Hypothyroid ~ Often Missed and Overlooked

By Michelle Carlese

"I’m so glad I finally know why!” Are you suffering with constipation, aches, dry skin and lifeless hair? Always tired and have no energy? Are you struggling to keep the creeping pounds at bay? While these are common symptoms that may be due to any number of lifestyle factors, they could also simply be caused by an under-active thyroid gland.
An under-active thyroid can go unnoticed for quite some time putting the body through even more stress and strain. This condition can cause an imbalance in our bodies leading to weight gain, mood disturbances, fatigue and poor temperature control.

An imbalance in the thyroid can cause various unpleasant and sometimes serious symptoms when not functioning as it should. The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the base of our necks behind the ‘Adam’s apple’. The main function of the thyroid is to secrete hormones which supply energy to the cells around our body via the bloodstream. These hormones control our metabolism, energy levels and temperature regulation.
There are two distinct conditions relating to the thyroid – hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. Hyperthyroidism (over-active thyroid) refers to an excess of thyroxine being produced causing the body’s functions to speed up. In contrast, hypothyroidism (under-active thyroid) means that the thyroid does not make enough thyroxine resulting in its own set of symptoms. We will be focusing on hypothyroidism to help you understand your body better and how to keep it healthy.

Symptoms of hypothyroidism: What would you feel?
Many of these symptoms can be caused by a decrease in thyroxine. Simply put, everything slows down – although not all these symptoms listed will develop in all cases.
Symptoms that commonly occur include:
Tiredness, weight gain, constipation, aches, feeling cold, dry skin, lifeless hair, fluid retention, mental slowing and depression.
Less common symptoms include:
A hoarse voice, irregular or heavy menstrual periods in women, infertility, loss of sex drive, carpal tunnel syndrome (which causes pains and numbness in the hand), and memory loss or confusion in the elderly.
As indicated earlier, these symptoms can overlap with other conditions such as PMS, menopause or a parasite load as these are all linked to toxins, nutrient deficiencies, estrogen dominance, inflammation, food intolerances and a compromised immune system – making the diagnosis of hypothyroidism not obvious and clear-cut. Symptoms usually develop gradually over time as the thyroxine level steadily decreases, causing symptoms to worsen slowly and subtly while being easily overlooked.

What happens if hypothyroidism is left undetected and/or untreated?
Low levels of thyroxine can cause blood lipids (cholesterol, etc) to rise – increasing risk of heart disease. If pregnant, complications can occur as a result of having low levels of thyroxine. These complications could include: Pre-eclampsia, anemia, premature labour, low birth weight, stillbirth and serious bleeding after birth.

What could cause your thyroid to become underactive?
The most common cause of hypothyroidism is due to an ‘autoimmune disease’ called autoimmune thyroiditis. Autoimmune thyroiditis causes the immune system to create antibodies that attack the thyroid gland, which in turn affects thyroid functioning leading to inadequate levels of thyroxine. The ‘trigger’ that causes one’s immune system to attack its own thyroid is still unknown.
Some people with autoimmune thyroiditis also develop a swollen thyroid gland (goitre). Autoimmune thyroiditis with a goiter is referred to as Hashimoto’s disease.
Surgery and/or radioactive treatment to the thyroid gland can lead to hypothyroidism when targeting other thyroid conditions.
Side-effects to certain medications.
A poorly functioning pituitary gland (less common). The pituitary gland that lies just under the brain makes a hormone called thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). This stimulates the thyroid gland to make thyroxine. If the pituitary does not make TSH, then the thyroid cannot make enough thyroxine.
Some children are born with an underactive thyroid – called congenital hypothyroidism.
Fluoride, heavy metal toxicity, estrogen imbalance combined with bad eating habits, deficiency in key nutrients such as tyrosine, Vitamin C, iodine can also be contributing factors.

How do you find out if you are suffering from an underactive thyroid?
A simple blood test can determine hypothyroidism accurately. Keep in mind that one person’s normal thyroid range will differ from another’s. Your doctor needs to be conscious and sensitive to the symptoms you are experiencing in relation to your TSH and T4 levels. Some people may also have raised TSH levels while experiencing a normal level of T4. This means that they are producing enough thyroxine but the thyroid gland needs extra ‘stimulation’ from TSH to make the required amount of thyroxine. In such instances, there is a possibility of developing hypothyroidism in the future so be sure to get blood tests done every so often to keep any indications of hypothyroidism in check – which your doctor should advise as well.

