Low Thyroid: Common Thyroid Disruptors

EVER BEEN TOLD YOUR THYROID IS FINE, BUT YOU FEEL ANYTHING BUT FINE?! MAYBE YOU HAD YOUR TSH TESTED AND YOUR DOCTOR SAYS IT’S “NORMAL”? TSH IS NOT AN INDICATION OF YOUR THYROID HEALTH - THERE’S MORE TO THE STORY! LET ME EXPLAIN.

While the TSH test is a great indicator of whether or not your thyroid is receiving the message to produce thyroid hormone (hello pituitary gland), it is not a thyroid blood test, it’s a pituitary test!

So you have a great TSH, but you still feel awful. What does this mean?

It means that your pituitary gland is doing its job and communicating with the thyroid but your thyroid may not be able to make the proper amounts of hormones your body needs. It does NOT mean that your thyroid has taken this message, or that your body is metabolizing any of the hormones being created. It also does not mean that T4 is converting into T3 (the active form) in the body. Nor does it reveal if it’s being pushed to RT3 due to stress, inflammation or toxins etc.

So even if your doctor says your TSH is good, you could be dealing with these symptoms related to thyroid dysregulation:

• Fatigue and exhaustion

• Muscle and joint pain

• Weight loss/weight gain

• Hair loss and thinning hair

• Hormone imbalances

• Depression/mood disorders

• Excessive sweating

• Cold/heat intolerances

• Brain fog and more

COMMON THYROID DISRUPTORS

Women are eight times more likely than males to develop thyroid illness as a result of hormonal fluctuations during menstruation and pregnancy, as well as the use of hormonal birth control. While the first two causes are unavoidable for most of us, there are other common thyroid disruptors that we can avoid.

1. BIRTH CONTROL

The hormones utilized in the pill are not identical to those produced by the body. They are comparable and have hormone-like properties, but they are not the same. The pill's fake estrogen stimulates the estrogen receptor, but the message is misinterpreted, and they can end up jamming the receptor open or closed. As a result, they do not perform the same functions in the body like estrogen and progesterone.

2. NUTRIENT DEFICIENT DIET

To produce a proper amount of thyroid hormones, your thyroid requires nutrients and trace elements (such as iodine, selenium, magnesium, copper, zinc, and so on). If you don't obtain enough of these nutrients through your diet or aren't absorbing them properly due to gut dysbiosis (see below), your thyroid will be deprived of a vital building block it requires to operate, leading to a thyroid problem.

3. GUT DYSBIOSIS

When your gut bacteria are out of balance, food is not efficiently absorbed, and larger molecules can penetrate the gut wall, promoting inflammation in the body. If left untreated, this can trigger an immune response and lead to an autoimmune illness known as Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.

4. STRESS

When we are stressed, our HPA axis orders our adrenals to produce the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol then has an effect on the pituitary gland, slowing its signalling. TSH production then declines, preventing the thyroid from receiving the signal that it needs to produce more thyroid hormone. This can result in low thyroid hormone levels, which can lead to hypothyroidism.

NOW WHAT?

HOW TO IMPROVE METABOLISM AND THYROID HEALTH

Eat A Nutrient-Dense Diet

The following foods are high in critical nutrients that your thyroid requires to function properly:

Iodine: Iodine-rich foods assist the thyroid in producing the hormones required to control metabolism. Try roasting or grilling artichokes, roasted seaweed snacks, nori wraps for handmade sushi, onions, shellfish, pasture-raised eggs, navy beans, and pineapples.

Selenium: While iodine aids in the production of thyroid hormones, selenium aids in its maintenance. Selenium-rich foods include pasture-raised eggs, wild seafood (such as scallops), mushrooms (such as maitake, shiitake, and cremini), garlic, sunflower seeds, and Brazil nuts.

Essential Fatty Acids: These are required for egg implantation when trying to conceive and play an important function in thyroid function. Incorporate wild salmon and leafy greens into your smoothie, and try a tablespoon of flax or chia seeds in a yogurt bowl. 

Manage Stress 

Incorporate more stress-reduction activities into your life, such as deep breathing, yoga, meditation, reading, a grounded morning or nightly routine, quality time with friends and family, travelling, Epsom salt baths, essential oils, or getting away from modern gadgets and into nature.

If so you can learn more about ways to support low thyroid levels in my do at your own pace program Mend Your Menstrual Cycle.

Ready to explore getting some support from a practitioner? Take a minute to review the options for working together here.

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM