Check out Your Thyroid!

Fatigue, Dry Skin, Gaining Weight? 

Your thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland in your throat area that contains thyroglobulin protein, which binds to iodine to form hormones, which in turn influence essentially every organ, tissue and cell in your body.

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 -- 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:

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.

·       A heavy or tired head, especially in the afternoon, as your head is a very sensitive indicator of thyroid hormone status.

·       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. 

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. 

Foods That Heal or Harm Your Thyroid 

One of the commonly consumed foods that worsen your thyroid js unfermented soy. It contains isoflavones that are clearly associated with reduced thyroid function. 

One food that can improve your thyroid function, on the other hand, is coconut. 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.  

There are many foods (peaches, buckwheat greens, strawberries, spinach. 

There is also the effects of mercury or other heavy metals on the thyroid.

The importance of Vit D removes mercury from the body. The solution could be something as simple as laying in the sun every day.

They block the iodine receptor site and until the body is detoxed taking iodine may not be effective. 

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 super-saturated 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. 

Disclaimer: The information on this POST is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional Endocrinologist s advice. The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this article is for general information purposes / educational purposes only, and to ensue discussion or debate.  

Thank you …"iodine deficiency -- which is one of the three most common nutritional deficiencies, along with vitamin D and magnesium deficiencies"... I often advise my patients to replace commercial deodorants, often laced with harmful chemicals to which they may have high sensitivity. 

With Milk of Magnesia, a natural product (Magnesium hydroxide, 1200 mg/15ml). Just spread a very small quantity (say, 2-3 ml) in your palms and immediately apply on armpits, washing your hands immediately afterwards, with plain water. It's very effective in preventing body odour. My advice is to initially apply only a drop of it in the skin of the forearm, in order to check for possible sensitivity (allergy, rash), for a few days, before applying 2-3 ml in the armpits. 

Want to add word or two? 

About temperature taking is very helpful www.drrind.com/.../metabolic-temperature-graph  

You can see if its thyroid related or adrenal related. Helpful as a diagnostic tool when you either can't afford a hormone saliva test or want to do a simple at home test to determine if you really want to spend the money on one. 

Your comment ….?   

Due to a diet that is lacking in the complete line of nutrients I would say that we as consumers need to be aware that thyroid problems are on the rise, just as is diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and the like.

Additional websites include: www.Curezone.com and www.thyroid.about.com.  

Curezone has lots of information from people who have thyroid issues and how they cope; it is also interactive. The moderators let people cross chat and it's organized by thread. Thyroid.about.com by Mary Shomon is also very cool. She did a lot of research and is a real source of inspiration for overcoming thyroid challenges.  

Each person is different and just taking thyroid medicine doesn't scratch the itch. It's important to get to the root cause of why your thyroid is out of whack and that can make you nuts... these websites help. 

Don't rely on TSH alone. You need to have your Free T3, Free T4, RT3 (reverse T3) and both antibody tests to rule out Hashi's.  

What IS 'stress'?

What does that mean in terms of your body?

What is actually happening to it? 

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. 

Get a second, third, fourth opinion. Labs makes mistakes, doctors make mistakes, you cannot afford to make a mistake, and it’s your health.

Have your adrenals checked out because they can cause your thyroid to not work properly and make allergies worse.