About the thyroid gland
The thyroid is the butterfly shaped gland at the base of your neck. Its job is to make hormones - triiodothyronine and thyroxine also known as T3 and T4 - that regulate your body's energy use, production and expenditure
As part of the endocrine system, thyroid makes and stores hormones that help regulate the body’s metabolism such as blood pressure, blood temperature, and heart rate. I like to refer to your thyroid as your metabolic pacer. It dictates the speed at which your body functions internally.
10 Most Common Symptoms
Thyroid disfunction may cause symptoms associated with the slowing down of your body’s metabolic and nervous systems:
1 Chronic fatigue, low energy
2 Weight gain, weight loss resistance
3 Sensitivity to cold, cold hands and feet
4 Hair loss or hair thinning
5 Low blood pressure
6 Dry skin
7 Irregular periods (in volume and frequency)
8 Constipation- not cute
9 Low libido
10 Brain fog, lack of motivation or focus
Fun facts about your thyroid
-An estimated 200 million people suffer from thyroid issues worldwide.
-Hypothyroidism- an underachieve thyroid is more common than hyperthyroidism- an overactive thyroid.
-Women are 5-8x more likely to suffer from thyroid issues than men.
-The thyroid affects virtually all parts of the body but weighs only 20 grams!
-T3 and T4 are regulated by thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), which is produced in the pituitary gland in the brain.
-The liver is the major location where T4 is converted into the active T3.
What causes hypothyroidism?
While many studies point to family history, medication, nutritional deficiencies, or large hormonal changes, it's hard to know the exact cause. Speaking of hormonal changes, in women for example that will include puberty, pregnancy and menopause- and we all know that getting into menopause can literally take a decade... this may explain why we are more prone to thyroid issues than men.
Some estimate that 90% of adult cases of hypothyroidism are caused by an autoimmune condition that causes your immune system to attack your thyroid gland - known as Hashimoto's Disease.
Research suggest that thyroid health and connected to one's metabolic health and vice versa, and while there are many components to metabolic health one that stands out for its impact is blood sugar regulation.
While many labs only look only at thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), I strongly believe
it is critical to also measure free triiodothyronine (fT3), free thyroxine (fT4) and TPO antibodies to fully understand how your thyroid is working. In order to see the full picture of thyroid health we must know just how much is the thyroid being required to work- TSH, how much of this stimulation is turning into actual hormone production- T4, how much of what is being made is available and used by your body - T3 and rT3.
What treatments are available?
Before we dive into this part, I want you to know that rx medication are not in my tool box, and I will speak of it from my own experience of taking medication to regulate my thyroid, not as a practitioner.
The thyroid gland produces two hormones: thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). Thyroid hormone replacement medication comes in both T4 and T3 forms.
In a healthy thyroid gland, the inactive T4 is released into circulation and later converted by the body into the active T3. Often, treatment for thyroid replacement starts with T4-only formulations, assuming that the body can successfully and efficiently do the conversion on its own.
Problems with too much or too little?
The issue may arise if you don't take enough thyroid hormone. We often see some symptoms of hypothyroidism may continue when undereducated. If you take too much, on the other hand, you may have symptoms mimicking an overactive thyroid, such as nervousness, a racing heart, or shaking. This is why monitoring your dose will be very important especially at the very beginning while you learn how your body reacts to the new hormone levels. In my personal experience I have had a very hard time tolerating synthetic hormones at all, which lead me the more alternative route, which I will talk more about in another blog post.
Nutrition, supplements, and lifestyle optimization
To touch on nutrition briefly- as it deserves a whole separate post to itself- many nutritional factors play a role in optimizing thyroid function. Both nutrient deficiencies and excesses can trigger or exacerbate symptoms. Optimizing your lifestyle, nutrition, and supplements can make a difference in many cases of hypothyroidism. Appropriate sleep and rest id crucial, as well as is stress management and many other lifestyle choices that often contribute to the disfunction to begin with.
Tips to help optimize your thyroid function
Take your meds at the same time each day.
2. Monitor your thyroid levels regularly (4-6 week to start with, every six months to monitor).
3. Work with your practitioner to regularly check your vitamin levels.
4. Build a nutrition plan with your Health Coach to enhance your diet- let food be your medicine.
5. Practice daily relaxation to lower cortisol levels from chronic stress- meditation, gentle movement, time with family and friends.
6. Move your body daily to stimulate your metabolism- walking works great here.
7. Get sufficient rest to combat fatigue and brain fog- develop sleep hygiene and limit screen time.
I hope you found this information helpful. This is the very first post in a series of many on thyroid health, so stick around to lean more about how you can improve your thyroid health with nutrition, supplements, micro and macro nutrients, lifestyle and other alternative approaches and therapies.
In health, AD