Signs you may have a thyroid problem and solutions to fixing it

Is your thyroid off?

What is your thyroid?

The thyroid gland is a butterfly shaped gland in your neck just above your collarbone. The thyroid gland is responsible for regulating metabolism as well as many other activities in the body. When the thyroid gland becomes out of balance there are many symptoms that will start to arise. When your thyroid stops running right so does the rest of your body.

How does the thyroid work?

The thyroid hormone production works through a negative feedback loop involving the hypothalamus, pituitary, and thyroid glands.

The hypothalamus releases hypothalamic thytropin releasing hormone (TRH) which stimulates  pituitary thyrotropin synthesis and secretion (TSH).

TSH from the pituitary then stimulates the thyroid to produce and release T3 and T4. When a proper level of T3 and T4 is released a signal is then sent to the hypothalamus and pituitary to stop producing TSH, and TRH.

T4 has to be converted into T3 which is the active thyroid hormone. T3 then gets converted into free T3 or reverse T3. Most of what your body uses is Free T3 which is the responsible hormone for keeping you warm, keeping metabolism fired up, keep bowels regular, and keep hormones balanced.

Signs you may experience due to an under active thyroid (hypothyroid) include:

1. Fatigue even after a full nights sleep
2. Hair loss
3. Cold hands and feet
4. Weight gain and inability to lose weight
5. Mood swings, anxiety, and depression
6. PMS, menstrual irregularities, and infertility
7. Joint pain
8. Constipation
9. Brain fog
10. Neck swelling, or hoarse voice

Signs you may experience do to over active thyroid (hyperthyroid) include:

1. Nervousness or irritibility
2. Insomnia or restless sleep
3. Heart palpatations
4. Night sweats
5. Unexplained weight loss
6. Frequent bowel movements or diarrhea
7. Mood swings
8. PMS, menstrual irregularities, or infertility
9. Heat intolerance
10. Fatigue, muscle weakness, joint pains

How is Thyroid imbalance diagnosed?

Doctors will often order blood work when they feel you may have a thyroid imbalance. There are a couple problems that arise with this. The first problem is that your doctor may only order TSH levels or T3 and T4 but not pay attention to the free T3 to see if it is being converted into usable hormone properly.

Second, conventional lab values/ranges are often misleading and not providing "optimal or functional" values. 

What tests you should ask your doctor for

Make sure you ask your doctor to order all of the following labs:

• TSH
• T3
• T4
• Reverse T3
• Free T3, and T4
• Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb)
• Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOAb)

Things you can do to help balance Thyroid

• Get a proper amount of sleep
• Follow a non stressful exercise regimen by including things such as walking, hiking, yoga, Pilates
• Go gluten free
• Avoided processed sugars
• Eliminate chemical toxicity exposure in your home
• Consume only organic foods
• Get water filters
• Include Himalayan Pink Salt, and sea vegetables (seaweeds) in your diet
• Avoid raw cruciferous veggies such as broccoli
• Heal your gut and cleanse liver
• Work with a nutritionist and/or Functional medicine Doctor to re-balance Thyroid naturally with the help of vitamins, minerals, herbs, etc.
• Avoid Chlorine and Fluoride as the thyroid is very sensitive to these chemicals
• Support Adrenal glands
• Avoid Soy and all soy containing foods

This will help get you started but if you suspect you may have a thyroid problem even if Doctors have told you that your thyroid is fine, I recommend that you seek the professional help of a qualified alternative practitioner that can help uncover these imbalances and create a natural healing program to get you back on track.

I have over 10 years experience helping women who have been told that they are fine or that their symptoms are all in their head only to discover that they truly do have a thyroid imbalance. If you are interested in a consultation with me please call my office for more details at:

858-509-4742

And make sure to check out the website and other blog posts for more helpful information on healing naturally and balancing your hormones.

As always.....in good health and happiness,

Brandy Augustine PhD