Are you exhausted at all hours of the day, no matter how much sleep you get? Maybe your hair falls out and your skin is constantly dry and flakey. Or, you’ve recently experienced weight gain and have a lot of difficulty losing that weight. These seemingly unrelated and random symptoms are all signs of thyroid disorders.
If you’re experiencing these symptoms, or other unexplainable symptoms, you know something is up and I encourage you to listen to that gut instinct.
Your doctor might chalk it up to stress, but very likely, there’s something deeper going on. Symptoms of thyroid disorders vary greatly and it’s so important to know which labs should be drawn to get the full picture. This article will give you all the information you need to better speak with healthcare professionals about how to heal your thyroid.
Exhaustion, stubborn weight, constipation, and dry skin can all be signs and symptoms of thyroid disorder.
What Does Your Thyroid Do?
You’ve probably heard of your thyroid before, especially if you’re a woman. For example, some sources say hypothyroidism (see below) is ten times more common in women than men. Even if you haven’t heard of your thyroid, you should know it plays a big role in your body, specifically your endocrine system. The small, butterfly-shaped gland at the base of your neck regulates messages about your metabolism, heart rate, temperature, and even mood.
There are two types of conditions that can occur when your thyroid is not functioning properly: hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. They are both disorders that occur when the thyroid is not functioning optimally.
What is Hypothyroidism?
Your thyroid is responsible for regulating many body processes and functions, so when thyroid levels are too high or too low, everything else it regulates is also affected.
Hypothyroidism is when your thyroid levels are too low.
Symptoms include:
- Fatigue
- Always feeling cold
- Weight gain
- Dry skin
- Hair loss
- Irregular periods
- Constipation
What is Hyperthyroidism?
On the other hand, when your thyroid levels are too high, or elevated, it is called hyperthyroidism.
Symptoms of hyperthyroidism include:
- Anxiety
- Increased sweating
- Heart palpitations
- Shaky hands
- Difficulty sleeping
- Hair and nails thinning
- Frequent bowel movements
- Weight loss
- Irregular periods
What’s the Deal with an Imbalanced Thyroid?
Many factors can influence the thyroid and cause an imbalance in your thyroid levels. For example, some medications and lifestyle factors can impact it. In addition, some environmental factors can disrupt thyroid levels like stress, toxic overload, or radiation.
In spite of this, autoimmune thyroid disorders are the most common cause of an imbalance in thyroid levels.
Autoimmune Thyroid Disorders
An autoimmune thyroid disorder is when your immune system attacks your own body. There are two autoimmune thyroid disorders: Hashimoto’s and Graves Disease.
Hashimoto’s occurs when your body attacks the thyroid and inhibits it from producing enough of the thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism). On the other hand, Graves Disease occurs when your body over-stimulates the thyroid and creates too much of the thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism).
Autoimmune thyroid disorders don’t just happen out of the blue They are an immune system problem that creates a thyroid issue over time. You may only be experiencing slight symptoms right now, but if left alone you could have a nasty autoimmune disease on your hands.
Additionally, there are underlying causes to an autoimmune disease. Those causes are: genetics, environment, and gut health.
Let’s look at each:
Genetics – genetics play a role in autoimmune conditions, including hashimoto’s. However, just because you may have a genetic predisposition doesn’t mean you will develop an autoimmune disease. As I tell my clients, genetics loads the gun but lifestyle pulls the trigger.
Environment – Environmental triggers are different for everyone, and they help explain why some with genetic predispositions develop autoimmune diseases while others don’t. Triggers include everything from heavy metals to pesticides. Food sensitivities to gluten, corn, and dairy can also weaken your gut lining and health making you more susceptible. Chronic stress and mold are two other dangerous triggers.
Gut health – Science on the importance and health of your gut is constantly emerging. Recent research shows that intestinal permeability, or leaky gut, can also be a contributing factor to the development of an autoimmune disease. When the intestinal barrier is compromised your body’s immune response becomes imbalanced and autoimmunity can occur.
