Why We Need to Know Thyroid Disorder : Signs, Symptoms, Causes, Treatments

The thyroid gland is commonly called simply as thyroid. It is an endocrine gland

Thyroid Dysfunction is very common. About 5 to 6 % are said to be affected by this disorder. However a large portions of affected people are don't even aware that they have thyroid disorders. Some symptoms of thyroid disorders are also misunderstood by patients and they try to treat the symptoms in other means without going through Thyroid Function Tests. Although it is common but if left untreated it can cause severe damage to our heart and definitely to women looking ahead to motherhood.

Overview of Thyroid Gland

The thyroid gland is commonly called simply as thyroid. It is an endocrine gland. Small two inches butterfly shaped gland located at the back of throat and in front of windpipe called Trachea, just below the voice box (larynx) . It is quite powerful like pump house. It secretes hormones which runs freely in bloodstreams. It regulates the major functions of  the body like metabolism which is the main function of getting energy from food intake, making proteins, maintaining body temperature, heart rate and controlling the body's sensitivity with respect to other hormones. It extracts iodine from blood and incorporates into thyroid hormones.

Thyroid Hormones

Thyroid Gland produces two major hormones namely

• T3 - triodothyronine. It contains 3 atoms of iodine per molecule, so it is named as T3

• T4 - thyroxin or tetraiodothyronine. It contains 4 atoms of iodine per molecule

And two other are called peptide hormone and calcitonin 

Pituitary Gland produces Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) which controls and monitors the amount of T3 and T4 produced and released by thyroid gland.

Common Thyroid Disorders

The following are the specific kind of disorders commonly found in patients

Hyperthyroidism -

Overactive gland results excessive production of thyroid hormone. It affects 1 to 2 percent of women. It is less common in men. Free T4 is more than its range value. It shows symptoms like

• Fast Heart Rate

• Anxiety and Depression

• Weight loss

• Irritability

• Cognitive Slowing

• Excessive Sweating

• Disruptive Sleep Pattern

• Irregular Menstrual Cycle

• Brittle Hairs and Nails

Hypothyroidism -

Under production of the thyroid glands just opposite of Hyperthyroidism which results lack of T3 and T4 levels in blood. It can develop from and within the thyroid gland , pituitary gland or hypothalamus. It has specific symptoms such as

• Excessive Weight Gain

• Fatigue

• Dry Skin

• Harsh Voice

• Irregular Menstrual Cycle

• Feeling Cold

• Joint and Muscle Ache

• Constipation

• Depression

• Fluid Retention

Hashimoto's Disease

It is also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. It is the most common cause of hypothyroidism. It can attack at any age however it's most common in middle-aged women. Hashitomo's disease occurs when body's immune system mistakenly destroy the thyroid gland and its ability to produce hormone.

For some cases the symptoms are subtle and the disease can remain stable for years without further damage. These symptoms are not very specific other than hypo and hyper thyroidism. Symptoms are

• Depression

• Constipation

• Fatigue

• Mild Weight Gain

• Dry Skin

• Dry Thinning Hair

• Pale, Puffy face

• Heavy and Irregular Menstruation

• Enlarged Thyroid

• Intolerance to Cold 

     

Goiter

It is seen as a bulge in the neck. 

A Goiter is simply described as enlargement of thyroid gland, regardless of cause. It is benign in nature. Iodine deficiency is the most common cause of goiter. However other causes may be associated with hypothyroidism , hyperthyroidism or normal thyroid function.

It can affect at any age and women are more vulnerable to goiter. Other risk factors include family medical history, medicinal side-effect, pregnancy and radiation exposure.

Initially goiter does not show any major symptoms but when it grows enough then it may cause the  following symptoms :

• Swelling and tightness in the neck

• Difficulties in Breathing

• Coughing and Wheezing

• Hoarseness of Voice    

Thyroid nodules

Nodules are lumps in and on thyroid gland. The causes are not clearly known but it is understood iodine deficiency and Hashitomo's disease are one of the possibilities.. The nodules can be solid or fluid filled. 

Most of the nodules are benign but sometimes it can be malignant. Mostly these do not show any symptoms but varies with the sizes.

Some nodules produce thyroid hormone, causing abnormality like Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism symptoms.

     

Grave's disease

It is an autoimmune disorder which causes problem to thyroid gland. This can hamper normal function of thyroid gland and produces extra hormone which eventually affect total metabolism of the body.

