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Lifelong

Is Hypothyroidism a Chronic Illness?

Is Hypothyroidism a Chronic Illness?

You may notice that I occasionally use the term ‘chronic illness’ when I refer to my…

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theinvisiblehypothyroidism

Yup. I still push my body too far sometimes. I’m

Yup. I still push my body too far sometimes. I’m not perfect!

•••

Anyone else?

🔥 A ‘thyroid flare’ is defined by an increase in thyroid symptoms from a few days to a week or so.

The most commonly reported symptoms are:

😩Increased fatigue
😩Heaviness (as if your body is being weighed down)
😩Brain fog
😩Migraines
😩Flu-like symptoms (aches and pains)

What are the triggers for a thyroid flare?

😬Overexerting yourself physically or mentally (stress)

😬 Consuming a food you have issues with (alcohol and gluten are common ones)

😬 Catching a cold, virus, other illness. Pregnancy also a cause.

However, if you recognise this cycle:

1. Over exercising
2. Doing all the things
3. Running yourself in to the ground tired
4. Forced to stop exercising and running around because your body collapses
5. Forced to rest and recuperate
6. Repeat over and over again

👍 It’s worth trying to break it in order to reduce amount of flares and get your thyroid condition more under control.

👍 It’s sometimes easier said than done of course. I’m not perfect at it either! I still force my body through too much sometimes and put myself in to a flare. 🤦🏼‍♀️

•••

❓Check out my highlight titled “flare ups” for more info on overcoming this.

- Rachel 🦋💙

🥤 Why don’t I tolerate alcohol as well as I d

🥤 Why don’t I tolerate alcohol as well as I did pre-diagnosis?

•••

🔥 Alcohol Sensitivity:

Many people with a thyroid condition report developing an intolerance or increased sensitivity to alcohol. This may look like hangovers or thyroid flares after just one drink, heart palps and headaches or itching and rashes.

🔥 Thyroid Hormone Conversion:

Good liver health is required for good thyroid hormone conversion. If your liver is very busy processing and metabolising the alcohol you consume, it may not convert thyroid hormone as effectively.

Regularly drinking a lot of alcohol can inhibit thyroid hormones T3 and T4 and may reduce the activity of type II 5’-deiodinase.

🔥 Oestrogen:

Drinking a lot of alcohol can also cause the level of oestrogen in your body to rise, and too much oestrogen can suppress or block thyroid function and hormones from working as efficiently as they should be.

🔥 Adrenals:

In response to rising sex hormones, the adrenals may release stress hormone cortisol in excess.

This can further inhibit the liver from converting T4 to T3. Increased cortisol can deplete progesterone levels further, resulting in even higher oestrogen levels, feeding back in to an unhelpful cycle.

Alcohol may contribute to high cortisol levels.

🔥 Nutrients:

Alcohol can also deplete minerals and vitamins such as magnesium, zinc, folic acid, B Vits and Selenium. All of which are important for thyroid health + overall health and wellbeing.

🔥 The Gut:

Alcohol may also increase intestinal permeability. You may find that alcohol increases the occurrence of bloating, acid reflux, indigestion etc.

Many alcohols also contain gluten which can be problematic for many thyroid patients and may be a reason why you feel unwell after drinking it.

•••

👀 What’s My Take?

I personally gave up alcohol 5 years ago. It wasn’t worth the flares that followed, migraines, reflux and acne.

Some thyroid patients feel better off alcohol, whereas others feel absolutely fine consuming it in moderation. If you experience flares after drinking or an increase in certain symptoms, it can be worth exploring what is best for YOU.

- Rachel 🦋💙

❓ Studies have demonstrated that 64% of men with

❓ Studies have demonstrated that 64% of men with hypothyroidism experienced low libido, erectile dysfunction, sperm abnormalities and delayed ejaculation, but it is worth knowing that most (if not all) symptoms of hypothyroidism including these, should disappear or greatly improve with optimal thyroid treatment.

•••

👀 Men may be less likely than women to be checked for a thyroid condition, especially they are more common in women.

👀 As with many women who go back and forth to the doctors for years, a man with hypothyroid symptoms may be told that they are just common things men his age experience, or that only women get thyroid problems. But don’t let that stop you getting thoroughly tested and checked out for one.

❓ TSH, Free T3, Free T4, and thyroid antibodies make up the full panel.

❓If you’re already on thyroid medication and still don’t feel well, then please check out the many other possible pieces to your thyroid jigsaw (see past posts and resources linked in my bio).

❓While some thyroid patients feel their thyroid medication alone returns them back to good health, many others still have other issues to address.

•••

⬇️ Share your experiences below!

- Rachel 🦋💙

🍞If you have hypothyroidism, specifically cause

🍞If you have hypothyroidism, specifically caused by Hashimoto’s, it’s worth knowing that many thyroid patients report that being gluten-free helps them feel their best.

•••

🥖 One theory we see a lot is that gluten is said to trigger the same autoimmune reactions that cause you to have Hashimoto’s in the first place, since the cells of your thyroid are similar to the make up of gluten, and it confuses the body, increasing inflammation, which can mean worse or extra symptoms. However, this theory is yet to be conclusively proved (or denied).

🦋 Worsening thyroid hormone levels as well as swinging test results, may be due to the ongoing destruction of the thyroid, which obviously causes it to not work properly (hypothyroidism). Lowering thyroid antibodies in Hashimoto’s is believed to stop or slow this down.

❓However, other possible reasons thyroid patients may feel better on a gluten-free diet include:

• a gluten sensitivity or coeliac disease
• eating naturally gluten-free usually means a reduction in processed, high sugar foods overall
• that a gluten sensitivity can lead to poor gut health, which can be indicated by a low absorption rate of minerals and vitamins.

🥯 Going GF helped to dramatically reduce MY antibodies and get my Hashimoto’s in to remission.

🥯 However, I’ve always said that I don’t push any one diet on all thyroid patients. Whereas some see good results being gluten-free, some see no difference whatsoever. We’re all different but it may be worth a try if you still have ongoing symptoms.

•••

✨ There are many different diets that can help to manage Hypothyroidism / Hashimoto’s and symptoms. Different diets work for different people.

✨ I’ll put more about this in my stories today!

- Rachel 🦋💙

© Rachel Gask and The Invisible Hypothyroidism, 2015-2024. All Rights Reserved.

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