A Functional Medicine Approach to Autoimmune Thyroid Disorders
So now you know that autoimmune thyroid disorders don’t happen overnight and that autoimmune disease in general has many contributing factors.
However, most conventional doctors only check for TSH levels (the thyroid stimulating hormone). A functional medicine approach, on the other hand, looks at several other biomarkers to ensure your thyroid is working properly and your body is using it correctly. Here is an example of the labs that a functional medicine doctor would look at.
TSH – this hormone is released by the pituitary gland and tells your thyroid how much hormone to make. TSH levels can tell us about the communication between the pituitary gland and the thyroid.
Free T4 – This is known as thyroxine and is the main output that your thyroid produces. Knowing Free T4 levels can tell us how much is still available to be converted into active form.
Free T3 – T4 is converted into T3 when a specific area in the body needs energy. These levels are important because your body may be producing T4 but not converting it into T3.
Reverse T3 – T4 can also be converted into reverse T3. Elevated reverse T3 can lead to hypothyroidism symptoms, however it’s mostly a consequence of systemic inflammation.
Thyroglobulin Antibody and Thyroid Peroxidase Antibody – These are the labs that identify if you have an autoimmune thyroid disorder or not. Thyroid peroxidase antibodies attack enzymes that are responsible for producing the thyroid hormone. Meanwhile thyroglobulin antibodies attack thyroglobulin, a protein that your thyroid uses to produce its hormones.
Are Normal Results Really Normal?
If your doctor only draws labs to look at your TSH levels they may miss important information about your body. In fact, they could even miss that you have an autoimmune thyroid disorder completely!
It’s important to note that just because your levels may come back as normal, doesn’t mean they are optimal. If they are on the edge of normal and you are suffering from symptoms, it could mean that your body is not working at its full potential. Given time, they may even cross the line into abnormal levels signaling thyroid disorder. So, this is where you need to be your own advocate and health detective. Be persistent and if you are not getting your concerns addressed or your voice heard, consider switching providers.
Causes of Autoimmune Thyroid Disorders
Factors that could put you at risk of an autoimmune thyroid disorder include:
- Increased stress
- Environmental Toxins
- Damaged Gut
- Underlying infections
- Food sensitivity
- Other autoimmune conditions
How To Heal Your Thyroid With Functional Medicine
It is important for health care providers to listen to us as unique individuals with unique health concerns.
Many conventional doctors will prescribe pharmaceuticals like Levothyroxine that must be taken for the rest of your life. Some people will need thyroid medications for the rest of their life especially if the thyroid was surgically removed. However, some people can be weaned from their thyroid medications with better lifestyle choices. While there are several helpful prescriptions a functional medicine doctor can prescribe you, they will also look at several dietary and lifestyle factors as well as supplements from a holistic lens.
For example, here are several steps to heal your thyroid with a functional medicine approach:
1. Avoid gluten. The protein in gluten has a similar structure to that of your thyroid. Your immune system may react to your thyroid tissue and produce antibodies in an act called molecular mimicry when you eat gluten.
2. Manage stress levels. Try to reduce your stress and thus your levels of cortisol by creating a balanced work/life schedule. Get out into nature. Heck, try some forest bathing as it is all the new rage!
3. Focus on gut health. Go for healing bone broth and other gut healing foods like fermented veggies and other pro/prebiotics.
4. Eat anti-inflammatory foods. Inflammation caused by diet can make your autoimmune condition worse.
5. Consider supplements. Ashwaghanda, rose, rhodiola, and ginseng are all great for balancing your thyroid.
6. Reduce your toxic burden. Throw away all your toxic products (cleaning and beauty products) and opt for more all-natural, clean products.
Lower your stress levels by getting out in nature
Work With A Holistic Health Coach
If you’re struggling with an autoimmune thyroid disorder or thyroid condition consider a functional medicine approach. As a Certified Holistic Health Coach and Doctor of Naturopathy, I’m interested in getting to the root cause of your thyroid hormone imbalances. Click here to fill out my connect form and get started!
