The thyroid is the largest endocrine gland in the body, and it can be found just below the thyroid cartilage of your neck. It produces thyroid hormones that are responsible for controlling metabolism, which includes how quickly food turns to energy.
Thyroid disease affects more than 20 million people in America alone. This article will cover thyroid disease symptoms, causes and treatment by Dr. Naval Parikh have 10 years of experience with thyroid treatments in Deerfield Beach Florida USA.
What is Thyroid Disease?
Thyroid disease is any thyroid disorder that impairs the production of thyroid hormones. This can occur when there’s an overactive thyroid gland, which produces too many thyroid hormones, or an underactive thyroid gland, where not enough is being produced.
Thyroid Problems Types
There are 6 thyroid problems types:
Hypothyroidism
This is when your thyroid gland fails to produce enough thyroid hormones. Symptoms include fatigue, weight gain and muscle weakness among others. Treatment includes taking a synthetic form of thyroid hormone such as levothyroxine daily for life.
Hyperthyroidism
Also known as thyroiditis, this thyroid problems type is when your thyroid gland produces too many thyroid hormones. Symptoms include increased heart rate and rapid weight loss among others. Treatment includes taking anti-thyroid medications for life to suppress the production of thyroid hormone by the thyroid gland
Graves’ Disease
This thyroid problem type is an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system attacks and damages thyroid cells, causing them to produce too much thyroid hormone.
Symptoms include weight loss despite increased appetite, bulging eyes and a fast heart rate among others. Treatment includes taking anti-thyroid medications for life to suppress thyroid hormones made by your thyroid gland
Thyroid Nodules
This thyroid problem type is a noncancerous thyroid tumor that can cause hyperthyroidism if it makes too much thyroid hormone. Symptoms include weight loss, rapid heart rate and fatigue among others. Treatment includes medications to shrink thyroid tumors or surgery if needed.
Thyroid Cancer
This thyroid problem type is a malignant tumor that can develop in the thyroid gland. Treatment depends on the stage of thyroid cancer, but it may involve surgery to remove all or part of your thyroid gland followed by treatment with radioactive iodine and chemotherapy medications.
Goiter
This thyroid problem type is an enlargement of the thyroid gland, which can cause breathing problems. Causes include thyroiditis or iodine deficiency among others. Treatment includes taking thyroid hormone pills to replace what’s missing and surgery if needed.
What Causes Thyroid Disease?
The thyroid is affected by several things, including genetics and environmental factors. These include:
- Genetic mutations
- Radiation exposure
- Viruses that attack the thyroid gland such as the Epstein Barr virus.
- Autoimmune thyroid disease, which causes the thyroid gland to attack itself.
- Iodine deficiency
- Pregnancy
- Menopause
Symptoms of Thyroid
- Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Brittle nails
- Dry skin
- Hair loss
- Weight gain
- Numbness or tingling in your hands and feet
- Muscle aches, cramps, weakness
- Memory problems
Prevention of Thyroid Disease
- Eat a healthy diet with thyroid friendly foods to provide your thyroid gland with the nutrients it needs
- Get enough iodine in your thyroid diet through eating iodized salt, seaweed and other thyroid healthy foods. This is because iodine helps maintain normal thyroid function.
- Keep thyroid disease at bay by getting the thyroid vaccine.
- Treat thyroiditis with thyroid medication
- Get treatment for thyroid cancer. This includes surgery, radioactive iodine therapy and chemotherapy medications among others that depend on the stage of thyroid cancer.
Treatment of Thyroid By Dr. Naval Parikh
Dr. Naval Parikh is a thyroid doctor in Deerfield Beach, Florida who provides thyroid disease treatment for thyroid problems types such as hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism with thyroid medications including Synthroid among others. Here are some services that Dr. Naval Parikh provides thyroid patients with thyroid disorders.
- Thyroid ultrasound
- Thyroid MRI
- Thyroid lab tests including TSH, Free TSI and Free Thyroxine Index (FTI) among others.
- Thyroid medications such as thyroid hormone replacement therapy
- Thyroid cancer screening and prevention among others.
- Thyroid surgery
- Thyroid cancer treatment including radioactive iodine therapy and chemotherapy medications among others.
Dr. Naval Parikh also provides thyroid disease screening services for thyroid problems types such as goiter, thyroid nodules, thyroiditis and Graves’ Disease to check your thyroid gland function through blood tests including TSH or thyrotropin test that determines how much thyroid-stimulating hormone is in your blood.
For more thyroid disease treatment information, visit Dr. Naval Parikh’s thyroid clinic website or you can book an appointment online to talk with a thyroid doctor in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Naval Parikh Clinic:
Address: 1 West Sample Road, Suite 201. Deerfield Beach, Florida. 33064.
Phone: (954) 782-3170
