Enlarged thyroid

There is hope for enlarged thyroid sufferers!

If you observe a painless swelling at the base of your neck, that makes it become uncomfortable for you breathe and swallow, you may have a goiter. This is actually caused by swelling of the butterfly-shaped gland called the thyroid gland, at the based of the throat. Visit your doctor if you think you may have an enlarged thyroid.

Enlarged thyroid is mostly caused by iodine deficiency. The goiter may be caused by either hyper or hypo thyroidism, that is, over or under production of thyroid hormone.

Treatment for enlarged thyroid

There are a few treatments for enlarged thyroid sufferers that have proven to be helpful. The size and side effects of the goiter determine what treatment would be administered. Normally small goiters with few symptoms don’t need treatment. Here are possible treatments:

- Where the goiter is so small as to be unnoticeable, your doctor might to opt to wait and see what happens, rather than start any formal treatment that might turn out to be unnecessary.
- In cases where the goiter underperforms, you may be advised to take thyroid hormone replacement drugs containing levothyroxine, in order to create a reservoir, as it were, of thyroid hormone. This should make of for the deficiency. For the actual inflammation, a corticosteroid or other anti-inflammatory preparation may be prescribed. If the problem is hyper thyroidism, or overactive thyroid, then the appropriate medication to reduce the glut of thyroid hormones will be needed.
- If the goiter is so uncomfortable as to hinder proper breathing and normal, painless swallowing, there may be no other option than surgery, whether a total of partial thyroidectomy. Following the surgery, the patient may be prescribed levothyroxine to bring up thyroid hormone levels.
- Another option for treatment overactive and enlarged thyroid is radioactive iodine. These are administered orally, and travel through the bloodstream to get rid of thyroid cells. In the long run, the size of the thyroid is reduces, but caution needs to be exercised as too much radioactive iodine can result in hypothyroidism, with its own set of complications.

Diet for enlarged thyroid patients

Like most ailments, change in diet can be helpful to alleviate if not cure man symptoms and help you feel better. Too many times, there is a deficiency in an individual’s diet that, if gapped, can lead to a full and healthy life. So, depending on whether you have over or underactive thyroid, you must:

- Get an adequate and consistent supply of iodine by consuming foods like iodized salt, crustaceans, yogurt, cheddar cheese, milk and seaweed. Vegetables generally have a good amount of iodine, particularly the leafy green ones, like spinach.
- If your thyroid is overactive, it goes without saying that you consume less of the foods mentioned above.

external links
mayoclinic: Enlarged thyroid