Do I Need Thyroid Support?

Dietary iodine is crucial to proper thyroid function. Most people don’t get the dietary iodine they need.  However, women are 10 times more likely to suffer from hypo-thyroid than men. The reason is, women have to share their iodine between their thyroid, ovaries, and breasts.  Men only have one organ that requires lots of iodine, the thyroid.

Many clients come to me with the suspicion that they have a hypo (under-active) thyroid, saying: “I’ve been to the doctor and had blood work done and he says my thyroid #s are all in the normal ranges”.  We have to remember that for the most part, allopathic medical practitioners are looking for disease states so they can prescribe medications to treat your symptoms.

Our organs can function at many varying degrees of efficiency before they fail completely.  And the blood is subject to the body’s homeostatic control mechanisms, which means the body will go to great lengths to keep the blood within “normal” ranges.  By the time you blood work is out of wack, your thyroid has probably been functioning at sub-optimal levels for years.

There is a reliable way to interpret blood thyroid panels that fall into “normal” ranges.  However, lab work alone is only part of the equation.  We must consider the clinical observations in order to make any sense from the results from lab work.  There are some really good natural supplements available but selecting the right ones for you is a little tricky. You will need to become a client and participate in some coaching to make sense of the #s and take appropriate action from a natural health perspective.

If you suspect you have a thyroid issue Here’s what you should do. Take a look at the following list and put a check mark next to the symptom/symptoms you are currently experiencing.

1. Morning headaches
2. Increases in weight
3. Sensitive to cold
4. Dry brittle hair / Hair falls out easily
5. Dry or itching skin
6. Reduced initiative, mental confusion or poor memory
7. Low axillary temp. (see below for instructions)
8. Muscle cramps at rest
9. Reduced immune
10. Edema (excess water) especially facial
11. Constipation
12. Loss of outside eyebrow
13. Breast, uterin cists or fibroids
14. Increase in serum lipids (blood fats)
15. Increase or decrease in blood pressure

If you have 3 or more of these symptoms, especially if one is low axillary temperature you should go to your doctor and ask for a thyroid panel that includes TSH, T3, and T4.  Again, he is likely to tell you that he has not found any disease. Don’t pay any attention to that.  Call the office (561) 713-1128 and schedule an appointment so that I can help you interpret your blood work and get you set up on a natural protocol to support your thyroid if necessary.

Axillary (armpit) temperature self test:

1. Shake down the thermometer the night before and place on your night table. (digital thermometer is okay) First thing in the morning before getting out of bed tuck the thermometer in your armpit and lay very still for 10 minutes.

2. Record your temperature.

If the thyroid is overactive, your temperature will show 1-2 degrees above normal. If the thyroid is underactive your temperature will show 1-2 degrees below normal.

The normal underarm temperature is between 97.8 and 98.2 degrees. Be aware that these tests are often normal even is the thyroid gland is malfunctioning . That is because the tests show only how much thyroid hormone is circulating in the blood and tell nothing of how well the hormones are functioning on a cellular level. Additionally, the loss of up to 70% of thyroid function may occur before blood tests become abnormal.

This article is brought to you by: David Sandstrom ND, CNC, MBA. David is a Licensed, Certified Nutritional Counselor and a Natural Health Coach. His areas of specialty are kids health, anxiety and depression, weight loss and detoxification. His office is in the Crexent Business Center on Lake Worth Road in West Palm Beach. His web site is www.abundantlife.BIZ His phone is 561.713.1128

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