This disease is hereditary and may develop at any age. Women are more affected than men. Stress. pregnancy and smoking are known factors to the disease.

The symptoms are common to hyperthyroidism.

Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid cancers are far more common among women than men. There are different types of thyroid cancer depending upon the nature of developed cells. Most cases of thyroid cancer have high survival rates. However early detection is the key like all cases of cancer.

Thyroid Hormone Tests

It is mainly blood tests that include

• Total Thyroxine (T4)

• Free Thyroxine FTI or FT4)

• Triiodothyronine (T3)

• TSH 

Conditions if Thyroid Disorder is left untreated

When any condition of the thyroid is ignored, the effect is seen on the other organs. The hormone is flowing free in the blood and travels to all part of the body and hence can impact various organs. Therefore normal life can get affected severely.

It is also commonly seen that a large number of affected people do not go for thyroid treatment. Based on the symptoms they prefer alternative treatment , naturopathy, some yoga etc. But it is also required expertise and proper monitoring system to eliminate the disorders.

Untreated Thyroid Disorder could lead to the above symptoms noted under various disorders and the following are in addition to those

For Hyperthyroidism

• Hypertension

• Sudden cardiac arrest

• Arthythmia (abnormal heartbeat)

• Cardiac Dilatation

• Pregnancy Problems such as miscarriage, preterm birth, preeclampsia ( high blood pressure during pregnancy), fetal thyroid dysfunction and poor fetal growth.

For Hypothyroidism

• Developing Goiter

• Atherosclerosis leading to conditions like stroke

• Increase in cholesterol level

• Problems of infertility

• Weakness

• Malaise

      

If diagnosed with thyroid dysfunction

If diagnosed with Hyper/Hypothyroidism person need to consult an endocrinologist who shall be putting the patient on medicines to bring the thyroid levels back to normal. There is no alternative to this so far.

In addition to above some modification of lifestyle will help to faster recovery like

• Regular check up and consultation with the doctor

• Drink adequate water to flush out the toxin

• Exercise regularly (guided)

• Increase Fiber intake

• Take green tea 
• Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol

 

Final Thought

Having Thyroid dysfunction is very common and treatable condition. But if left untreated can cause severe ailment  and hamper day-to-day activities. Consult with doctor and get tested once in every year to check any thyroid dysfunction . Changed and controlled lifestyle can eliminate symptoms and help faster recovery. 

 

How I-O Psychology can bring Positive Environment in WorkPlace

I-O psychology mainly focuses on increasing overall productivity and related issues like work-life balance, physical and mental well-being of the employees.
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I-O Psychology is the branch of psychology that applies psychological theories and principles to organizations. The full form is Industrial-Organizational Psychology. This field performs a wide variety of tasks including studying workers attitudes and behavior,  evaluating companies overall performance and conducting leadership training. While doing so I-O psychology mainly focuses on increasing overall productivity and related issues like work-life balance, physical and mental well-being of the employees. Primarily the goal of this field is to study and understand human behavior in the workplace.

Two Basic Approaches of I-O Psychology

It has two major approaches, but both aimed towards organizational goal, First it is industrial approach, which constitutes suitability of individuals for a specific job, that is why this approach sometimes is called as personnel psychology.
This approach assess employee characteristics and match those individuals to the work areas where they are likely to perform well. In this course, some fundamental calls are taken like training needs, developing job performance standards and measuring job performance.
Second is organizational approach of psychology which is concern about how organizations affect individual behavior.

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The following factors

• Organizational Structures

• Social Norms

• Management Styles

• Role Expectations

can influence how people behave within an organization.

Working and understanding those factors, I-O Psychologists chalk out options to improve individual performance and health which ultimately benefit the organizations as a whole.

Industrial-Organizational Psychology basically is an applied field, however basic theoretical research is the key component area to decide the road ahead. It is rooted in experimental psychology and offers vast range of activity areas.

Need and Prevailing State of Psychology 

It is critical to the development of such technological innovations as self driving cars and smart devices.
Psychologists are playing critical roles in addressing how poverty and other environment factors influence people health and overall well-beings.
 
Arthur C Evans Jr. Says

Psychology touches almost every aspect of people's lives, yet many people are not aware of the breath and depth of its application and influence.

