Think You Have A Thyroid Problem? Read This…
According to the American Thyroid Association “more than 12 percent of the U.S. population will develop a thyroid condition during their lifetime. An estimated 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease and up to 60 percent of those with thyroid disease are unaware of their condition.”
Those are some alarming numbers. You could be sitting here reading this right now and not even realize that you could be part of those statistics.
Thyroid conditions are one of the most common health issues that I see in my practice, and one of the most overlooked, because the symptoms can look like so many other things…
Weight gain – typical thought is, not exercising enough or eating too much?
This is also a thyroid symptom.
Hair loss – typical thought, is this part of aging or genetics?
This is also a thyroid symptom.
Constipation – typical thought, is it something you ate or IBS?
This is also a thyroid symptom.
Constant fatigue – typical thought, is it lack of sleep, over scheduled life or insomnia?
This is also a thyroid symptom.
This list goes on and on.
But is the thyroid really the problem? Or could it be something else…
We have to ask the question – what is causing all of these thyroid conditions in the first place? Why do the numbers keep rising?
Bear with me while I set the stage for you…
The two most important thyroid hormones are T4 and T3. Your thyroid gland produces thyroid hormone T4 which is then convert into T3. These two hormones control everything from your metabolic rate, energy, body temperature, hair growth and loss, and weight.
T3 is the active form of thyroid hormone that is actually used by your cells. The majority of T4 is NOT converted in the thyroid gland.
About 20% of T4 is converted to T3 in the liver.
Twenty percent is a lot in the big scheme of things. If your liver isn’t converting thyroid hormone like it is supposed to that means you could see a 20% decrease in the availability of T3. Low T3 levels can lead to:
- Constant fatigue not relieved by sleep
- Depression and anxiety
- Feeling bloated, puffy or weight gain
- Dry skin and hair, and hair loss
So again I’ll ask you, is the thyroid really a problem? Or could it be the liver?
In this week’s video and blog I dive into more detail about how having sluggish liver can greatly impact your thyroid function and what you can do to for optimal conversion!
With 20% of thyroid hormone T4 relying on the liver to be converted T3 there is certainly a huge healing opportunity here if you are already suffering from a thyroid imbalance, or even if you’re trying to prevent one.
But we must dig deeper…
Why wouldn’t the liver be able to convert T4 to T3 optimally in the first place?
About 30% of U.S. adults have non-alcoholic fatty livers. This slows down the function of the liver which means it can’t convert thyroid hormone or do any of its other important functions very well.
The liver is also important for balancing cortisol and sex hormones, both of which can also trigger thyroid issues if they are out of balance
Let’s look at things that slow down liver function:
- Eating foods high in sugar, simple carbs or processed foods
- Chronic inflammation from injuries and stress
- Exposures to environmental toxins that overload the liver’s detoxing abilities
- Insulin resistance or irregular blood sugar levels
- Intestinal parasites, bacteria and yeast waste products
The biggest liver offenders are toxins that we come across daily. Aside from converting hormones, the liver’s number one most important job is keeping the body clean by breaking down harmful substances, such as toxins, to be excreted by way of stool and urine.
Since the 1940’s, over ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND toxic chemicals have been released into our environment. Could you imagine taking on 100,000 new tasks without any extra pay or hours in the day? That’s basically what we have asked our livers to do.
If you want to improve your thyroid health, or to prevent a future thyroid condition, it’s crucial to start paying attention to the burden you’re knowingly or unknowingly placing on your liver.
The good news is that you do have some control over the toxins you are exposed to AND there are some simple daily activities that you can do to support your liver function naturally!
Want to learn more about toxins- how they impact your thyroid, liver, and what you can do about them?
FREE Online Workshop – The Truth About Toxins & How To Detox Them
When: March 2nd at 6pm PT/ 9pm ET
What we’ll cover:
- How toxins are draining your energy by contributing to thyroid, adrenal, gut and overall health dysfunction
- Where toxins are hiding in your home and what you can do about it
- Why juicing doesn’t work for detoxing toxins and what you should be doing instead
- How to support your body’s daily detoxing abilities without expensive supplements and juices
REGISTER FOR THE WORKSHOP HERE!
If you can’t make it live, no worries! A recording will be made available to everyone who registered.
