Why is your thyroid important?
Your thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland that’s found in the middle of your throat. It’s responsible for a wide range of functions in your body, and unless it’s not functioning well you are probably blissfully unaware of its existence. Unfortunately, there’s an increasing number of people who are presenting with thyroid conditions and most of them are women. In fact, if you are born female, you are ten times more likely to be diagnosed with a thyroid condition than a male. I’ll tell you why this is the case in a minute, but let’s firstly look at what your thyroid does and what happens when it’s out of balance.
The main function of your thyroid is to regulate your metabolism. It’s also involved in the health of your immune system and cardiovascular system, and the regulation of your endocrine system which means it influences menstruation and fertility. You could say that everything is influenced by your thyroid function.
Thyroid dysfunction is categorised as hypo (low function), or hyper (high function). Low thyroid function, or hypothyroidism, happens when there is not enough thyroid hormone produced by the gland. It’s often diagnosed by a blood test that measures TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). When TSH is elevated, it is a sign that not enough thyroid hormone is being produced by the thyroid. When there is immune involvement, the body produces auto antibodies that attack the thyroid gland, and the condition is called Hashimotos. Many people are unaware they have lowered thyroid function, but symptoms can include fatigue, weight gain, reduced tolerance to cold, constipation and brain fog. Thyroid hyperfunction or hyperthyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland is stimulated to over produce thyroid hormone. Diagnosis of this condition usually occurs as a result of investigations for symptoms including elevated heart rate, unexplained weight loss and increased anxiety and insomnia. When thyroid hormones are tested, a diminished TSH is found with elevated thyroid hormones. Grave’s Disease is diagnosed when there are auto antibodies found as well as elevated thyroid hormones.
Why are women more susceptible to thyroid conditions? It’s because of the fluctuations in oestrogen and progesterone that occur over their lifetime.
As a result of this, there are three key times during a woman’s life that she is more at risk of developing a thyroid condition. These are:
Puberty - when there is an increase in oestrogen production and the thyroid gland increases in volume. Another factor that plays a role in thyroid health is exposure to toxins that disrupt hormone production. Young females are often introduced to cosmetics and make up at this age and a lot of these products contain chemicals that mimic hormones, including thyroid hormone and oestrogen, causing detrimental effects. There is an increasing amount of research being done in this area and more information being made available about the effects of chemicals on the body’s endocrine system.
Pregnancy - during this time there is an increased demand for thyroid hormones and many women enter pregnancy with pre-existing low thyroid function and this can trigger overt hypothyroidism during pregnancy. Thyroid imbalances during pregnancy affect the mother and the baby as thyroid hormones are involved in brain and nervous system development.
Perimenopause/menopause - when oestrogen and progesterone levels decline. This impacts cortisol levels as well as immune function. The development of autoimmune thyroid antibodies can trigger thyroid dysfunction and cause damage to the gland. Some of the common problems experienced by women during menopause such as weight gain, fatigue and brain fog can also be attributed to hypothyroid function and so reviewing thyroid function is important.
There are key nutrients that are needed for healthy thyroid function. These are:
Iodine
Zinc
Selenium
Tyrosine
Other nutrients including magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin D and coenzyme Q10 also play an important role in supporting thyroid function and are often part of a nutraceutical prescription.
Herbal medicine has also been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of thyroid disease by enhancing thyroid hormone production, or by blocking it when there is excess. Herbs such as Withania, Motherwort and Lemon balm have been shown to be very effective and can, in some cases, reduce the need for drugs such as Carbimazole which blocks production of thyroid hormone. Withania has been shown in studies to improve the production of thyroid hormone and increase the conversion to the active form of triiodothyronine (T3).
Thyroid function can be tested with a blood test. The most common test is TSH and often no further testing is done when this is within range. Unfortunately, this does not tell the whole story and many people struggle to get diagnosed and treated because their TSH falls between 0.5 and 4. Optimal TSH is between 1 and 2-2.5. Thyroid hormones T4 (thyroxine) and T3 (triiodothyronine) as well as the inactive rT3 should also be tested. Screening for auto antibodies is also important and all antibodies should be tested. These are:
Thyroglobulin - TG
Thyroid peroxidase - TPO
Thyroid receptor antibodies - TRAb
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms that I’ve discussed in this article and you haven’t been able to find the cause, it might be time to get your thyroid reviewed.