Hashimoto's Disease- How it affects the thyroid gland!

Hashimoto's Disease Overview

Hashimoto's thyroiditis, or Hashimoto's disease, is a disorder that affects the thyroid gland. Hashimoto's thyroiditis is also known as chronic autoimmune thyroiditis and chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis.

The name Hashimoto's thyroiditis comes from the pathologist who in 1912 first described the microscopic features of the disease. Hashimoto's disease is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in iodine-sufficient areas throughout the world such as the United States. In general, there is a gradual loss of thyroid function, often accompanied by enlargement of the thyroid gland, also known as a goiter. Hashimoto's disease is most common in middle-aged women and tends to run in families.

As a brief background, the thyroid is responsible for producing hormones that exert control over and participate in a number of metabolic functions such as temperature and heart rate regulation, and metabolism.

Picture of the Thyroid Gland

Hashimoto's Disease Causes

The cause of Hashimoto's is thought to be a combination of a genetic predisposition along with an environmental trigger that starts the process of autoimmune destruction. What the trigger actually is remains unknown. Additional factors, including heredity, gender, and age, also play a role in developing this disorder.

Normally, the immune system acts to protect against viruses, bacteria, and foreign substances (antigens) that invade the body. In conditions of autoimmune disease, the immune system mistakenly attacks parts of the body itself. In the case of Hashimoto's disease, the immune system attacks the thyroid gland. Theautoimmune process causes inflammation of the thyroid gland (thyroiditis), resulting in an impaired ability of the thyroid gland to produce hormones, leading to hypothyroidism. The pituitary gland responds by increasing TSH and attempting to stimulate the thyroid gland to produce more thyroid hormones. This can cause growth of the gland, or a goiter.

Hashimoto's Disease Symptoms and Signs

The signs and symptoms of Hashimoto's disease are the same as those of hypothyroidism. The disease is slow to progress, and it may take years for true hypothyroidism to develop.

The signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism vary widely, depending on the severity of hormone deficiency. Some of the complaints experienced by those with hypothyroidism include:

• fatigue,
  
• mental fogginess and forgetfulness,
  
• feeling excessively cold,
  
• constipation,
  
• dry skin,
  
• fluid retention,
  
• non-specific aches and stiffness in muscles and joints,
  
• excessive or prolonged menstrual bleeding(menorrhagia), and
  
• depression

These signs and symptoms can increase in severity as the condition worsens.

Complications of Hashimoto's disease

The complications of Hashimoto's disease are the same as those of an underactive thyroid gland. The complications may be local and related to the structural changes in the gland or systemic (body-wide) and related to the decrease in hormone production.

Local complications

Goiter: As described above, the pituitary will try to stimulate production of thyroid hormone in an underactive thyroid gland affected by Hashimoto's disease. This may cause the gland to become enlarged. Unlike a thyroid nodule, in which only a part of the gland is enlarged, in this case the entire gland enlarges- a condition called goiter. Goiterous glands are usually no more than a cosmetic nuisance. However, in extreme cases, growth of the gland may cause impingement on the esophagus or the trachea, impairing swallowing and breathing, respectively.

Systemic complications

Cardiac: Prolonged hypothyroidism that may result from untreated Hashimoto's disease also may be associated with an increased risk of heart disease. The heart disease may be directly related to hypothyroid effects on the heart, causing changes in contraction and rhythm that may lead to subsequent heart failure. There may also be indirect influences, such as hypercholesterolemia (an increase in "bad" cholesterol is often seen with hypothyroidism).

Psychiatric: Depression may occur early in Hashimoto's disease and if underlying depression exists, the addition of Hashimoto's may worsen the condition. Patients may complain of mental fogginess or slowing of reaction times, and a decrease in sexual desire is often observed.

In its severest form, hypothyroidism may result in a rare life-threatening condition called myxedema or myxedema coma. There is mental slowing, profound lethargy, and ultimately coma. This is a life-threatening emergency.

It is important to remember that during states of hypothyroidism, the metabolism of drugs slows down. Thus, a very small dose of a sedative may have profound results. Unintentional overdosing becomes a very real possibility.

