Hypothyroidism is a disease that’s rising at an alarming rate, especially in the United States. More than 12 percent of the U.S. population will develop a thyroid condition during their lifetime and up to 60% of those with thyroid disease are unaware of their condition. Thankfully, there are ways we can reduce the symptoms and feel better! Let’s take a look at hypothyroidism symptoms and how to reduce them naturally.
What is hypothyroidism?
Hypothyroidism happens when the thyroid gland doesn’t make enough thyroid hormone. This condition also is called underactive thyroid.
What is TSH and what is a “normal” level?
TSH is a hormone that the pituitary sends out to tell the thyroid how much or how little thyroid hormones to produce.
Please note: TSH levels tell you what your pituitary is up to, but it’s not telling you what the thyroid is doing.
Everyone is biochemically individual, but according to functional practitioners, a TSH level between 0.5-2.0 is the range where people feel healthy and vibrant. Most labs have “normal” TSH ranges that span anywhere from 4.0-8.0, but most people with TSH levels this high don’t feel well and need to make some steps to reduce their TSH level.
What is free T4 and what is a “normal” level?
Free T4 is a hormone produced by the thyroid. You want free T4 levels to be in the middle of the lab range. So if the range is 1.0-3.0, you want your free T4 to be 2 (or close to it). Each lab has a different range, so you have to look at what the specific range is to know what number to look for.
What is free T3 and what is a “normal” level?
Free T3 is a hormone that mostly comes from T4. The thyroid makes T4 and sends most of it to the liver to be converted to free T3.
You want free T3 to be in the middle of the lab range. So if the range is 1.0-3.0, you want your free T3 to be 2 or close to it. Each lab has a different range, so you have to look at what the specific range is to know what number to look for.
How common is hypothyroidism?
According to the NIH, nearly 5 out of 100 Americans ages 12 years and older have hypothyroidism.
Who is more likely to develop hypothyroidism?
Women are more likely then men to develop hypothyroidism. Also, around 90% of those with Hashimoto’s will develop Hypothyroidism
What are the Hypothyroidism Symptoms?
There are actually hundreds of symptoms, but here’s a list of some of the most common:
Feeling tired
Anxiety
Thinning or loss of outer third of eyebrows
Depression
Weight gain
Feeling cold
Irritability
Hair loss or thinning
Weakness and aches in muscles and joints
Itchy and dry skin
Difficulty concentrating
Brain fog
Constipation
Heavy or irregular periods
Puffy face
Hoarseness in the voice
Muscle weakness
Elevated cholesterol
Slowed heart rate
Low blood pressure
Insomnia
Brittle nails
Muscle loss
Low libido
Infertility and miscarriage
Lack of motivation
Digestive issues
Low vitamin D
Low B12
Weak immune system
Low ferritin (or anemia)
Needing a nap in the afternoon
Chronic fatigue
Diminished appetite
Low basal body temperature
Frequent infections
Lump in throat
What causes hypothyroidism?
This really depends on which level is too high or too low, so let’s break this down.
If TSH is elevated:
TSH is a hormone that the pituitary sends out to tell the thyroid how much or how little thyroid hormones to produce.
The pituitary, hypothalamus and adrenals (also called the HPA axis) are all part of the endocrine system and communicate with one another throughout the day. When the body perceives stress – emotional, mental, physical, environmental, mental, stress from disease, etc. – the hypothalamus tells the adrenals to work harder to put out additional cortisol, and it tells the pituitary to crank out more TSH so the thyroid will slow down.
So, a high TSH level isn’t always indicate a thyroid problem. Instead, there’s some sort of imbalance in the HPA axis. Your practitioner’s job is to now figure out why there is an imbalance.
Everyone is biochemically individual, but in our practice we’ve found that a TSH level between 0.5-2.0 is the range where people feel healthy and vibrant. Most labs have “normal” TSH ranges that span anywhere from 4.0-8.0, but most people with TSH levels this high don’t feel well and need to make some steps to reduce their TSH level.
If fT4 is low:
Most often, free T4 is low because the thyroid doesn’t have the resources to produce the proper amount of T4. The thyroid needs iodine and tyrosine to produce thyroid hormones. Increasing the consumption of iodine-rich foods, reducing exposure to chlorine, fluoride and bromine (this is incredibly important!), and taking an iodine supplement can often help improve this imbalance.
If you’re concerned about taking iodine when you have thyroid disease, read this post and it should answer your questions.
Free T4 can also be low when thyroid antibody levels are elevated. When antibodies attack the thyroid tissues, this can make it difficult for the thyroid to produce enough fT4.
Another common cause of low FT4 is anemia. The body needs iron to make TPO, which is then used to make a thyroid hormone (FT4). When the body is deficient in iron, FT4 levels can drop, putting the body in a hypothyroid state. To read more about this, and see what steps you can take to reverse the issue, click here.
