Millions of Americans are suffering with low thyroid function; especially women. In fact, according to the American Thyroid Association, women are up to 8 times more likely than men to have thyroid problems and 1 in 8 women will develop a thyroid disorder during her lifetime. Thyroid health issues have reached epidemic proportions and this statement is substantiated by the fact that more prescriptions are written every month for thyroid medication than any other medication in this country. Why are so many people having problems with their thyroid gland?  In traditional medicine circles, the causes of hypothyroidism are largely unknown. Functional medicine practitioners, however, take a very different look at the thyroid and what conditions must be present in the body for normal thyroid function to prevail.

First, let’s take a look at some of the common symptoms of hypothyroidism:

• Weight gain or difficulty losing weight
• Fatigue
• Hair loss or course, dry hair
• Constipation
• Depression or irritability
• Irregular or otherwise abnormal menstrual cycles
• Memory loss or foggy thinking
• Muscle aches and pains
• Elevated cholesterol

Having a sluggish thyroid can cause many different health problems and that is because the cells and organs of your body require optimum levels of thyroid hormone in order to work properly. Without enough thyroid hormone, your body struggles to make enough energy, and when the cells of your body can’t make sufficient energy, they can’t perform their necessary and health-promoting functions. This lack of energy is what leads to the signs and symptoms seen in hypothyroidism.

Now that we understand why we need thyroid hormones, let’s take a look at what can go wrong with the thyroid-system. We are going to call it the “thyroid-system” because many times the problem is not actually the thyroid gland itself and is due to another problem or inefficiency in the body. Let’s start by looking at a common problem that occurs at the gland itself; Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

A very common cause of low thyroid function is a disease called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. This is an autoimmune disease that leads to inflammation and destruction of the thyroid gland, thus leading to low levels of thyroid hormone. This is an autoimmune disease, so really the problem starts with abnormal immune system function and the thyroid gland just happens to be its victim. This disease affects as many as 10 million people in the United States and 10% of women over the age of 30. It affects women 10 times more often than men. Hashimoto’s is the most common disease that occurs at the thyroid gland.

If someone is suffering with this condition, then they really need to take a good look at what is going on with their immune system, since this is what is causing the actual disease, not the thyroid itself. Traditional medicine does not normally bother to assess the immune status of patients with this disease and many times it is not even tested for. Many of our patients who are taking thyroid medication don’t even know if they have been tested for the disease.

Traditional medicine has only 2 answers for Hashimoto’s disease; #1 wait and see if your thyroid hormone levels drop and #2 when your hormone levels drop, prescribe thyroid medication; no attempt is made to help put the immune system back into balance again. In some cases however, too much damage has been done to the thyroid gland and the only solution is medication. From a functional medicine perspective, patients who have this disease should be addressing not only low levels of thyroid hormone; they also need to be supporting the underlying immune system dysfunction. Addressing the immune system often involves dietary modification and nutritional supplements.

What else can go wrong with the thyroid system?

If you do not have Hashimoto’s disease then you most likely have a thyroid-system functional disorder. There are 2 common functional disorders that can interfere with thyroid hormone levels. The first can occur due to problem in the brain and the second occurs elsewhere in the body. Let’s take a look at problems in the brain first.

The Brain Factor

In order to understand how your brain affects thyroid function we need to look at the 3 medical forms of hypothyroidism:

Primary hypothyroidism: this means the problem is found at the thyroid gland itself and it is not making enough hormone. For example, this is what occurs with Hashimoto’s disease; the gland is being destroyed and not able to produce proper levels of thyroid hormone.

Secondary hypothyroidism: this occurs when the pituitary gland (in your brain) does not produce enough of the hormone TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone); as result, the thyroid does not receive the message that is needs to produce more thyroid hormone. Without enough TSH being produced, the thyroid will not make enough hormones.

Tertiary hypothyroidism: this occurs when there is a problem in another part of the brain called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus produces a hormone called TRH (thyrotropin- releasing hormone). TRH stimulates the pituitary gland to produce TSH. If there is a problem in the hypothalamus and it does not produce enough TRH, it will result in hypothyroidism.

Let’s simplify this a bit; if there is a problem or dysfunction in the brain then not enough hormones will be produced (TRH / TSH) and the thyroid gland will fail to produce enough thyroid hormone.

So what could cause the brain to not function properly?

In rare instances, it could be due to head trauma or a tumor (these are not common causes). What we tend to see more often is that the brain is under stress in one form or another; this could be caused by brain inflammation (sometimes experienced as “brain-fog”) or other imbalances in the body. For example, we may see this on lab test when the TSH (from the pituitary gland) level is LOW and the thyroid levels are also LOW. We may also see this abnormality when the body is under stress. Problems such as these are usually addressed with lifestyle modification, nutritional support and diet modification.

The last major area where the thyroid system can fail is beyond the thyroid gland and the brain; it occurs in the rest of your body. This is where your thyroid hormone can become “supercharged” or “imprisoned.” Let’s look at these two possible scenarios.

“Supercharged” Thyroid Hormones

The majority of thyroid hormone produced by the thyroid gland is called T4 (thyroxine); it turns out that this is really a “pro-hormone” which means it needs to be turned into another hormone before it can have any real power. Once the thyroid gland produces and releases T4 into the blood stream, it needs to be converted into the active and “supercharged” form. The active form of T4 is called T3 (triiodothyronine) and this conversion process takes place primarily in the kidneys, liver and intestines. If you suffer with a sluggish liver or if your body is in need of detoxification support then your liver may not be converting thyroid hormones well. Having problems with the digestive system can also hamper this conversion process of T4 into T3. Most forms of thyroid hormone are T4 and if you are not able to convert this into T3 very well; you will continue to suffer with hypothyroid symptoms. This may be occurring if your blood tests have NORMAL levels of T4 and TSH but LOW levels of T3.

Hormone Imbalances

Other hormone imbalances can interfere with the thyroid-system. This includes the use of hormone replacement therapy or birth control pills. Hormones such as these can alter the levels of certain proteins in your bloodstream. If the levels of these proteins become elevated, they will cling to your thyroid hormones; thus rendering them ineffective; they are essentially “imprisoned.” When too much thyroid hormone become bound to these proteins, you will experience the signs and symptoms of low thyroid function. This may be occurring if you have NORMAL levels of TSH, T4 and T3.

Taking an integrative medicine approach; there are thyroid tests that can help sort out where your thyroid-system is breaking down. Most of our new patients have only had 2 or 3 components of the thyroid-system tested before they come to our office. We typically run 10 components of the thyroid system and this permits us to more accurately identify WHAT has gone out of balance.

It is extremely important determine what has gone out of balance if you ever hope to restore optimal thyroid function again.

If you would like more information on integrative medicine, functional medicine, Dr. Sexton or thyroid health, contact our Naperville office or go to napervilleintegratedwellness.com

Do your own research, inform yourself and ask lots of questions. When collecting information you MUST consider the source. There is no shortage of false, misleading, outdated, profit-driven and utterly biased information in healthcare today; even from the most respected sources.