It’s not uncommon for people to experience thyroid issues, but many are unaware of the signs and symptoms. Here are some common thyroid conditions that may have gone unnoticed.
The hypothyroidism and high testosterone in females is a blog post about 7 thyroid issues your doctor likely missed.
Assume there are seven individuals in a row, all lined up next to each other. They all describe having the same symptoms: tiredness, trouble losing weight, constipation, the “blues,” chilly hands and feet, and a constant sensation of puffiness.
These are all typical hypothyroidism symptoms, or a thyroid gland that isn’t working properly, but as I’ll show you, each of these seven individuals may have a distinct thyroid physiology problem.
Worse still, there’s a good chance that none of them will be properly identified.
The thyroid is the fat-burning gland in your body.
The thyroid gland is the body’s primary metabolic gland. As previously said, if your thyroid is not functioning properly, reducing weight will be tough. The thyroid, on the other hand, does so much more.
- Thyroid hormone receptors may be found in every cell in the body.
- Thyroid hormone deficiency causes high cholesterol, triglycerides, and gallstones.
- Children whose moms have poor thyroid function during pregnancy had a greater risk of mental impairment.
- Poor digestive function, particularly inadequate digestive enzymes and constipation, is linked to low thyroid hormone levels.
- Thyroid hormones and other hormones have a close relationship.
- Thyroid hormone, for example, makes progesterone receptors more responsive, so a woman who has hormonal symptoms every month may really have a thyroid problem.
- Thyroid hormone deficiency may affect neurotransmitters.
- Low thyroid hormone, for example, may produce low dopamine levels, resulting in a lack of drive and willpower.
Finally, as you can see, the thyroid gland is quite essential. It’s also a very sensitive organ. A variety of external chemical effects, such as chlorine, fluoride, certain heavy metals, and other synthetic compounds, have a detrimental affect on the thyroid gland. One of the reasons why there are so many thyroid problems nowadays is because of this.
But here’s the truth: Because of limitations in knowledge of fundamental thyroid physiology and the way the thyroid is examined today, millions of individuals with thyroid problems are unaware of it.
Symptoms
Thyroid hormone deficiency manifests itself in a variety of ways. This demonstrates how widespread thyroid hormone’s impacts are. The following are some of the signs and symptoms of a low thyroid:
- fatigue
- weakness
- gaining weight
- Having trouble losing weight
- hair that is coarse and dry
- dry skin
- hair thinning
- cold intolerance (you can’t stand the cold like the rest of the world)
- Muscle cramps and pains are common.
- constipation
- depression
- irritability
- Loss of memory
- menstruation cycles that are abnormal
- libido has dwindled.
If you’re experiencing many (or all) of these symptoms, you might consider undergoing some physiological testing.
Test-related issues
Before you are tested, keep in mind that laboratory testing has three main flaws.
- Broad reference ranges — These ranges are based on individuals who see the doctor, not on healthy people. As a result, the reference ranges are much too wide to detect small physiologic changes in the thyroid.
- Non-standardized reference range — The reference range is not only excessively wide, but it also differs from lab to lab and state to state. As a result, you may have a thyroid problem in one state but not the next. That isn’t good for your health.
- Insurance company sway – Doctors only perform tests that insurance companies deem “medically essential.” As a result, most insurance companies will not pay for a decent thyroid panel, therefore physicians will seldom order one.
Fortunately, testing is accessible in certain regions for some individuals. I’ll get to it in a minute.
Physiology of the thyroid gland
Here’s a guarantee. You will have a better working understanding of thyroid physiology than most physicians if you grasp this part.
Thyroid physiology is more complex than this, but this is a good starting point for diagnosing the vast majority of thyroid problems.
The hypothalamus is a part of your brain that produces the hormone thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH). It instructs the pituitary gland to generate thyroid stimulating hormones (TSH), which then instructs the thyroid gland to produce the appropriate amount of hormone.
The thyroid gland produces a variety of thyroid hormones, the most common of which being thyroxine, often known as T4. T4, which accounts for over 90% of thyroid hormone generated by the thyroid gland and is termed a prohormone since it has little metabolic impact on the body, is a prohormone. The active thyroid hormone is triiodothyronine (T3), although only 7% of it is generated by the thyroid gland. The remaining T4 must be converted.
The bulk of thyroid hormones are linked to a protein called thyroid binding globulin, which transports them throughout the body. T4 is changed to T3 in numerous bodily organs, mainly the kidney and liver, at some point along their journey, and free T3 then enters the cells to exercise its metabolic impact.
