Underactive Thyroid

Have you, or someone you know, been diagnosed with an underactive thyroid? Do you have questions about what this means or its effects?

Underactive thyroid, also called hypothyroidism, occurs when the thyroid does not produce enough of its hormones.

In the early stages the symptoms are hardly noticeable, or you may put them down to “getting older”, but the symptoms can become more severe.

Symptoms of an underactive include: fatigue, feeling cold, dry skin, impaired memory, thinning hair, increased cholesterol levels in the blood, weight gain, muscle aches or weakness, joint pain, irregular periods, depression. This list is not exhaustive.

Hypothyroidism can occur due to an autoimmune condition known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. This occurs when the body’s immune system goes into overdrive and starts attacking its own tissues, including the thyroid gland.

Your doctor may have prescribed you a tablet called thyroxine, which helps provide artificial thyroid hormones, to help with your symptoms.

If you would like to try a complementary therapy, alongside the conventional treatment, reflexology could be helpful.