Six Steps to Heal
Your Thyroid
By Donna S Barsky , PharmD
The thyroid system plays a critical role in your metabolism . Along with insulin and cortisol , your thyroid hormone is one of the big three hormones that control your metabolism and weight . The key is the right testing is needed to confirm if a sluggish thyroid is contributing to a stalled metabolism and other problems . Once you know this for sure , there are many ways to help correct thyroid problems .
There are so many reasons for low thyroid function , yet I see many patients whose doctors have ignored this problem . One young female patient had more than 30 percent body fat and was unable to change her body no matter how hard she worked . She ate perfectly , exercised with a trainer every day , yet her body wouldn ’ t budge . She also had a slightly depressed mood and other vague symptoms .
Most doctors just check something called thyroid-stimulating hormone ( TSH ), which doesn ’ t give a full picture of the thyroid . In fact , even the interpretation of this test is incorrect most of the time .
The newer guidelines of the American College of Endocrinology consider anybody with a TSH level over 3.0 as hypothyroid . Most doctors think that only anything over 5 or 10 is worth treating . Unfortunately , this leaves millions suffering unnecessarily .
Besides TSH , Functional Medicine practitioners perform other essential tests including free T3 , free T4 , and thyroid antibodies . We also look for associated problems such as gluten intolerance , food allergies , and heavy metals , as well as deficiencies of vitamin D , selenium , vitamin A , zinc , and omega-3 fats .
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She was treated with a low dose of Armour ® thyroid , a natural thyroid replacement . What happened ? Well , she lost 20 pounds and improved her body composition and mood . And all of her other symptoms went away .
How did we know she and other patients had low thyroid function ? You need to be asked about symptoms , have a physical exam , and consider potential causes of thyroid problems . Then you have the right tests .
COLLIN COUNTY Living Well Magazine | JULY / AUGUST 2017
Correcting these problems requires an integrative approach . It involves more than simply taking a thyroid pill . As you ’ ll see , it involves nutritional support , exercise , stress reduction , supplements , reducing inflammation , and sometimes eliminating certain foods and detoxification from heavy metals ( such as mercury and lead ) and petrochemical toxins ( such as pesticides and PCBs ).
To integrate all of these elements and create a successful set of techniques to cope with your thyroid problems , we recommend these six following strategies .