Ruling Out Thyroweight

Ruling Out Thyroweight!

Not long ago, a friend of mine experienced major bodily changes post pregnancy – weight gain, fatigue, hair loss and mood swings. Very easily these were attributed to Post Pregnancy effects. After a suggestion from her relative, she underwent a Thyroid Test. The test results turned out to be positive for Thyroid Disorder. Today, regular medication is bringing her thyroid imbalance under control. She got lucky with early detection.
If given a thought, how many such people are present out there, completely ignorant of these signals their body must be giving and merely attributing it other more prevalent causes.
1 out of 10 Indians have thyroid disorder but over 70% of India’s population stay unaware, hence undiagnosed. 

Common reasons for ignoring thyroid symptoms:

1) Most people think it’s hereditary, hence can’t affect them
2) Probably it’s the sedentary lifestyle giving weight gain
3) I am crossing 30 so anyways hormones are changing
4) It’s just a minor weight gain, why should I go for test
A more prevalent symptom is thyroweight – weight gain with tiredness. Even though the most common one, this too gets easily ignored for its generic nature.

Celeb Talk – Taking Initiatives and Spreading Awareness

We all follow Bollywood irrespective of the genres we love, we all do sometimes look up to these Bollywood Celebrities. When Deepika Padukone upfront spoke about her struggle when she went through Depression, we all took Depression seriously. On the occasion of the Thyroid awareness month, an awareness campaign was organized, where Dr. Shehla Shaikh, who is a leading Endocrinologist with 25 years of experience and associated with major Hospitals like Saifee, Wockhardt threw light on interesting facts around Thyroid disorder. 

Also supporting the cause was well-known Bollywood celebrity Juhi Chawla. She shared her experience on Thyroid disorder and how to overcome it. She said, “Thyroid disorder is not something you cannot treat, just get a test done and if found positive, consult your doctor and start your pills as prescribed.” She also shared example of her husband who is a thyroid patient, and leading a healthy life by following a simple medication. The panel discussion led to one conclusion that women who majorly suffer from thyroid disorder, tend to ignore themselves, so Juhi added, “Be a bit selfish, and take care of yourself first and #RuleOutThyroweight”. 
These examples might have motivated you definitely. So how about you getting yourself and the loved ones around you checked if these symptoms persist.

Types of Thyroid Disorder:

Thyroid disorder can be classified into two types:

Hyperthyroidism – It is a condition in which thyroid gland becomes overactive leading to excess thyroid hormone production.
Hypothyroidism – It is a condition in which thyroid gland becomes underactive leading to less thyroid hormone production

Hypothyroidism is a far more common disorder than Hyperthyroidism:
Unexplained weight gain
Lethargy
Tiredness
Fatigue
Constipation
Memory Loss
Slow heart rate
Weakness, nervousness, anxiety
Dry hair, hair loss
Change in menstrual cycles
Irritability, mood swings, etc.

If hypothyroidism is not treated timely or is not taken seriously can lead to cardiovascular and neurological disorders. For more information please visit  http://thyroidindia.com/thyroweight/
To conclude..
Let’s be more cognizant of the physical and mental changes happening within and around us and come together to #ruleoutthyroweight

Disclaimer: I attended a discussion on thyroid awareness facilitated by Abbott India Limited. Any opinion expressed in this blog is my personal opinion and not the opinion of Abbott India Limited. Abbott India Limited does not assume any liability for the content of the blog. The blog post is not meant to be a replacement for a doctor consultation, nor is it a medical recommendation or prescription of treatment for people having thyroid problems. Any reader of this blog suffering from thyroid problems should specifically consult his/her doctor for the same and follow the suggested course of treatment.’