Thyroid disorders have become more rampant in Kenya and the region in the recent past as our diet and lifestyle continues to get poorer and poorer.

Causes of thyroid disorders include;

• Stress
• Inflammation
• Gut Dysbiosis – poor gut health
• Environmental Factors or Endocrine Chemical Disruptors .

Endocrine Chemical Disruptors are chemicals that disrupt the smooth flow of chemicals in the endocrine system. The examples of RCD’s are heavy metals like Mercury, pesticides, food packaging methods, personal care products, water, all interfere with the transportation of thyroid hormones to the cells. This is how most longterm chronic diseases come.

As growing and developing economies, Africa is aping alot of the Western lifestyle and farming practices which are imbued by these ECD’s.

African cultural values which include traditional densely nutritional foods which come as a result of organic farming and production of food, are gradually being erroded to Westernization and the western way of modern agricultural practices. The impact of this is being felt in areas such as health and nutrition, which are crucial for the well-being of Africans. Some believe that Westernization is the key to African economic development, but this view is not without its detriments, that point to the unintended consequences on African health which in turn affects the family dynamic. It is therefore no surprise that thyroid disorders and other autoimmune diseases have become more rampant in the 21st century. However, even with the increasing numbers of thyroid cases, there is still a lot of under reporting, due to the lack of awareness of just how much of an impact this debilitating disease can have on its victims. Our advocacy efforts are geared towards ensuring that proper policies and structures are put in place to mitigate the growing numbers of thyroid disease cases and ensure that this issue is given the attention it deserves by all stake holders and duty bearers in order to avail resources that ensures quality and affordable thyroid health care treatment is accessible to every patient across the country.