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Dr. Mercola - How You Can Tell if you have Hypothyroidism
A thyroid condition occurs when too much or too little thyroglobulin protein
in your thyroid binds to iodine, hence producing too many or too few
hormones. Two key hormones produced by your thyroid are
triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). These hormones help oxygen get
into cells, and make your thyroid the master gland of metabolism.
There are a number of different problems that can go wrong with your
thyroid, but one of the most common is hypothyroidism; a condition where
your thyroid is producing too few hormones. Hypothyroidism affects some
80 percent of people with thyroid disease.
Another common problem is nodules on your thyroid, or you may develop
the opposite of hypothyroidism, known as hyperthyroidism, where your
thyroid is overactive.
Thyroid disease, if left untreated, can lead to heart disease, infertility,
muscle weakness, osteoporosis and, in extreme cases, coma or death -yet it’s estimated that half of the cases in the United States, about 15
million people, remain undiagnosed. So if you present certain symptoms,
there’s a good possibility -- especially if you are a woman – that you might
be one of these individuals.
How Can You Tell if You Have Hypothyroidism?
The most sensitive way to answer this question is to listen to your body.
Symptoms of an underactive thyroid include:
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Reduced energy levels – Fatigue and lack of enthusiasm and energy
is a common symptom of a low-functioning thyroid. This is also a
classic sign of depression, so if you’ve been diagnosed with
depression, you’ll want to make sure your physician checks your
thyroid levels.
Not all fatigue or tiredness is due to thyroid malfunction however, so
how do you tell the difference?
Thyroid-related fatigue begins to appear when you cannot sustain
energy long enough, especially when compared to a past level of
fitness or ability. If your thyroid foundation is weak, sustaining energy
output is difficult. You will notice you just don’t seem to have the
energy to do the things you used to be able to do.
Some of the key symptoms of thyroid fatigue include:
Feeling like you don’t have the energy to exercise, and
typically not exercising on a consistent basis.
o A heavy or tired head, especially in the afternoon, as your
head is a very sensitive indicator of thyroid hormone status.
o Falling asleep as soon as you sit down and don’t have to do
anything
Weight gain – Easy weight gain, or difficulty losing weight, despite an
aggressive exercise program and watching your diet is another
indicator.
Dry, rough or scaly skin, and dry, tangled hair – In the winter months,
many of us experience bouts of dry skin and hair, but if you have
perpetually dry skin that doesn’t respond well, then hypothyroidism is
a consideration.
Constipation
Hair loss – Women especially will want to pay attention to their
thyroid when unexplained hair loss occurs. Fortunately, if your hair
loss is due to low thyroid function, your hair will come back with
proper thyroid treatment.
Sensitivity to cold – Feeling cold all the time is also an indicator of low
thyroid function.
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Any of these symptoms can be indicative of an underactive thyroid, but
the more of these symptoms you experience, the higher the likelihood that
you have hypothyroidism.
How to Diagnose Hypothyroidism
There are a number of different ways to diagnose hypothyroidism. One is to
accurately measure your body temperature. Although there are a few
different protocols, the most commonly used is the Broda Barnes system.
I prefer using laboratory diagnostic measures; however care must be taken
when evaluating them as the lab reference ranges are not ideal.
Typically, a TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) blood test is done. TSH is a
hormone produced by your pituitary, which becomes elevated when your
thyroid gland is malfunctioning because your body produces TSH in
response to decreased hormone levels in order to ‘jump start’ your
thyroid.
The higher your level of TSH, the higher the likelihood that you have
hypothyroidism.
Traditionally, the range for acceptable thyroid function is between 0.3 and
3.04, and anything above 5.0 is considered hypothyroidism. However that is
simply not accurate.
In my experience, most adults with levels over 3 have hypothyroidism, and
more than likely, if your level is above 1.5, there’s a good possibility you
have this condition and would benefit from thyroid support.
Fortunately, there are additional tests that can confirm whether or not you
have an underactive thyroid, and it is vital you have these tests done.
Typically tests for T3 and T4 are used, but even more important are what’s
called the ‘free-T3’ and the ‘free-T4.’ If those hormones are out of the
normal reference ranges then you have a problem.
Foods That Heal or Harm Your Thyroid
One of the commonly consumed foods that worsen your thyroid is
unfermented soy. It contains isoflavones that are clearly associated with
reduced thyroid function.
If you’ve bought into the deceptive hype that soy is a health food, I urge
you to read Dr. Kaayla Daniel’s book, The Whole Soy Story, which covers
the health aspects of soy in depth.
