Do you suspect or know you have low thyroid? Living with a low functioning thyroid can be a very difficult thing to deal with. Not only may you feel completely wiped out all the time, but you also might be noticing that it’s starting to affect your brain with symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, fb-depression-lp, and even problems finding words.
If you don’t have to imagine these scenarios, because it is your daily life then you may have a low thyroid.
- Fall asleep at 10 pm and get up at 8 am hoping that sleeping 10 hours will give you the energy to chase your little one around at the park?
- Find yourself trying the latest diet fad hoping to shed a few pounds but it seems no matter how little you eat and how much you try to workout at the gym the scale just doesn’t ever seem to budge?
- You have to keep your hands in your pockets and wear two pairs of socks as it always feels like the tips of your fingers and toes are ice cold.
- You feel that your hair is starting to come out in clumps everytime you take a shower and if it continues you likely won’t have any hair left in a few months.
- You are at work in a meeting and you feel everything around you is happening so fast as it seems your brain is running in slow motion.
If you said yes to any of these, especially more than one. It is likely you may be suffering from a low thyroid, which is called hypothyroidism.
WHAT IS HYPOTHYROIDISM?
Hypothyroidism is when your thyroid isn’t producing enough thyroid hormones into the bloodstream. The thyroid gland’s main function is to control the rate at which each cell in the body functions by releasing two hormones: T4 and T3. The pituitary gland, which is part of your brain releases TSH which tells the thyroid gland to produce the hormones. T3 is the main hormone our body uses while T4 has to be converted to T3 within our gut and liver.
Because the thyroid hormones influence the rate at which every cell in the body functions it can cause symptoms with nearly every organ from your gut, liver, skin, and brain.
Common symptoms of hypothyroidism:
- Fatigue
- Weight gain
- Depression
- Brain Fog
- Headaches
- Hair Loss
- Dizziness
- Cold fingers and toes
- Constipation
- Problems with memory formation and finding words
As you can tell, there are a lot of symptoms that one can have when their thyroid isn’t functioning properly. We are going to focus on the brain based symptoms.
Have you gone to your computer to complete a task only to find yourself staring blankly at the computer screen, unsure where to start as it seems you all of a sudden forgot why you went there to begin with?
Maybe you’ve had the experience of trying to do simple math, and you’re surprised at how your brain seems to trip over basic addition that you could previously rattle off in your sleep?
These are examples of brain fog, which is a common symptom of a low functioning thyroid.
Hypothyroidism can greatly affect the function of the brain by causing memory loss, mental fatigue, dizziness and headaches.
As if those symptoms aren’t bad enough, you have likely felt you are merely existing and noticing less motivation instead of the previous enjoyment you received on a daily basis.
Depression is just another symptom to the many that occur with hypothyroidism.
A DEEPER LOOK INTO THYROID FUNCTION
So let’s say you relate to all or most of the examples given, but when you had your thyroid tested by your doctor, your tests came back normal and are told nothing is wrong. You start to doubt yourself and wonder if maybe you really are just depressed and that is causing everything else.
But you know something isn’t right and you’re tired of feeling fatigued all the time and the mental fog is starting to seriously affect your job and relationships – you just want answers and relief.
Here’s the thing, just because your tests came back normal, that doesn’t mean that you’re not experiencing the impacts of a low functioning thyroid. Unfortunately, there’s a deficiency in current testing where thyroid function isn’t looked at in a more detailed or deeper way.
For example, in school medical providers are taught to perform two main markers: TSH and T4. TSH is what tells the thyroid to produce T4. If TSH is elevated with T4 going low then you’d be diagnosed with hypothyroidism, but if that didn’t occur you’d be told nothing is wrong. T4 isn’t even the form the body uses the most, it is actually T3 which isn’t routinely evaluated..
The problem is that there are more values that can be obtained which provides much more insight, especially those which show an autoimmune response. Autoimmunity is when your body is attacking itself and it is responsible for 50-90% of all low thyroid cases.
With autoimmunity the type of thyroid you take can actually be making you feel worse and it isn’t as simple as getting your labs to be considered normal.
As you can see only running 2 lab markers can lead you astray. And here’s another thing, it’s possible that you’re experiencing symptoms of a low functioning thyroid not because of the thyroid itself, but because of an imbalance in the brain.
Remember, the brain is what tells the thyroid to produce hormones. If the brain is unhealthy and not able to properly communicate to the thyroid, then the thyroid will not produce the hormones appropriately. By taking a deeper look at the function of the brain and the pathways of communication, we can determine if your brain is affecting the release of thyroid hormones.
Imagine only having your thyroid labs evaluated without your brain being looked at, it will provide an incomplete picture. It should come as no surprise that a comprehensive evaluationshould be performed to best help you to identify what is causing your symptoms.
For these reasons nearly 30-50% of our patients who come in for thyroid concerns actually have no thyroid issues at all. For almost 25%, the thyroid is the main culprit of their symptoms.
HOW TO IMPROVE THYROID HEALTH
Luckily, there are things you can do to help improve thyroid health. Let’s take a look:
- Eating a healthy, balanced diet will provide your body with the nutrients to make thyroid hormones and promote a healthy gut..
- Limit the use of plastics and avoid using herbicides, pesticides, and commercial cleaning products to reduce your exposure to environmental toxins. Exposure to these toxins has a negative effect on hormones.
- Include iodine, selenium, and zinc in your diet. These trace elements improve thyroid function and can be found in seafood, walnuts, mushrooms, fish, and red meat. If you have autoimmunity you may need to be careful with iodine based products or food as it can make it worse.
- Exercise or have physical activity on a daily basis. We understand this may be the last thing you feel like doing, but losing excess weight helps to improve thyroid function.
- Take time for yourself and reduce stress. When your body is in a survival state this will impact your ability to produce thyroid hormones.
HOW OUR BRAIN, MIND, & BODY METHOD CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH THE ANSWERS YOU SEEK
If you’re still reading, it is because you are looking for help and want answers.
- With our BMB method you can experience:
- Waking up feeling well-rested and excited for the day ahead.
- Move throughout your day with a clear mind, staying focused and confident in the tasks before you.
- Exercise without feeling completely weakened and drained.
- Able to fully listen and carry a conversation with a loved one. Listening will no longer feel strained and you won’t have to have the embarrassing moment of forgetting what you were going to say!
- Go on a walk with your friend or spouse after a workday because you finally have the energy to.
So how does our BMB method help you to get to the bottom of your symptoms and be able to live life again?
We start by evaluating you as a whole person as we understand how a dysfunction in one area can impact another. For this reason we start with a comprehensive evaluation with allows us to identify what is preventing you from living the life you want by:
- Evaluating brain function by studying brain waves, balance, and eye movements.
- Looking at the function of each body system by studying symptoms and lab results.
- Looking at past traumas, both physical and emotional, and how they may be affecting you today.
If this sounds like the approach you are looking for, then request your free health strategy session today and we will work with you to finder the answers you need.