Help for an underactive thyroid
There are a variety of natural therapies that can be included in the treatment plan for thyroid disorders. Natural remedies for hypothyroidism with herbal and homeopathic ingredients can help to promote steady hormone levels, as well as maintain and restore the health of the thyroid gland.
Some herbal remedies commonly recommended for hypothyroid conditions include Equisetum arvense, Avena sativa, Centella asiatica, Coleus forskohlii and Fucus vesiculosis. There are also herbal and homeopathic remedies that can be used supportively to address some of the troublesome symptoms of hypothyroidism.

Homeopathy for Underactive Thyroid

The thyroid gland synthesizes two main thyroid hormones: triodothyroxine and thyroxine, commonly called T3 and T4, respectively.
It secretes a mixture of T4 and T3 in the ratio 90:10. Both of them regulate body metabolism and certain other important biological functions. An overactive thyroid that secretes too much hormone is called hyperthyroid. Hypothyroid, on the other hand, is a condition where there is an inadequate secretion of these hormones.
Symptoms like fatigue, depression, lack of concentration, inability to manage weight loss or gain, constipation, and coarse skin do not usually call for medical attention. But it is symptoms like these that indicate a malfunction in the thyroid.
Some of the other symptoms of thyroid dysfunction are hair loss, sensitivity to hot or cold, menstrual irregularities, abnormally low blood sugar, puffiness around eyes or ankles, and increase in serum cholesterol.
Conventional thyroid treatment treats all cases of hypothyroidism by seeking to replace the natural hormone with synthetic hormones. The dosage is determined based on trial and error.
Natural thyroid medication that uses hormone replacement therapy makes the use of hormones prepared from pig tissue. These can at times, interfere with the natural functioning of the human body.

Alternative thyroid treatments

like homeopathy, seek to ascertain the root cause of the disease. Homeopathy is based on the principal that a group of symptoms produced by a particular remedy in a healthy person will cure a similar set of symptoms in a sick individual. A homeopathic physician prescribes thyroid medications based on individual symptoms.

Homeopathy requires a lot of time and effort since the physician needs to study patient history, living styles, diet preferences and mannerisms into before prescribing a customized remedy.
Sometimes simple procedures may be prescribed instead of medicines to ensure efficient and fast healing. Some of these may include:

• A gentle tapping of the thyroid gland ten times, three time a day
• Soaking the feet in water with sea salt
• Rubbing feet with a mixture of castor oil and kelp tincture, wrapping in plastic overnight

Homeopathic remedies do not interfere with the natural healing process of the body. On the contrary, they stimulate the body organs to restore normal body function. With regard to hypothyroidism, this would mean that homeopathic remedies reactivate hormone secretions.

The main aim of homeopathy and other alternative thyroid treatments is to aid in self-healing so that synthetic products can be avoided.

Foods To Avoid for A Healthy Thyroid

The thyroid, that small pear-shaped gland located just below the neck, can be a source of lot of pain if it does not function properly. The gland is supposed to produce thyroid hormones that are used by nearly every cell in the body which must be produced and secreted in determined amounts for the normal functioning of body organs. The problem arises when the gland becomes either overactive or under-active and produces higher or lower amounts of hormones than what are required by the body. Both conditions produce numerous symptoms of thyroid problems that include increased sensitivity to cold, joint pains, uncontrollable weight gain, fatigue, dizziness, ringing in the ears, memory problems, hair loss, constipation, dry skin and brittle nails.

Herbs can provide natural thyroid support. A wide range of treatment modalities like medication, surgery and radioiodine therapy exist in conventional medicine. Irrespective of the treatment option that you may chose, it should be kept in mind that there are foods that promote thyroid health and those that aggravate the condition. While foods that provide extra iodine and omega 3 fatty acids are good for thyroid health, there are also certain foods that induce the formation of goiter (abnormally enlarged thyroid).

Iodine is crucial to the production of thyroid hormones. Very little iodine is required for normal production of thyroid hormones, and iodized salt is usually enough for providing the amount required. However, there are foods that block iodine uptake (goitrogens) and can bring to naught the benefits of consuming iodized salt.

Dietary vegetable oils, hydrogenated fats and polyunsaturated oils were introduced only in the last century in America. It is most likely that these are the cause behind the increased incidence of thyroid disease in the country. The overdependence on peanuts, peanut butter and soy products in the normal American diet seems to be taking its toll.

