Before the Change by Ann Louise Gittleman

Author:Ann Louise Gittleman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2017-07-07T04:00:00+00:00

10.

Taming the Thyroid

Boost Metabolism, Fight Fatigue, Relieve Depression

Addressing thyroid issues is critical because so many thyroid symptoms masquerade as perimenopause. In fact, this tiny butterfly-shaped gland in your neck has a huge impact on absolutely every aspect of your health. Besides regulating body temperature and driving metabolism, this mighty gland supports the immune system, the nervous system, and the intestines. It influences the brain, muscles, heart, gallbladder, and liver. Thyroid hormones help strengthen hair, nails, and skin, and they support normal bone growth. So it is not surprising that every single cell in your body has thyroid hormone receptor sites.

Many perimenopausal women exhibit symptoms of hypothyroidism even if their thyroid levels are normal. The late Dr. John Lee, who literally wrote the books on women’s hormones, theorized that too much estrogen and too little progesterone could be the cause. Boosting your progesterone levels through the use of natural progesterone cream often normalizes thyroid activity without any other treatment.

The American Thyroid Association states that one in eight women will develop a thyroid disorder, and women are five to eight times more likely than men to develop thyroid problems. It is also estimated that thirty million Americans exhibit some type of thyroid disease. I suspect that number is higher—much higher. Too frequently the signs of a malfunctioning thyroid go unrecognized and ignored, as women assume their symptoms are just a normal part of getting older.

You probably already know that hypothyroidism can cause weight gain, cold hands and feet, and extreme tiredness. But thyroid conditions can cause a much wider array of seemingly unrelated symptoms that you perhaps never considered:

•Aching wrists, arms, and hands

•Brain fog

•Brittle nails

•Coarse voice

•Constipation

•Decreased blood pressure

•Decreased libido

•Dementia

•Depression

•Difficulty swallowing pills, lump in the throat

•Dry, scaly skin

•Fluid retention

•Hot flashes

•Inability to concentrate

•Inappropriate hair growth

•Increased cholesterol

•Infertility

•Insomnia

•Irritability

•Loss of appetite

•Menstrual irregularities

•Muscle stiffness

•Muscle weakness and cramping

•Poor eyebrow growth (especially the outer one-third of the brow)

•Premature graying of hair

•Swelling around the eyes

Even subclinical levels of thyroid problems can have unwanted effects, such as increased risk for heart disease and Alzheimer’s.

Thyroid 101

A healthy thyroid produces hormones in just the right amounts, primarily thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). The number after the T denotes the amount of iodine in the hormone’s molecular structure. How much of these hormones your body produces depends on the complex interaction between your body, your hypothalamus, and your pituitary. You may remember the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland from the previous chapter when I talked about the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the stress response. This time, we are looking at the thyroid, not the adrenal glands.

In response to feedback from your body, the hypothalamus (a part of your brain) instructs the pituitary gland (the master gland of the endocrine system) to produce more or less thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). TSH does exactly what its name implies: it stimulates the thyroid to produce hormones. A combination of the amount of iodine and TSH determines the type and amount of hormone your thyroid produces. That hormone is then deployed into your body and gives every single cell direction on how much oxygen and nutrients to consume.

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