How important is it to know the status of your thyroid health? Since your thyroid is one of the largest endocrine glands in the human body and significantly influences almost every cell, it is extremely important to understand what the thyroid gland actually does and what steps we can take to maintain or improve its’ health.

Your thyroid regulates your metabolism and weight by controlling the fat burning process in your body. So if you have been frustrated trying to maintain a healthy body weight or can’t seem to lose weight, even with proper diet and regular exercise, it’s time to have your thyroid hormone levels checked. Check your level is a recurring theme in this article.

The hormones produced by the thyroid are also essential for proper growth and development in children and plays an integral role in nearly all physiological processes in our bodies. When your thyroid levels are off, whether they are too high or too low, it has a serious impact on your overall health and wellness.

Research shows that anywhere from 10-40 percent of U.S. citizens suffer from less than optimal thyroid function. When your thyroid is not functioning as it should it can lead to many serious health issues including fibromyalgia (widespread muscle pain and tenderness), irritable bowel syndrome, eczema, acne and infertility are just a few examples. It is also known to be linked to autoimmune diseases (these occur when your body’s immune system turns against itself and mistakenly attacks healthy cells). Just one more important reason to understand how your thyroid works and what may cause it to stop functioning properly.

So what exactly is the thyroid gland? It is a butterfly-shaped gland found in your neck; it is approximately two-inches long and is a brownish red colored, highly vascular gland. There are two lobes located on each side of the windpipe that are connected by a thin tissue called the isthmus.

Never underestimate the responsibilities of your thyroid gland. It produces the metabolism hormones that basically control every function in your body. These are the three types of hormones it produces:

• Triodothyroine (T3)
• Thyroxine (T4)
• Diiodothyrorine (T2)

These three hormones are secreted by your thyroid and interact with all of your hormones including cortisol, or the “stress hormone.” Cortisol not only helps the body use sugar and fat for energy it also helps our bodies manage stress. Cortisol levels can be affected by various factors, including emotional or physical stress, infection, injury and strenuous physical activity. We sometimes discount the toll our daily life stressors have on our health. Work, family, finances; all of the daily obligations we have certainly impact our health, often much more than we realize. Especially our thyroid health.

The other primary hormones the thyroid hormones interact with include insulin and sex hormones like estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. All of these hormones are closely tied with each other, so with an imbalance in your thyroid you can see why it would lead to so many diseases and widespread symptoms.

Let’s start with the hormone T4, the inactive form, which accounts for nearly 90 percent of the hormones produced by the thyroid. T4 is converted by the liver, into T3, the active form. T2 is a much less understood and less active component of proper thyroid function and is the subject of several ongoing studies. For our purposes we will focus on T4 and T3.

Just what are the roles of the primary hormones produced by the thyroid?

If your thyroid is functioning properly you will produce the correct amounts of T3 and T4. This is essential since they control the metabolism in all the cells in your body. If your T3 is either inadequate whether due to low production or simply not properly converting from T4, it will have serious implications on your entire system. T3 basically tells the nucleus of your cells to send a message to your DNA to do things like increasing your metabolism by burning more fat. T3 is also responsible for lowering cholesterol levels, stimulating hair growth and essentially keeping you leaner.

So what are some common factors that may contribute to your T3 levels being out of whack?

Many factors including nutritional imbalances, allergens, toxins, infections and stress are all contributors to the onset of the three most common thyroid related diseases, thyroid cancer, hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. These diseases are serious and as we will discuss; have major repercussions on your health.

Let’s start with hypothyroidism. This is a condition that occurs when your thyroid does not produce enough of the thyroid hormones. One of the problems is identifying and properly diagnosing hypothyroidism can be tricky because the symptoms are a bit vague and can easily overlap or appear to be symptoms of many other diseases. Physicians in general are still relying on what some consider an archaic, traditional test that is not necessarily accurate. If they are not vigilant in their diagnosis certain clues to the disease can easily go undetected. My primary care provider always tells me to listen to my body and be sure to relay even the slightest changes I detect.

Here are some of the most common symptoms and risk factors sufferers of hypothyroidism can look for:

• Lethargy: Feeling a constant lack of energy and persistent fatigue. Of course, simply being tired or having a lack of energy can’t always be attributed to a dysfunctional thyroid, many other factors could be at play such as poor diet or emotional and physical stress are also major contributors to feeling lethargic.

But if your thyroid foundation is compromised, sustaining your energy output is going to be challenging. So if you notice a marked decrease in your energy levels and find you can’t muster the strength to do the daily things you are accustomed to you should have your levels checked by your physician or primary care provider immediately.

Some common signs of thyroid fatigue include not having the energy to exercise at all; many sufferers will fall asleep as soon as they sit down if they are not engaged in another activity. For instance; if you sit down to watch television and you simply can’t stay awake or you find yourself having a “heavy head”, especially during the afternoon. Your head is actually a very sensitive indicator of thyroid hormone status, so be mindful of your body and report any changes to your care provider.

