Thyroid and Hormones
If you are feeling any of these symptoms or if you have been to other doctors who have tested your thyroid and the result was “normal” you still may have low thyroid.
More than 30 million women and 50 million men suffer from low thyroid function or hypothyroidism. Symptoms of hypothyroidism may include:
- Sluggishness in the morning
- Fatigue
- Memory and concentration
- Weight-gain
- Low-grade depression
- Dry skin
- Irregular periods
- Difficulty sleeping
- Constipation
- Cold intolerance, low body temperature, or cold hands and feet
- Thinning/coarse hair, hair-loss
- Muscle pain, weakness, or cramps
- Low sex drive
- Hoarse voice
- Fluid retention
- High cholesterol
- Tingling and numbness
- Unexplained symptoms (which may include aches, pains, feeling “old” or “off”, sluggish metabolism, skin problems)
If you are feeling any of these symptoms or if you have been to other doctors who have tested your thyroid and the result was “normal” you still may have low thyroid.
About 90% of hypothyroidism cases in the United States are due to Hashimoto’s, an Autoimmune disease that attacks and destroys the thyroid gland. It’s important to identify Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism because you then know it’s the immune system you must address, although thyroid/hormone medication may still be necessary.
How to test for Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism. These are:
- Thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO Ab), which indicates that the immune system is attacking the TPO enzyme in the thyroid gland
- Thyroglobulin antibodies (TGB Ab), which indicates that the immune system is attacking a contingent protein in the thyroid gland.
Causes
Chronic thyroid problems can be caused by many factors, such as:
1. Environmental toxins, such as pesticides and heavy metals are endocrine (hormonal disruptors). These disruptors cause inflammation which can produce antibodies to attack its own tissue, including the thyroid which can lead to Hashimoto’s. They also interfere with the thyroid function and slow your metabolism, preventing you from losing more weight. This study highlights the importance of overall detoxification.
2. Chronic stress, there is an intimate relationship between stress hormones and the more stress you experience, the worse your thyroid functions. A new approach to correct the thyroid function must address the chronic stress and provide support to the adrenal glands.
3. Chronic inflammation, a big source of chronic inflammation is gluten, the protein found in wheat, barley, rye and oats. Gluten is a very common allergen that affects about 20% of the population. Also eating chemically engineered foods such as hibridzide and genetically modified membranes with very strange proteins can make us inflamed and sick.Our bodies are unfamiliar to such food and create antibodies to fight them. This leads to a chronic inflammatory response which interferes with thyroid function and contributes to the epidemic of autoimmune thyroid conditions.
4. Nutritional deficiencies play a big role in thyroid dysfunction. This includes deficiencies of iodine, vitamin D3, Omega-3 fats, selenium, zinc, vitamin A and the B vitamins. This reaction occurs mostly because of our damaged gastrointestinal system, poor diets and stress.
Many people go undiagnosed, most often doctors check the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). Unfortunately TSH does not give a full picture of the thyroid function. There are also other tests including free T3 and free T4 and thyroid antibodies which are essential. I also associate problems such as gluten intolerance, food allergies, and heavy metals, as well as deficiencies of vitamins A and D, selenium, zinc, and Omega-3 fats all needed for conversion of inactive hormone T4 to T3.
You can overcome hypothyroidism
A comprehensive Functional Medicine approach is needed to diagnose and address chronic thyroid issues and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. If you are experiencing symptoms related to thyroid disbalance, we would like to help you find a solution. Dr. Alice Feldman uses a Functional Medicine approach to treat each individual case with individualized care.
Our Method of Healing
We Find The Root Causes For True Healing
Chronic illness can present with different symptoms and challenges so there is no “cookie-cutter” treatment that works for everyone. Instead, our personalized protocols are individualized with a person’s specific focus. This way we are able to address each person’s unique root cause through our functional medicine approach.
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