The are three common reasons why free T3 can be low:
1. Free T3 can be low because there isn’t enough free T4 being produced by the thyroid to be converted into free T3.
2. If there are adequate levels of free T4, but there isn’t enough free T3, then this often indicates liver congestion.
Let me explain. . .
Your thyroid produces T4 and sends most of it to the liver to be converted into the active form, free T3. If you have enough free T4, but not enough free T3, then you don’t necessarily have a thyroid problem, instead, you may need to support your liver so it can efficiently convert T4 to T3 for you.
Liver congestion is pretty common nowadays, and can not only cause low T3 in the body, it also can cause estrogen dominance, severe headaches, blood sugar imbalance, chemical sensitivities, skin issues, and dark circles under the eyes, among other things. Here is an article I wrote with specific steps you can take to improve this issue.
3. Free T3 can also be low because there is excess cortisol (from adrenal imbalance) that is blocking the conversion of free T4 to free T3 and instead creating an excess of reverse T3.
How do doctors diagnose hypothyroidism?
Hypothyroidism is most often diagnosed when TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) levels are elevated, free T4 levels are low and/or free T3 levels are low. But, oftentimes a doctor will diagnose a patient with hypothyroidism when they see just high TSH levels.
How do doctors treat hypothyroidism?
Most often, they treat hypothyroidism with thyroid hormone replacement. Some patients will be prescribed T4, some T3 and some will be given a combination of T4 and T3.
How does eating, diet, and nutrition affect hypothyroidism?
The foods you eat provide the body with the nutrients it needs to make thyroid hormones. So, if your practitioner says that the foods you eat can’t make a difference in your thyroid health, they don’t know what they are talking about.
Here are some examples:
- Vitamin A (aka retinol) helps balance the correct levels of thyroid hormones in the body. A deficiency can increase TSH, reduce thyroid hormone production and increase the size of the thyroid gland.
- Without adequate vitamin D, you can often see a decrease in fT4 and/or fT3, leading to hypothyroidism, an increase in TSH and an increase in antibodies.
- Zinc is needed for TSH production and for the conversion of fT4 to fT3.
- The body needs iron to make TPO (thyroid peroxidase), which is then used to make the thyroid hormone fT4.
- Selenium is important for the convsersion of fT4 to fT3 in the liver. Studies have shown that selenium can help reduce Hashi’s antibodies and support the immune system.
As you can see the foods you eat play a huge role in thyroid hormone production and balance!
The first 10 steps to take to reduce hypothyroidism symptoms:
1. Ask your practitioner for a full thyroid panel. Remember, TSH tells you what’s going on with the pituitary, not your thyroid. So, getting a look at what’s actually going on with your thyroid will give you and your practitioner more insight as to what steps to take next.
Here’s the list of labs to ask for (if your practitioner will not order labs for you, you can order them yourself here):
TSH
TPOab
TgAB
Free T3
Free T4
Reverse T3
2. If your free T4 levels are low, then I recommend increasing your consumption of iodine-rich foods (sea vegetables, wild seafood, cultured yogurt, pastured eggs, etc.) and reduce your exposure to chlorine, fluoride and bromine (read this article to find out why this is important).
3. If TSH is elevated, then I recommend taking steps to balance your adrenals and nervous system.
4. If fT3 is low, then taking steps to support gentle liver detox and reducing your cortisol (aka stress).
5. Reduce your sugar intake. Sugar and stress bascially do the same thing in the body (minus the calories), so to help balance your TSH and reduce your hypothyroidism symptoms, you need to watch your sugar intake. If you have massive sugar cravings right now (I’ve been there before!), make this recipe for buttermints and follow the directions listed.
6. Remember that your practitioner is working for you, not the other way around. It’s ok to ask them questions about the root cause of what’s going on. If they don’t treat you respectfully when you ask them questions about what’s going on with your body, then it’s ok to find another practitioner to work with. It took me nine months of going doctor-to-doctor before I found someone who would listen to me and run tests. Being persistent to find the right practitioner to work with pays off!
7. Start moving away from processed foods and eat real, nutrient-dense foods. I’ve got hundreds of recipes here on my site and another 125 in my cookbook, The Grain-Free Family Table. Eating healthy foods will reduce the strain on your body and help bring things back into balance.
8. Make sure to get plenty of selenium, zinc, magnesium, iron, healthy saturated fats, Vitamin A (remember retinol/Vitamin A is only found in animal foods), B vitamins, Vitamin C and Vitamin E in your diet as they are all essential for thyroid support.
9. Support digestion so your body can utilize the nutrients in your food. Click here to read some practical steps to take.
10. If you’d like to learn from first steps you can take to help support your thyroid, check out my class, “3 Keys to Thyroid Hormone Balance”. It’s just 45 minutes and I promise you’ll learn something new!
