Did you know: Over 12% of Americans have a thyroid condition, and many of them don’t even know it?
The thyroid is a gland in our body which is responsible for the health and regularity of many different body functions. It controls metabolism, heart rate, bowel movements, menstrual cycles, and more. Suffice it to say, the thyroid is pretty important and there’s a lot involved in it. We like to think of it as the bus driver of the bus that is your metabolism!
When something’s wrong, our body sends us signals. If you’ve got dry, brittle hair that’s falling out, what does that mean? What about the aches and pains you feel on a regular basis? Or how do you make sense of the weight gain despite eating well? Or that persistent constipation?
It’s possible that your body might be trying to tell you something is going on with your thyroid.
Many of our clients come to us because they suspect something is amiss with their thyroid…even though their medical test results are normal. Here’s the thing: conventional medicine typically tests two markers when determining whether someone has a thyroid condition: usually TSH and T4.
TSH is a signal your brain sends to the thyroid telling it how much or how little of the thyroid hormone is needed. It’s not actually a thyroid hormone or marker.
T4 is the raw hormone that our thyroid creates.
At first glance, it seems like those would do the trick. But here’s the challenge:
The signal our brain sends for TSH might be nice and strong, but the test doesn’t actually tell us if the thyroid is LISTENING to those signals. Many times, there is a disconnect due to inflammation, illness, or food sensitivities. In that case what happens is the body is producing plenty of TSH, but the thyroid isn’t picking up the signal.
Similarly, while we might have a healthy amount of T4 in our body, we may struggle to PROCESS it into the usable version of hormone, T3. Without enough T3, typical hypothyroid symptoms like weight gain, constipation, feeling cold and sluggish, and hair loss and dry skin will result.
This brings us to some common thyroid facts and myths:
MYTH: Your doctor prescribed you with a thyroid medication, so all of your symptoms should go away now.
FACT: The second most prescribed medication in the US is T4 (Synthroid). When someone’s body struggles to convert that T4 into T3, T4-only medication actually doesn’t relieve symptoms. That’s why so many people take ever-increasing amounts of medication without feeling better.
MYTH: If I monitor my TSH, I’ll have a healthy thyroid.
FACT: TSH is actually a signal from our brain to our thyroid, and it tells our thyroid how much T4 it should produce. So monitoring TSH is really just monitoring how much our brain talks to our thyroid, not how healthy our thyroid actually is.
TSH and T4 can be good indicators of thyroid health, they just aren’t the ONLY indicators. If you’ve been confused why your treatment or medications are working for you, it may be because your thyroid has something else going on.
At A Balanced Table, we look at the whole picture of thyroid health, and we test for up to 11 different thyroid markers so that you have a holistic picture of what’s going on in your body.
Armed with that information and our expert guidance, you are able to make changes that support long-term thyroid health.
“Rebalancing” the Thyroid
You hear a lot about “balancing” hormones…
And it’s tempting to want to jump right to that as a course of action.
However, the reality is there are six fundamental areas- or root causes- of hormonal dysregulation.
- Blood sugar regulation
- Liver and detoxification
- Inflammation
- Nutrient sufficiency
- Gut health
- Stress and sleep
When we focus on making lifestyle and diet changes that support these six root causes, often hormones come back into balance beautifully on their own.
Feeding Your Thyroid
When you have a thyroid condition, you may feel unsure what to eat. After all, there’s a lot of confusing information out there.
Some of the nutrients vital to thyroid health are:
-Zinc
-Iodine
-Selenium
-Vitamin D
-Magnesium
Rather than starting with supplements, look for these nutrients in natural food sources such as beans, brazil nuts, seaweed, fish, poultry, eggs and fish. Choosing vegetables daily gently supports your thyroid as well. Lastly, try to stick to the “good” fats because they are easier to digest and retain nutrients from. Good fats include olive, avocado and coconut oil as well as oils from nuts, seeds and fish.
That being said, there are some foods to avoid as you strive to keep your thyroid healthy.
GLUTEN. This is a protein found in wheat and other grains that can be difficult to digest and can cause inflammation. If you are struggling with your thyroid, cut out gluten–and ESPECIALLY if you have a Hashimoto’s (autoimmune) diagnosis!
REFINED SUGAR. Sugar puts the body under stress, which can increase cortisol and inflammation, and raise the likelihood that that the immune system will attack the thyroid.
DAILY RAW KALE. Surprising, right? Kale and spinach are super-healthy foods. But when eaten raw, they contain compounds that can interfere with normal thyroid function. When lightly cooked, that compound goes away. So if you’re worried about your thyroid, maybe skip the daily green juice/smoothie.
Healthy Endocrine Habits
What lifestyles changes support the thyroid and improve overall health?
REGULAR EXERCISE. Incorporating regular exercise into your life can help increase your metabolism, energy, and ability to cope with stress. It can also help promote regular bowel movements, which can be a struggle with thyroid concerns.
CONSISTENT SLEEP. Our body needs to be well-rested to function properly. We feel stronger and our immune system is more capable when we’ve gotten the right amount of sleep.
STRESS MANAGEMENT. While exercise can help with stress management, we also recommend introducing other methods of stress management like yoga, meditation, or other relaxing activities. A relaxed brain leads to a healthier body every time.
What to AVOID to support thyroid health?
SMOKING. Tobacco smoke contains chemicals that negatively affect the thyroid’s function, as well as several other parts of the body. It can dramatically reduce the production of T4 and T3, which are key to thyroid function.
CAFFEINE. Too much caffeine negatively impacts our hormone production by causing our body to feel stressed and raising cortisol. You don’t have to completely get rid of caffeine but try reducing your intake as much as possible.
SELF-MEDICATION. Thyroid conditions can cause a lot of changes to our bodies that we don’t love and it can be second-nature to try and take charge. Avoid medicating with alcohol or other substances as you cope with symptoms.
If your thyroid is an area of concern, reach out. Let’s look at your endocrine health through a functional lens and give you the tools you need to live in hormonal harmony!