Fibro & Low Thyroid …

The thyroid gland is located at the base of the neck and is primarily responsible for the thermoregulation of the body, or the rate of your metabolism.  When this gland malfunctions, a variety of conditions can occur and cause either an over or under production of the hormones needed to regulate the metabolism, which is responsible for keeping the heart rate normalized, as well as the rate at which you burn calories.

Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough of the thyroid hormone.  It’s the more common of thyroid disorders, but others include hyperthyroidism, goiter, thyroiditis, thyroid nodules, and thyroid cancer.  Hypothyroidism usually has an underlying cause that occurs in the immune system, which makes it hard for providers to properly diagnose.  The most common cause of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s disease, which is autoimmune in nature and happens when the immune system attacks the thyroid gland.  Autoimmune disorders are difficult to predict because there is generally no rhyme or reason for the attack.

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism:

Symptoms are often scattered and vague, so recognizing and pinpointing them can be quite a daunting task for practitioners. They generally develop slowly, over the course of many years and include:

• Feeling very tired
• Sensitivity to cold
• Excessive weight gain, even if you exercise and don’t overeat
• Muscle weakness
• Constipation
• Muscle and joint pains
• Depression
• Puffy face
• Dry, pale skin
• Hoarseness of the voice
• In women, excessive menstrual bleeding.

Natural remedies and alternative treatments for hypothyroidism may be a better option for patients to start off.

Before going to the extreme of getting onto pharmaceutical medication or having the gland removed, it’s important to try treating it through proper eating habits that will help restore thyroid gland function.  Additionally, lifestyle changes will be needed in order to help keep the body functioning up to full potential.  Some changes and methods include:

• Finding and fixing adrenal fatigue conditions: More about adrenal fatigue syndrome at https://yourfibrodoctor.com/adrenal-fatigue/
• Exercise.  This can be difficult when the fatigue starts to take over, but the idea is to just get moving.  Taking a small 10-15 minute walk around the block or do a few chores will go a long way.   Yoga can also be greatly beneficial because it’s gentle and energizing.
• Go gluten and casein free.  Casein is the protein found in cow’s milk products.  Many problems arise because of an allergy or sensitivity to these products and their hybridized proteins.  They can cause “leaky gut,” which leads to many problems including inflammation of the thyroid.

To learn more about low thyroid, how it is routinely misdiagnosed, and how it is frequently a contributing in in fibromyalgia symptoms, check out this past Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia Teleconference replay, HERE.