Hashimoto's Disease and Pregnancy

Babies born to women who have uncontrolled hypothyroidism during their pregnancy may have a greater risk of birth defects than babies born to mothers with normal thyroid function. There may be a direct link with congenital defects such as cleft palate and certain brain and kidney anomalies. Data suggests that over the long term, these children may also have a higher likelihood of intellectual and developmental problems. Intervening early in pregnancy with thyroid hormone replacement may have significant benefits. Interestingly, there is also recent data to suggest that the presence of thyroid autoantibodies, such as those seen in Hashimoto's disease, may reduce the chance of conception.

Hashimoto's Disease Diagnosis

Most people are diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease after presenting to their physician with typical symptoms of hypothyroidism noted above. Some patients are diagnosed without symptoms on a routine screen, and others are diagnosed after a family member is found to have the disease and concern is raised.

The diagnosis is made based on the results of blood tests that measure levels of thyroid hormone and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). These blood tests confirm hypothyroidism, but the addition of positive autoantibody tests further points to Hashimoto's disease as the underlying cause. Antibodies can be measured in the blood, and the presence of antibodies against thyroid peroxidase (TPO) is usually seen in Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Hashimoto's Disease Treatment

If there is no evidence of hormone deficiency and only antibodies tests are positive, the use of medications is one that must be discussed in detail by the patient and doctor. Other medical conditions, patient preference, and the presence of symptoms are all taken into consideration.

Bleeding in Pregnancy ? Is it dangerous?

Bleeding During Pregnancy – Causes of Bleeding During Pregnancy

Bleeding during pregnancy can be a very scary time for a pregnant woman, however its important to know that blood loss doesn’t always mean you could be experiencing a miscarriage.

Bleeding during pregnancy is more common than you might think. Approximately 20-25% of women experience bleeding during pregnancy – thats 1 in 4 or 5 women. Around half of those women will continue on to have a healthy baby and the other half will miscarry. The most likely time bleeding occurs is in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Some women may have a once-off bleed, others may bleed throughout their whole pregnancy. This may be in the form of spotting, streaking, period-like blood loss or more.

If I am Bleeding During Pregnancy Do I Need To Tell My Doctor Or Midwife?

All bleeding should be reported to your doctor or midwife. Any passage of blood from the vagina of a pregnant women before 24 weeks will be termed a ‘threatened miscarriage’.  After 24 weeks its termed an ‘ante-partum haemorrhage’.

You especially need to see a doctor or midwife within 72 hours of any bleeding if you have a rhesus negative blood group (e.g. O-, A-), to see if there has been a possible mixing of yours and your baby’s blood. This results in the rhesus negative body producing antibodies against positive blood (which is the more dominant, likely blood group that your baby will inherit – but of course it’s unknown until birth). It doesn’t have any bearing on your first pregnancy, but in subsequent pregnancies, antibodies will attack what it thinks is foreign matter. See our article, Rhesus Negative Blood Groups In Pregnancy for more information.

Below is an explanation of some of the more common reasons for bleeding during pregnancy, and as you will read, its not always sinister. If the bleeding is accompanied by strong cramping, speak to your doctor or midwife asap. Some mild cramping/stretching sensations can be experienced in a healthy pregnancy though.

Bleeding During Pregnancy – Possible Cause #1: Implantation Bleeding or Streaking

When a fertilised egg attaches to the uterine lining, this can result in light spotting or streaking (streaks of blood). Usually this only lasts a day or two and occurs during the time between implantation no longer than when your period was due (some women mistakenly think they have just had a light period). Implantation bleeding is usually bright fresh blood like that which you would expect to see if you cut your finger. It can also be in the form of a pink mucus stain. However do mention it to your carer for safe measure.

Bleeding During Pregnancy – Possible Cause #2: Breakthrough Bleeding

Some women experience what is known as ‘breakthrough bleeding’ at the times when your period would have normally been due. So this would be at 4, 8 and 12 weeks of pregnancy. It is often accompanied by the feeling that you would normally associate with your period being imminent i.e. back ache, cramps, a heavy sensation in your pelvis, feeling bloated and ‘off’. Of course the period doesn’t arrive (even though you feel like it will) because you are actually pregnant! During pregnancy, hormones prevent your period from occurring. Sometimes the hormone levels are not yet high enough to stop your period and therefore you have this breakthrough bleeding. It can last for around three months – after this time the placenta begins to take over hormone production from your ovaries. Some women may experience breakthrough bleeding throughout the whole pregnancy and have healthy babies, under the close watch of their carer.

