How Do I Know If I Have A Low Thyroid Problem?

Do you have signs of a low thyroid problem you’re thinking of having checked out? It’s important to seek care for any health-related symptoms, and this includes those typically associated with low thyroid. 

Some of the symptoms low thyroid patients notice include: 

• Lethargy; chronic fatigue
• Depression and/or anxiety
• PMS or menopausal symptoms
• Muscular and/or joint pains
• Fibromyalgia
• Heart disease
• Digestive disorders
• Hair loss
• Dry or itchy skin; eczema or rashes
• Low libido
• Cold hands and feet
• Weight gain
• Inability to lose weight despite diet and exercise
• Memory problems or brain fog

In reviewing this list, you may notice that many of these low thyroid signs are commonly associated with other conditions–or the simple fact of aging. Women often assume many symptoms of low thyroid are inevitable due to menopause. Yet it’s never a good idea to suffer with health problems, even if they seem ‘minor.’ 

If you find yourself taking the attitude that you must ‘learn to live with’ feeling extra tired, irritable or depressed, or with aches and pains you didn’t used to have, seek out health care. Nothing will be gained by taking a ‘wait and see’ approach and delays may make care for low thyroid or other conditions more challenging. 

Most people understand that the thyroid plays a big role in metabolism regulation. A significant weight gain for no apparent reason, lack of energy or low sex drive are some of the symptoms that commonly prompt low thyroid patients to seek care for their condition. 

Yet the lesser-known symptoms that seem unrelated to the thyroid are also important indicators of problems your body may be having related to thyroid function. Be sure to tell your doctor about all of your symptoms, even if you think they seem irrelevant or unrelated to your thyroid.  If you seek out support from your regular medical care provider, it’s likely you will be tested for thyroid problems through blood work. Tests will be used to determine whether or not the problem is thyroid related, or possibly something else. However, some thyroid conditions require a much more in-depth approach to evaluation and care.

If you are told your thyroid is ‘fine’ based on blood work results but you still have symptoms, you may benefit from a more comprehensive approach to care. The same may be true if you are taking medication for low thyroid with little to no improvement in how you feel. 

Patients seeking a more in-depth approach to their health and wellness may want to consider working with a functional medicine specialist to address thyroid symptoms. Very detailed testing will identify exactly what is going on in your body’s organs and systems, including the thyroid. Once you’ve been thoroughly evaluated through comprehensive testing and information received from you on how you feel, you can look forward to the type of care that will help you feel better. Customized therapy and support can improve your condition as quickly as possible and in the long term. 

Follow All The Rules And STILL Can’t Lose Weight? This Might Be Why.

Can you relate to any of the following?

• I follow all the rules, but I still can’t lose the weight.
• I’m just getting old and my metabolism is slow. It’s genetic. There’s nothing I can do.
• I’ve tried everything to lose weight. Maybe I need to accept myself as fat, and give up my skinny clothes.
• Nutrition strategies that work for others don’t seem to apply to me.
• I lose 5 pounds, and then I regain 7. It’s so frustrating!

These are comments that I hear frequently from my patients and online community, and most of them don’t know an important secret: the reason you’re weight loss resistant is that your hormones are out of whack.

Discover the top three hormones that are the most likely culprits when it comes to your difficulty with weight loss.

When it comes to women and weight, there are seven hormones that make losing weight very challenging if not impossible—when they are out of balance. In this article, I want to show you the top three hormones that are the most likely culprits when it comes to your difficulty with weight loss, and how you can begin to reset them.

Fat Storage Hormone #1: Estrogen Dominance

Estrogen is the female hormone that gives women breasts and hips, and it keeps joints lubricated.

Men have it to but at far lower levels. But both men and women are at risk of estrogen overload, which is having too much estrogen in the body—even in menopause.

Here’s one action you can take today to lower your estrogen levels and help you lose weight:

Eat a pound of vegetables per day. The fiber from the vegetables will help excrete estrogen so it doesn’t keep circulating in your body like bad karma. Aim for 35-45 grams of fiber per day for women, and 40-50 grams per day for men, but slowly increase in 5-gram increments each day to get to the goal without gas or bloating.

Fat Storage Hormone #2: Insulin Resistance

One in two Americans have some degree of diabesity, which is diabetes + obesity. When you’re overweight or skinny fat (normal weight but you have too much fat mass), insulin becomes imbalanced and your cells become numb to the hormone. As a result, you experience blood sugar highs and lows, and you store fat because your glucose regulator is broken.

There are many ways to reset your insulin, but a personal favorite is to drink filtered water with apple cider vinegar. A recent study found that consuming two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before a high carb meal significantly reduces blood glucose levels in people with insulin resistance. In fact, apple cider vinegar might work as well as prescription drugs at fixing your blood sugar regulation.

Fat Storage Hormone #3: Cortisol Overwhelm

You make cortisol in response to stress, but most of us run around stressed all the time. All those stress hormones wreak havoc over time, and make you store fat—especially in your belly. High cortisol is also linked to depression, food addiction, and sugar cravings, so that you overeat the wrong foods like cookies and processed foods. What’s the net result? You get fat.

To reset your cortisol, you need to hit the pause button on your caffeine intake. Slowly wean off of caffeine over three days, and notice how your sleep and stress levels improve! There’s many more targeted suggestions in my new book, but kick the caffeine first.

My mission is to help people who struggle with weight issues from hormone imbalance. Understanding that permanent weight loss occurs as a result of hormone balance has helped so many of my patients and online community finally get their weight under control and break through weight loss resistance When you follow the right program, guided by a trusted mentor and armed with the best knowledge, it’s possible to lose the weight that’s burdened you for so long—and keep it off forever.

via Follow All The Rules And STILL Can’t Lose Weight? This Might Be Why….

Dr. Court’s comments: 

Also, consider a stool test. Stool testing looks at bacterial balance. Research is showing that the bacteria in your gut may affect how you metabolize and absorb food. In some cases, bacterial imbalances may actually cause you to absorb more calories than are necessary.