Diagnosing any disorder in your body can be a heartbreaking and difficult task. The last thing you want to realize is that you have a life-threatening or obstructive health problem. A common, yet serious disorder involves the endocrine system, the central portal for all of your hormones. Your hormones affect every aspect of your body and when they are out of sync, you may develop numerous health problems. Learn how to diagnose an endocrine disorder wisely and efficiently.
Things You'll Need
- A general practice physician
- An endocrinologist
- Knowledge of your body and family history
- Tact
- Medical records
- Health insurance
Instructions
Understand where endocrine diseases and disorders begin. For instance, your pancreas works with various hormones, which if are out of control, can produce tumors and other malformations. Your thyroid also produces hormones that run your entire body and can be a common location for cancer cells.
Take notice of any fatigue or abnormalities in your state of being. Endocrine disorders can produce a vast array of symptoms, including extreme fatigue, loss of appetite, rapid weight loss or gain, or body pain.
Visit your general practicioner on a regular basis. Make sure your medical records are up to date and that you are in good standing with your health insurance. If you are feeling sluggish or "off," let your family doctor know.
Be referred to an endocrinologist. They specialize in the endocrine system and can run special blood tests and scans to determine your current state of well-being.
Pay attention to changing hormonal cycles. If you're a woman, carefully keep track of your menstrual cycles and their regularity. Many a times women with endocrine disorders can face drastic hormonal imbalances, resulting in abnormally long cycles or none at all. If you have extreme pain during your cycle, see your doctor.
Find out if your family has a history of diabetes. This is hands-down one of the most common endocrine disorders, affecting millions of people in the world. You should be tested for diabetes on a yearly basis and should look out for symptoms, including extreme thirst, weight loss or gain, dizziness, and fatigue.
Research various endocrine disorders. Another common one is the adrenal gland disorder, which obstructs how much cortisol or sex hormones your body produces. This can be an especially dangerous disorder, as abnormal growths can grow as a result of this disease.