After diabetes, hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism disease is the most common glandular disorder. It effects over 10 million people in the United States alone. Most of the early symptoms are commonly mistaken or even ignored. Blamed on anxiety disorders or aging, another million cases of thyroid disease remain undiagnosed annually.

Many suffer for years visiting numerous physicians complaining of irritability, heart palpitations, difficulty concentrating, and memory problems before having a true diagnosis and getting the proper treatment for their underactive thyroid. Underactive thyroid glands are twice as prevalent as overactive ones.

Women are four times as likely as men to develop thyroid problems, because women are more prone to the symptoms that come to the surface in the majority of cases. Essentially what happens is that their immune systems fails to recognize the thyroid gland as part of the body, and inadvertently sends antibodies to attack it. Additionally, almost ten percent of women develop hypothyroidism soon after childbirth. This pregnancy-related thyroid condition is most usually temporary and often doesn’t even require treatment, in some cases, new mothers may need to maintain thyroid hormone therapy indefinitely.

Radiation therapy to the head or neck, pituitary tumors, or certain drugs, such as lithium for psychiatric ailments and certain heart drugs, can also lead to hypothyroidism. Whatever the cause, an underactive thyroid leaves the body running in slow motion. Changes may include fatigue, feeling cold, hot flashes, diminished concentration and memory, and weight gain.