He hopes people will soon understand the science and practice of psychology are revolutionizing the world around us.    
Already human are facing the threat of partial-automation threat. facing robots in different areas of life and emerging virtual space of Block Chain and Artificial Intelligence (AI) It is now become necessary to measure how a worker's brain becomes fatigued during different types of work and adapt the amount of automation involved depending on the worker's attention level and cognitive state.  

In workplaces, psychologists are documenting the financial losses companies suffer when they fail to provide work environments that offer psychological comfort and safety. Maureen Dollard, PhD, a professor of work and organizational psychology at the University of South Australia's Asia Pacific Centre for Work, Health and Safety, says

We have been trying to use this economic argument to show organizations that if they really are interested in productivity, they are going about it the wrong way, because if you don't care for your workers, they will burn out.

Positive Psychology in the Work Environment

         
How are we placed in the workplace? It is a primordial question when we think quietly. we get almost confused and sometimes surprised.

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We basically want to work in positive and engaging environment. Positive emotions guarantee numerous benefits like well-being, greater quality work-life balance, good health and more and reduces anger, depression, anxiety worry etc. Certainly this environment provides sustainable workforce to the organization which in turn make the organization a most preferred work-place in the job market.
Ellen Ernst Kossek, a Social Scientist and Organizational Psychologist describes a sustainable workforce as

one whose employees have the positive energy, capabilities, vitality and resources to meet current and future organizational performance demands while sustaining their economic and mental health on and off the job

In today's world we although see there are are many who do not bother about work-life balance, but the truth is that employers that ignore employees' work-life imbalance may experience higher rate of absenteeism and turnover, decreased productivity and also bad industrial relations and unionism overtime. It's fact that employees those feel well taken care of by their employer are more committed and more likely to go beyond the call of duty and support other employees. Employee work-life balance is the long-term interest of the organization.

Positive Psychology

It is based on science and often uses scientific method to make analysis. It is just considering the flip side of traditional psychology (figuring out causes of our depressions, worries etc.) and focusing on positive attributes (what makes us feel pleasure, positive thinking, happiness).
Study, research and applications of unpleasant symptoms and pleasing symptoms goes hand in hand to help those are suffering from a mental illness. There are many benefits of positive psychology in workplace. Some of them are

Compliments Traditional Psychology

Once the negative symptoms have been addressed, redirecting our attention to the positives in our life will allow us to feel the hope of a better future.       

Encourages Commitment to Health

The goals of this technique is to help people feel they have a greater purpose. Positive Psychology teaches people how to cope and deal with adversity, be productive and build positive relationship with others.
Positive Psychology when applied alongside traditional therapy, strives to help a person get committed to improving his/her situation through various goals.

Focuses on Personal Strength

Positive Psychology deals with and designed to show a person he/she has strengths as well as weaknesses. Then by recognizing their own strength and build upon them, a person can eliminate his/her weaknesses and becomes more confident, has more energy and enthusiasm for life and become more resilient.

Focuses on Relationships

People with highest degree of happiness also have strong and positive relationship with family and friends.
How we communicate with others is important. Responding in a positive, yet still truthful, a way can benefit a person and with whom he/she communicates.
Shelly Gable, associate professor of psychology at the University of California Santa-Barbara says

Reacting in a positive way not only reinforces bonds, but it also shows that person that in negative times you'll be there

Positive reactions also magnify the uplifting effects of good news for the partner who's doing the sharing, she notes. A negative or semi-positive response to a good news, however, can undercut all the benefits derived from disclosing in the first place, such as fostering trust, intimacy and satisfaction with relationship, she says.
Too often today, people communicate poorly with one another. Learning to properly build relationship through verbal and even body language can enhance our overall well-being.

Improves the Workplace

There are many ways to implement positive psychology in workplace. Learning how to have better outlook about work can increase enjoyment. Giving the employees a new perspective can improve how they respond to customers also.
For instance, looking at challenges as opportunities of growth versus just an unpleasant experience.

Positive Psychology can make employees feel valued as if they are a priority over their duties. When people feel appreciated and valued, they perform better. When they feel important, they make efforts to increase success within the organization.

Improves the Community

Communities, just like individuals, have a collective physical and mental health.   

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The overall well-being of a community needs to be cared for or influenced positively. It is important to know what makes communities flourish and become resilient.       
Positive Psychology helps and can teach community members to bond together both in good and bad times. This means the group can avoid internal divisions.

