Our thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland situated on the front of your neck. This little gland controls so many functions in your body, including metabolism, muscle control, mood, fertility, brain development, cardiovascular health and body temperature.
Some symptoms of slow thyroid function can be:
- Cold hands and feet
- Weight gain and/ or the inability to lose weight
- Digestive issues such as constipation
- Dry skin
- Hair loss
- Fertility issue
- Low mood
- Fatigue
- Frequent muscle aches
- Cold intolerance
Conversely, if your thyroid function is sped up, you may experience:
- Heart palpitations
- Rapid weight loss
- Increased sweating
- Loose stools or increased frequency of stools
- Agitation and nervousness
- Fatigue and weakness
Thyroid issues are incredibly common in my practice, especially amongst women, who often come to see me after blood testing has shown that their thyroid levels are ‘normal’. First of all, what the NHS considers to be in the normal range may not necessarily be considered optimal. Secondly, often the GP will only test for TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone): this does not paint the whole picture as the body needs to convert the inactive form of thyroid hormone (T4) to its active form (T3), and these are often not measured. A GP practice also rarely tests for thyroid antibodies which would make the cause of your thyroid issues and autoimmune condition (Hashimoto’s or Graves disease) and would need a different treatment plan from simply taking synthetic hormones like Levothyroxine.
I can help suggest lab testing to find out what is happening with your thyroid if you are presenting with any of the symptoms above, and work with you on a plan that complements your GP’s treatment.
Adrenal Health
The adrenal glands are two small glands that sit on top of your kidneys and secrete hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol to help you spring into action if faced with a stressful situation. This ‘fight or flight’ system has been with us since primitive times to help us survive a life threatening situation such as coming face to face with a saber toothed tiger. The problem is that our body does not distinguish between a life-or-death situation like escaping from a bear or being stuck in traffic, and our stress response mechanism is always the same.
Over time, being constantly faced with stressful situations such as work deadlines, traffic jams, relationship worries, money troubles or health issues, our adrenals get overworked and start to malfunction, causing symptoms such as:
- Difficulty waking up in the morning and/or getting to sleep at night
- Weight gain (especially around the middle)
- Food cravings
- Overuse of stimulants such as caffeine and sugar
- Frequent colds and infections
- Fatigue
- Inability to handle stress
If you are experiencing any of these thyroid or adrenal symptoms, get in touch to see how I can help.
