Most people have heard of a low thyroid but the majority don’t know how it actually affects the body. There are also many misconceptions out there, and that can make it difficult to filter the myths from the truth. Do you want to be someone who knows the facts and can use those to achieve better health? If so, there’s a lot of good information out there in addition to great care providers who can help you. Your low thyroid problem doesn’t have to control your life, and it no longer has to be a puzzle. The easiest place to start is learning exactly what your thyroid is and what role it plays in your overall health.
The Thyroid and Your Health
The thyroid is part of the endocrine system, which is responsible for creating, storing and then releasing hormones into the body. It’s located in the front of the neck and is small in size; but the role it plays in your overall health is huge. It produces two hormones called T3 and T4, which both play roles in almost every function within your body. They help control your metabolism, your nervous system functions, cholesterol levels, weight, body temperature, skin moisture, muscle strength and many other vital functions. It’s important that your body receives the proper amount of thyroid hormones every day to stay balanced and functioning properly.
What if your thyroid starts to turn sluggish and doesn’t produce the proper amount of hormones for your body? Due to the fact that it plays such a major role in your overall health, it’s going to affect many different things. You may not notice the changes at first, but in time they will progressively get worse. Your body will start to function more slowly without the hormones that it needs, and you’ll likely start to feel more tired or fatigued than you used to. As time continues you may notice more symptoms, such as your skin becoming dry, your weight going up or your hair falling out.
How to Take Action and Find Help
A low thyroid problem is not one to ignore, especially if you have started to notice symptoms that are worse than they were a few months ago. If you don’t address the underlying causes of this issue, they will continue to destroy your health month by month. What symptoms have you been experiencing? Is it just a little bit of fatigue, or have you noticed you have a slowed heart rate, depression, or a new intolerance to the cold? Every person is different, so the symptoms you experience may not be the same as someone else who also has a low thyroid problem.
If you want to take action and minimize the damage to your health, then seeing a functional medicine doctoris the first step. They will find the underlying causes of your thyroid problem through comprehensive testing, and will then provide you with a personalized wellness plan. Their help may result in preventing a lot of future damage, but also helping you feel much better than you have in a while.