Eliminates Failure

Positive Psychology does not mean undesirable things will not happen in our life. It is part of our life. But by changing how we look at failure and giving it less power in life, we can feel confident in facing obstacles that arise.
We can start to see failure as a way to learn and become better, rather than view it as part of our identity. Failure is just another way to become stronger.
Positive psychology helps to achieve our goals. It provides a new way to look at roadblocks and enthusiasm to be persistent even when those roadblocks seem insurmountable.
 

Work-Life Balance

Work-Life Balance is an important factor because it affects individuals, families, communities and as well as organizations.

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We need time and energy to participate in family life, community activities and democracy. It requires time and effort outside of our official undertakings. These activities help us rejuvenate. Some activities also require to be in a civil society.
Then how are we placed in our work-life balance?!    
Basically there is no formula that can calculate individuals work-life balance. To understand work-life balance we need to know our personal values. Again to understand personal values we need to think about priorities. Talking about priorities helps us understand the meaning of values, then we can know what activities or efforts to privilege over others.
BusinessDictionary notes

values are important and lasting beliefs

that are essential to the way we live and work. Know what we value and we will already be a long way forward analyzing our time and energy so as to achieve an appropriate, sustainable and fulfilling work-life balance.
BusinessDictionary has tried to define Work-Life Balance as

A comfortable state of equilibrium achieved between an employee's primary priorities of their employment position and their private lifestyle. Most psychologists would agree that the demands of an employee's career should not overwhelm the individual's ability to enjoy a satisfying personal life outside of the business environment.

Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/work-life-balance.html

A comfortable state of equilibrium achieved between an employee's primary priorities of their employment position and their private lifestyle. Most psychologists would agree that the demands of an employee's career should not overwhelm the individual's ability to enjoy a satisfying personal life outside of the business environment.

Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/work-life-balance.html

A comfortable state of equilibrium achieved between an employee's primary priorities of their employment position and their private lifestyle. Most psychologists would agree that the demands of an employee's career should not overwhelm the individual's ability to enjoy a satisfying personal life outside the business environment.

In the modern world, work and lifestyle are increasingly becoming inseparable. Nevertheless, we must find a way to devote sufficient time to the lifestyle side of the equation so that whatever individual balance works for us is sustainable in the long run.   

Burned-Out Symptoms

In her classic article Rebecca Muller, Content Fellow at Thrive Global, published on June 18, 2018, tells the story of Psychotherapist Dina Glouberman who was at pick of her career at age 44, when her mind grounded to a sudden halt and she became bed ridden. It took her seven years to recover from the state of burnout.

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Workplaces that support employee well-being and allow time for employee recovery are part of a creating sustainable workforce where employees don't become burned-out and ineffective. In contrast to engaged employees who display on-the-job energy, involvement, commitment and a sense of efficacy. Burned-out employees are

• exhausted - often physically, mentally and emotionally

• cynical - have negative attitudes about the job, management and coworkers

• lack of efficacy - don't feel like their job and their efforts matter

Burnout has a number of workplace causes, including work overload - unsustainable workloads with no opportunities for recovery. Other sources include lacking control of individuals work or workplace, unresolved workplace conflicts and perceptions of unfair workload, pay or evaluations. In most cases managers and other authorities have at least some power to prevent employee burnout by addressing these sources.

Final Thought

I-O Psychologists play vital and important role to identify the causes of distress and suggest application of models that suits the organization and employees as a whole. They help to put the ideas into practice to foster positivity and improve

• Performance

• Motivation

• Engagement

• Conflict Resolution Skills

• Original Thinking

Professor Martin Seligman of University of Pennsylvania has developed an evidence based model for the active ingredients of well-being known as  PERMA.
PERMA stands for Positive emotions, Engagements, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishment.

This idea is largely followed in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. However according to situations and environment I-O Psychologists may suggest different approaches.
 

TED Talk on Positive Psychology by Martin Seligman 

Whilst these strategies and ideas may sound like common sense in many ways they are too rarely acknowledged and practiced  in today's workplaces.

By offering positivity, engagement, connection, MEANING and accomplishment we can create an inspired and motivated workforce that are not only happy to be at work but are excited to contribute to the company at large.

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As Shawn Achor says

The better your brain is at using its energy to focus on the positives, the greater is your chances at success.