You’ve heard about it. You’ve seen your friends or family members experience it. And chances are, you are experiencing it as well.
I’m talking about hypothyroidism, or low thyroid function. In fact, nearly half of the American population suffers from low thyroid function.
So what does hypothyroidism look (or feel) like?
When the thyroid gland is not producing adequate amounts of the thyroid hormone, your body’s processes are slowed down tremendously. You feel sluggish, your immune system is weakened and you may even experience aches and pains you’ve never experienced before. Low thyroid function also plays a huge role in your metabolism, so when your body isn’t producing enough of this life-altering hormone, you may notice a change in your weight, as well as cold sensitivities. In fact, I’ve seen patients with such severe hypothyroidism that it slows their metabolism in half.
Have you experienced any of these symptoms? If so, know that you are not alone. You should also know that there are experienced physicians who can not only treat your symptoms, but get to the root cause of your symptoms rather than masking them with prescription drugs and medication.
Now, while weight gain, low energy, hair loss, depression and cold sensitivity are a few of the most commonly known symptoms, there is a whole host of other symptoms someone with low thyroid may experience that are rarely related back to thyroid function.
Below are unexpected symptoms of hypothyroidism:
- Memory loss
- Dry skin
- Brittle nails
- Depression
- Teeth ridges in tongue
- Missing or thinning eyebrows
- Infertility
- Changes in menstrual cycle
- Unexplained perspiration
- Anxiety
- Depression
- High cholesterol
While I’ve seen patients experience as few as one or two symptoms like hair loss and weight gain, I’ve seen many patients who experience a vast array of low thyroid symptoms. Things like dry skin and excess perspiration may seem like they are unrelated to your thyroid function but it’s important to remember that there is a reason why these symptoms are occurring.
If you think you’re experiencing any or all of the symptoms I’ve mentioned, it’s time to check your thyroid levels. One too many Americans suffer from frustrating symptoms for years on end when something as simple as natural, bio-identical hormones could have easily treated them and gotten them their lives back.
If you suspect you have a low functioning, I encourage you to ask your doctor to test your thyroid. First, your doctor should test your TSH, or Thyroid Stimulating Hormone. Chances are, if this is tested for, it will come back “within normal limits” and your doctor will tell you that you’re fine and send you on your way. Millions of people have their symptoms dismissed when this happens and may be suffering from what is known as “subclinical hypothyroidism” and could be experiencing mild to severe symptoms that can worsen over time.
It is very important that hypothyroidism and subclinical hypothyroidism is diagnosed and treated in order to prevent a decline in physical and psychological well-being.
You need, and deserve, a doctor that treats the whole person, while evaluating labs but also taking your symptoms into consideration, too. Unfortunately, most doctors want to mask your symptoms of hypothyroidism with antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, statins, blood pressure drugs or even sleeping pills. All of these not only do nothing to improve your thyroid function, but they all come with a host of unwanted side effects, too, leading you to only feel worse.
Your provider should also be aware of and test you for Hashimoto’s Disease, an auto-immune disease where the body attacks and destroys its own thyroid gland. Though this is the leading cause of hypothyroidism, rarely do mainstream medical doctors test for thyroid antibodies, Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOAb) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb).
As you can see, testing for and treating hypothyroidism is crucial to your overall health. If you have reason to believe your thyroid gland isn’t performing like it should, it’s time to start doing a little more investigating.
Take your health into your own hands and test your thyroid function today. Click here to test your symptoms today.
