Your Thyroid Symptoms Are Correct - What Your Body is Actually Telling You (and why your doctor says “everything is fine”)
Thyroid Symptoms
Chances are, you are here searching for solutions to your thyroid symptoms, because your doctor is telling you “everything looks fine.”
But you know that everything is not fine.
Your body has been telling you for a while that something is wrong.
Why aren’t the test results showing anything is off? And more importantly, how do you find relief for your thyroid symptoms if you don’t know what the problem is?
Your doctor is technically right - the numbers are “within reference range.” Where your doctor has it wrong, is only testing for one factor (and not looking into the big picture).
It’s not their fault. Allopathic doctors are trained to look at a number on test results, and if it is outside the “reference range,” provide treatment to get the number back to its rightful place.
They are not trained to look into why the number is off. Organizations like insurance companies, and the American Medical Association (AMA) set oversimplified guidelines that keep us from getting the big picture.
For example, the only numbers required to diagnose for hypothyroid, are TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) and T4 (inactive Thyroid Hormone). These two numbers will only show as abnormal once there has already been damage to at least 90% of your thyroid. We need more information to really understand why you have thyroid symptoms. But your doctor is simply following the rules that were set for them by these entities.
I’m not here to sh*t on your doctor, or allopathic medicine in general.
But it’s important to consider what we might be missing out on by staying “in the box”.
Adding a functional or holistic practitioner to your healthcare team is the best way to ensure you will get down to the root cause of your thyroid symptoms, enabling you to more effectively address your health.
Examples of Thyroid Symptoms
So, how do you know if you have thyroid symptoms?
**Much of the information in this article has been taken from the Thyroid Debacle, although additional research has also been provided where needed.**
You might be here because you’ve been told you have hypothyroid (sluggish, or low thyroid function), hyperthyroid (overactive thyroid), or an autoimmune disorder such as Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis or Grave’s Disease.
Or maybe you’re here because you’ve been struggling to lose weight, you feel you have a slow metabolism, and your Google searches have told you it may be your thyroid.
Let’s first figure out if you’re in the right place.
HYPO-THYROID SYMPTOMS OFTEN LOOK LIKE:
weight gain, difficulty losing weight
constipation
depression
fatigue (frequently tired for no apparent reason)
dry skin
coarse hair
brain fog
poor circulation, sensitive to cold
reduced libido (low sex drive)
HYPER-THYROID SYMPTOMS OFTEN LOOK LIKE:
irritability
anxiety
nervousness
insomnia
increased heart rate
heart palpitations
fatigue
unexplained weight loss
increased sweating, heat intolerance
increased appetite
tremors
Where is the Thyroid Located?
To understand the cause of your thyroid symptoms, we first need to understand what the thyroid is and does.
The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland, on the front (anterior) side of the neck, at the base. It is responsible for regulating cellular metabolism, which is the chemical processes required for cells to maintain life, by creating energy.
The thyroid acts in response to stimulation from the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, collectively known as the HPT axis.
Here’s a brief overview of how this works:
Hypothalamus (brain) senses the need for energy, releases TRH (Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone)
TRH tells the Pituitary to release TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone)
TSH stimulates production of T4 (thyroxine, the inactive form of thyroid hormone) by the thyroid gland
Some T4 is converted to T3 (triiodothyronine, the active form of thyroid hormone) within the thyroid, but mostly this conversion happens within the tissues and cells where it is used
Most T3 and T4 are bound to a protein called thyroglobulin and circulate throughout the body until needed. Unbound, or free, T3 and T4 are able to bind to receptors and be used when needed.
T3 is required for many functions, but in regards to your metabolism, it is required for the transport of glucose into a cell in order to make ATP (Adenosine TriPhosphate: the energy our cells use to function).
Thyroid Symptoms in Females
It is commonly thought that if our metabolism is slow, it is because our thyroid is not producing enough T4. Whether that is because our HPT axis is disrupted, our pituitary gland is not working properly, or the thyroid itself is not functioning well.
That can be the case, however, more research is coming to light that our metabolism slows due to a cellular response to a stressor. It is even thought that in cases of autoimmune disease, wherein the body attacks the gland itself, this may be a protective mechanism in effort to slow metabolism at the source (the thyroid).
Since TSH falling outside of the reference range is a sign of end-stage thyroid dysfunction, it’s important to look at other factors when thyroid symptoms arise, before TSH becomes abnormal.
The good news is, if we are paying attention to the queues in the form of thyroid symptoms, and we have the support of a practitioner trained to look at the WHY, we can address these factors before much damage occurs.
So, what are cellular stressors?
There are many types of cellular stressors: parasite infections, fungus/yeast, bacterial overgrowth, heavy metal toxicity, environmental toxins, emotional stressors, physical trauma or injury, low oxygen, even poorly regulated blood sugar, to name a few.
