Dr. Amy Myers: It?s predicted that as many as 25 million Americans have a thyroid problem, and half of them have no idea that they do. Hypothyroidism, or a below-active thyroid, accounts for 90% of all thyroid irregularities.
The thyroid, a butterfly-shaped organ in the center of your neck, is the master organ of metabolism. How well your thyroid is performing is inter-related with every system in your body.
If your thyroid is not running optimally, then neither are you.
10 signs that cyouould have an underactive thyroid:
1. Weakness after sleeping 8 to 10 hours a night or needing to take a nap daily.
2. Weight gain or the failure to lose weight.
3. Mood issues such as mood swings, anxiety or depression.
4. Hormone imbalances such as PMS, irregular periods, infertility and low sex drive.
5. Muscle pain, joint pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, or tendonitis.
6. Cold hands and feet, feeling cold when others are not, or having a body temperature consistently below 98.5.
7. Dry or cracking skin, brittle nails, and excessive hair loss.
8. Constipation.
9. Mind issues such as brain fog, poor concentration or poor memory.
10. Neck swelling, snoring or hoarse voice.
How does your thyroid gland work?
Thyroid hormone generation is regulated by a feedback loop between the hypothalamus, pituitary organ, and the thyroid gland. Hypothalamic thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulates pituitary thyrotropin (TSH) synthesis and secretion.
In turn, TSH stimulates production and release of T4 and T3 from the thyroid gland. When enough T4 is produced, it signals to TRH and TSH that there is enough thyroid hormone in circulation and not to give more.
About 85% of the hormone produced by our thyroid gland is T4, which is an inactive form of the hormone. After T4 is made, a small number of it is converted into T3, which is the active form of thyroid hormone.
What are 10 things you can do to improve your thyroid function?
1. Make sure you are taking a high-quality multivitamin with Iodine, Zinc, Selenium, Iron, Vitamin D and B vitamins.
2. Take a tyrosine and iodine supplement to help with the FT4 to FT3 conversion.
3. Go gluten-free! If you have Hashimoto?s, try going completely grain and legume free.
4. Deal with your stress and support your adrenal glands. The adrenal glands and thyroid work for hand and hand. I recommend restorative yoga and adaptogenic herbs, which support the adrenal glands in coping with stress.
5. Get 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night.
6. Have a biological dentist safely remove any amalgam fillings you may have.
7. Watch your intake of cruciferous vegetables. There is a bit of a debate surrounding this.
8. Get fluoride, bromide, and chlorine out of your diet and environment.
9. Heal your gut. A properly functioning digestive system (gut) is critical to good health.
10. Find a functional medicine doctor in your area and have them run the above laboratory test and work with you to find our root cause of the thyroid imbalance.
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