Thyroid Health

While we go about our day, the Thyroid works its magic to keep the show running smoothly. This silent star is a multitasker- regulating metabolism, balancing blood pressure, is the body’s temperature thermostat, and the heart rate choreographer all rolled into one.

Common Thyroid Related Conditions

Hormones produced by the thyroid gland are involved in regulating heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, and weight. Thyroid hormones can also increase energy, help food move through the gastrointestinal tract and increase perspiration. Given their broad effects, deficiencies of thyroid hormone can cause, or contribute to, a number of health conditions including:

What is a Thyroid Gland?

The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland that is found at the base of your neck. This gland is responsible for regulating the metabolism of every cell in your body via the production of two hormones, triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4).

Why Test Thyroid Via Urine?

TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) is secreted in the brain to control thyroid function. A blood test for TSH is still considered the primary test for diagnosing thyroid disease. However, many women and men have normal serum TSH levels despite having classic symptoms of low thyroid function (hypothyroidism). The urine thyroid assessment offers an alternate means of measuring thyroid function when the patient is symptomatic, but conventional serum tests are standard. A 24-hour urine collection can be used to help determine if symptoms are thyroid-related.

What do Urine Thyroid Test Results Mean?

The Urine Thyroid Assessment reports the levels of T3, T4, and selenium in a 24-hour collection of urine. Because the urine sample is collected over a full day, measuring T3 and T4 in urine is easier than measuring the very small quantities found in serum.

What are the Treatment Options?

Good health is about balance—whether it's work and play, nutrients, or food choices. Thyroid hormones impact many body systems, so thyroid disease can present with various symptoms. Maintaining optimal thyroid function is crucial, and our practitioners offer tests to identify hormone imbalances and other conditions before they become serious. Treatment options for low thyroid function may include nutritional supplements, prescription thyroid hormones, and personalized plans to correct deficiencies, lower antibody levels, and make lifestyle changes for better overall health and thyroid function.

How Does Thyroid Impact Your Health?

  • Low thyroid function reduces the effect of serotonin in the brain, and low serotonin is associated with depression. Correcting underlying thyroid imbalance may improve or, in some cases, even eliminate symptoms of depression.

  • Severe tiredness and exhaustion can be symptoms of low thyroid function. These may also be signs of poor adrenal function. Meet with one of our Naturopathic doctors to decide whether a thyroid or an adrenal function test is best for you. 

  • Low levels of thyroid hormone can cause general muscle weakness, cramps, joint pain and tendonitis. Most cases of joint pain related to hypothyroidism involve knees and hands. 

  • The headaches associated with hypothyroidism tend to be mild but continuous and often affect both sides of the head. It is unclear why people with low thyroid function are more prone to headaches. 

  • A lack of thyroid hormone can cause weight gain, even though appetite may decrease. The weight gain occurs because there is insufficient thyroid hormone to regulate protein, fat and carbohydrate metabolism.

  • Because the thyroid hormone is needed to get the body’s ‘furnace’ working, low thyroid function often results in low body temperature. In fact, monitoring body temperature is another way to assess thyroid function. Patients with consistently cold hands and feet may have a poorly functioning thyroid. 

  • A poor Achilles tendon reflex (back of the ankle) is also often associated with low thyroid function