Reviewed by medical experts • For informational purposes only
Most thyroid disorders are autoimmune (Hashimoto's or Graves' disease); iodine imbalance, thyroiditis, medicines and nodules are other causes.
Autoimmune disease - the commonest cause. The immune system mistakenly attacks the thyroid:
Iodine imbalance. Iodine is the raw material for thyroid hormone. Too little iodine causes goiter and hypothyroidism - historically widespread in India and the reason salt is iodized. But excess iodine (from kelp supplements, seaweed concentrates or certain medicines) can also trigger thyroid dysfunction, especially in susceptible people. More iodine is not better.
Thyroiditis (inflammation). After viral infections or after childbirth (postpartum thyroiditis), the gland can leak hormone - a brief hyperthyroid phase often followed by a temporary hypothyroid phase, usually recovering within months.
Medicines and treatments. Amiodarone (heart medicine), lithium, some cancer immunotherapies, and interferons can disturb thyroid function. Radioiodine treatment or thyroid surgery deliberately reduces function, causing expected hypothyroidism.
Nodules and goiter. Lumps in the thyroid are common and mostly benign, but a minority are cancers, so persistent nodules need evaluation with ultrasound and sometimes a needle test.
Congenital hypothyroidism. Some babies are born with an absent or underactive thyroid - every newborn should be screened, because early treatment prevents intellectual disability.
Remember: most thyroid problems are autoimmune and nobody's fault; iodized salt in normal quantity is right, kelp/iodine supplements are not self-treatment.
Ayurveda attributes thyroid-like disorders to dosha imbalance and weakened agni - an interpretive frame. The proven causes are the ones above, found by blood tests and imaging.
Written By
Sanatan Ayurveda
BDS
Reviewed By
Dr. Varun Gupta
MD Pharmacology, MBBS
Last updated on
27 Sep 2022 • 06:23 PM (IST)
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A thyroid disorder means the butterfly-shaped neck gland makes too little hormone (hypothyroidism) or too much (hyperthyroidism); both are diagnosed by a simple blood test and treated effectively.
Hypothyroidism slows the body (weight gain, tiredness, cold intolerance, constipation); hyperthyroidism speeds it up (weight loss, palpitations, tremor, heat intolerance); a neck swelling also signals thyroid disease.
Normal iodized salt and a balanced diet suit most thyroid patients; avoid excess iodine supplements and soy/calcium/iron close to levothyroxine timing.
Regular moderate exercise helps thyroid patients once hormone levels are controlled; yoga and pranayama support stress and wellbeing but do not change hormone levels.
Thyroid disease often progresses from silent antibody positivity, to subclinical (mild) dysfunction, to overt disease; treated early at each stage it stays controlled.
Hypothyroidism is treated with daily levothyroxine taken on an empty stomach; hyperthyroidism with antithyroid drugs, radioiodine or surgery - all with regular blood-test monitoring.
