Do you ever wonder if your lack of energy, insomnia, mood fluctuations, stubborn weight gain, has a connection to a thyroid imbalance?
You aren’t alone!
Some organizations cite 13 million people as the total number of thyroid sufferers.
The American Thyroid Association says that 20 million Americans have thyroid conditions. According to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, More recently, some groups estimate that 27 million Americans have thyroid disease, and about 13 million of them are undiagnosed.
Thyroid problems are no joke, and they really can bring you to your knees. You should be aware of the havoc thyroid disease can inflicts upon your body. The good news is the sooner you act, the less damage done.
10 signs of an under-active thyroid:
1. Fatigue no matter what! You sleep, but wake up tired and often need naps, regardless of your sleep.
2. Stubborn weight loss or weight gain that is unexplainable.
3. Mood swings which can include anxiety or depression.
4. Hormone imbalances- PMS, low sex drive.
5. Muscle or joint issues.
6. Cold hands and feet
7. Dry skin, brittle nails, excessive hair loss.
8. Constipation.
9. Feeling like you are in a cloud, poor memory or brain fog.
10. Neck swelling
How does your thyroid gland work?
Ok so here is the easy version…
(1) Hypothalamic thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulates pituitary thyrotropin (TSH).
(2) TSH stimulates release of T4 and T3 from the thyroid gland.
(3) T4 is converted into T3, which is the active form of thyroid hormone.
(4) T3 gets converted into either Free T3 (FT3) or Reverse T3 (RT3).
Ok… so finally…
It’s the Free T3 that really matters in all of this, since it’s the only hormone that can attach to a receptor and cause your metabolism to rise, keep you warm, keep your bowels moving, mind working, and other hormones in check. The role of Reverse T3 is not well known.
And finally, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease, is the most common form of hypothyroidism and its numbers are rising annually. An autoimmune disease is one in which your body turns on itself and begins to attack a certain organ or tissue believing its foreign.
Why is hypothyroidism so underdiagnosed in the USA?
(1) Many of the symptoms of thyroid conditions are ambiguous and not clear to many doctors that as a whole, they point to the thyroid as the issue. Many doctors try and isolate and put a band-aid on one or more of the symptoms, not realizing there really is an underlying root cause.
(2) Most allopathic doctors don’t test for FT3, RT3, and thus give false negative test results.
(3) Most allopathic doctors use an outdated lab reference range, which lacks sensitivity.
Which lab tests are best?
I check the below panel on each of my patients.
- TSH
- Free T4
- Free T3
- Reverse T3
- Total Triiodothyronine (TT3)
- Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOAb)
- Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb)
- Adrenal Status
- Complete Health History
What are 6 things you can do to improve your thyroid function?
1. Make sure you are taking a high-quality multivitamin.
2. Take a tyrosine supplement.
3. Go gluten-free!
4. Manage your stress levels with techniques like MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) or EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)
5. Get plenty of sleep!
6. Heal your gut!
In Summary
Here’s the thing…
Treatment of hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s involves more than just taking Synthroid. You need a qualified health practitioner to really listen to you, take a complete health history, and order a comprehensive suite of tests which really look for root causes of your symptoms.
It is important to support the thyroid nutritionally in order to optimize thyroid function, as soon as possible after diagnosis of hypothyroidism. If you have Hashimoto’s, you are much more to develop another autoimmune disease unless you treat the underlying cause(s). Therefore it is imperative to get checked out.
Know that you are not alone!
Know that you can be helped!
Know that we are here to support you!
Call us at 319-393-4307 to schedule a free 15-minute evaluation today!
