The Thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland found in the center of your neck. It is the central gland to your metabolism and plays both major and minor roles in every single one of your bodily functions.
That’s a lot of importance on just one tiny gland. And if it’s not functioning properly, neither will you.
“It’s estimated that as many as 25 million Americans have a thyroid problem, and half of them have no idea that they do,” says Dr. Amy Myer, leader of Functional Medicine and New York Times Bestselling author of The Autoimmune Solution.
90% of all thyroid imbalances are diagnosed as under-active, medically called hypothyroidism. Unfortunately, the symptoms are vague and doctors may only spend a couple of minutes searching for the cause of a person’s complaint.
Knowing the symptoms of a thyroid problem will help bring up a discussion with your doctor about the possibility of having one.
Symptoms of Thyroid Problem
1. Mood swings, anxiety, or depression
2. Always tired, even when getting 8 hours of sleep
3. Hormone imbalance, such as irregular periods or low sex drive
4. Weight gain or not being able to lose weight
5. Cold hands and feet
6. Constipation
7. Muscle or joint pain
8. Dry skin, brittle nails, or lose of hair
9. Snoring or neck swelling
10. loss of memory or brain fog
The below list is all of the different hormones the thyroid gland produces. Dr. Myer suggests doctors check all of these when testing a patient for thyroid problem:
- TSH, thyrotropin synthesis hormone
- Free T4, inactive hormone that stops production of thyroid hormone
- Free T3, causes metabolism and body temperature to rise
- Reverse T3, elevated with stress
- Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOAb)
- Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb)
These antibodies will help to check for any thyroid autoimmune diseases, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
If you suffer from any of the above symptoms, be sure you speak with your doctor and know which tests they are running to check if you have a thyroid problem. Most doctors will only run a few tests, leading to misdiagnoses.
If you believe you have a thyroid problem, or wish to prevent any thyroid problems, use these natural habits to help improve your thyroid.
Improve Thyroid With 10 Easy Things
1. Go gluten-free
2. Take tyrosine and iodine supplements
3. Deal with your stress, either through yoga or another method
4. Take high quality multivitamins
5. Get 8-10 hours of sleep
6. Don’t overeat on cruciferous vegetables
7. Safely remove any amalgam fillings
8. Improve gut health
9. Reduce fluoride and chlorine from your diet
10. Work closely with a doctor to find the root cause of your imbalance
If you’d like to read more about thyroid problems or about Dr. Amy Myer, please visit the original article at Eat Local Grown. Dr. Amy Myer’s book is available on Amazon.
