Tired, Overweight, Depressed – Could It Be Your Thyroid?

Are you frequently fatigued, despite getting adequate sleep? Have you tried every type of diet on the market but simply can't lose weight? Do you have high cholesterol or high triglycerides? Are you more forgetful, lethargic, or depressed? Do you have chronic constipation, dry skin, or thinning hair, cold hands and feet? You may well have hypothyroidism, or low thyroid function, a condition that affects up to 10 percent of Americans. Unfortunately about half of them don't even know it. Women are considerably more susceptible to hypothyroidism than men, and incidence increases with age. People over 50 with hypertension and high cholesterol who eat lots of omega-3 fatty acids have a significantly lower risk of cognitive decline.

It seems that as many as one in five women over age 50 may be afflicted. Hypothyroidism is not a benign condition but is serious. In addition to the common symptoms listed above, it also increases risk of heart attack, immune dysfunction, and infertility. Since thyroid hormones play an integral role in fetal growth and development, children born to women with low thyroid are at increased risk of neurological problems and lower IQs.

Hypothyroidism Is often overlooked during physical exams. If you complain to your conventional doctor about any of these symptoms, he may not think to look at thyroid function. Lipid abnormalities, depression, constipation, and other signs of hypothyroidism could be due to a variety of factors. At best, most doctors will run a blood test for thyroid function. The most sensitive of these tests is thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). TSH, which is made in the pituitary gland, acts like a thermostat for thyroid hormone formation and release. When levels are low, TSH increases and signals the thyroid to pump up production. However, this test is far from foolproof. It’s not uncommon for patients with a normal TSH to have low levels of active thyroid hormones. However, if your TSH falls within the normal range, your doctor is not likely to give you thyroid replacement to see if it improves your condition.

Nutrients for Thyroid Support And You Should Avail Yourself Of These

The thyroid gland uses iodine to produce hormones, so it’s important to get enough of this mineral. Our average iodine level is just half of what it was 30 years ago. This is in part due to dietary factors as well as environmental toxins that interfere with iodine uptake and possibly thwart thyroid function. These include fluoride in water, cigarette smoke, and contaminantion of our water and food. To increase your intake, eat iodine-rich seafood. Iodine content in other foods varies according to the mineral levels in the soil in which they’re grown. Our primary source of iodine is iodized salt, but half the salt sold in this country, including sea salt, kosher salt, and salt used to make pickles and flavor pretzels and nuts, is not iodized. Most multivitamins contain the RDA of iodine (150 mcg), and supplements with kelp or other sources of iodine may have up to 600 mcg. These may be helpful, but some people do not tolerate supplemental iodine very well. Before you bump up your intake significantly, yous should have your urine iodine level tested. Selenium is another nutrient that supports the thyroid. A common underlying cause of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disorder of the thyroid gland. Recent studies have shown that 200 mcg of supplemental selenium helps decrease autoimmune-induced inflammation.

If you have any of the symptoms discussed in this article, talk to your doctor about testing your TSH level. If it’s in the normal range, request tests for free T3 and T4 (the unbound, physiologically active forms). Even if everything checks out, a closely monitored trial of natural thyroid is warranted. If you’re taking Synthroid, consider switching to natural thyroid. If your doctor is prejudiced against it, look for one versed in natural thyroid replacement. Contact ACAM (acam.org) or A4M (worldhealth. net).