Thyroid Supplements

 We all know that we aren’t living in that perfect world, and most of us aren’t even close to living in that kind of environment.  With jobs, kids and busy schedules to juggle, we find ourselves at the drive through as much if not more than at the dinner table.  We convince ourselves that French fries really do count as a vegetable and we think it won’t catch up with us.  The sad truth is that it has already caught up to us and we are paying the price with our health and well-being.  

Obesity is an epidemic in our country and many studies are linking underactive thyroid to the problem.  It might sound like an easy way out of the responsibility of losing weight, but it’s actually both a cause and a symptom of obesity.  Some experts estimate that a full half of us are suffering from a somewhat underperforming thyroid gland and the symptoms that brings with it.  

What is the thyroid?

We hear a lot about the thyroid, but many people don’t realize what it actually does or where it is located in the body.  It is actually a butterfly shaped gland, with twin lobes that sits just under the larynx or Adam’s apple in the neck.  It might not get the top billing that other body parts, like heart and lungs, get, but this little powerhouse has a big job to do.  And, if it’s not doing the job right, you will feel the effects.  

The thyroid is solely responsible for your metabolism.  It takes the iodine in the food you eat and the supplements you take and converts it into hormones that regulate the metabolism.  When your metabolism is healthy, you can eat a normal diet and get a regular amount of exercise and maintain your weight.  You can reduce your food intake and increase your exercise level to lose weight.  Once your thyroid isn’t producing the right amount of hormones, you will have trouble losing weight and start gaining, even if you are still following a healthy diet and exercising.  

Effects of Underactive Thyroid

Here’s where things get complicated and intertwined.  Once you start gaining weight, you can become fatigued more easily and may experience depression or mood swings.  But, these are also symptoms of hypothyroidism that are caused by a lack of hormones.  The more weight you gain, the more you throw off your body’s natural ability to regulate the production of thyroid hormones and boost your own metabolism.  

Other symptoms of an underactive thyroid include:

• Hair loss:  It’s normal to lose anywhere from 40 to 100 hairs a day, but with hypothyroidism, patients see much more than that in the shower or on their brush.

• Constipation

• Depression and irritability

• Fatigue: while this can happen to anyone who is overweight, nagging, persistent fatigue is likely a sign of an underlying condition.

• Reduced sex drive

• Disruptions in the menstrual cycle for women

• Inability to tolerate cold

• Weakness or muscle cramping

Many of these symptoms can be and often are attributed to other conditions or are chalked up to a patient’s weight problem, but they can be the first indicators that there is something else going on.  When speaking to your health care provider, you should always give her a clear picture of what you are experiencing and not leave out any symptoms you might have, even if you think they aren’t important.  The information you share with your doctor or health care provider can help them connect the dots between your symptoms and a diagnosis and treatment plan.  

Natural supplements for thyroid health

When it comes to boosting your thyroid, there are products on the market that make outlandish claims.  Some say that they can drastically increase your metabolism so that you can eat ice cream all day and still lose weight.  Claims like this should be taken with a grain of salt and the knowledge that if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.  

Instead of looking for a quick fix, you should concentrate on choosing a natural supplement that will complement a healthy lifestyle and provide a broad spectrum vitamin and mineral base with specific ingredients targeted for your thyroid health.  A good supplement is formulated to work with your body chemistry and with a healthy diet and lifestyle to improve your health and won’t make claims it cannot back up with science.