What Hypothyroidism Is and What to Do About It
Exhausted, anxious, cold all the time, brittle hair and nails, struggling with weight gain and brain fog? These are are big red flags that you may have a sluggish thyroid.
Lets start with what the thyroid does and where it’s located. The thyroid is a gland that is shaped a bit like a butterfly, and is located right below the adams apple. It’s purpose is to produce thyroid hormones and has influence on almost every cell in the body. Your thyroid sets your metabolic pace and is responsible the rate at which cells perform their functions, turn nutrients into energy, and repair and reproduce cells.
Like any hormone, it’s very common for thyroid hormones to be out of balance but while many of us easily accept that we could have low progesterone or high estrogen, we generally don’t expect that we could have a thyroid issue. Which really just comes down to this gland and it’s hormones not being talked about enough.
The reality is that thyroid issues are incredibly common, especially among woman. Did you know excessive stress and disordered eating alone can cause hypothyroidism? And we all know how prevalent both of those are in our culture today.
If there are suboptimal levels of thyroid hormones, either too much or too little, every system in the body can be affected and you’ll feel really crummy.
Key functions influenced by the thyroid:
Metabolism
Energy production
Growth and development
Temperature regulation
Nervous system function
Cardiovascular function
Brain function and development
Hormone production and fertility
Digestion and absorption of nutrients
Kidney and liver function
Immune regulation in the intestine
Sleep quality
So kind of a big deal, wouldn’t you agree?
Brief overview on how the thyroid works:
I am going to try to make this as simple as possible but it gets a little technical, so bare with me a moment. And know you don’t need to memorize any of this! I just want you to have a bit of an understanding of whats going on.
When the body senses that there isn’t enough thyroid hormone, a gland in our brain (the pituitary) sends a message to the thyroid, requesting more thyroid hormones be produced. This message comes in the form of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH).
When the thyroid gets this message, it produces thyroid hormones, primarily one called T4 (thyroxine) and a tinny bit of another called T3 (triiodothyronine). There’s also T1 and T2 but we won’t bother with those today.
T3 is the hormone that the body can actually use, so the body has to convert the T4 into T3 before it is used. At this point, T3 can bind to thyroid receptors on our cells and be used for the many functions it plays a roll in. Success.
When the body senses there is enough circulating thyroid hormone, the pituitary gland says “alright, we’re good” and stops asking the thyroid to make more hormones, until it senses more is needed again and the cycle repeats. This is called a negative feedback loop.
So thats what’s supposed to happen, but a few things can go wrong in this lengthy sequence and can leave us without enough thyroid hormone needed for our body to do many of the amazing things it does - like give us energy. Low levels of thyroid hormones is what we call hypothyroidism.
I’ll expand on the possible issues that can happen along this sequence in next weeks post, along with how to understand your labs!
Symptoms of hypothyroidism
Because hypothyroidism effects our metabolism and so many systems in the body, there is a hefty list of symptoms. When metabolism is slow, every function in the body is also slow — digestion, healing, the making of cells, energy production.. Everything thing is really darn slow.
The top reasons people seek help are weight gain, fatigue and brain fog, but here is a more complete list. I had almost every one of these symptoms when I had hypothyroidism, can you imagine?
Mood issues (depression, anxiety, teariness)
Fatigue despite adequate sleep
Muscle weakness
Muscle and/or joint pain
Slowed digestion or constipation
Weight gain or difficulty loosing weight
Difficulty regulating temperature. Especially sensitive to cold
Decreased sweating with mild exercise
Cognitive issues (brain fog, memory loss, poor concentration)
Hormone imbalances (PMS, irregular menstrual cycles, low sex drive, infertility, exasperated menopausal symptoms)
Compromised immune system (frequent infections or colds)
Skin issues (dry skin, acne, eczema, itchy skin)
Hair loss and/or coarse dry hair
Sleep disturbances
High cholesterol despite a healthy diet
Low resting heart rate
Neck and/or face swelling
Hoarse voice
Hypothyroidism can be brushed off because it’s so common, but that doesn’t take away from how much it impacts our health.
How do you get hypothyroidism?
The most common causes of hypothyroidism are as follows, and are often a combination:
Hashimotos Thyroiditis (this is an autoimmune condition)
Chronic stress, of any kind (emotional trauma, feeling over extended, over exercising, poor sleep, etc.)
