I talk to people about thyroid everyday…about time I did a blog on it. Your thyroid is the most important gland in your body. It controls the speed of every reaction in the body….liver detox, colon movement, digestion/absorption, and metabolism of fat and sugar, are all dependent on the thyroids hormones telling it how fast to go. If your thyroid is slow or not PERFECT everything is SLOWED down.
I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want my metabolism to be slower because of my darn THYROID…especially when we can fix it. Other symptoms of slow thyroid include fatigue, muscle pain, constipation, hair loss, low body temperature, sleep issues, anxiety, menstrual irregularities, dry skin, weight gain…………….ALMOST ANYTHING can be blamed on a slow THYROID.
In order to test your thyroid, your doctor has to know what he/she is doing. They need to order TSH, free T3, and free T4…a complete thyroid panel. Then your doctor needs to know how to read results…oh lord! Most docs just see if you are “in the normal limits” set by the lab…WRONGO! I look to see if your numbers are optimal for human function. I like a TSH less than 2.0 where as the normal range by the lab maybe .4-6.0. I want OPTIMAL function not just acceptable function.
Once determined that your thyroid is slow and low we decide what to do to help it out. Lots of options exist. I like putting all my thyroid patients on iodine to aid function. I also like a glandular supplement with tyrosine and iodine in it. But if your thyroid is very slow then you must be on a prescriptive medicine. I like glandular thyroid like Armour, Naturthroid, or compounded T3/T4.These drugs are bioidentical to human and have both T3 and T4 hormone in them. Synthroid, levothyroxine, etc…are all synthetic and are only T4 hormone. If you do a synthetic thyroid you are only getting HALF of your normal thyroid hormones. My rear end gets fat just thinking about only having half thyroid function…..
Get your thyroid checked regularly. Once per year or more as needed. Keep it PERFECT! Oh by the way, to keep a good thyroid good eat lots of protein and take a multivitamin with selenium and zinc in it. Avoid the yo-yo dieting preofession and get your buns moving!!!
Rgds,
Dr.GB
Hi Dr. GB! Thank you for your thyroid blog. I too have a dud of a thyroid. I struggled and struggled with weight loss until I met YOU! I was lucky enough to do your HCG injections and I lost 30 lbs HOWEVER I still have 10 stubborn lbs to loose. I am not too excited about doing the HCG again just for 10 pounds. I have started going to the gym first thing in the mornings circuit training for 5 days a week, I am tracking my calories religously only taking in 1200 to 1500 per day, staying away from all sugar and most carbs. Do you have anything in your aresenal to help me get rid of these 10 lbs? I have hypothroidism and I am currently taking 50 mcg of synthroid. Do you think this is the reason I can’t get my metabolism to chew up these 10 lbs?
We should do a full thyroid panel on you…check your T3 and T4. Synthroid is only T4 so maybe a compound would do your metabolism good! You go girl!
Hi Dr. GB! I found you through a friend. I also have sluggish thyroid and in 2006 I had to have surgery to remove half my throid due to a nodule goiter the size of a grapefuit. I lost alot of hair also and am having a hard time getting my hair back the way it was or close to. Since then I have had 2 babies. Im not on any meds for it but am sluggish sometimes and am having a hard time losing weight. What would you reccomend for me?
First, you need to have your thyroid checked (the right way!)…then we go from there. In the meantime you could do some iodine (liquid plant) to aid thyroid function. Also, avoid soy products and take a multivitamin and D3.
If you get your thyroid checked have them do a TSH, free T3, free T4 so you (or a good Doc) can really figure out what is going on. If you get your numbers post on a blog so we all can see and I will help you out!
Dr.GB