May - All About the Thyroid
All About The Thyroid
Woah, this was a much bigger topic than I had thought it was going to be! Early in the creation process for this masterclass, I realized that my thyroid knowledge needed some updating, so I dove into some great books, read lots of studies, and out came this masterclass. I really love the research process and thank you for requesting this masterclass!
This masterclass focuses on hypothyroid issues (low thyroid) and I only talk about hyperthyroid (high thyroid) briefly. Hypothyroid is a significantly more common problem and hyperthyroid can be a very serious condition.
While there’s a lot you can do at home to support your thyroid if it’s running low, hyperthyroidism (high thyroid) needs help from a trained practitioner (Endocrinologist, Functional Medicine Doctor, or Naturopath). A hyperactive thyroid can become a problem pretty quickly, so please seek out help if you suspect you might have hyperthyroidism. And/or, send me a message if you’d like to talk about your symptoms to see if a practitioner is needed.
That’s why in this masterclass we’re focusing on hypothyroidism (low thyroid) ❤️
After this very stressful year, if you’re feeling low thyroid symptoms, you’d definitely not alone. You’ll see in Part 2, the Stress/Cortisol Connection, that chronic stress can wreak havoc on your thyroid. Your body is doing this to keep you alive, but the symptoms can be hard to deal with.
Here are some symptoms of Hypothyroidism:
Muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness
Pain, stiffness or swelling in your joints
Heavier than normal or irregular menstrual periods
Thinning hair
Slowed heart rate
Depression
Impaired memory (“Brain fog”)
Fatigue
Increased sensitivity to cold
Constipation
Dry skin
Unexplained weight gain
Cravings for sugar and carbohydrates
Puffy face
Muscle weakness
Elevated blood cholesterol level
Those are a lot of symptoms!! Am I right??
After reading this giant list of symptoms I think many of us might feel like we must have hypothyroidism (I certainly did). But please, if you’re concerned, get some blood work done and have your suspicions confirmed. Many other conditions, like low iron or other auto-immune conditions, have similar symptoms. Be sure to get a proper diagnosis before taking medication or even taking any big thyroid supplements.
How to get a proper diagnosis –
The practitioners that are best trained to do an in-depth dive and diagnosis of your thyroid are Naturopathic Doctors and Functional Medicine Doctors (these are medical doctors with additional training in preventative medicine). They’ll do in-depth testing and look at your body holistically.
But, for most of you reading this, you’ll have to pay out of pocket to see these practitioners (extended health benefits may cover their work), and that’s not possible for everyone.
Your regular G.P. can do many preliminary tests and can rule in or out hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s. It’s a very good place to start, and in this masterclass, I’ll guide you to the hormone ranges to keep an eye on :).
Blood work to ask for:
TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone)
Thyroid antibodies
Vitamin D (needed for thyroid hormone production)
Iron (needed for thyroid hormone conversion)
B12 (a very common deficiency with hypothyroidism, correcting this deficiency can help with fatigue)
Also, ask for (but you may or may not get):
Free T4
Free T3
Epstein-Barr Virus (one possible trigger of Hashimoto’s)
This masterclass is in 5 parts:
Part 1: What does the Thyroid do?
Part 2: The stress/cortisol connection
Part 3: Non-Auto-immune causes of hypothyroid
Part 4: Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
Part 5: Finding Balance
First, let’s learn more about what those thyroid hormones do and the ranges to look for in Part 1. Let’s head over there now!
Got any questions or comments? Comment below, jump to our private Facebook Group, or the Ask Lisa page :)
Let’s get started! Head over to Part 1.