Bleeding During Pregnancy – Possible Cause #3: Threatened or Actual Miscarriage

Studies indicate that around one third of pregnancies end in miscarriage (the medical term is spontaneous abortion) but don’t despair – these figures refer to the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, including very early miscarriages that occur before you even realise that you are pregnant. Often this is a result of a damaged or imperfect fetus – your body may reject a pregnancy that it knows will not be normal.

Once you have reached the 14-16 week mark you can be fairly sure that your pregnancy is safe. It’s probably not such a bad idea to refrain from telling the world you are pregnant until you get to the 12 week mark for this reason. Although you might be busting to share your wonderful news, it can be very distressing to have to tell the world again if you lose the pregnancy. Sometimes sympathy is comforting but sometimes it can be overwhelming when you are grieving for lost dreams.

Common signs of miscarriage include bleeding (being most common), cramping, backache and stomach pains. Women commonly say that they no longer ‘feel pregnant’ when they have miscarried and are bleeding. The signs of pregnancy disappear, no more nausea, sore breasts of bloated tummy. If you are bleeding and feel like this then chances are that you have lost the fetus. If you are bleeding but still feel pregnant then the chances are very good that the bleeding is just a scare and the little one is hanging on in there. An ultrasound will usually be reassuringly normal.

It is possible to miscarry without any bleeding, which is known as a ‘missed abortion’. The fetus dies but is retained by your body. The signs of pregnancy would definitely have disappeared if this happens but the absence of a heartbeat would only be detected on ultrasound. You may need a curette to clear out the uterus.

Bleeding During Pregnancy – Possible Cause #4: Bleeding After Sex

Bleeding after intercourse/sex is one of the most common causes of vaginal blood loss. This is completely harmless and is caused by increased blood supply and softening of the cervix. Although this form of bleeding is not serious, you should always report this to your carer. Be prepared when you phone the maternity ward for the very personal question, “Have you recently had sex?” It’s a bit embarrassing but a common reason for bleeding, so it’s the first question midwives ask women who phone with vaginal bleeding. You do not need to cease love-making but you may need to reassure your partner that he’s not hurt the baby, who is safely protected in your uterus, well above the vagina.

Bleeding During Pregnancy – Possible Cause #5: Ectopic Pregnancy

An ectopic pregnancy occurs when your fertilised egg implants itself outside of the uterus, usually in a fallopian tube. You may experience severe pain down one side of your abdomen, or generalised pain which doubles you over, you may feel faint and nauseous. The pain may suddenly disappear if the tube ruptures but it will return within hours/days and you will feel really unwell.

This is an emergency situation as an ectopic pregnancy can rupture the fallopian tube causing internal bleeding, damage to the tube and maternal collapse. Your fallopian tube may need to be removed along with the pregnancy but this does not mean you will have trouble conceiving in future provided your other ovary and fallopian tube are healthy.

The next question you will be asked if you phone to report a ‘bleed’ is “Have you had a scan, and was the placenta situated nomally?”

Bleeding During Pregnancy – Possible Cause #6: Bleeding From The Placenta

Painless vaginal bleeding can be from an abnormally placed placenta. Sometimes the placenta implants itself very low down on the uterine wall, occasionally right over the cervical canal. This is called placenta praevia and it occurs in about two percent of women. Placenta praevia will inevitably result in a bleed at some point in your pregnancy, usually after the 20 week period. There are differing degrees of severity of this condition but all will require repeat ultrasounds to accurately diagnose it. This condition may require bed rest, an induction or a Caesarean if it remains over the cervix in the remaining weeks of pregnancy to prevent your baby being put at risk.

Another cause of bleeding later in pregnancy is placental abruption (which occurs in approximately one in 200 pregnancies) where the placenta partially or completely separates from the wall of the uterus. Symptoms can include generalised severe pain and heavy bleeding. The blood may be seen by you or concealed in the uterus which will be tense, tight, hard to touch and very painful. If you smoke, have high blood pressure, kidney problems or pre-eclampsia, you are more at risk. It requires urgent admission to hospital and depending on the severity of the bleeding, you may either be put on bed rest, be induced or have a Caesarean. 

