All About Hormones: Thyroid
The thyroid is the powerhouse of our bodies. To feel and be well, we need an optimally functioning thyroid gland. It protects us from diabetes, helps keep our cholesterol level from increasing, controls how rapidly our body use energy and controls the sensitivity of our body to other hormones. The thyroid also keeps the brain, heart, muscles and other organs working like it should. Just as a thermostat senses the air temperature of a warming home and switches on the cooling system, so too the thyroid is signaled by thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) (produced by the anterior pituitary) to secrete the thyroid hormones, the most significant being triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). These hormones exert its influence on every cell in the body and they are synthesized from iodine. Iodine is an element that is needed for the production of the thyroid hormone. The body does not make iodine, thus, it is an essential part of our diet. If we don’t have enough iodine in our body, we cannot make adequate thyroid hormones. Food that contains iodine includes: sea vegetables – seaweed, kelp, kombu, cranberries, navy beans, potatoes, yogurt, cheese, shrimp, cod and Himalayan crystal salt. The thyroid hormone is one of the first hormones that start to decrease as we age. By the age of 28, we typically notice a shift in our body. Symptoms such as anxiety, heart palpitations, constipation, cramps, PMS, dry skin, hair loss, cold hands and feet, brittle nails, fatigue and weight gain starts to creep in. Along with the declining thyroid hormones, other hormonal imbalances also occur, such as, progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, pregnenolone and DHEA. By the time we are in our 40s and 50s we begin to experience conditions such as decreased sex drive, diabetes, depression, heart disease and mild memory impairment. These symptoms are the result of thyroid hormone deficiency compounded with other hormonal imbalances. When we are in our 60s onwards, with declining levels of hormones, our vital organs lose its cellular stimulation. At some point organs will not produce the hormones our body needs and eventually our body will degenerate. According to the American Thyroid Association, approximately 20 million Americans are affected by thyroid disease or disorder. It is estimated that one in eight women will develop a thyroid disorder at some time in her life. More than half thyroid conditions remained undiagnosed. That’s a huge number. The reason why it’s undiagnosed is appropriate blood work must be ordered. Many conventional doctors only consider the TSH, without T3 or T4, when they order blood work. Through integrative medicine, we don’t just chase the symptoms of medical problems. We look for the underlying issue before it manifests itself into something major. Often thyroid hormonal imbalances are the underlying issue. At RaJeunir Medical Center, we find that when we correct the metabolic pathway for the thyroid to properly function, restore the hormonal imbalances, nourish the body with the adequate nutrients, we can slow down or even reverse a lot of these age-related diseases.
