The Lazy Gland

Do you suffer from chronic lethargy, exhaustion and low energy, even though you’re getting adequate sleep? Is your memory sluggish, concentration poor, or do you find it hard to make decisions? Do you frequently feel cold, especially in your hands and feet? Are your nails and hair dry or brittle? Are you suffering hair loss, course, dry, flaky skin or cracking on heels, elbows and knees? Perhaps you feel depressed, or worry that excess weight is difficult to shift.

These are just some of the symptoms that suggest your thyroid gland might be underactive.

Located just beneath the larynx, the thyroid gland controls metabolic function, activating more than one hundred enzymes responsible for a multitude of cellular functions, such as weight, skeletal structure, circulation, energy levels, mood, stress, libido, memory, sleep, hair, and nails.

By utilising iodine, found in foods like bread, seafood and salt, the thyroid gland manufactures the hormones, thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). These hormones send messages to specific organs and tissues, telling the cells within to speed up or reduce their activities of converting food and oxygen into energy, heat and living tissue. With thyroid hormones activating over one hundred cellular enzymes, it’s not surprising that multifarious problems occur when this gland malfunctions.

Common symptoms associated with an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), as well as those mentioned previously, are slow reflexes, muscle weakness, pain or stiffness in muscles and joints, hoarse or deepening voice, infertility, a lump in the throat or enlarged thyroid gland.

Less common symptoms include irregular heartbeat, chest pain, dizziness, rashes and allergies, visual disturbances, dry eyes and mouth, or blood pressure problems. For a more comprehensive list, visit Thyroid Australia’s website, www.thyroid.org.au.

An abnormally functioning thyroid gland, if left unchecked, may lead to serious health problems, including osteoporosis, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, congestive heart failure, myxedema (dry swelling of the skin and subcutaneous tissues), loss of mental function, and coma or death in extreme cases. For pregnant women, second trimester miscarriages increase, as do intellectual disabilities in their children.

Hypothyroidism is often associated with lack of iodine in the diet, especially true in developing countries, but also in western countries where soil is low in iodine. Lack of iodine prevents the thyroid from producing T4, causing the thyroid to enlarge, eventually forming a goitre.

However, low iodine intake is not the only cause of hypothyroidism. The thyroid gland is part of a complex system that includes the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands, liver and kidneys, as well as cytokines. A malfunction in one of these components can result in the thyroid becoming underactive.

Stress, resulting in adrenal exhaustion, depletes cortisone, which is essential for T4 to T3 conversion, in the liver and kidneys. Other causes listed by Pizzorio, Pizzorio Jr., and Murray, in Natural Medicine: Instructions for Patients are: metals and heavy metals, pesticide-contaminated water, fluoride, xenobiotics, some drugs, x-rays, radioactive iodine, yo-yo dieting, and autoimmune diseases such as Hashimotos’s thyroiditis, atrophic thyroiditis, or postpartum thyroiditis.

Nutrient deficiencies may be an underlying cause in an underactive thyroid. Copper, zinc, and vitamins A, B2, B3, B6 and C, are necessary for T4 production, while selenium and zinc are necessary for conversion of T4 to T3.

A number of tests can determine if the thyroid is underactive. Levels of T3, T4 and TSH (pituitary hormone) in the blood are commonly tested. Testing the basal body temperature picks up temperatures that are regularly below normal. Naturopath, Janice Bickhoff recommends taking your temperature every morning before getting up, over a three-month period. Hair analysis offers an indication of the many steps involved in thyroid metabolism, while scanning of the thyroid assists in clearly identifying the underlying thyroid problem. Iridology can also help to diagnose a malfunctioning thyroid gland.

Although hypothyroidism can affect every part of the body, not everyone suffers from all the associated symptoms or to the same extent. Genetics, lifestyle, background, human uniqueness, and environment all influence symptoms experienced by individuals, and blood tests alone don’t indicate the exact cause.

Robyn Koumourou, in her article Diet, Nutrition and Exercise for the Thyroid Patient, recommends the tailoring of a multifaceted treatment program to meet the specific needs of a patient, as ‘there is not just one diet and exercise regime that works for all thyroid patients’.

Thyroxin (T4) replacement is the treatment often used to restore normal levels of thyroid hormones. T3 and T4 need monitoring to maintain correct levels, and if necessary, the thyroxin dosage adjusted. Other medications and nutritional supplements may interfere with thyroxin replacement therapy, so it is important to inform your doctor of anything you take, no matter how insignificant it seems. Once thyroxin replacement has begun, it is usually for life, as it suppresses production of the body’s own thyroid hormones.

Some people with hypothyroidism prefer alternative treatments to thyroxin replacement therapy, partly due to its lifelong dependence. These methods aim to return the thyroid’s normal function using natural methods.

Kelp, rich in iodine, assists in restoring iodine levels required for normal thyroid function. It also contains more than sixty vitamins, minerals and trace elements, as well as being high in protein and fibre. However, too much iodine can inhibit T4 synthesis. Pizzorno et.al recommends that the daily iodine requirement from all sources should be no more than 600 international units.

Treatments such as reflexology, kinesiology and chiropractic may be helpful to stimulate thyroid activity. Hypothyroidism is also associated with the inability of sufferers to speak up for themselves and present their point of view, according to Dr Christine Northup in Women’s Bodies, Women’s Mind, so using positives affirmations may be a helpful part of the treatment programme. Always communicate all treatments you’re undertaking with each doctor or practitioner you see.

Exercise and a healthy diet are essential. Diet without exercise, even with thyroxin replacement, will be less effective in relieving the effects of hypothyroidism. A weight-reducing diet may further-reduce the metabolism in patients with under-active thyroid as the body tries to conserve energy. Exercise helps prevent the reduction of metabolic rate, therefore a daily exercise programme of thirty to sixty minutes, including aerobic and weight training components, is required.

High quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, seeds and nuts, organic if possible, as well as iodine-rich foods like seawater fish, milk, eggs and seaweed, should form your diet. Although people with food intolerances, like nuts and dairy, should avoid these foods as they have a negative effect thyroid function.

Keep consumption of goitrogens to a minimum because they block iodine uptake by the thyroid gland. These foods include soybean, cabbage, broccoli, peanuts, pine nuts, turnip, and millet.

Pizzorno et.al, recommends taking a high-quality multi-vitamin supplement containing zinc, copper and selenium (low in Australian soils), as well as vitamins A, B2, B3, B4, B6 and C. Sleeping eight hours a night is also important.

Koumourou acknowledges the challenges that some patients face in dealing with issues of diet, exercise and weight control. Profound exhaustion, aches and pains, muscle weakness, along with poor digestion make exercise difficult. Digestive disturbances, poor nutrient absorption and bowel disturbances contribute to exhaustion. Poor metabolism often leads to low appetite and poor eating habits. Depression, poor concentration and memory loss also affects well-being.

While some patients are able to work out their own exercise and diet program, Koumourou recommends that others seek the help of their doctor, a nutritionist (experienced in thyroid problems) and an exercise psychologist.

If you suspect your thyroid may be underactive, it is important to seek professional treatment, as severe hypothyroidism is a debilitating disease.

References available