• Depression: If you have been diagnosed with depression be certain to have your physician or primary care provider check your thyroid levels.
• Weight Gain: Since the production of thyroid hormones is directly related to your metabolism any imbalances can adversely affect your ability to maintain a healthy body weight.
• Changes in Hair and Skin: You will often find that your skin becomes excessively dry, cracked and rough. Many people will experience significant hair loss or rough and easily tangled hair.
• Sensitivity to Cold: Due to low thyroid hormone production you may become overly sensitive to cold. Many sufferers can’t even warm up easily after sitting in a sauna. Your basal body temperature will be below normal, if it is less than 97.6 for three consecutive days it is time to have your levels checked.
• Genetics: Thyroid dysfunction is highly hereditary so be sure to know as much about your family’s medical history as possible.

Individually, any of these symptoms could be suggestive of an underactive thyroid. Of course, the more symptoms you experience the higher the probability that you have hypothyroidism. I know I sound like a broken record, but if this is the case, have your levels checked as soon as possible.

On the flip side, what if your thyroid is over active and is producing too many hormones? This condition is called hyperthyroidism; but many physicians also refer to it as thyrotoxicosis. It appears that this condition is more prevalent in women than in men. Approximately 8 in 100 women and 1 in 100 men will develop hyperthyroidism. Remember the onset of this condition may occur at any age.

The T4 hormone produced by the thyroid gland is carried throughout your bloodstream and affects the majority of your cell and tissues.

When you have an overactive thyroid you secrete too much T4 which accelerates your bodily functions. In turn, you may experience several negative side effects:

• Restlessness: never feeling settled or content in the moment.
• Irregular Heartbeat: This is generally an accelerated heartbeat than can potentially lead to atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat that causes poor blood flow to the body and can eventually lead to cardiac failure.
• Weight Loss: Rarely do people affected by hyperthyroidism experience weight gain.
• Irregular Menstrual Cycles: Often women will have unpredictable or missed cycles.

While initially unnoticeable; these symptoms will become more evident as your T4 levels increase.

Hyperthyroidism can often be a side effect of Graves Disease, an immune system disorder where the body produces antibodies that in turn cause your thyroid to create an excess of thyroid hormones.

Noncancerous thyroid tumors can make and secrete elevated amounts of thyroid hormones resulting in hyperthyroidism as well.

Wow, that is a lot to take in regarding thyroid health. Now let’s explore some steps that we can take to help prevent imbalances and what types of treatments are available when they do occur.

Some common problems that affect our thyroid health are controllable. For instance, many of us have iodine deficiencies in our diets. Iodine is critical in the production of thyroid hormones. Without proper amounts of iodine it can quickly lead to hypothyroidism. Since our bodies do not naturally produce iodine you need to consume iodine in your diet. Shellfish, salt-water fish, seaweed, eggs and dairy are all excellent sources of iodine. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for iodine is approximately 12.5 mg a day. If you eat one gram of seaweed you will have consumed nearly 2000% of your RDA; where as if you eat 3 ounces of baked cod you will have taken in about 66% of your RDA. Iodized table salt is also a good source, but you certainly want to monitor your intake closely.

Some physicians will recommend surgery, where the thyroid is removed, followed up by thyroid hormone therapy. Then there is synthetic T4 replacement, a daily dosage of T4 hormone. These are both viable options when other controllable factors aren’t successful.

At times your physician or primary care provider will recommend radioactive iodine treatments, permanently destroying a part of the thyroid. This has been proven to be effective, producing excellent results, close to an 80% success rate in curing hypothyroidism after just one dose. Although this procedure has not been shown to cause damage to any other parts of the body, I personally don’t like the idea of having anything radioactive near my body, especially my throat. But that’s just me.

Then there are anti-thyroid medications. These medications seem to help bring thyroid hormone levels under control in about a 6 week to 3 month period. But anytime you ingest synthetic medications there is the probability of side effects. The most common with these medications are skin rashes, nausea, issues with sense of taste, liver cell injury and the list goes on.

There are many supplements available on the market that help support and improve thyroid health. Most of them contain the essential mineral and vitamins we need to promote and maintain proper hormone levels such as, iodine, which we have touched on, selenium, found in food like shellfish, beans, nuts and even dark chocolate. Others contain zinc, which is food in proteins like beef, turkey, lamb, fresh oysters, soybeans and a variety of nuts.

So it clearly makes sense to try and eat a healthy, balanced diet. But sometimes that is easier said than done on your own. As always, discuss all of these options with your health care provider.

If you haven’t found a primary care provider that you can rely on and trust to help you navigate through these important decisions regarding your thyroid health, look no further. At Functional Family Medicine (FFM), right here in Albuquerque, we are lucky to have Camille Johnson, FPN-BC, MSN, BSN and RN. Camille is a uniquely talented nurse practitioner with extensive nutritional training that she received at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Training with some of the most highly acclaimed and recognized names in nutritional expertise including, Dr. Andrew Weil, Director of the Arizona Center of Integrated Medicine and Dr. Deepak Chopra, a leader in the field of mind/body medicine along with several other esteemed leaders and researchers in the nutritional and medical fields. Camille and her partner Rodger Johnson, BSN, RN work together to ensure you receive not only the highest quality of care at Functional Family Medicine, but you will truly be treated like a part of the family. So take the guess work out of your health concerns and call today.

You can contact Camille or Rodger today at www.functionalfamilymedicince.com or call 505-922-9800.