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Functional Medicine Approach to Brain Fog
6 min read
Optimizing Thyroid Health: A Comprehensive Approach
Do you have low energy? Is your skin dry? Do you have significant hair loss? Are your nails brittle? Are you often cold when others are not? Are you noticing unexplained changes in your weight? Are you just feeling off but are not quite sure why? These symptoms could be related to your thyroid.
“She had all the signs of thyroid imbalance — weight gain, mood swings, hair loss — but kept being told her labs were ‘normal.’ We looked deeper and discovered key dysfunctions. With the right support, her symptoms began to ease and she felt like herself again.”
- Dr. Doug Cutler, Founder at Cutler Integrative Medicine
What Does the Thyroid Do?
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped hormone-producing gland located near the base of the neck. It regulates vital metabolic processes throughout the body. When your thyroid is not working properly, every system in your body can be affected.
A simple blood test will let you know if you have thyroid issues. Conventional doctors will often order a TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) blood test. A high TSH level indicates hypothyroidism, whereas a low TSH level may indicate a person is producing too much thyroid hormone, a condition known as hyperthyroidism.
A simple blood test will let you know if you have thyroid issues. Conventional doctors will often order a TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) blood test. A high TSH level indicates hypothyroidism, whereas a low TSH level may indicate a person is producing too much thyroid hormone, a condition known as hyperthyroidism.
What Our Patients Say About Their Healing Journey
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How Can I Treat Thyroid Problems Naturally?
A Naturopathic Doctor, ND, realizes it is misleading to only order a TSH blood test. TSH results often return back to normal range even though their thyroid hormones remain low. An ND will also order an extensive blood test, which includes T4 (binds proteins) and T3 (used to determine the severity of hypothyroidism). Thyroid functions should be monitored every 3-12 months with treatment.
Conventional doctors often prescribe a synthetic version of an inactive form of the thyroid hormone, T4 (Synthroid, Levothyroxine, Levoxyl, Tirosint). This forces the body to convert the medication to T3 in the liver, the active form of thyroid medication, to be used by metabolism. Most people with hypothyroidism have difficulty converting the T3.
Conventional doctors often prescribe a synthetic version of an inactive form of the thyroid hormone, T4 (Synthroid, Levothyroxine, Levoxyl, Tirosint). This forces the body to convert the medication to T3 in the liver, the active form of thyroid medication, to be used by metabolism. Most people with hypothyroidism have difficulty converting the T3.
Naturopathic Doctors are trained to look at many factors of your general health to determine the root cause of your health concerns. Along with the blood test for TSH, T4, and T3, NDs will look at immune disorders, digestive issues, nutrient deficiencies, blood-sugar levels, emotional imbalances, and circulation issues. They often will prescribe natural T3/T4/T2 combination thyroid medications (WP Thyroid, Armour Thyroid, NP Thyroid, or Nature-Throid).
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