Nutrient deficiencies
Inflammation
Toxic overload (from diet, environment and beauty/household products)
Infections
Poor functioning liver
Unhealthy gut and microbiome
Dysfunction of the adrenal glands
Chronic eating disorders or excessive caloric restriction
How do I know if I have hypothyroidism?
Two things I have my clients do when hypothyroidism is suspected is track their basal temperature and get proper lab testing. Next week I’ll release a post on thyroid lab testing, but for now you can start with the temperature test.
Hypothyroidism lowers body temperature so this is an easy free way to get some insight.
How to track your temperature:
Measure your temperature first thing in the morning before getting out of bed, as movement raises temperature. Also don’t drink water if it’s on your bedside before measuring.
Normal basal temperature averages 87.8-98.2 degrees Fahrenheit. Hypothyroidism is suggested if temperatures average 97.6 or less. The temperature should be taken for 5 days, but if the reading is 97 degrees or less for 3 days in a row, it’s a strong indication of hypothyroidism and more measurements isn’t necessary.
For pre-menopausal woman: take your 5 days of measurements starting the second day of your period. This makes sure measurements are accurate, as ovulation raises our temperature and can give false results. Note that infections or other conditions can raise temperature too.
Note on thermometers: if you’re not using a digital thermometer, and have an old school mercury one, make sure you shake it down to 96 or lower the evening before measuring.
Support your thyroid with diet:
Now for the action info. A diet that supports someone with hypothyroidism will depend on the cause for the individual. I for example had SIBO, which was actually a result of hypothyroidism but also contributed to it. I also had adrenal issues from chronic stress, and a poorly functioning liver so all of these areas of my body had to be addressed, while also feeding my body the nutrients needed for thyroid health. There were several layers of healing for me because I was such a mess, but there are basic recommendations that will support thyroid health.
Eat a balanced, nutrient dense diet of organic, whole foods.
Focus on food diversity and an abundance of fresh vegetables, fruits, quality proteins and fiber.
Eliminate processed foods and inflammatory foods, including gluten, dairy, sugar and refined carbohydrates.
Support detoxification pathways and incorporate foos like chlorella, cilantro and parsley.
Address any underlying gut issues (I highly recommend working with a practitioner for this and not just taking a probiotics, as this can exacerbate issues).
Focus on key nutrients needed for the production of thyroid hormones: L-Tyrosine, Zinc, Iodine*, Selenium and Magnesium.
If you’re highly stressed, replenish vitamins that are often depleted by stress: Vitamin C, Magnesium and B vitamins.
Drink filtered water and focus on organic foods to lower toxic exposure and chemicals that harm gut health.
These dietary changes will aid in resolving nutrient deficiencies, support the thyroid, as well as support the liver, gut and adrenal glands which are closely related to thyroid health. I would advise to get these nutrients through food, and work with a practitioner before supplementing, especially with iodine as this can really make matters worse. Iodine supplementation is very controversial when it comes to thyroid health, and can be especially concerning for those with hashimotos. I personally did not supplement with iodine until I confirmed that I did not have hashimotos.
Support your thyroid with lifestyle:
Stress reduction is key to healing hypothyroidism. Relaxing modalities such as meditation, EFT tapping, acupuncture, nature walks, and breathing techniques can make a world of a difference. This is going to not only help with stress, but will lower inflammation and help the gut — other key contributors.
Get quality sleep and nap as needed. See my 10 tips for better sleep to learn how to optimize sleep.
Detoxify your body and home. I love detoxing with exercise, sauna sessions, dry brushing, and epsom salt baths. Also remove harmful cleaning supplies, body products, toxic cooking tools like teflon. These are all very beneficial to helping lower toxins and supporting liver health which is needed for converting thyroid hormone T4 into T3.
Ending notes:
That should give you a lot to chew on and hopefully you have a little more clarity on thyroid health. This is not by any means a complete list of how to support your thyroid, and every healing protocol will be individual, but this is a good place to start.
If you’d like 1:1 support let’s chat. Hypothyroidism can get really tricky, especially because there’s often various layers at play and a deep interconnection between the thyroid and many areas of the body. I specialize in working with clients that have thyroid issues and I myself made a dramatic improvement of 90% in just 3 months with lifestyle and diet alone.
Recovery is incredibly hopeful with the right approach for your unique circumstance, and a little determination.
Interested in working 1:1 together? Click here to learn about the process.
…
As always, this article is for informational purposes only and is not personal medical advice. Speak with your health care physician prior to following any recommendations provided. Please read full disclaimer here.