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Cigarrettes and Your Thyroid

Often the things we do have wide reaching unintended consequences. As my smokers roll their eyes and hold up their hand in that classic crossing guard stop pose, and try to tell me, don't say another word against smoking, we know we've heard it all. But no, Danish researchers have just discovered that there is something about quitting smoking that raises your risk for being diagnosed with hypothyroid. It may be that thyroid function tests, tests of thyroid antibodies,  and an ultrasound exam  of your thyroid can uncover these issues. So get into your gyno or closest endocrinologist to check out your gland. And if this is really a risk of quitting smoking, maybe there is a sliver lining to this cloud. So don't be thinking you shouldn't quit so you won't have this thyroid issue, but be thinking: ah ha, is this why quitting smoking makes it easier to gain weight and harder to lose weight than ever before? Maybe if we look more closely at this phenomenon we'll be able to help the newly cigarette-less get a handle on their metabolism a bit better, so it really will be easier to quit this New Years!

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