Iodine is the single most important nutrient for managing almost all of the hormones in your body. We don’t normally think about iodine as impacting your hormones, but it absolutely does. Through its impact on the regulation of thyroid hormone, iodine has downstream effects on estrogen, progesterone, and even cortisol. That’s great and all, but …
Getting a complete thyroid hormone blood test is critical to understanding and evaluating your thyroid function. Complete thyroid testing includes so much more than the traditional TSH (which can be inaccurate in certain medical conditions). Without the right thyroid tests, you won’t understand if your body is converting thyroid hormone appropriately or if your cells …
Did you know that changing the time of day you take your thyroid medication may impact your thyroid function? Beyond the time of day, there are several factors that YOU can change which may result in an increase in thyroid function and conversion in your body. These changes have helped hundreds of patients of mine …
Would it surprise you to know that you can have a low TSH but still be hypothyroid? This situation is not uncommon and may be occurring in your body right now. On the flip side, a low TSH can also be an indicator of hyperthyroidism. Your TSH can be a helpful tool in evaluating thyroid …
Hypothyroidism is very common among people in the US which means that many people are taking thyroid hormones. Despite taking thyroid hormones, many patients still show the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism. Why is it that some patients who take thyroid hormone replacement medication for low thyroid still have symptoms? It’s not as complicated as …
Low thyroid function leads to weight gain but probably not in the way you are suspecting it would. Consider this: If low thyroid leads to weight gain then why does replacing thyroid hormone in your body not lead to weight loss? In other words, why don’t prescription thyroid medications act like weight loss medications? So …
Fatigue is one of the most common (and frequently reported) symptoms of hypothyroidism. Fatigue is the result of various changes in your body including nutrient imbalances, poor mitochondrial function, and even tissue-level hypothyroidism. What’s more interesting is that in order to treat and reverse thyroid fatigue you actually need more than just thyroid medication. Why? …
You’ve probably heard from other patients that switching from levothyroxine to Tirosint made all the difference. Considering that they are both T4-only thyroid medications, what is the difference between these medications? Why do some patients have decreased symptoms, lose more weight, and feel better on Tirosint but not on levothyroxine? Is there a difference between …
Have you noticed clumps of hair in the drain when you shower? Is your hair dry, brittle, or breaking? Or have you noticed a thinning of your eyebrows? All of these symptoms can be caused by thyroid dysfunction. And they aren’t uncommon either with around 40% of patients experiencing them. And if that’s your issue, …
I get some form of this question all the time: What if I have hypothyroid symptoms but a low TSH? Can I still be hypothyroid? Or what if I am already on NDT but still feeling symptomatic? What then? The answer to this question is that, yes, you can still be hypothyroid with a “normal” …
