Why Your “Normal” Thyroid Results Might Not be Normal—Part One

Have you had blood work ordered from your doctor before, and then been back for a follow up to learn that your thyroid looks “normal?” If so, you may want to investigate things a little further.

Why?

The blood tests that many doctors order, to test the thyroid, usually only show abnormal readings when it is in really bad condition. Unfortunately, lots of people suffer from thyroid problems that are bad enough to cause annoying symptoms, but NOT bad enough to be diagnosed by your doctor as problematic.

These days, our thyroid glands, along with some other hormone-related glands (such as the adrenals and ovaries) are being damaged more than ever and it’s due to three main factors:

1). Toxins,

2). Inflammation, and

3). Stress.

Multiple toxins exist in our bodies and have been present there, since we were born. These toxins come from the environment and include the heavy metals like mercury, lead, arsenic, and cadmium. They accumulate in our bodies when we breathe, eat, and drink.

We really cannot avoid toxins completely, even if we eat organic and avoid cleaning agents that are full of chemicals; however, it’s good to try to reduce our exposure because environmental toxins change the way our hormones function, in a negative way.

Inflammation in the body, whether it arises from accumulating environmental toxins, eating certain foods, being overweight, or stressing too much, results in the production of cortisol.

What is cortisol?

It’s a hormone that’s associated with stress or low blood sugar. The body produces cortisol in response to both. Cortisol is problematic to our thyroid gland because it prevents the thyroid-made hormones from working.

Stress is the other big factor these days that is destructive to our thyroid gland.

There are many different types of stress and each can harm our thyroid, just as inflammation does—through the increased production of cortisol. Emotional and mental tension, or the feelings of pressure and strain that we experience is one type of stress. Not enjoying our day-to-day experiences, struggling to maintain good relationships, and taking care of our kids, or sick parents, are other types of stress. If our stress levels are high, chances are our cortisol levels are too, which means a thyroid problem exists.

How does one investigate whether or not they have a thyroid problem—one that may not be serious enough to be diagnosed by a doctor, but one that could still wreak havoc on our bodies?

Check out “Why Your ‘Normal’ Thyroid May Not be Normal—Part Two.” There, I explain an at-home test which you can do to more thoroughly evaluate how well your thyroid gland is working (or not).

sig

Dr. Carri Drzyzga, DC, ND – The Functional Medicine Doc

Find the Cause. Fix the Cause. Feel Normal Again!

Please Share Your Thoughts Here