Did your doctor recently diagnose you with Hashimoto’s disease? If so, there are probably a million and one questions swirling around in your brain right now.
Some of these questions likely include things like “What is Hashimoto’s disease?”, “What is the best Hashimoto’s disease treatment?”, and “Is there a connection that exists between Hashimoto’s disease and gluten?”
The good news is that you’re not alone. There are about 14 million Americans who have been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, which is also known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, in the past. And many of them have asked the same questions that you’re asking at the moment.
But even still, it can be tricky getting the answers that you’re looking for. So we’ve put together a guide that should help you make sense of your Hashimoto’s disease diagnosis once and for all.
Continue reading to learn all about Hashimoto’s disease.
Table of Contents
What Is Hashimoto’s Disease?
In order for you to deal with Hashimoto’s disease effectively, you’re going to need to understand what it is. So before we jump into talking about the different Hashimoto’s disease signs that will indicate you might have it, let’s try to wrap our heads around what it actually entails.
Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune condition that causes your body’s immune system to attack your thyroid gland. Your thyroid gland is responsible for producing a lot of your body’s hormones, and when you have Hashimoto’s disease, it won’t be possible for this gland to perform this action.
More often this not, this will lead to those who have Hashimoto’s disease developing hypothyroidism, which is an underactive thyroid gland. They’ll need to take certain medications to bring their hormone levels back up to where they need to be.
Hashimoto’s disease can affect those of any age. But oftentimes, it’s middle-aged women who are diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease.
What Are the Most Common Hashimoto’s Disease Symptoms?
Now that you know a little bit more about what Hashimoto’s disease is, let’s get into discussing the different Hashimoto’s disease symptoms that exist. There are quite a few symptoms that will indicate that you might be suffering from Hashimoto’s disease.
Here are several of the most common Hashimoto’s disease signs:
- Swelling near the front of your throat
- Extreme fatigue
- Sensitivity to cold temperatures
- Dry skin that turns pale
- Unexplained weight gain
- Pain and weakness in joints and muscles
- Depression
- Memory issues
If you’ve experienced any combination of these symptoms, you might be at risk for Hashimoto’s disease. You should talk to your doctor about it to see if you might have Hashimoto’s disease wreaking havoc on your body.
What Is the Best Hashimoto’s Disease Treatment?
If you get checked out for Hashimoto’s disease and your doctor finds that you do, in fact, seem to have the condition, you’ll want to begin looking into the best Hashimoto’s disease treatment right away. Hashimoto’s disease can take a toll on your quality of life, so you shouldn’t let it go untreated for any longer than you have to.
There are several ways in which you can treat Hashimoto’s disease. Oftentimes, doctors will prescribe synthetic thyroid hormones like levothyroxine to their patients to offset Hashimoto’s disease symptoms. They’ll also tinker with the dosages of these synthetic thyroid hormones to make sure you’re getting the proper amount of them.
You’ll just need to make sure that you do your part by taking your medications for Hashimoto’s disease at the right times. There are some that will require you to take them very early in the morning so that they get into your system before you eat your first meal of the day.
Is There a Connection Between Hashimoto’s Disease and Gluten?
In addition to taking medications, some of the people who have been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease will also go on gluten-free diets. They’ll do this because of the perceived connection between Hashimoto’s disease and gluten. Many people believe gluten can have a negative impact on those with the condition.
The jury still seems to be out on whether or not those with Hashimoto’s disease can benefit from cutting gluten out of their diets. But some studies have suggested that eliminating gluten from your diet may reduce the inflammation that is so often associated with Hashimoto’s disease. This inflammation plays a big part in many of the Hashimoto’s disease symptoms.
Because of this, you might want to try to get rid of the gluten in your diet if you’ve been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease. It could have positive results for you in the end.
Can You Cure Hashimoto’s Disease?
One of the questions that people ask the most after being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease is, “Can you cure Hashimoto’s disease?” It’s a very valid question since those diagnosed with it don’t want to have to live with it forever.
Many doctors will tell you that there isn’t a surefire Hashimoto’s disease cure. The thought is that the only way to “cure” Hashimoto’s disease is by regulating it with medications and keeping its symptoms at bay.
But you might be able to send Hashimoto’s disease packing by following a wellness program that will have you looking at your health in a whole new way. It’ll require a lot of dedication and discipline. But by revamping your approach to your health as a whole, you might be able to knock Hashimoto’s disease out for good.
You Don’t Have to Let Hashimoto’s Disease Affect Your Quality of Life
If you attempt to continue to live your life with Hashimoto’s disease without doing anything about it, it’s going to drag your quality of life down. There will inevitably be days when you won’t be able to get out of bed because of your Hashimoto’s disease symptoms.
But you should know that you don’t have to live this way. You can prevent Hashimoto’s disease from affecting you by talking to your doctor about it, researching the connection between Hashimoto’s disease and gluten, and taking other steps in the right direction.
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