Each one of these stressors triggers our fight or flight response. Our brain shuts down anything not essential to dealing with the stressor, including digestion and tissue repair. Additionally, it tries to preserve energy for the cells and tissues involved in the stressor, by slowing processes that require energy, such as metabolism.
When the stressor is left unaddressed, it becomes chronic, causing a cell danger response, in which:
Cell walls stiffen, in order to prevent the transfer of nutrients across cell walls
Cells send out signals for help, such as cytokines, and DAMPs (damage associated molecular patterns), and PAMPs (pathogen associated molecular patterns), triggering an immune response.
In an effort to preserve energy, cells deactivate T3 at the cell by activating an enzyme called deiodinase-3
Putting it altogether, thyroid symptoms are not always caused by the thyroid gland itself. Very often, thyroid symptoms are caused at a cellular level in response to unaddressed stressors.
Knowing this, you can see how it could be ineffective to treat it at the thyroid gland, with treatments such as thyroid hormone replacement and nutrients to support thyroid hormone production. These things are necessary sometimes, but without addressing the underlying stressors, those treatments will be ineffective long-term.
So, how can we reduce cellular stressors?
How to Reduce Thyroid Symptoms
Stressors such as pathogens, parasites, heavy metals, toxic burden, or micro-organisms must be evaluated with lab testing. Very often these stressors can be eliminated with a strategic holistic approach to diet, lifestyle, and tissue repair, in addition to nutrients and binders to eradicate the infection and remove it from the body.
This type of evaluation and support needs to be done under the supervision of a qualified practitioner.
But there are many other things you also can do on your own, that will help support your stress response, and reduce thyroid symptoms.
Digestive Health - supporting your “rest and digest” response when eating will go a long way to ensuring you are digesting food well, and preventing pathogens from infiltrating your gut. Eating while seated at a table, no screens, and chewing your food adequately will help you enjoy food more, but also reduce cellular stress.
Respiratory Health - Respiratory health is essential to getting oxygen to our cells, and removing waste. Low oxygen is a common cause of cellular stress. There are many apps and programs designed to improve your passive breathing technique. The ability to breathe in and out through your nose while walking at a fast pace for 20 minutes, is a sign of good respiratory health.
Toxic Burden - Switching to a diet rich in whole foods, especially from sources that do not use synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides, will drastically reduce toxic burden on your body. If you’ve heard the phrase, “you are what you eat,” take it from a holistic nutrition expert, it’s TRUE! It’s also true that “you are what you eat, eats.” This can be a challenging switch to do all at once, so I do not recommend a cold-turkey switch. Here is a terrific resource for those wanting some support in walking through this transition.
Emotional Health - There are many ways to support emotional health, and thankfully our society is beginning to reduce stigma on the use of professional therapists. I strongly urge anyone to visit a qualified mental health specialist, whether or not you think you “need” it, as a way to gain tools to help you deal with all of life’s challenges.
Emotional Health and Thyroid Symptoms
Some other techniques to support emotional health, are:
Keep a gratitude journal - every night before bed, write down three things you are grateful for, big or small.
Acknowledgment practice - Every day, write three things you acknowledge your self for, big or small.
Thought Download practice (my personal favorite) - daily or weekly, set a timer for 5 minutes, and write EVERY thought that enters your mind. After the timer, read what you wrote, and cross off everything that is not actually true. For the thoughts that ARE true, write why they are true. Your brain will surprise you every single time.
Physical Fitness - You do not need to be a gym rat to be physically healthy. Find 20 minutes in your daily routine to do some intentional movement. Whether it’s walking, weightlifting, jumping jacks, yoga, tai chi, dancing in the kitchen, whatever - make it intentional and do it every day.
Get Tested - Find a qualified Holistic Practitioner who can provide testing for underlying pathogens, infections, inflammation, and other underlying burdens, then work with them to eradicate the stressors. These types of stressors can be very sneaky and look like digestive symptoms, skin issues, allergies, or cardiovascular issues, causing us to address the wrong thing.
Prioritize Sleep - Quality sleep is necessary for tissue repair and immune health. During the day, our brain produces toxins as a natural byproduct of metabolism. During quality sleep, our glial system (our brain’s immune system) is activated, flushing out these toxins, and preparing your brain for the next day. Without quality sleep, these toxins build up, affecting memory and brain function, and create a cellular stress response.
So, What?
Are you feeling the frustration of having thyroid symptoms, but your doctor keeps telling you nothing is wrong?
There is hope, friend.
It’s time to find a provider who will listen to your needs, and who cares about finding real solutions for your long-term health.
Hilary Beckwith is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition, and is trained to get at the root cause of your thyroid symptoms, to help you feel like yourself again.
No more band-aid fixes.
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