What does it mean “to thrive”? Everyone’s version looks different, but generally speaking it means that you are growing and developing well. You are living your best life. Your thyroid, believe it or not, has a lot to do with your body being able to function in its optimal state.
So many of us are exhausted, depleted, depressed, and overwhelmed by life right now. Being a working mom has never been easy, but with everything going on this year - it’s become even harder. We are beyond taxed and are running on fumes more so now than ever before.
If you’re feeling irritable, fatigued, lethargic and sluggish you likely can blame it on more than just the current way of the world. Your thyroid may be hindering your ability to thrive and cope during these stressful times.
What exactly is the thyroid and what does it do?
Your thyroid is a small, powerful gland that sits at the base of your neck on the front side, just below your larynx (windpipe). This gland produces the hormones, triiodothyronine, also known as T3, and thyroxine, known as T4, which help manage many of the body’s functions. These hormones influence the actions of all other hormones in the body. They regulate the functions of the heart, our musculature, our digestive system, our brain development, and healthy maintenance of our bones. The thyroid gland also impacts: how you use your cellular energy, your mood, your sex drive, your degree of fertility, how healthy your skin is, helps to stabilize your weight, and regulates your body temperature.
Basically, your thyroid makes sure that each and every cell in your body has enough gas in the tank to work properly---pretty important, right?
This little gland has a big responsibility in your ability to thrive and when it isn’t functioning properly, it can wreak havoc on so many areas of your health and life.
The most common dysfunctions I see in my practice (in order of most to least common) are hypothyroidism, autoimmune hypothyroid, and then hyperthyroid.
Hypothyroidism is the underproduction of the thyroid hormones and can impact your energy levels, weight, mental health, and pretty much every process in your body. When your thyroid is even a little bit slow and “off”, it impacts your entire being.
Autoimmune thyroid, or better known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, occurs when your body sees your ever important thyroid gland as a foreign invader and starts to attack it. The attack causes unprovoked and undue harm to the gland, revving up your immune system, increasing total body inflammation and causing unwelcomed internal hypothyroid symptoms.
Hyperthyroidism, which is much less common, is seen when there is an overproduction of the thyroid hormones. This can lead to a number of diseases and conditions such as Graves’ disease (also autoimmune), toxic adenomas, and even cancer.
With my patients and clients, I continue to see more and more women who suffer from hypothyroidism - their bodies just can’t keep up with the stress, anxiety, and overwhelm of life.
When you have a slow thyroid, every other process in the body slows down too.
How can you tell if you have a slow thyroid?
Some of the common symptoms are:
- Weight gain
- Forgetfulness
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Dry skin
- Hair loss
- Cold body temperature
- Constipation
There are many more symptoms you feel that could be related to a slow thyroid. Here is a great resource with more information if you think hypothyroidism may be impacting your ability to thrive!
Know what you’re looking for, and advocate for yourself to ensure the right testing is done!
In western medicine, we are trained to solely rely on the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) marker to determine the health and effectiveness of our thyroid gland. Have you sat in your provider’s office knowing your body was “off”, but was told that since your TSH was normal, nothing was wrong? I’ve experienced that multiple times and it’s so frustrating? We know our bodies best, right?
Here’s the TRUTH: the TSH isn’t measuring the thyroid at all.
The TSH isn't even a thyroid hormone, but instead is a brain chemical that stimulates thyroid hormone production. Following this number alone leads to inaccurate information and misdiagnosis. This is why you, and I, felt so confused when we were told, “everything looks good,” when intuitively we knew it wasn’t.
You should be advocating for yourself, and your health, by requesting the following tests to provide a more complete picture of the state of your thyroid’s health and how it is functioning.
- Free T3
- Free T4
- Reverse T3
- TSH
- Thyroid antibodies (TG and TPO)
It's also important to understand and acknowledge that certain prescriptions and over the counter medications (OTC) can make the thyroid tests completely inaccurate too. Be aware of this prior to having any testing performed, and be sure to let your provider know what prescribed, OTC and/or natural medications and supplements you are taking.
Now what? What's the next step?
Once you have the proper tests completed, it’s important to understand your results and everything that these tests show. Dr. Izabella Wentz provides great information regarding what tests to have done, what to look for, and how to interpret your results in her blog, “Top 10 Thyroid Tests”.
Choosing to have testing done to check the status of your thyroid gland can be scary. It can be confusing and feel extremely overwhelming. It can feel like you’re opening a bag of worms you’d rather keep closed. You may feel like it’s easier to just place the blame on your stress and the exhaustion we have all felt from this year.
But it’s time. You need to strongly consider taking this step to ensure that you know your body is functioning properly. Imagine what your health will look and feel like after getting this master gland straightened out.
It is my desire to empower you with the tools and knowledge to be your own health advocate and for you to understand the value in working with someone who truly understands the interconnectedness of the female body. Someone who no longer approaches the body as a sum of its parts, but as a complete, integrated unit. I can help ensure you are receiving the right testing, will thoroughly review your results, and then provide a multifaceted plan to help you truly thrive again, personalized for your unique intricate lifestyle.
If you’re ready to take the next step to living your best life, click the button below to schedule your free curiosity call. Stop waiting. Stop blaming 2020. Let’s navigate this together and get you feeling your absolute best!