What Should I Do If I Experience Bleeding In Pregnancy?

If you are over 20 weeks of pregnancy, seek medical advice immediately.

Do not use tampons if you are bleeding or anytime during pregnancy, always use pads. If the bleeding is light and you have no pain, in the first instance, contact your midwife or obstetrician to discuss the next step.

Once you’ve had it checked out by a medical professional, you could also seek out an experienced acupuncturist who is a specialist in fertility/pre-natal care, as there are some points they can work on to help you with bleeding and energy in that area. Acupuncturists work with patients who have had recurrent or threatened miscarriage – so might be worth a try – it is a safe, natural and healthy option.

If the bleeding is heavy (i.e. running out and you are passing clots) and the bleeding is accompanied with stomach cramps, backache and period type pains, contact your hospital immediately. While this is understandably an upsetting time, try to remain as calm as you can – remind yourself that bleeding can occur in pregnancy. Know that it is your blood, not the babies blood that you are seeing and that it is quite possible to continue on with a healthy pregnancy.

Don’t be surprised if the advice you receive for early bleeding (before 12 weeks) is to just watch and wait. Unfortunately, nothing will prevent a miscarriage from occurring. Whilst it is very disappointing and upsetting, there is nothing you can do to prevent it happening.

You are not responsible for a miscarriage happening, you would not have done anything to cause it. These things will make you feel better but cannot prevent a miscarriage from happening:

• Bedrest
• Panadol/Panadiene/Naprogesic for the cramps
• Hot water bottle for your tummy
• Tea and support from your partner

You may pass the developing fetus and tissue whereby the bleeding will then cease. Should you continue to bleed you will need an anaesthetic and a curette to ‘clean out’ your uterus.

However, remember that the majority of bleeding in early pregnancy settles spontaneously and the pregnancy continues unharmed.

Source: bellebelly.com

What type of blood can u get?

Here is a table that shows what type of blood can each blood type recieve.

For example everyone can recieve 0 negative.
That is why it is in such high demand on Emergency Rooms (ERs).
Ideally eveyone should get blood that matches their blood type!

All types of Eye color!!

Genetics of Eye Color
When it comes down to it your genetics ultimately influences your eye color. While most people consider the basic eye colors to be brown, blue, hazel and green, there are actually many variants. These include:

• Brown Eyes - The most common eye color in the world. Brown eyes range from light brown or honey to almost black. Light brown (or amber) eyes are common in many ethnicities including among Africans, Asians and Caucasians. Genetically brown appears to be more dominant than other eye colors, hence its prevalence.
• Black Eyes - People with very dark colored irises appear to have black eyes. This is more common among Native Americans, Africans and Asians.
• Hazel Eyes - This color combination is a mix of green and brown eyes. Hazel eyes are most common in people of European descent.
• Blue Eyes - Blue eyes are quite rare and are becoming less common. A few generations ago 30% of those born had blue eyes; now that number has decreased to about one in six. This eye color is often found among people of European descent. It is believed that every person with blue eyes shares one common ancestor. Many consider vibrant blue eyes among the more desirable qualities.
• Grey Eyes - Grey eyes are a variant of blue eyes, only much lighter. Grey eyes often include a combination of other tints including light blue or greenish. Still others may have a copper or honey colored ring surrounding the pupil of their eyes. This is a relatively uncommon eye color.
• Green Eyes - Green eyes are among the most rare eye color; only about 2% of people possess green eyes. They are typically found among people with Germanic or Slavic origins. Although green eyes are rare throughout the world, in some countries they are very common. It is said that 80% of people in Iceland have green or blue eyes. Green eyes are much more common in women than in men.
• Violet Eyes - Violet eyes are much less common than green eyes. Many believe violet eyes result when there is not enough pigment in the eye to color the blood vessels so they shine through causing a violet like color.
• Red Eyes - This commonly occurs in people who have a condition called albinism and results when the eye lacks any pigment.

Calculate your children's eye color!

What Color Eyes will your Children Have?

Eye color calculator!!!

http://genetics.thetech.org/online-exhibits/what-color-eyes-will-your-children-have

Eye Color Inheritance!!!

Eye Color Inheritance

Could Eye Color be a Clue To Paternity?

