I came across a short article tonight stating that thyroid cancer rates are increasing. In fact, the number of cases of thyroid cancer have risen 6.5%. Doctors and researchers are not quite sure why, but suspect either better screening is behind the increase in cancer discovery or it’s something else entirely that they haven’t pinpointed yet.

Three possible factors doctors are considering as likely culprits are obesity, radiation exposure, and diets low in fruits and vegetables.  Someone who is overweight has a 20% increased risk for thyroid cancer and those that are obese have a 53% increase in risk. Studies also show that people who have more dental x-rays have higher risk for thyroid cancer as well.

Estimates from the National Cancer Institute state that nearly 56,000 cases of thyroid cancer will be diagnosed this year. Statistics show that women are three times as likely to develop thyroid cancer than men. Women tend to suffer from thyroid problems in general more often than men. Fortunately, thyroid cancer is usually very survivable, with a 5-year survival rate of 97%.

Anyone with thyroid problems knows how difficult it is to cope with a slow metabolism. A slow metabolism is the reason for Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (or hypothyroid) weight gain. Boosting that metabolism can be difficult, but not impossible.

I ran across a recent article about getting key hormones in balance to boost your metabolism and lose weight. The article, Mastering Your Metabolism Is Complex But Not Impossible, covers 8 key hormones and what you can do (and eat) to get those hormones in balance. Of course, the article mentions thyroid hormone as the number one hormone to get in balance. The thyroid controls just about every cell in your body, so it’s an important one. The article mentions selenium as being important for thyroid health. Read the article to find out the other hormones you need to get in balance and what your body needs to do just that.

I recently read about a controversy over a Good Housekeeping article regarding hypothyroidism. The article doesn’t seem to take Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and hypothyroidism very seriously. The gist of the article and the opinion of the “experts” the author talked to was that hypothyroidism doesn’t need to be treated when TSH is between 5 and 10. Well, I can say from personal experience, I would be a useless lump if my Hashimoto’s wasn’t treated when my TSH rose over 5. In fact, my last TSH test a week ago showed a level of 3.2 and I’ve been completely exhausted lately and lost in brain fog. I function best when my TSH is around 1.

It’s unfortunate that articles like this are published that misinform the public and those that might be looking for answers to their medical issues. Fortunately, many well-informed doctors are speaking out to set the record straight.

Read more about the Good Housekeeping thyroid article controversy. Read the original article at Good Housekeeping and Mary Shomon’s response.

…Everything!

At least, that’s how it seems. I like to keep informed on the latest medical research regarding Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read an article with the headline that states that there is a link between a particular health condition and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Not only that, but I suffer from some of them as well. I’m sure many of you do too.

I recently discovered that Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) has been linked to Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. How’d I discover that? Well, because I have PCOS. I have researched it. And in my research, I discovered Hashimoto’s is linked to it along with other conditions and diseases like insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, and diabetes. My latest focus is the links between Hashimoto’s and the whole slew of irritable bowel diseases. Why? Because guess what I’m going through right now! Yup, testing for GI issues. Joy.

If you have an auto-immune disease like Hashimoto’s, you should be aware that you’re at risk for any other autoimmune disease. I was already aware of that, so it came as no surprise to find articles describing links to Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis with diseases like Crohn’s, Celiac Disease, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Sjogren’s Syndrome. Since kidney stones occur pretty frequently in patients with Sjogren’s Syndrome, I suppose it could be argued that there is a link between Hashimoto’s and kidney stones. Call it the six degrees of Hashimoto’s.

I guess my point is this, while you shouldn’t just blame all your ills on your Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, you shouldn’t just dismiss them either. There may be a link and it’s something you should bring up with your doctor to make sure. As a Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis patient, you are at risk for a great many other serious diseases. Stay vigilant. Make sure your concerns are addressed. The more you monitor your health, the easier it will be to 1) recognize new health risks sooner and 2) you’ll be able to mitigate any problems associated with those new health issues.

Physician Mark Hyman recently posted an article about his 7 step plan to boost your low thyroid and metabolism. In the article, he details several factors that contribute to hypothyroidism and low metabolism.

These factors include:

• Environmental factors such as chemicals and pesticides.
• Chronic stress. Stress can suppress your thyroid.
• Chronic inflammation from particular foods we eat.
• Nutritional deficiencies of iodine, vitamin D, omega-3 fats, selenium, zinc, vitamin A, and the B vitamins.

His 7 step plan includes some very good advice to help you get your hypothyroidism under control. In a nutshell, these steps are:

1. Treat the underlying causes of your hypothyroidism.
2. Supporting your thyroid through good nutrition.
3. Minimizing stress.
4. Boosting thyroid function via exercise.
5. Using supplements to provide the nutrients your thyroid needs.
6. Heat therapy to help eliminate toxins.
7. Thyroid hormone therapy.

For more details on Mark Hyman’s 7 step plan, view his article here.