IS YOUR THYROID UNDERACTIVE

If you've never considered yourself as having low thyroid but just don't feel 100%, consider these simple questions:

• Have you gained weight even while keeping to a diet?
• Do you feel tired all the time?
• Do you usually feel cold
• Are you irritable or impatient?
• Are your hands and feet usually cold?
• Do you often have aching muscles or migraines?
• Is your hair and skin coarse, dry, and lifeless?
• Do you have loss of libido, drive or depression?
• Do you have insomnia?
• Do you have a slow heartbeat?
• Are you listless, forgetful and anti-social?

If some of these questions fit, you may need to give your thyroid health more consideration. Sadly, aspects of thyroid function are too often ignored by conventional medical practice, or assume that synthetic levothyroxine is sufficient redress. Even people with an apparent "normal" thyroid test result can still have a slow thyroid.

You need two critical nutrients to fuel your thyroid and get your energy levels, weight, focus, and life back on track again. You need iodine and L-tyrosine. To optimise its function you may also need additional Selenium, vitamin E and vitamin D. The secondary impacts of a prolonged low thyroid on the adrenal system, and in consequence being low in the cellular nutrient Co-enzyme Q10, will cause more fatigue and loss of concentration(‘brain fog’). A deficiency in Vitamin A and in association with Zinc can also affect thyroid function. Together the natural substances of iodine and L-tyrosine keep your thyroid strong so it can do the job it is intended to, namely:

• Keep your weight low and your metabolism high

• Stop migraine headaches

• Boost energy and libido

• Stop depression and listlessness

• Clear out "brain fog"

• Reduce hypothyroidism

  Why Are There So Many Problems With The Thyroid?

  There are a few reasons for thyroid problems becoming so prominent - certainly diet and lifestyle play a part, but the major reasons are

• The disappearance of iodine in our diets

• Lack of use of iodine in common medical practice.

• Higher exposure to antagonists of iodine, namely fluorine, chlorine and bromine

Iodine was essentially a common medicine used by physicians. It was effective for many health issues; healing wounds, destroying bacteria, stopping viruses, and possibly even a factor in preventing cancer.

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One of its chief functions of the thyroid is producing thyroxine (T4), and converting this hormone into triiodothyronine (T3), the active hormone needed for metabolism. When your body produces too little thyroxine, the normal metabolic and chemical processes your body requires slow down, resulting in hypothyroidism i.e. an underactive thyroid.

Many books on thyroid show that current practice relies on routine blood tests that are misleading and overlook a high proportion of low thyroid diagnoses and don't show the full picture of how well the thyroid is functioning – and often don’t identify those with autoimmune problems of the thyroid.

Many of these "good" readings of T4 don't take into consideration the levels of T4 that need to be converted to T3, the active hormone and  readings of TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), thyroxine levels (T4) and other blood parameters may lead one to believe you are in the "normal" range when the normal range may be far too broad. A simple test initiated by Dr. Broda Barnes (‘basal temperature test’) is considered a far better indicator. Plus, it has the added convenience of being able to be performed at home.

The procedure is simple:

• In the morning immediately upon wakening take your underarm temperature (women in menstruation should wait for ovulation to cease)
• Repeat procedure each day for five days
• Work out the average result

Normal is 36.6 ^o C or 97.8 ^o F. Anything under 36.2 ^o C or 96.9^o F probably means varying degrees of suboptimal thyroid function or actual hypothyroidism.

Why You Need Iodine and L-tyrosine

Historically, iodine was always used for infections and for pneumonia and bronchitis. Lack of it was considered to be the cause of mental slowness. Along with iodine, your thyroid needs the amino acid, L-tyrosine. It is impossible to have a well-functioning thyroid (and adrenal system) without sufficient quantities in the diet or through supplementation.

Some researchers consider that iodine usage was incorrectly blamed for risks of hyperthyroidism and consequently its use curtailed. Other elements - chlorine, fluoride, and bromide (iodine blockers) - are commonly found in our environment or consumed in foods/drinks. These minerals are considered dangerous and toxic for your thyroid and block iodine receptors throughout the body but providing none of its benefits. In fact, fluoride blocks the ability of the thyroid gland to concentrate iodine - which the thyroid requires to build hormones. And bromide, a common ingredient, can cause depression and headaches.

The thyroid regulates the complete metabolic function of the body. Any dysfunction affects your ability to regulate body weight. An imbalance of its hormone can produce skin disorders, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, muscle dysfunction, mental confusion, depression, decreased libido, and extreme fatigue. To fully restore the thyroid and its metabolic function may take 3-6 months for many people.

Properly, a medical evaluation of iodine levels is required but in some cases use of moderate levels of supplements and (monitoring of body temperature by the ‘basal temperature’) can enable correction.