What Does Your Thyroid do?

One of the most common questions I get from clients who have been diagnosed with thyroid issues is "What does my thyroid do?"

Maybe you've been diagnosed with Hashimoto's, or told you have an under or over-active thyroid gland, or maybe you just don't feel well and someone mentioned your thyroid to you but you have no idea what it is, well here's some information to help.

What is the Thyroid? 

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland that sits at front of your neck and sets your entire metabolic rate. Thus it controls your weight, whether you feel sluggish or energetic, mentally crisp or foggy, cheerful or blue, and is involved in the control of everything from your cholesterol to your female hormones.
When your thyroid is not functioning optimally, you can feel dull, tired, constipated, gain weight, your skin gets dry, your hair can become dry and even fall out, muscles and joints might ache, your periods become irregular, you might have fertility problems, brain fog, sugar and carb cravings (because your body is desperate for energy!) ), high cholesterol even if your diet is amazing, and other large to small symptoms.

What is Hypothyroidism? 

Hypothyroidism is a term used to describe a decreased metabolic state that is due to inadequate amounts of – or functioning of – thyroid hormone. Ninety-five percent of all cases are due to what is called “primary hypothyroidism.” This means that the thyroid gland is acting sluggish – or sometimes barely responding at all.

This can be due to a number of reasons ranging from leaky gut to autoimmune disease. Alternatively, we can be producing thyroid hormones effectively, but we can have “thyroid hormone resistance” similar to the way we can have insulin resistance. Our cells are not picking up and effectively using the active thyroid hormone we are making. We can also be making enough of the inactive form of thyroid hormone but not be effectively converting it to the active form.

10 Things you need to know about your Thyroid

1 | Having the right amount of thyroid hormone for your individual needs is essential to your well-being. 

With an underactive thyroid, you might experience fatigue, constipation, dry skin, brain fog or trouble concentrating, depression, anxiety, hair loss, depression, joint and muscle aches (even carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis!), generalized swelling, cold intolerance (or you always feel a little cold) dry skin, even an excessively low heart rate. If you have an overactive thyroid, you might experience a rapid heartbeat, anxiety, insomnia, insatiable appetite, diarrhea, and weight loss. If you think you have a thyroid problem, it’s okay to be a squeaky wheel to your doctor. Squeaky wheels get the testing they need!

2 | Women are way more likely than men to develop thyroid problems, 

and the months after birth are an especially high risk time for thyroid problems to surface. If you feel unusually blue in the year after the birth of your baby, or at any time, and especially if you have any of the above symptoms, get tested for thyroid problems!

3 | Your high cholesterol could be caused by an underactive thyroid. 

Say what? Yes, it’s true. Hypothyroidism can lead to high cholesterol because slower metabolism isn’t burning up your fat. So before you go on special diet or a statin drug to control your cholesterol – get your thyroid levels checked. The answer might be in finding the root cause – a thyroid problem!

4 | Most doctors UNDER-DIAGNOSE thyroid problems. 

Thyroid problems may affect as many as 10% of women – but for many of these women, the labs tests that doctors currently use, and the way those tests are interpreted, leads many women to be told that they don’t have a thyroid problem, and in fact, they are just fine. THIS TRANSLATES AS: “This is all in your head because I, with my medical degree, cannot find a darned thing wrong with you, Lady.” And this often results in an antidepressant prescription.

5 | Hypothyroidism can be causing your fertility problems and also increases miscarriage risk. 

Thyroid function controls fertility and menstrual regularity. If you’ve been having trouble getting pregnant, if you have irregular periods, think you are not ovulating, or have had a miscarriage, have your thyroid function checked BEFORE you get pregnant to make sure your levels are optimal.

6 | Optimal thyroid functioning is also essential for the healthy development of your baby’s brain. 

Pregnant women with hypothyroidism automatically need to have their thyroid hormone medication increased by 50% in the first trimester to support the increased metabolic needs of the baby. Make sure to talk with your midwife (who might not know this!), or your primary care doctor or obstetrician who might not remember to adjust your medication dose.

7 | Having a hard time losing weight? 

Tuning up your thyroid gland will rev up your metabolism and burn calories without you having to do anything extra. If you’ve tried diet after diet, exercise program after exercise program without success, it might be time to tap into the root causes – and hypothyroidism might just be one of them.

8 | Thyroid glands need nourishment! 

Make sure your diet and your daily supplements provide you with iodine, selenium, and zinc which are three key nutrients needed by the thyroid gland for basic functioning. Sea vegetables such as 1 tablespoon of dulse flakes daily provides you with a nice dose of iodine, just 1-2 Brazil nuts each day provide you with ample selenium, and zinc is found in beef, oysters, dark meat chicken, cashews, pumpkin seeds, almonds, yogurt, and many other sources.

9 | Fluoride, bromide, and chloride coming from your diet, fluoridated water, toothpaste, or other environmental exposures, can interfere with the iodine your thyroid needs to function. 

If you are having a hard time regulating your thyroid function, even with medications and a supportive doc, look for sources of these in your life and try to reduce/eliminate exposure.

10 | In gluten sensitive individuals, eating FOODS containing gluten (wheat, barley, rye) and possibly even some of the gluten cross-reactive foods can cause Hashimoto’s disease. 

A 3-month trial of going strictly gluten-free might be needed to see if your thyroid antibodies return to normal and your thyroid begins to recover function.

Thyroid problems can be fixed! 

I help women to achieve healthy thyroid function in my practice every day. In most conventional medical practices, you may have to advocate for yourself in the doctor’s office to get the testing you need. A functional medicine, integrative medicine, or naturopathic doctor will usually automatically be willing to test the whole gamut of thyroid tests for you.

You have to be careful not to get over-diagnosed and unnecessarily treated if you don’t actually have a thyroid problem, however if the symptoms and the labs fit – then appropriate treatment can make you feel like a million bucks!

Sometimes thyroid function can be recovered and restored with natural methods using stress reduction, diet, herbs, and supplements. Sometimes medications are needed long-term. But either way, it is important to identify whether you have a thyroid problem so you can get the help you need to feel like yourself again.

If you want to know more, get in touch with me and set up a consultation.

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