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.
Find out more about me, what I do, and what working with me is like.