What are the causes of hypothyroidism?
A. Hypothyroidism results from the failure of sufficient thyroid hormone reaching the tissues to control metabolism, which it does by governing the passage of nutrients across the cell membrane and controlling the activity of the mitochondrion, which produces energy within the cell. This happens: 1. When the pituitary and/or hypothalamus fail to work as they should to control thyroid output, which is therefore reduced. 2. The processing failure of conversion of T4 into T3. 3. Uptake failure, where tissue receptors fail to respond adequately to thyroid hormone. 4. Where adrenal insufficiency adversely affects thyroid hormone processing and receptor uptake. 5. Primary thyroid failure due to a number of causes which may be genetic; due to environmental deficiencies or pollutants; glandular fever; major illness, surgery, or accidents; damage to the thyroid itself from injury or surgery; multiple or traumatic pregnancy. Probably the most common is autoimmune attack (as in Hashimoto’s diseas
