January is Thyroid Awareness Month and as a Restorative Medicine Thyroid specialist, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to dive into helping you understand and support your own thyroid health.
Thyroid 101
The thyroid is a gland located in the front of the neck. It is often represented by a Butterfly because it has a similar shape with “Wing” like structures to either side.
The Thyroid is a vital player in the Endocrine system, which collectively creates, manages and balances all of the hormones of the body, and regulates most body functions
The Thyroid controls the body’s metabolism, which is why patients who have hypothyroidism (low thyroid function) almost always also struggle with their weight and to lose weight. Metabolism also influences things like your energy and fatigue levels, heart rate, body heat, and more.
Thyroid Function
The Thyroid produces Thyroid Hormones, which collectively play some role in the function and health of almost every cell, tissue and organ in the body.
These hormones are:
- T3 (triiodothyronine)
- T4 (thyroxine)
- RT3 (reverse triiodothyronine)
- These thyroid hormones are controlled by TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone)
T3 is the “Active” form of thyroid hormone, it is the form that the body uses in most processes. There is an ornate biochemical process that converts T4 into T3 through the liver and gut. This conversion process uses a lot of nutrients and minerals, which is why nutritional deficiencies can be a huge contributor to thyroid health and function…. but more on that in a future post 
More than 12% of the population of the United States has some form of thyroid disfunction.
Women are 5 – 8 times more likely than men to have thyroid disorders.
1-in-8 women will develop thyroid issues at some point in their life.
It is estimated that as many as 60% of people with thyroid diseases remain undiagnosed and unaware of the underlying thyroid cause of their symptoms.
Thyroid problems are not talked about nearly enough with the general public.
Add to that public educational deficit, that many doctors tend to overlook it, forget to test for it, and don’t have a deep understanding of how to actually treat, support and heal thyroid problems when they find them…
Thyroid disorders are – in my personal opinion – one of the most misunderstood and under-served patient populations in modern medicine.
Thyroid Conditions
There are many different thyroid disorders, and within those diagnoses, each patient has different levels of severity.
Conditions include:
- Hypothyroidism (Lowered thyroid function)
- Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (Auto-Immune Hypothyroid Disorder)
- Hyperthyroidism (Overactive Thyroid)
- Grave’s disease (Auto-Immune Hyperthyroid Disorder)
- Thyroid inflammation (thyroiditis)
- Thyroid enlargement (goiter)
- Thyroid nodules
Patients are about 98% more likely to suffer with some form of Underactive Thyroid (Hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis) than Overactive thyroid.
Symptoms of Thyroid Disorders:
Hypothyroid:
- Weight gain and inability / struggle to lose weight
- low body temperature (typically under 97.8f)
- fatigue, mid-day tiredness, weakness
- brain fog and feeling like it’s hard to think normally
- Constipation or Diarrhea (often alternating)
- Hair Loss and thinning hair
- Brittle, thin or ridged fingernails
Hyperthyroid:
- Weight loss and inability / struggle to gain weight
- fast or irregular heartbeat, including palpitations
- nervousness, irritability, anxiety
- increased hunger
- sweating
- tiredness
Common underlying root causes and contributors to thyroid disorders:
- Nutrient Deficiencies (again, more on this in an upcoming post!)
- Poor Gut and Digestive Health, Leaky Gut
- Chronic Viral Infections, such as EBV (Epstein-Barr Virus)
- Stress, especially long-term chronic stress
- Exposure to and processing Toxins (The liver is a main location where T4 is converted to T3, so an over-burdened liver can be a big factor in thyroid health.)
But What Do You DO About it?
I won’t lie, treating Thyroid disorders can be a long process, it’s almost never a simple “Take this pill and you’re all better” kind of thing.
I work with my patients to address as many of the individual contributing factors to their thyroid problems as possible, such as:
- nutritional evaluation and supplementation,
- improve digestive health,
- reduce stress,
- detoxifying safely if needed,
- pharmaceutical thyroid medication
- checking lab levels of thyroid, adrenal and other chemistries
Another promising treatment currently being studied for Thyroid health and healing is LLLT, Low Level Laser Therapy, or Cold Laser treatments.
Since I added LLLT at my office, I have seen incredible results in more quickly improving the quality of life, reducing fatigue and clearing brain fog for my thyroid patients. It is a great way to compliment all the other beneficial and healing changes in the thyroid healing process.
This study provided autoimmune thyroid patients with 10 cold-laser treatments over 5 weeks. 9 months after the study, 47% of patients had been able to stop taking thyroid medication altogether as their thyroid had returned to a healthy range.
Do you have a thyroid disorder or know someone who does? Send me your questions so I can answer them in a future post!
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or send me an Email at drkat@quantumlighthealthcare.com