Could you tell if your baby was yours just by looking into their eyes? Maybe. At least, that is what researchers are saying.
A new study conducted by the University of Tromso suggests a child's eye color may reveal their paternity. The human eye, according to the study, reflects a predictable genetic pattern that demonstrates how traits are inherited. The studies, to be published in the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, find that blue-eyed men typically find similarly colored women more attractive than their darker counterparts.
This may be due to an unconscious adaptation men have to detect paternity, related to eye color. What this means is blue-eyed men prefer mating with blue-eyed women because they will produce blue-eyed offspring... which are clearly identifiable as one's own child. A blue-eyed male who mates with a blue-eyed female and has a brown-eyed child may raise a few eyebrows.
This new study confirmed that even today, modern blue-eyed men have a distinct preference for blue-eyed women, even when all other factors are held constant (like the attractiveness of the girl).

Typically geneticists have broken down eye color into the following patterns of inheritance:
1. If both parents are blue eyed then all children are likely to have blue eyes.
2. If both parents have darker eyes, and blue eyes run in their families, then roughly ¼ of the children will have blue eyes and the rest brown.

Typically brown eyes represent a dominate allele thus are more common than blue eyes, which represent a recessive trait. If a child is born with brown eyes and both the mother and the father have blue eyes, then one might conclude the child does not belong to the biological father.

Source: www.eyedoctorguide.com/eye_general/

5 Reasons Not to Use a Baby Walker

Baby walkers are incredibly popular toys, and at least half of parents use baby walkers at one time or another with their children. However, a toy's popularity is not indicative of its safety, and baby walkers pose several risks to babies, both in terms of injury and intellectual and motor development. Baby walkers have been banned in Canada, and the American Academy of Pediatrics wants them banned in the United States. Here are five reasons your baby should not use a walker:
It Interferes With Normal Development
Many parents get their baby a walker hoping that it will help their baby gain better muscle control and keep their baby's mind occupied. The truth is that a walker can actually delay walking because it does not encourage improved strength and muscle control. Walkers, though fun, make it too easy for a baby to move around, which can cripple a baby's natural curiosity and desire to develop his walking skills. Further, a walker prevents your child from crawling and reaching for things, and exploring his environment in the way that comes naturally to him, which can impede intellectual and psychological development.
They Weaken the Legs Walkers don't help babies learn to walk because they strengthen the wrong muscles. Walking requires strong upper legs and a strong back, but walkers strengthen the lower legs and actually weaken the back and lower legs. This means that when your child finally does start walking, she may not be as coordinated and may not have very strong muscles, which of course can lead to injury. Further, there is strong evidence that muscle conditioning very early in life can determine a person's strength for the rest of their life, so allowing a baby to engage in an activity that weakens a group of muscles may have long lasting consequences.
Problems With Head Control Many parents will consider placing a child as young as 4 or 5 months old in a walker. Though these children have gained relatively strong head control, they cannot hold themselves in an upright position reliably, which means a walker can lead to head and neck injuries.
Head Injuries Even if your child is old enough to have the strong muscle control required by a walker, walkers provide your child with access to areas she would not otherwise have access to. Many children have backed up into bookshelves or sharp tables in their walkers. Walkers also have a tendency to get stuck in things and tip over, and your baby's walker can even pull something like a bookshelf over on top of your baby. Estimates are that about 20,000 children each year go to the emergency room due to head injuries caused by walkers. Even if you think you're watching your baby carefully, it only takes a split second for a blow to the head to be catastrophic, and the risk is simply not worth it.
The Risk of Falling Pediatricians began to become concerned about walkers when children started falling down stairs and stoops in them. This is the most obvious and glaring risk of walkers, but even parents who don't have stairs are still subjecting their babies to risks of falls when they put them in a walker. Babies can fall out of the walker when reaching for something. Though a walker may not seem very high, falling out of one or tipping over can be catastrophic.
Though babies may love walkers, the risk to babies of being in a walker is simply too great. Safer alternatives include exersaucers and jumpers, though these still require close supervision. Alternatives to walkers can be just as fun; don't risk your baby's safety and well-being for a few moments to yourself!
Sources:
http://www.babyzone.com/shopping/gear_furniture/article/baby-walkers-pg2
http://www.drgreene.com/qa/baby-walkers
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/babies-kids/baby-toddler/play-and-activity/walkers/baby-walkers-1105/overview/