Thyroid Health
The thyroid has an influence on hormonal function throughout the body, including the metabolism and repair of every cell.
What is the Thyroid gland
The thyroid is probably the most ignored and poorly treated gland in the body. Yet it is one of the most important areas to look at to improve energy and overall health. Situated in the neck just below the Adam’s apple, it produces hormones that affect every major organ in your body including the metabolism and repair of every single cell.
The most important thyroid hormone is thyroxine (also known as T4), which outside the thyroid is converted to the active form known as T3. The more T3 you produce the faster your metabolism.
If you don’t produce sufficient thyroid hormones many systems in your body begin to slow down – heartbeat, circulation, blood pressure, energy levels, metabolism, detoxification and temperature. Slow metabolism will mean that you don’t burn calories as efficiently as you could so you gain weight more easily.
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Types
There are over 80 classified Autoimmune Diseases (AIDs). Some of the most common include:
- Hyperthyroidism – Most commonly caused by Graves Disease and is an overproduction of thyroid hormones.
- Hypothyroidism – By contrast, stems from an underproduction of thyroid hormones.
- Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis – A common cause of hypothyroidism. In this autoimmune disorder, the body attacks thyroid tissue. The tissue eventually dies and stops producing hormones.
Symptoms
Symptoms of an under active thyroid (hypothyroid) include:
- Thinning hair or hair loss
- Depression
- Constipation
- High cholesterol
- Oedema
- Fatigue
- Mental fogginess
- Poor vision
- Weight gain
- Poor circulation and numbness in the hands and feet
- Chronic digestive problems
- Dry/brittle hair and skin
- Morning headaches
Symptoms of an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroid) include:
- Fine brittle hair
- Bulging eyes
- Increased perspiration
- Cardiac arrhythmia
- Tremors
- Diarrhea
- Enlarged thyroid
Causes
- An under active thyroid is seven times more common in women than it is in men.
- Low thyroid function is almost always secondary to some other condition, such as adrenal stress.
- With over 80% of under active thyroid cases, the person most likely has a form of autoimmune thyroiditis called Hashimoto’s. As with any autoimmune condition it is better described as being a case of mistaken identity in the body, where the body is attacking – in this case – the thyroid gland in preference to something else.
Health Action Plan
One of the main problems with thyroid health is that the standard GP tests are not very reliable in giving the full picture; and due to the attributing symptoms of depressions and the menopause, often women go undiagnosed and are offered orthodox treatments.
However, I take a look at using the functional medicine approach, using ‘food as medicine’ that may support its function, deficiencies in vitamins and minerals, stress and additional laboratory tests such as blood, stool and food intolerance tests to outline any major dysfunctions in the body to get you feeling back to your old self again. I will then correct these imbalances in the body with lifestyle interventions and various nutritional and herbal supplements.