If you've been feeling off lately with your health and cannot pinpoint exactly what is going on, a visit to your doctor for a blood test could reveal the problem you are experiencing. One thing a blood test checks is your thyroid function, and your thyroid levels might reveal that you could have a condition called Hashimoto's disease. Here are two things you should know about this condition.

symptoms

Hashimoto's disease is an autoimmune disorder, which means that it directly targets and affects your body's immune system. Because of this, you may experience the following symptoms from Hashimoto's:

• Feeling tired all the time
• No motivation
• Skin problems, include itchiness, redness, scaling, and dryness
• Sudden weight gain or problems losing weight
• Aching in your muscles and joints
• Anxiety, depression, and sadness

Autoimmune disorders, including Hashimoto's, stop the body from fighting infections, invaders, and germs. As this happens, your body actually begins to attack itself and nothing is there to defend it. With Hashimoto's disease, your immune system will begin attacking your thyroid, and this is what causes all the symptoms listed above.

Treatment options

When your doctor completes a blood test and finds that your thyroid levels are off, he or she might send you to an immunology doctor for further evaluation and treatment. Immunology doctors specialize in all types of issues relating to the immune system, and this is the type of doctor that will help you find a treatment plan that works for you.

One of the most common ways to treat Hashimoto's is through medication. Because this condition prevents the thyroid from producing enough hormones, your doctor may suggest taking synthetic thyroid hormones.

In addition to medication, it is very likely that your immunology doctor may suggest going on a gluten-free diet. Studies continuously show a major correlation between Hashimoto's disease and gluten. To put it in simple terms, if you have Hashimoto's, your body will attack your thyroid every time you consume gluten. The more gluten you eat, the more attacking it will do. This will cause your symptoms to worsen, and they may never go away unless you stop consuming gluten.

In a lot of cases, people with Hashimoto's see a huge improvement with the way they feel as soon as they eliminate gluten out of their diets.

If you believe you might have Hashimoto's disease or any other type of autoimmune problem, talk to your doctor and find out if visiting an immunology doctor would be beneficial for you.