Hypothyroidism

Many people struggle to maintain healthy and optimal thyroid functioning. When your thyroid system is not working as well, people start to experience hypothyroidism — low thyroid functioning. With low thyroid functioning comes fatigue, weight gain, thinning hair, cold hands and feet, and much more.

Signs and Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

• Fatigue
• Weight Gain
• Thinning Hair
• Cold Hands & Feet
• Dry Skin
• Hair Falling Out
• Poor Mental Acuity
• Poor Digestion
• Low Sex Drive
• Low Metabolism

Diagnosing Hypothyroidism

Most doctors will run ONE single thyroid blood marker to diagnose any thyroid disorders — this is not wise! That infamous marker is the Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH), also known as thyrotrophin. Through a negative-feedback loop, the brain is able to understand if the body’s thyroid system is working well or needs more push. TSH is the hormone secreted from your anterior pituitary (in your brain) that acts like a gas petal to the thyroid. It will become high if the brain understands there to be low thyroid hormones, and it will be low if the thyroid hormones are high. Most doctors use this one marker (which is actually from the brain!) to diagnose thyroid conditions. This leads to wrong diagnoses, poor treatment, and a patient that STILL has thyroid problems.

To truly diagnose a thyroid condition, however, you need at least 10 thyroid lab markers. You need to see what the brain is telling the thyroid to do (TSH), if the thyroid has enough fuel (total T3 and T4), if your peripheral tissues are properly converting (free T4, free T3, RT3), if your carrier proteins are adequate, and whether or not you have some form of autoimmunity against your thyroid (Hashimotos). After seeing all of these thyroid markers, you can then understand what the thyroid is doing. In order to better understand why the thyroid is doing that, you may need to also look at blood sugar, stress hormones, inflammation, and the immune system.

Common Hypothyroidism Treatment: The Synthroid Epidemic

Common mainstream treatment for hypothyroidism often consists of synthetic thyroid hormones (medications). Ideally, if your thyroid is low functioning, giving the body synthetic thyroid hormones is an easy fix, rightttt?

Unfortunately, that is a really bad idea. Actually, unless you have had your whole thyroid removed, that is a terrible idea. Yet, Synthroid (synthetic T4 thyroid hormone) has become the #4 prescribed medication in the U.S. according to a 2019 study — that is more than 19.7 MILLION prescriptions. Additionally, consensus.gov reveals there are about 332 million people in the U.S. have been prescribed Synthroid–that’s 17% of ALL Americans!

Still Have Your Thyroid?

Why You Likely Shouldn’t Be On Thyroid Medication

In my experience, people that still have their thyroid do NOT need a synthetic thyroid hormone in order to improve thyroid function. In fact, this often makes thyroid function WORSE (through eventual thyroid autoimmunity or thyroid hormone resistance). Here’s why: patient’s that have their thyroid are able to still produce thyroid hormone. The questions then become “do they have a problem with making hormones in the first place (low fuel)? a problem with activating their thyroid hormones (converting T4 to T3)? a Hashimoto’s (autoimmune) condition?”

People that are put on thyroid medication but still have their thyroid, desperately need to assess these underlying causes of low thyroid. Unnecessary synthetic hormone medication can actually cause a lot of problems with your immune system (which can then cause Hashimoto’s), your gut health, and your liver health.

Low Fuel May Be Your Problem

If you have a problem with your thyroid making hormones in the first place, we need to figure out what fuel is lacking for the thyroid. This may be a few simple nutrients that are needed. We may also need to figure out what is negatively affecting the thyroid and depriving it of its fuel.

Converting Problems

If you have a problem with converting T4 (inactive) into T3 (active), we have to look at the peripheral tissues (liver, gut, kidneys). Some form of stress to the liver, gut, or kidneys will negatively affect the tissues ability to convert T4 into T3. This is very simple to do with a technique like Systems Health Care.

Hashimoto’s May Be Your Problem

If you have a problem with Hashimoto’s, you need to address the immune system. You need to remove the driver that is causing the immune system dysfunction (infections, heavy metals, etc). At the same time, you need to support and regulate the immune system through increasing T-reg cells and IL-10 activity. While this is the most complex issue pertaining to thyroid conditions, it’s rather simple to address and reverse with a technique like Systems Health Care.

No Longer Have Your Thyroid?

You Need Synthetic Hormones

As mentioned previously, the overwhelming majority of low thyroid patients are put on a thyroid hormone medication of some kind. If you no longer have a thyroid to make your own thyroid hormone, then thyroid hormone medication is essential. With that said, many people have had their whole thyroid removed and are on thyroid medication, but STILL have low thyroid problems. Here’s why: Synthroid is a synthetic T4 hormone. T4 needs to be turned into the activated form which is T3. This process happens in 3 main places in the body: the liver, the gut, and the kidneys. Thus, if you have difficulty converting T4 into T3, you have to address whatever is going on in the liver, gut, or kidneys! Until you address this, you will always have a difficult time making active thyroid hormone (T3).

Too Much Can Make Things WORSE!

Often times when patients are on synthetic T4 hormone and still have hypothyroidism, their doctor will increase their dosage or recommend a different synthetic hormone medication that has a mixture of both T4 and T3. Ideally this makes sense, but both of these can be very harmful in the long run. There is such thing as “too much” thyroid hormone and that can make things worse!

Conversion Problems

The natural healthy thyroid only ever directly produces 3% of all of its hormone as T3 (active) — 97% of the hormone produced by the thyroid is T4 (inactive)! If you have to be on synthetic thyroid hormone, the focus should be on T4 since that is most in line with the body’s design and function. Patient’s that are put on T3 hormones immediately experience an imbalanced immune system, poor gut health, and increased stress on the liver! If you are only on T4 but experiencing low thyroid symptoms, you probably have conversion problems. The T4 hormones have to become activated in your liver, gut, and kidneys to become T3. Thus, if you are not converting T4 into T3, you really need to address the liver, gut, and kidneys.

Hormone Resistance Problems

Additionally, if you are on too much synthetic hormone medication, you may experience low thyroid symptoms because of hormone resistance. This happens when the cells become overridden with excess hormone and as a defensive mechanism, they down-regulate their cell receptors in order to protect themselves from damage. Too much synthetic hormone cause also place a lot of stress on other organ systems such as the immune system, gut, and liver.

Address The TRUE Cause Of Your Hypothyroidism

In order to truly heal the body and improve thyroid function, you have to first understand what it is doing. That is why I recommend the full 10-thyroid marker panel. Then you will be able to diagnose what exactly is happening with the thyroid. Them, you have to address the underlying causes of dysfunction! There are ~7 causes for hypothyroidism. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, estrogen-dominance, low thyroid fuel, and poor T4-T3 conversion are a few examples. Between labs, a comprehensive approach, and a solid technique like Systems Health Care, you can understand what is happening, why, and how to reverse hypothyroidism!

Struggling with Hypothyroidism?

At Freedom Health and Wellness, we address all of these things and more through a personalized and functional approach. We help people with chronic diseases and illnesses regain their health by getting to the source of their health concerns.