Want To Know If You Have A THYROID ISSUE?

There is an epidemic that is being missed by doctors... ⁣

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One version makes you feel tired, fatigued, totally lacking energy and drained of motivation...⁣

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Whilst the other fills you with anxiety and even full-blown panic attacks. ⁣

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Some suffer from brain fog, weight gain, loss of hair and aching joints and muscles, whilst others struggle with a racing heart rate, weak muscles and terrible sleep. ⁣

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What is this epidemic that is being missed all too often?⁣

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It is thyroid dysfunction! ⁣

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And the worst part is that if you are misdiagnosed as so many are, you may be offered anti-depressants to help your mood, anti-anxiety tablets for the palpitations, or HRT for mood issues... ⁣

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First off, did you know that the thyroid is a system, not just a gland?⁣

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Yep, there's a lot more to the thyroid than just one little gland in your neck, there is a thyroid system! ⁣

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That tiny little butterfly-shaped thyroid gland produces hormones that create power and energy for every single cell in your body. But what happens to that thyroid hormone after it is produced is just as important as how much hormone you produce. ⁣

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If you don't have enough of the right type of thyroid hormone getting into your cells, nothing will work properly!⁣

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Your need for thyroid hormones (there are four in total, T1, T2, T3 and T4) is complex. When you are sick or stressed or very active, your thyroid has to work harder. ⁣

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But when you don't eat well, or enough, or you don't sleep well, your thyroid is affected. ⁣

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And... when your hormonal balance shifts, e.g. in perimenopause and menopause, your thyroid also suffers! ⁣

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So why are so many women, who have thyroid dysfunction, being missed, or misdiagnosed? ⁣

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Because of insufficient diagnostic processes. Most doctors will only test TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). But this only 'indicates' if the thyroid is producing enough T4. Some doctors will also test T4 levels too. But again, this still only tells us about how much thyroid hormone is being produced by the thyroid. ⁣

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As I said earlier, this is a system, and what does or doesn't happen to that T4 afterwards, dictates whether you get the benefits of thyroid hormone in your cells. ⁣

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To put this into context, 90%+ of the women I work with have undiagnosed issues with their thyroid system, which is contributing to their tiredness, their weight gain, their inability to shift even a pound, their sleep issues, their brain fog, their anxiety... and many more symptoms. ⁣

Did you know that there are many symptoms of perimenopause that are similar to, or the same as, the symptoms of thyroid issues?

Take, for example, brain fog. This is one of the 34 listed symptoms of perimenopause, and it is indeed a possible consequence of loss of sex hormones, but it is also one of the symptoms of an underactive thyroid.

Other symptoms of an underactive or overactive thyroid, and perimenopause, are...

- Weight changes

- Forgetfulness

- Sleep issues

- Low mood

- Low energy or fatigue

- Loss of motivation

- Dry skin

- Anxiety

- Hair loss

- Digestive issues

- Headaches

- Brittle nails

- Palpitations

So, how do you know if it is perimenopause or thyroid function, or perhaps both or even something else?

This is where a detailed health questionnaire is extremely helpful, to identify patterns and groups of symptoms, alongside a screening test like the hair mineral test. This test indicates what is going on at a mineral and cellular level in the body, and helps direct further investigation and support strategies.

For example, the thyroid ratio on the test, a ratio between calcium and potassium, gives clues about the thyroid.

When the ratio of calcium is elevated relative to potassium, a trend to underactive thyroid is indicated.

When the ratio of calcium is low relative to potassium, a trend to overactive thyroid is indicated.

And when potassium is low relative to calcium, the thyroid hormone may not be received by the cells. We also look at this ratio in association with selenium, as when selenium is low the thyroid hormone cannot be activated optimally.

I will often use this as a guide to further explore thyroid system function with a full thyroid blood panel, which shows thyroid gland output, conversion of thyroid hormones from storage form to a usable form, and whether there are any thyroid antibodies present, which can indicate an auto-immune form of thyroid dysfunction.

So let's now focus on auto-immune forms of thyroid issues. ⁣

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And in particular, Hashimoto's thyroiditis is the form I see most often in practice which leads to an underactive thyroid. [There is also a less common condition called Graves' disease, an auto-immune version of an overactive thyroid]. ⁣⁣

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Auto-immune forms of thyroid disease occur when the immune system starts to attack your own thyroid. ⁣

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The symptoms of Hashimoto are the same as hypothyroidism, but the underlying root cause is quite different (though those with Hashimoto also struggle with the same problems of hypothyroidism (lack of T4) and potentially poor conversion of T4 to T3, and cellular hypothyroidism where T3 can't do its job in the cells.

