What Does A Thyroid Specialist Do? – Tasks and Responsibilities

Thyroid problems can be insidious, progressing slowly, in a way almost unnoticeable and creating symptoms that can be caused by problems at the level of several other organs – detecting these problems is one of the most important tasks of thyroid specialists, one of the answers to the question what does a thyroid specialist do? The thyroid gland being responsible for the secretion of hormones that govern the healthy functioning of many organs, its problems and dysfunctions can be very difficult to detect and people suffering from the effects of an overactive or underactive thyroid gland often seek help from practitioners specializing in fields of medicine other than endocrinology. While in many cases, thyroid problems are detected by primary care doctors, internists or general practitioners, thyroid specialists are the specialists to see if no other specialist is able to identify the cause of your symptoms.

What A Thyroid Specialist Does – More Details

Thyroid specialists, as well as holistic medicine experts, perform various interventions and consultation procedures to identify the type of the thyroid problem and the best treatment to follow:

• They perform consultations and diagnostic evaluations for patients seeking help with health issues that can be caused by a dysfunctional thyroid gland,
• They use diagnostic ultrasound and ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration to identify thyroid problems and to initiate treatment – both procedures can be performed only by certified specialists,
• They evaluate the patient’ lifestyle, including their diet and their living circumstances and they make recommendations related to the changes that can positively influence the patient’s condition,
• They perform various other interventions such as ablation for thyroid cysts,
• They perform treatment with radio frequency to treat benign nodules,
• They provide recommendations related to the diagnosis and the treatment of formations on the thyroid gland that might need treatment by doctors specializing in other fields of medicine,
• They provide monitoring for thyroid nodules that are too small for biopsy,
• They provide bioidentical hormone replacement therapy Denver
• They work together with other medical specialists, such as pathologists to determine whether a nodule or growth on the thyroid gland is benign or malign.

When to Seek Help from a Thyroid Specialist

The most common symptoms of a thyroid problem include, but are not limited to the following:

• Fatigue and weakness,
• Memory problems and concentration difficulties,
• An increased sensitivity to cold,
• Dry skin and brittle nails,
• Heavy, very painful or irregular menstrual periods that last longer than a week,
• Digestive problems – the thyroid gland is responsible for regulating the metabolism, therefore a dysfunction of the gland can cause diarrhea, constipation as well as bloating,
• Sudden, unjustified changes in body weight in either direction – both weight loss and weight gain can be caused by a dysfunctional thyroid gland,
• Elevated cholesterol levels that would not decrease with diet changes,
• Stiffness, pain and swelling of the joints,
• Excessive hair loss,
• Excessive sweating,
• Agitation, anxiety and depression,

Although most of the above symptoms cause a lot of discomfort, they are not necessarily indicative of a very severe dysfunction – the hormonal balance of the human body is a delicate one, therefore even a mildly overactive or underactive thyroid gland can cause problems.

The answer to the question what does a thyroid specialist do in short: they identify the exact nature of the dysfunction and determine the best course of treatment.