Thyroid Dysfunction: Screening and Prevention

Have you ever wondered why your doctor places their hand on your throat and asks you to swallow? This common test allows the doctor to check for thyroid nodules. Although thyroid nodules are extremely common and usually benign, there are growing numbers of people with thyroid cancer and other thyroid issues.

The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland. It produces two main hormones that regulate body temperature, metabolism, heart rate and other factors. These two hormones are T3 and T4.

Along with cancer and Hashimoto’s disease, thyroid nodules could suggest that that you may suffer from hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. If left untreated, thyroid issues can lead to dangerous conditions like AFIB, blood disorders and heart disease.

Hyperthyroidism Symptoms:
• Overactive appetite
• Fatigue
• Anxiety
• Nausea
• Lack of concentrate

With hyperthyroidism, an overproduction of the T3 and/orT4 hormones causes the body to react to the over secretion of the thyroid hormones in negative ways. The most common form of this disorder is Grave’s disease, which is an autoimmune disease. Grave’s causes the body to attack it’s on thyroid gland. Other causes can be from genetic mutations (can run in families), and tumors in the ovaries or testes.

Hypothyroidism Symptoms:
• Tendency to be cold
• Dry itchy skin
• Swollen eyes
• Forgetfulness
• Lack of concentration
• Lack of appetite
• Weight gain
• Fatigue
• Menstrual changes
• Hair loss
• Depression & anxiety

With hypothyroidism, the thyroid is underactive, producing too little T3 and/ or T4 hormones. The causes of hypothyroidism are autoimmune diseases, like Hashimoto’s, surgical removal of the thyroid (cancer patients), environmental radiation exposure, or radiation treatment of the thyroid. Although there is no cure, there are many different medications available to successfully treat hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism.

There is no standard or routine screening test for thyroid cancer.
There is no standard or routine screening test used for early detection of thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer that does not cause symptoms may be found during the following:
• A routine physical exam when the doctor checks the patient’s neck for lumps (nodules) or swelling in the neck, voice box, and lymph nodes, or anything else that seems unusual.
• Surgery that is done for another condition.
• An ultrasound that is done for another condition.

Prevention
There are a number of things recommended to prevent thyroid problems. Let’s look at the top 5 as mentioned on thyroidcancer.com.

1. Minimize radiation exposure. Large amounts of radiation exposure to the head/neck area or chest, typically from treatment of another cancer (lymphoma, breast cancer, etc.) increases the risk of thyroid cancer. Some people also get exposure due to their line of work (x-ray technician, fluoroscopy technician, etc.). Also, there have been some major exposures due to nuclear accidents (Chernobyl, 3 Mile Island) and atomic bombs (World War II).

2. Be aware of your family history. Similar to all other cancers, genetics plays a roll. While some of the genetics of thyroid cancer involve changes in genes at the cellular level (mutations), inherited genetic risk does occur occasionally with thyroid cancer. A family history of thyroid cancer in a close family member (parent, grandparent, sibling, or child) increases the risk of thyroid cancer. This occurs even if there is no known genetic condition, syndrome, or change (mutation) that causes thyroid cancer. In most cases, we do not know what the inherited gene or gene mutation is that increases the thyroid cancer risk in families.

3. Do self-checks. Self- checks are an important part of cancer screening and prevention. Similar to breast cancer and testicular cancer, self-checks of you neck can help diagnose thyroid cancer. The vast majority of thyroid cancers are very subtle and do not cause symptoms. Additionally, 95% or more of thyroid cancers cannot be diagnosed with a blood test.

4. Get an ultrasound. A thyroid ultrasound done by a skilled and experienced team is the foundation in evaluation and diagnosis of thyroid cancer. Often, an excellent ultrasound is enough to make the diagnosis of cancer because many thyroid cancers have a very characteristic appearance on ultrasound. During ultrasound, the technician must thoroughly examine the thyroid and all the areas of lymph nodes in both sides of the neck that can be involved with thyroid cancer. If your ultrasound is not comprehensive and does not include these important components, cancer may be missed (and left behind after surgery).

5. Live a healthy lifestyle. Controlling the aspects of your health and lifestyle that you can is crucial for thyroid cancer prevention. Diet, exercise, and avoidance or cessation of smoking are important, modifiable factors related to thyroid cancer. Obesity also increases your risk of thyroid cancer. The risk goes up as the body mass index (calculated formula relating one’s weight to their height) goes up. It would follow then that diet and exercise are important in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and reducing the chance of thyroid cancer. A well- rounded, balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fiber, well-sourced protein, and antioxidants (substances that slow or prevent damage and death of cells by unstable molecules in the body) is key. Lastly, dietary iodine is a factor to pay attention to as well. Not enough iodine is associated with Follicular Thyroid Cancer, and too much iodine is associated with Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

MC Wellness Group
239-270-5863
mccwellnessgroup.com
6120 Winkler Rd – Suite G
Fort Myers, FL 33919