Stress & Thyroid Disease

I am reading The Thyroid Solution by Dr. Ridha Aremwhich I mentioned in the previous post. I am finding some interesting points that I wanted to start to share here. So, as I read through the book, I'll post some interesting points.

First is how stress affects your endocrine system. The book says, "under stress, the brain emits chemical messages that trigger major responses of the endocrine system. One such response is the overproduction of the stress hormone cortisol by the adrenal glands. Repeated overproduction of this hormone and other chemicals results in many of the deleterious effects associated with stress. If you handle stress well, the response of the endocrine system is minimal and short-lived. But if you are stressed for a long time; experience major upheavals, setbacks, or traumas; or have difficulties coping with stress, your endocrine system becomes chronically challenged and causes health problems."

I married a non-custodial father with a not-so-nice ex. We went through years of constant stressors trying to deal with the fallout with the kids because of the nastiness, violence, visitation hassles, court hassles, etc. in dealing with a situation where one home would not co-parent with the other, where everything was a fight. I was in a constant state of stress for years leaving me constantly stressed, angry and unable to sleep. I would toss and turn most nights, unable to fall asleep, because my mind would not shut off thinking about what was done, what had to be done, etc. I didn't just brush the stress off; I lived in the stress 24/7 - anger, frustration, tears - that was never ending. This was on top of too many years of my own family's dysfunction. Stress on top of stress...it was an unhealthy situation to be in all the time.

I've heard quite often about how stress can hurt you. I certainly believe it is a possibility. Your body can only live in a certain state for so long without it causing damage.

Hashimoto's, as an autoimmune condition, means the body attacks itself. The immune system amps up the antibodies that attack the thyroid gland/functions.

Again, according to this book:

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis causes "gradual destruction of the thyroid gland and leads to an underactive or even moribund gland." In the same paragraph, "stress is one of the precipitating events that may disrupt the functioning of the immune system and thereby trigger the production of these thyroid-harming antibodies."

"...a study that revealed that people hospitalized for depression have a higher frequency of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis than the general population" showing another relationship between mental stress and Hashi's.

"...stress undoubtedly increases the severity of the autoimmune attack upon the thyroid gland, even when the patient has been stabilized..."

So what do you do about it?

Learn to handle stress better. Easier said than done eh? I know that first-hand. The key is finding something that works for you as a stress reliever. Mine were: moving away, outside the vicinity of everything stressful and then my husband bought me a horse so I can get away from the house and spend time with her which has a huge calming influence over me. Perhaps I should look into Tai Chi as well.

So, this is where I am at in the book so far, and the important points I took from what I've read. I'll share more as I read on.