One of Oprah’s viewers diagnosed her with a thyroid problem. That was a factor in his constant struggle with weight. Your thyroid is the main hormone for metabolism and affects your energy, weight, mood, temperature, fertility, menstrual cycles, hair growth, bowel movements, sleep, and more. It is a hormone that is sometimes misinterpreted and it is suggested that the range of normal be changed. I’ll shed some light on the symptoms and the tests. These are the most common symptoms and it is not a complete list:
Symptoms of an overactive thyroid: hyperthyroidismeter
- Rapid heartbeat
- Chest pain
- Diarrhea
- Insomnia
- Weightloss
- Irregular menstruation
- Anxiety
- Feel hot and sweaty
Underactive thyroid symptom: hypothyroidism
- Weight gain
- Tired
- Constipation
- Excessive sleep
- Depression
- Dry rough hair and skin
- Bad memory
- Hair loss
- Muscle pain and weakness
- I am cold
These symptoms can overlap with other conditions. You may have one or more of these and should report them to your doctor, get a checkup, and have lab studies done to determine if an overactive or underactive thyroid is causing the symptoms. You may find a difference of opinion when it comes to measuring and interpreting thyroid levels. Here are some tests you should know about:
Thyroid tests
- TSH – this is a common screening test and most doctors order it. It is the signal from the pituitary gland in your brain that tells your thyroid to make more hormones. If it is high, it means that it is screaming at the thyroid gland to produce more hormones because its levels are too low. The common misinterpretation is that high means high thyroid levels and it is actually the opposite.
- New range of normal – The current normal range for TSH is quite wide 0.5-5. Normal and optimal are not the same. People with symptoms that are at either end of the range can be considered normal and will not receive treatment. The American Association for Clinical Endocrinology and the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry have recommended changing the range, as people who do not have severe symptoms may be suffering and may benefit from treatment. They recommend a range of 0.3-2.5.
- Free versus bound – most hormones are transported through the bloodstream by protein transporters. If they are bound to proteins, they are inactive. When it comes to thyroid, it’s the free hormone that counts.
- Free T4 – it has 4 iodine molecules, it is a reserve or storage hormone that is activated when it becomes the active hormone free T3 by eliminating an iodine molecule.
- Free T3 – is the active hormone. This conversion can be stopped by aging, stress, nutritional deficiencies, trauma, infection, surgery, medications, hormonal imbalance, and diet. The actions of the hormone can also be blocked by thyroid antibodies (anti-thyroglobulin or anti-thyroid peroxidase (TPO)) and / or reverse T3. The standard of care is to measure TSH and free T4 or calculate free T4, however you can see there is more to it than that. There also appears to be a subset of people with depression who respond better when a combination of T3 and T4 is given. The most commonly used thyroid replacement drug, synthroid, has only T4 and if you’re having trouble converting to the active form, it may not feel as effective.
- Reverse T3 – binds to the same receptor as T3 and blocks its actions. If it is too high, even though all other lab tests are “normal,” you may have symptoms of low thyroid function. The most common causes are stress and hormonal imbalance. Anything that interferes with the conversion of free T4 to free T3 can also cause a reverse T3 rise. The ratio of free T3 to inverse T3 is important. Think of one as the gas (T3 free) and the other as the brake (T3 in reverse). If you are below the midpoint of the free T3 range, you have less gas, and if you are above the midpoint of the reverse T3 range, you have too much braking action.
Hormonal balance is complex. It requires a nutritionally balanced diet, hormonal balance, stress management, and other factors. Your doctor may be restricted in performing the full battery of thyroid tests. If that’s the case, see a functional, metabolic, or anti-aging medicine doctor to help you get to the root of your problems and find a natural approach.