Can Your Hormones Affect Your Thyroid?

Do you feel sluggish??? Feeling down?? Have a bit too much weight around your middle? Think you may have a slow or sluggish thyroid?
The way that your thyroid works can influence how you feel.

The standard test for measuring thyroid function is called TSH- Thyroid Stimulating Hormone. General opinion amongst the conventional medical community seems to be that if TSH is within normal limits, then a person’s thyroid is OK. TSH is made in a gland called the pituitary gland which is located between your eyes. Therefore TSH isn’t actually a thyroid hormone, it is a pituitary gland hormone.
In clinical practise, a complete profile of the thyroid should be considered- this includes – Iodine levels, reverse t3, Free T3 and Free T4- There are so many parameters of thyroid function.
For most people, if they have a slow thyroid function they are told that the only option is thyroxine, a medication which supports the thyroid. For some people this is necessary. But what would happen if we treated the cause of your thyroid  imbalance?

Potential Causes of A Slow Thyroid

Here are 3 possible causes that  can disrupt the way that your thyroid is working (This is NOT a diagnosis- and you need to be assessed by and talk to your Fully Qualifed Health Care Professional):

1. Your stress hormone, called Cortisol, can have a very significant impact on your thyroid. If you are stressed about small things- being stuck in traffic, what you’re going to feed the kid’s for dinner as well as deadlines for work, then you might have high cortisol levels. The hormone cortisol can have an impact on your thyroid and can, for some people, put it out of balance.

2. Estrogen- estrogen is an important hormone. In the right amounts in plays a protective role in the body- but like everything, too much or too little can throw you body out of wack. High estrogen levels can block the conversion of the inactive thyroid hormone to the active hormone. If you have enlarged stomach area, enlarged breasts, migraines/ headaches before each period and fluid retention, then you may have higher than normal estrogen levels. This could be having an affect on your thyroid.

3. Iodine, Selenium and Zinc- these nutrients are critical for the thyroid to work properly. Our soils are very depleted in these nutrients, so it can be as easy as boosting these in your diet. These nutrients, if needed in a therapeutic dose, need to be administered by a fully qualified health care professional. Foods that  contain iodine, selenium and zinc include kelp, brazil nuts and pumpkin seeds (pepita’s) retrospectively.

So if you suspect you have a slow thyroid problem, then ask to get ALL parameters of your thyroid measured and consider looking for the cause of your sluggish thyroid. However- you do need a doctor who will work with you and your Fully Qualified Naturopath so that you have optimal health care from all angles. It’s better to be proactive, rather than reactive about your healthcare.

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Brisbane based Naturopath Andrea Strand has been helping women who experience period pain and related symptoms for many years. She is also a specialist in hormonal imbalance and fertility issues.