In our society today, it is increasingly common for people to be depressed. This can have psychological causes such as upbringing, unhappy childhood and/or adolescence and/or trauma. However, what much less can be found about is that depression can also have a physical cause such as an endorphin problem and/or a failing thyroid gland (including Hashimoto's disease). Often the psychological cause is attempted with psychotherapy, hypnosis/ regression therapy and/or antidepressants. The patient has difficulty overcoming the depression with these because the physical cause remains. Diseases of the thyroid gland are common. It is estimated that more than 500,000 Dutch people have some form of thyroid disease. Thyroid diseases are much more common in women than in men. A common cause of depression with a physical cause is thyroid failure (hypothyroidism). Research has indicated that 10-15% of depressed people have an under-functioning thyroid gland. Thus, these people would benefit from receiving thyroid hormones instead of antidepressants. Indeed, usually when the patient is properly adjusted to thyroid medication, the depression also disappears. In fact, of severe depression patients who do not respond well to antidepressants, 52% have detectable thyroid disease. Mood swings and panic attacks can also be caused by the thyroid gland, and resolved with thyroid medication. A failing thyroid can be detected by a blood test. There are also thyroid disorders that are not detectable in the blood. Prolonged stress and/or trauma cause increased cortisol (anti stress hormone) which can result in decreased conversion to or a blockage of active thyroid hormone (Reverse T3). This blockade is often an epi-genetic inheritance and can be demonstrated by blood tests. Symptoms of a "too slow thyroid" A "too slow thyroid" (hypothyroidism) is estimated to occur in one in eight women. There are many symptoms that can indicate hypothyroidism, such as:
- weight gain (or sometimes weight loss),
- coldness (hands and feet), fatigue, ME/CFS,
- immune system abnormalities: infections: cystitis, respiratory infections, arthritis,
- darmklachten,
- (postpartum) depression symptoms, feeling very unhappy, missing the happy feeling in things, seeing everything negatively, wondering what the meaning of things is, nothing brings you more pleasure,
- panic feeling, constant feeling of stress, feeling very busy about everything, not being able to relax, thoughts that keep going through your head, thoughts that stay obsessively in your head even if they don't make sense, not being able to let go of things, being easily agitated, being quickly upset,
- negative self-image, hating yourself, severe insecurity, insecurity about social contact, not being able to depend on yourself, not trusting your feelings, being attracted to dark things and self-harm,
- mood swings, crying fits, irritability attacks, alternating happy and depressed rotten moods, sometimes different every half hour for no reason, strange feelings about things and people that don't make sense and linger,
- concentration problems, memory problems, not being able to remember anything, mixing everything up, not being able to follow a conversation, absent-mindedness, chalking things up, not being able to find your way around (even in familiar places),
- putting things off, getting nowhere, having no energy/dare for anything, being unable to perform anything,
- neurological: headache, sleep disorders, fatigue , decreased appetite, deafness and tinnitus, dizziness , eye problems,
- Skin: dry and puffy, especially under the eyes,
- hair: fallout, loss of eyelashes and eyebrows,
- nail: angry and friable,
- menstrual disorders, severe, pre menstrual syndrome (PMS) , sometimes absence of menstruation,
- obsessive disorder,
- borderline syndrome,
- ADHD, ADD, AD/HD, autism, hyperactive,
- verminderde libido , onvruchtbaarheid,
- fibromyalgia: muscle and joint complaints (pain, especially stiffness in the morning, rheumatic complaints, difficulty relaxing muscles),
- hart- en bloedvaten: hartkloppingen, vochtophopingen, blauwe plekken, bij veel patiënten langzame hartslag,
- allergieën, eczeem,
- arthrosis (like) complaints, arthritis complaints,
- infertility/miscarriages, miscarriages,
- carpaal tunnel syndroom (beter bekend als RSI, de muisarm),
- kortademigheid, astma achtige klachten,
- hese, krakende stem,
- quick bruising,
- hair loss,
- Eye complaints: dry eyes, feeling as if sand is in them. Sometimes exophthalmus and
- blood: elevated cholesterol and homocysteine levels, anemia.