Soy and soy products are emerging as ‘villain number one’. Studies that relate to the transmission and control of thyroid diseases reveal that nearly one third of teenagers with autoimmune thyroid problem were more likely to have been fed on soy formula as infants. The most common source of hydrogenated fats and polyunsaturated oils are soybeans.

Cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli are also considered to contain gootrogens and inhibit production of thyroid hormones.

Abnormal weight gain that defies explanation is one of the major symptoms of a thyroid problem. Recent studies now point that an under-active thyroid might be the number one cause of weight problems. A thyroid-friendly diet is actually about consuming limited amounts of foods that contain goitrogens and totally avoiding oils that block iodine.

Thyroid Test Results

What do Thyroid Test Results Mean?

Doctors typically base diagnosis of thyroid disease on the "normal" range for the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test. While the previous normal range for thyroid test results was between 0.5 and 5.0, the new guidelines narrow the range for acceptable thyroid function to between 0.3 and 3.04.

Under the new guidelines, as many as 27 million people may have abnormal thyroid function--more than double the number of people thought to have abnormal thyroid function under the old guidelines. These estimates would make thyroid disease more common in North America than diabetes.

Women are at an increased risk for thyroid disease, as they are five to eight times more likely than men to be diagnosed. The elderly are also at an increased risk--by the age of 60 years, as many as 17 percent of women and nine percent of men have an underactive thyroid. Thyroid disease is also linked to other autoimmune diseases, including certain types of diabetes, arthritis and anemia.

The most common conventional way physicians diagnose hypothyroidism is with a thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test. The range for acceptable thyroid function is between 0.3 and 3.04.

However, these test results can be misleading.

According to Dr. Joseph Mercola,

"In my experience, most adults with levels over 3 have hypothyroidism, and many with levels from 1.5 to 3.0 seem to benefit from thyroid support.

"Let me repeat this as it is easy to overlook: BE CAREFUL, as most physicians will dismiss your TSH results as “normal” because they will be using outdated reference ranges."

"If your TSH is above 1.5, then it is highly likely your thyroid is not working as it should."

According to Dr. Michael Lam, many patients with TSH level of 2.0 or more have classic symptoms and signs of hypothyroidism. Even though their TSH is considered "normal" by traditional standards, many are suffering from under active thyroid or sub-clinical hypothyroidism.

TSH alone, however, is not an accurate test of all forms of hypothyroidism but only primary hypothyroidism.

Addition tests like Free T3 (FT3) and Free T4 (FT4) are required. Some doctors also test for elevated thyroid antibodies in addition to FT3 and FT4. Many patients, especially women with elevated antibodies are in the process of developing autoimmune thyroid disease. Early detection is important to effect appropriate treatment. Even with normal TSH levels, the majority of symptomatic women with elevated antibodies, low FT3 and low FT4 require thyroid hormone replacement to feel well.

If you are told your thyroid test results are normal and you are still experiencingsymptoms of hypothyroid, you may wish to seek out a practitioner who is willing to base treatment on symptoms rather than lab results.

Resources:

Major Revision of Hypothyroid Diagnosis Guidelines

A new range for the diagnosis of thyroid disease will result in proper diagnosis for over 25 million Americans who suffer from a mild thyroid disorder, but have gone untreated until now. But does proper treatment involve synthetic thyroid hormone.

Experts Change Low Thyroid Diagnosis Criteria

Finally the thyroid experts are beginning to realize what some of us have been promoting for many years. Nearly 13 million Americans have thyroid disease, but more than half of these people remain undiagnosed. Additionally, fewer than 15% of America

Herbal Thyroid Medication

Thyroid disease is sometimes caused by a rebel immune system that fails to recognize its own elements and starts attacking the thyroid gland. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves’ disease are the two main autoimmune thyroid conditions.
Herbs comprised of multiple compounds are able to act in more ways than one. While focusing on the main target of calming or supporting the thyroid function, they also help in boosting immunity by working upon the factors that promote self-healing.
Preparation of herbal medicine requires specific procedures that must be adhered to. Moreover, in certain cases, extra care has to be taken to source ingredients. For example, in the case of herbs for the thyroid, if the soil is rich in iodine it helps in providing that little bit of extra iodine that is necessary for production of thyroid hormones. In addition, ingredients should not be sourced from areas where the soil is believed to have toxic content. It is for this purpose that it is always recommended that herbal medicine should be sourced form conscientious and reputable manufacturers.
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