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Hypothyroidism

Guide to Hypothyroidism from Our Murrieta and Temecula, CA, Functional Medicine Provider

Do you deal with chronic fatigue, find yourself lethargic even if you’ve slept well, you’ve inexplicably gained weight, or you can’t tolerate cold temperatures? While these symptoms can be related to several issues, they might be due to an issue with your thyroid, specifically hypothyroidism. What is this condition and what can you do? Our team at Hoyt Integrative Health answers these questions and more below. 

Hypothyroid

What Is Hypothyroidism?

To understand this thyroid condition, you must first understand the role of the thyroid and hormones. Your body relies on hormones, which are basically messengers that help your body function as it should. These hormones are essential to weight, moods, breathing, digestion, heart rate, and more.

In short, they are very important to your health and general well-being. The thyroid is a small gland in the neck that makes these hormones and sends them out to do their jobs. Unfortunately, this can be impacted by a condition called hypothyroidism, which simply means that your thyroid isn’t producing the necessary amount of hormones to sustain the body’s functions. 

What Are the Symptoms of Hypothyroidism?

As you likely see from above, your thyroid keeps your body working properly. When the thyroid isn’t working properly, though, it can affect how well your body works. A lack of the necessary hormones due to hypothyroidism creates the following symptoms:

  • Chronic fatigue and often lethargic
  • High sensitivity or intolerance to cold
  • Muscle and joint pain
  • Irregular periods
  • Fertility problems
  • Weight issues
  • Constipation
  • Depression
  • Trouble swallowing or breathing
  • Dry skin or dry, thinning hair

For women, these symptoms might increase during menstruation. 

Hypothyroidism Symptoms in Women

Since hypothyroidism manifests itself through the body’s metabolism, many of the symptoms are similar to slow metabolism.

  • Weight gain
  • Fatigue
  • Insomnia
  • Low sex drive
  • Infertility
  • Hot flashes
  • Always cold (especially hands and feet)
  • Constipation
  • Depression
  • Hair Loss
  • Mood swings
  • Memory Issues
  • Nervousness
  • Anxiety
  • Heart Palpitations
  • Headaches
  • Restlessness
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Arthritis
  • Dry Skin
  • Dry Hair
  • Irregular menstrual periods
  • Slowed heart rate
  • Puffy face
  • Muscle aches
  • Elevated Blood cholesterol
  • Pain or Stiffness in the joints

Hypothyroidism symptoms in men, although less common, are much the same those for women. Most of the time it is diagnosed in routine physicals and blood work manifest in both T4 and TSH levels.

Hashimoto’s

The most common cause of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s (or autoimmune hypothyroidism), a form of thyroid inflammation caused by your own immune system attacking your thyroid.

HAVE YOU BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH HASHIMOTO’S BUT YOU HAVE BEEN TOLD THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO FOR IT?

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis disease is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States, and affects as many as 1 in 10 women.  It affects as many as 10 million US people. Approximately 10% of women over age 30 have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (the disease affects women ten times more than men). Your chance of developing Hashimoto’s disease increases if other family members have the disease. You are more likely to develop Hashimoto’s disease if you have other autoimmune disorders.

SEE WHY SO MANY ARE TURNING TO A FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE APPROACH TO RESTORE THEIR HEALTH.

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is characterized by thyroid inflammation due to attacks from the body’s own immune system on the thyroid gland. This causes the thyroid tissue to gradually be destroyed. This directly impacts your thyroid’s ability to produce hormones resulting in low thyroid. Taking thyroid hormones doesn’t address the cause of hypothyroidism and iodine supplements can make you worse. There are many patterns of low thyroid function, most cannot be truly helped by thyroid hormones.

CHECK OUT OUR FUNCTIONAL HEALTH APPROACH FOR PATIENTS PLAGUED WITH LOW THYROID WHO WANT TO RESTORE REAL HEALTH.

Hypothyroidism Causes

Although Hashimoto’s is the most common form of hypothyroidism, there may be a host of other causes including:

  • Estrogen dominance
  • Insulin surges
  • Environmental toxicity
  • Chemical exposure
  • Vitamin deficiency
  • Stress
  • Stress
  • Undetected low-grade infection
  • Certain medications
  • Radiation therapy
  • Hyperthyroidism cares
  • Thyroid surgery
  • Other Autoimmune disorders
  • Pituitary disorder
  • Pregnancy
  • Iodine deficiency

IF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED ANY OF THESE INSTANCES, YOU COULD BE AT HIGHER RISK FOR HYPOTHYROIDISM.

Thyroid Nodules and Cysts

A thyroid cyst is a fluid-filled lump that forms within the gland itself. The majority of thyroid nodules don’t have symptoms. Most are not cancerous. Typically you won’t know you have thyroid cysts unless they become large enough to cause trouble swallowing or breathing or are visible at the base of the neck above the collarbone.

In some cases, the attack on the thyroid or a thyroid nodule will produce extra thyroxine (T4) which will cause symptoms of hyperthyroidism (or overactive thyroid with heightened hormone levels). If it persists it can cause you to experience unexplained weight loss, perspiration, tremors, nervousness, rapid heartbeat.

Although the majority of thyroid cysts are non-cancerous, it’s important to monitor any signs of hyperthyroidism and growth of the thyroid with a medical professional.

Thyroid Medication

The standard care for hypothyroidism includes synthetic thyroid hormone (Synthroid, Levo-T, etc.) and monitoring of the thyroid TSH levels. This type of care is lifelong and the dosage may change depending on TSH levels. In mild cases of hypothyroidism its possible to not benefit from thyroid hormone therapy and it is possible the care itself could be harmful to you.

Thyroid support should look at treating the underlying causes and support both hormones rather than just one which could cause imbalances in other places. Just taking thyroid medication is often a temporary fix or not effective at all.

A BETTER WAY IS TO DISCOVER THE UNDERLYING CAUSE OF YOUR LOW THYROID AND LEARN WHY IT USUALLY WON’T SHOW UP ON YOUR LAB TEST?

How Is Hypothyroidism Treated?

There are a few conventional methods for treating hypothyroidism, which include replacing hormones with medication. While this might provide some relief from the condition, long-term medication use can create additional issues. Additionally, it does not address the root cause of the condition.

Functional medicine is an approach that digs in to determine what is causing the issue and develop a plan to address that cause. As much as possible, this includes holistic approaches that focus on your environment, genetics, and lifestyle factors that can contribute to your condition. In addressing these factors, more long-term and effective relief methods can be used. 

Personalized Treatment from Our Murrieta and Temecula, CA, Functional Medicine Provider

At Hoyt Integrative Health, our goal is to treat you and help you achieve the most optimal health and wellness. Call us at (951) 973-0773 to schedule an appointment today.

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