One food that can improve your thyroid function, on the other hand, is
coconut oil. It contains medium chain triglycerides and saturated fat, and
is, I believe, one of the healthiest fats you can use as a regular part of your
diet.
Iodine Deficiency – A Common Cause for Hypothyroidism
The number after the ‘T’, such as T3 or T4, stands for the number of iodine
molecules the hormone contains. In fact, iodine deficiency -- which is one
of the three most common nutritional deficiencies, along with vitamin D
and magnesium deficiencies -- is an easily remedied cause of
hypothyroidism.
One simple test to check for iodine deficiency entails applying iodine to
your skin to see how rapidly it is absorbed.
A simple way to ensure you’re getting enough iodine is to get an
inexpensive prescription from your physician for SSKI, which is a supersaturated potassium iodine. You simply apply three drops to your skin and
rub it in, once a day.
How can you tell if you have enough iodine in your body?
If when you touch something with slightly wet fingertips and it leaves a
yellowish stain, then the iodine is coming out of your skin, indicating your
body is saturated.
Treatment Options for Hypothyroidism
It’s important to realize that early intervention can successfully restore your
thyroid function. If you’ve had your thyroid gland surgically removed,
however, you have no choice but to keep taking thyroid hormones for the
rest of your life.
When it comes to thyroid hormones, you have two major options: synthetic
or natural.
One of the most commonly used is Synthroid, a synthetic hormone.
Another common T4 hormone preparation is Levothroid. I rarely
recommend using those, as most people cannot effectively convert the T4
in synthetic thyroid preparations to T3. About the only time I find it helpful is
for people who are sensitive to Armour Thyroid or for those who have been
on synthetic hormones for many years when the benefit for shifting
appears to be minimal.
I also do not recommend Cytomell, which is a T3 hormone preparation,
although it can be used in conjunction with the others to help balance out
your hormones.
If you’ve been on synthetic hormones for an extended period of time, say
10 to 20 years, the likelihood of you being able to wean yourself off the
hormones is limited and challenging.
But if you’re newly diagnosed, or have not been on synthetic hormones for
very long, I strongly recommend Armour Thyroid – a natural porcine thyroid
extract, which provides not only T3 and T4, but also T1 and T2, which will
help normalize your hormone response.
As a side note, it’s rare for a conventional physician to prescribe natural
hormones, and one of the ways you can distinguish a naturally oriented
physician from a more conventionally oriented one is by finding out what
type of hormone they would prescribe for their patients.
Additional All-Natural Methods to Restore Thyroid Function
In order to address the root cause of an under-functioning thyroid, I
strongly recommend you also implement the following lifestyle changes:
1. Eat a healthy diet, following a nutrition plan that is right for your
nutritional type, and avoid processed and refined foods.
2. Make sure you’re getting enough selenium and iodine, which
provide the raw materials for your thyroid gland to work better.
3. Get plenty of omega-3 fats from high quality sources like krill oil. A
variety of studies and physiological principles suggest that omega-3
fat in doses of 3-5 grams per day would be helpful in restoring thyroid
function.
4. Get a sound night’s sleep, in complete darkness.
5. Address your emotional stress. The vast majority of people's thyroid
glands become impaired as a result of weak adrenal glands. The
thyroid gland tries to compensate for this and eventually just gives
up and stops working.
Well, adrenal impairment is frequently due to emotional stress, and
unless you have these previous emotional challenges resolved, there
is little likelihood of recovering your thyroid function without hormonal
replacement.
Thyroid function is a complex topic, and if you need more information and
support, one of the leaders in the field is Mary Shomon, the about.com
thyroid expert.
Check out this YouTube about the function of the Thyroid Gland:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPO170iY_Gw&feature=youtu.be
At the end there is a selection of all sorts of topics on Thyroid.
What causes Hashimoto’s? Genetics and Environment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=rjtfFhD0WaE&NR=
1
In this YouTube, Dr. Clark says that iodine is a trigger for Hashimoto’s
Disease. So the idea that everyone who has low thyroid needs iodine.
Environmental factors which are triggers: smoking, BPA,
Can’t reverse Hashimotos which is genetic condition but can reverse the
symptoms says Dr. Clark. Antibodies testing is waste of time. Focus on
reversing the symptoms so hair doesn’t fall out, etc. Address Vit D, full
gluten sensitivities,
Why do you still have low thyroid symptoms after blood tests don’t support
this. The pattern has to do with a deficiency in serotonin. Check out the
hypothalamus.
Blood sugar regulation ensures that you have proper neurotransmitters like
serotonine which which also affect your thyroid. Don’t skip meals and
don’t eat crap!! Low nervous system serotonin levels will produce thyroid
symptoms even if the blood test shows normal.