It’s also worth noting that gut bacteria are required to convert 20% of thyroid hormone, T3 sulfate and T3 acetic acid, to active T3.
What could possibly go wrong?
Returning to the line of seven individuals who all have the same symptoms, here’s how they may all have a thyroid problem, but each have a fault in a distinct region of thyroid physiology, needing different therapy.
Pituitary deficiency is the first deficiency.
If the pituitary gland isn’t working properly, it won’t be able to generate enough TSH to activate the thyroid. Cortisol suppression of the pituitary gland is the most common cause of this.
Thyroid deficiency is the second deficiency.
Primary hypothyroidism is the medical term for this condition, and it is the only malfunction that physicians check for. However, since the TSH reference range is so broad, many individuals with this problem will go unnoticed. In addition, many individuals with this deficiency suffer from an autoimmune thyroid disease (see Bonus Defect below).
Thyroid binding globulin (defect #3) (TBG)
Thyroid hormone would be bound and unable to enter the cell if there was too much thyroid binding globulin. Thyroid function may be excellent, but it can’t get into the cells if it’s completely bound. Elevated estrogen is the most frequent cause in both men and women.
Thyroid binding globulin (defect #4) (TBG)
There may be too much free thyroid hormone accessible for cells if there isn’t enough thyroid binding globulin. While this may not seem to be an issue, large amounts of free thyroid hormone block off receptor sites, causing hypothyroid symptoms despite high levels of free thyroid hormone. Elevated testosterone is the most frequent cause of this in both men and women.
Conversion is the fifth flaw.
There will not be enough active thyroid hormone for cells if inactive T4 cannot be converted to T3. This may be caused by a variety of factors, such as mineral deficiencies (e.g., selenium), high cortisol, or severe oxidative stress.
Dysbiosis is the sixth defect.
It’s impossible to say to what extent dysbiosis may affect thyroid function. Because 20% of thyroid hormone is converted to active T3, low thyroid symptoms may occur if there are severe gastrointestinal problems or a lack of good gut flora.
Thyroid Receptor Defect #7
Low thyroid symptoms will occur if thyroid hormone cannot enter the cell, despite the presence of thyroid hormone in the body. Cortisol, homocysteine, and vitamin A deficiency may all lead to receptor site abnormalities.
Thyroid autoimmunity is a bonus flaw.
The overwhelming majority of primary hypothyroidism problems (Defect #2) in developed nations are caused by Hashimoto’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease. If this is the case, the problem is no longer with the thyroid, but with the immune system, and it must be treated as such.
There are seven distinct individuals. There are seven distinct problems. All of them produce the same symptoms. And most of the problems are likely to go overlooked by the traditional medical system.
What should I do?
To be honest, I wish I could tell you what to do in each of these situations. I’d really want to. However, it is not as simple as that. It’s difficult to pinpoint the one or two things you’ll need to do to cure a thyroid problem without appropriate testing and an in-depth evaluation.
When it comes to becoming healthy, though, you must first take the initial few steps. They are as follows:
- Examine the hypothyroid symptoms mentioned previously in the essay. If you’re experiencing a lot of these symptoms, testing may be necessary to go further into your individual physiology.
- Then, have a thorough thyroid panel performed on your blood. TSH, total T4, free T4, total T3, free T3, T3 uptake, and thyroid antibodies are all included in a decent panel (TPO and anti-thyroglobulin).
- Have it read by someone who knows thyroid physiology and utilizes a functional/optimal reference range.
Finally, when it comes to our health and our capacity to shed weight, the thyroid is a completely different gland. When you’re in good shape, you’re laughing. When your thyroid system isn’t working properly, however, there are a number of links in the chain that need to be looked at.
Better eating, moving, and living.
The realm of health and fitness may be perplexing at times. It doesn’t have to be that way, however.
It will teach you the optimal diet, exercise, and lifestyle methods that are specific to you.
The thyroid test is a simple blood test that can help diagnose many thyroid issues. This article discusses 7 of the most common thyroid problems that doctors may miss
Frequently Asked Questions
Can thyroid problems be missed in blood tests?
Thyroid problems can be missed in blood tests. This is because the thyroid gland, which produces hormones that regulate metabolism and body temperature, does not release a hormone called thyroxine into the bloodstream until it has been stimulated by a stimulus such as exercise or illness.
Can thyroid problems come and go?
Thyroid problems can come and go, but they are typically a lifelong condition.
Which hyperthyroidism condition causes missed periods?
The most common cause of missed periods is a condition known as primary hypothyroidism.
