5 Key Points To Take Home
What are key symptoms of thyroid dysregulation?
What does the thyroid gland look like and where is it found?
Thyroid facts and what to look for with simple tests.
What is the difference between hypothyroid and hyperthyroid, and Hashimoto's and Grave's Disease?
How to help your thyroid health by meeting with a Naturopath.
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AUTHOR: Tonia Willson, Naturopath & Medical Herbalist
Have you been trying for a long time to get
help for your health, only to feel like you are going around in circles and still not getting
any answers?
To make things worse, the answers that you do get sound like this....."Your bloods have come back normal; there's nothing wrong with you or your thyroid, you just need to stress less, eat better, and exercise"!
Or perhaps you have already received a thyroid diagnosis, and are taking thyroid medications, BUT you still feel like you are struggling through each day?!
SYMPTOMS OF THYROID DYSREGULATION | ||
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• Night Sweats | • Brain Fog | |
• Memory Loss | • Dry Skin / Hair Loss | |
• Eyebrow Loss (in outer ⅓ of the brow) | • Weight Gain (even by just looking | |
• Rapid Heart Rate/Palpitations | • Weight Loss | |
• Anxiety and/or Depression | • Heavy Periods | |
• Swelling in the Throat/or Nodules | • Hoarse Voice | |
• Jittery Hands | • Constipation / Bloating |
Does This Sound Familiar?
You are exhausted no matter how much sleep you get (if you can sleep at all)! You wake up tired, and the only thing keeping you going is the cup of coffee (or multiple cups)! The fatigue and brain fog is so bad that at around 2-3 pm, you just want to crawl back into bed!
Your hair that was once lush and thick and shiny is now falling out in chunks, and you're eyebrows, that used to be perfectly manicured brows, are now non-existent?
To top it off, your brain has turned to mush, you forget things all the time, and you feel like you are wading through clouds; your head is so foggy! It's so scary because it feels like it's getting worse?!
Your periods are getting heavier and heavier, your PMS is intense, your iron is low, and you are getting more and more anxious?!
These are all symptoms of thyroid disease that I see commonly in clinic, and they can be debilitating. Still, if you are given the right support, you CAN turn this around to live a more energised and fulfilled life!
Thyroid Facts
Your thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland at the base of your neck, just below your Adam's apple. The thyroid gland has an enormous impact on your health, affecting almost every cell in your body - No wonder it causes so much havoc!
Thyroid disorders affect 10 times more women than men!
Thyroid disorders are very common in pregnant and post-natal women, but are not normal!
The most common thyroid disorders are hyperthyroid and Graves disease (overactive thyroid), hypothyroid and Hashimotos (an underactive thyroid and also called Autoimmune thyroiditis), and increasingly thyroid cancers.
Hashimotos and hypothyroidism may cause your thyroid to make insufficient thyroid hormones - T3 & T4.
TSH is simply a feedback measure from the pituitary gland to the thyroid, it does not tell you how well your thyroid is functioning - this requires a full thyroid panel including T3, T4, Reverse T3, Free T3 & Free T4, as well as TSH, and thyroid antibodies to rule out any autoimmune component.
Waiting until your TSH is out of range is a common mistake that can result in years of feeling tired and unwell.
Hashimoto's thyroiditis is an autoimmune disorder. This is due to a dysregulation in your immune system, where it mounts an attack on the thyroid gland. This can be picked up by using the right tests as waiting for an out of range blood test make take as many as 10 years to show up as an overt thyroid disorder.
If you have Hashimoto's thyroiditis, you are at a much higher risk of developing other autoimmune disorders, if the Autoimmune component of the disease is not treated
As the symptoms of hyper/hypothyroidism may both overlap with each other and many other medical conditions, it can remain misdiagnosed and often undiagnosed until the appropriate tests are performed.
We can help get you back on track using the correct testing methods, utilising thyroid-supportive nutrients and herbs, and providing diet and lifestyle support.
TAKING THYROID SUPPORTIVE SUPPLEMENTS
Having optimal levels of the key thyroid nutrients is essential for supporting all thyroid conditions. That means making sure that we have sufficient iodine, selenium, zinc and tyrosine. However, rushing out to buy these nutrients can be detrimental to your health and requires a trained health practitioner to assess your nutrient levels - giving high doses of iodine and selenium can be very dangerous and make a thyroid condition worse - that's why it is so essential to book in with a trained Naturopath who has experience in working with these conditions.
Aiming to get as many nutrients in the diet using a nutrient-dense wholefoods approach is a great way to support your thyroid; however, certain foods may be detrimental to the thyroid, particularly in Autoimmune thyroid conditions. There may also be particular nutrients that we simply aren't getting enough of in the diet, which may be because of high stress levels or some medications, as these require the body to churn through these nutrients more quickly. Coupled with this, those with a thyroid condition often feel so exhausted and overwhelmed with everything that making drastic changes to their diet is simply not going to be achievable!
A Naturopath can assess which supplements may be effective in supporting your thyroid function.
The supplements prescribed may include nutrients that, after consultation, you may be deficient in or simply that you may require to support the thyroid. Often a prescription can also incorporate using supportive herbs. Some herbs can help specifically to bring thyroid levels back into a healthy range, where others may assist with counteracting the effects of contributing factors that lead to thyroid dysregulation and/or help with the triggers for your thyroid disorder. Using the right supplements and herbs can be a complete game changer in getting your health and vitality back!
I always recommend getting a personalised prescription from your Naturopath for herbs and nutrients, as each person has unique requirements. If you are looking for a personalised prescription, you can book an appointment here.
GET IN TOUCH / BOOK AN APPOINTMENT | ||
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Click here to book an appointment with Tonia to help your thyroid health.
REFERENCES | ||
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Hechtman, L. (2019). Clinical Naturopathic Medicine (2nd ed.). Elsevier. Karrhazian, D. (2010) Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal? Elephant Press. Sarris, J., & Wardle, J. (2019). Clinical Naturopathy: An evidence-based guide (3rd ed.). Elsevier. The Australian Thyroid Foundation - Definitions. https://www.thyroidfoundation.org.au/Definitions Hypothyroidism Self-Test: Can you Check your Thyroid At Home?. https://www.restartmed.com/hypothyroidism-self-test/ |
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