WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF A LOW THYROID FUNCTION?

Low Thyroid a modern day disease?

Do you find it difficult to get going in the morning? Feel the slightest bit of cold or maybe your hair keeps falling out and you don't know why. Have you been told all your blood markers are within range? Do you feel tired all the time? Or maybe you do not have the mental capacity cope with every day chores. If so check yourself against the following signs and symptoms that correlate with a low thyroid (hypothyroidism) function. The list is not exhaustive and more can be added to it however this gives a basic overview to asses a low thryroid function.

Signs and Symptoms of Low Thyroid Function

• Weight gain for no apparent reason or finding it difficult to lose weight with diet and exercise

• Lethargy/Fatigue more than normal

• Sensitivity to cold, hands and feet are cold to the touch, frequently feeling cold when others do not

• Slow pulse and /or low blood pressure

• Having high cholesterol

• Tendency to constipation, not having a bowel movement every day

• Hair is rough, coarse, dry, breaking, brittle or falling out

• Depression, anxiety, insomnia

• Skin problems, dry skin, rough,coarse, scaly, itchy and thick

• Nails are dry and brittle and break more easily

• Eyebrows are thining, especially the outer thrid of the eyebrow

• Voice may be hoarse

• Joint aches & pains, stiffness or tingling in joints, muscles, hands and / or feet

• Having carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis or plantar fascitis

• Feeling depressed, restless, moody, sad

• Difficulty concentrating or remembering things, brain fog

• Low sex drive, loss of libido

• The eyes feel gritty, dry, light sensitive

• My neck or throat feels full with pressure, or larger than usual, and /or having difficulty swallowing

• Puffiness and swelling around the eyes, eyelids, face, feet, hands and feet

• Women having irregular menstrual cycles (longer or heavier or more frequent)

• Normal body temperature on waking is below 36.6 C

  
  

What to do if you think you have a low thyroid function? Also called Hypothyroid

You can get your bloods tested. It is important to get both the T4 and T3 tested with the TSH as T3 is the active thyroid hormone. If there are problems with conversion even if your T4 levels are optimal you still may have low thyroid symptoms. I have had many clients that have been told their thyroid function is normal but their Doctor has only tested them for TSH or TSH and T4. In my clinic I like to test all the relevant markers for thyroid health including antibody markers to eliminate the possibility of Hashimatos Thyroiditis that is an autoimmune condition.

Other than blood tests I also offer a comprehensive DNA test that looks at Thyroid pathways and relevant nutrient support to dig deeper to find if there are any genetic weaknesses that may benefit from nutritional support.

Can Nutritional Therapy help with Thyroid Health?

There are nutrients that are needed for your thyroid to function optimally. If you are deficient in some of these nutrients or if you have problems with enzymes such as TPO, deiodinase enzymes you may not have an optimal thyroid function. These can be helped with nutritional supplementation and a healthy lifestyle in place! With Hashimatos Disease it may be necessary to avoid gluten and in some cases elimination of goitrogens which are foods that can affect the thyroid function. however as some of these foods are very healthy they should only be eliminated if only absolutely necessary and if the goitre is affected.

Goitrogenic foods:

• Cruciferous foods, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts. cooking them usually removes the goitrogenic effect.

• Cassavam lima beans, millet, peaches, peanuts, pine nuts

• Soya foods, tofu, tempeh, edamame and soy milk

• Some grains, wheat, barley, triticale, rye

• and some other foods.

  
  

Nutrients for optimal thyroid function

• L-Tyrosine

• Iodine

• Selenium

• Zinc

• Copper

• Iron

• Magnesium

• B vitamins

• Vitamin A

• Vitamin C

• Vitamin E

• Omega 3 fats

  
  

Other factors to consider for an optimal Thyroid function are a good gut function and a healthy liver as the thyroid hormones are converted to their active forms here.

It is essential also to tackle stress if present as adrenals are affected by stress and adrenals and the thyroid go hand in hand. This is where supporting a healthy lifestyle is also very important, addressing how we handle stress and what strategies we can put in place to build more resilience.