and covered in small nodules, without any coatings or fissures. If your tongue looks normal, then your thyroid probably works normally as well.
If your tongue looks abnormal, the same could apply to your thyroid. Here are some examples of what an unhealthy tongue looks like and its association with the thyroid gland and its function.
Red Or “Beefy” Tongue
If your tongue is red or “beefy”, you are likely lacking vitamins, especially vitamin B12, which is essential for healthy thyroid function.
People with such tongues also lack zinc, selenium and iron. These are essential for thyroid conversion. If you have this problem, you might have something wrong with the amount of nutrients you are absorbing. You may want to look into methods which will help improve your gut function. Consider eating fermented foods or probiotics supplements.
Scalloping
The size of your tongue also matters. Large tongues with indentations on its sides may indicate hyperthyroidism. These indentations are caused by your tongue swelling and pushing against your teeth. This is commonly referred to as “scalloping”. This can mean that you are severely lacking thyroid hormones that regulate your body’s metabolism.
Coating
Coating on your tongue may indicate a yeast overgrowth. Candida is a common infection, but unfortunately, not many people pay attention to it, nor treat it. Poor levels of healthy gut bacteria create a perfect environment for the yeast. Yeast affects thyroid function in many ways, one of the most terrifying being its ability to decrease the function of the thyroid and slow down your metabolism.
Together with the symptoms given above, study your tongue to know the state of your thyroid health. Learn some nutrition you can start taking for hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism.
Sources:
Healthy tongue: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2015/04/what-your-tongue-can-tell-you-about-your-health/
Beefy tongue and B12: https://stanfordmedicine25.stanford.edu/the25/tongue.html
B12 and thyroid function: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18655403
Hyperthyroidism: https://www.healcure.org/tongue/tongue-problems/scalloped-tongue-causes-pictures-hyperthyroid-diagnosis-treatment/
Tongue coating and yeast: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12715913
Gut bacteria and yeast: https://drcarolyndean.com/articles_yeast_and_weight_gain.html
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