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The root cause of Hashimoto, like every other auto-immune condition, lies with the immune system and with inflammation.⁣

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GPs don't tend to test for it as standard because it doesn't matter if you have an auto-immune hypothyroid issue or not, the treatment is generally the same... supplemental thyroid hormone, thyroxine, to replace what the thyroid can no longer produce.⁣

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There are usually no diet or lifestyle suggestions given, to support thyroid or immune function. The problem with this approach when it comes to Hashimoto's is that over time, you are likely going to need to keep increasing the dose of thyroid medication to keep compensating for the ongoing damage to the thyroid.⁣⁣

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And whilst it is not possible to cure auto-immune (AI) conditions, including Hashimoto's and Graves's disease, you can improve symptoms, and calm down an overactive immune response, with the right approach - such as working on inflammation, gut health and stress. ⁣

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So, how do you know if you have an AI thyroid condition? You have to test! Namely, we test the two most common thyroid antibodies, thyroid peroxidase (TPO) and thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb). ⁣

Let's now finally turn our attention to ways you can support your thyroid health. ⁣

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1. Eat enough protein - I find that most women over 40 don't eat anywhere near enough protein. Protein breaks down into amino acids, and one, in particular, is very important for making thyroid hormones - tyrosine. Good sources of protein are grass-fed organic lean meats, wild-caught fish, organic free-range eggs, nuts, seeds, nut butter, organic cheese, beans, chickpeas and quinoa. ⁣

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2. Get the right nutrients into your diet - the thyroid needs certain nutrients to function well. These include Vitamin D (from the sun, preferably), Vitamin A (from animal products and liver), Iron (best sources are organic meats, poultry and fish), Selenium (brazil nuts are an excellent source, sesame and sunflower seeds, brown rice and eggs), Zinc (from wild fish and shellfish, and animal meats, oysters, nuts and whole grains), Iodine (again from fish and shellfish, sea vegetables like seaweed, eggs and sea salt). ⁣

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3. Reduce your sugar intake - excess insulin can suppress thyroid function (go back to my blood sugar series last week to refresh your memory on this). It's important to avoid sugary foods, and refined carbs like white bread, pasta, cakes, cereals etc. ⁣

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4. Support your gut - poor gut health and thyroid issues often go hand in hand (especially so with auto-immune thyroid issues). Regularly include prebiotic foods (greenish bananas, leaks, onions, garlic) and probiotic foods (natural organic yoghurt, kefir, saurkraut, kimchi, kombucha). ⁣

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5. Avoid foods that don't agree with you (and then fix your gut so that you can tolerate them again!). - Common ones are gluten (especially if you have Graves or Hashimoto's, this has to be removed permanently) dairy, corn, eggs and soy. ⁣

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6. Reduce your stress - excess stress increases cortisol which can suppress thyroid function. Regular, scheduled daily relaxation time is essential. It can be as simple as 10 minutes of breathing exercises each day, or 20 minutes of meditation. Just make sure you put focus on reducing perceived stress as you can not have healthy thyroid function if you don't. ⁣

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7. Minimise your exposure to chemicals - this means drinking properly filtered water (Britta is not good enough) that removes heavy metals, chlorine and hormones. Avoid using plastic food containers and bottles. Use organic, clean and safe personal care products like washes, shampoos etc. I will link to some of my favourites below, including the water filter I recommend. ⁣

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8. Get your mineral levels/ratios checked - with a hair mineral test. This is especially important if you are struggling with symptoms of underactive (or overactive) thyroid but have been told all is ok, or if you are medicated for thyroid issues but not feeling any better. If you'd like to find out more about this, reply to this email with 'Mineral Testing' in the subject line, and I'll get right back to you. Or CLICK HERE. ⁣

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I hope you've enjoyed the Thryoid Series. If this has piqued your interest, or you are struggling with symptoms of low energy, stubborn weight, loss of motivation, low moods, sleep issues, anxiety, joint pain, or other common symptoms, and you'd like to find out more about the possible root causes... ⁣

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... make sure you are at my next MasterClass. You can register your place, by clicking HERE. ⁣

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MY RECOMMENDATIONS⁣

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I like Tropic Skincare because it is clean, limited ingredients and most products are now organic. Click here to see their range. Feel free to ask me about any of the products. ⁣

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Another brand I often recommend for organic and toxin-free skincare products is Green People. You can buy all of their products on Natural Dispensary (and many others) and use my 10% discount code - VITAL010. (Also can be used to purchase supplements). You'll need to put my name (Vanessa OBrien) in the Practitioner box when you register. ⁣

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And finally, the water filter I recommend is Zero Water UK. They have a range of sizes and types and you can use my client discount code, VOB1 to get 10% off your order (and can be used for replacement filters).

If you have any questions, feel free to message me here.