Thyroid problems in women are some of the most under diagnosed diseases. Lets look at this essential hormone to understand how it can create so many different problems for woman today.
The thyroid gland is located in the neck area just below the Adam’s apple. It looks like a butterfly with the wings on either side of the neck and a small band under the voice box or the Adam’s apple. The thyroid hormone has receptors on almost all of your cells and it helps to regulate metabolism in all the cells. For that reason if your thyroid hormone system is not working correctly it can have impact many different systems. For example lack of thyroid hormone could present increasing and cholesterol and triglycerides levels causing an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, moderate weight gain, intolerance to cold or cold weather, swelling or edema because of capillary permeability or lymphatic drainage, loss of sex drive, menstrual problems, PMS and menopausal symptoms, skin hair and nail practices, muscle weakness, joint stiffness, constipation, and or shortness of breath. Depression, weakness and fatigue are also characteristic symptoms of inadequate symptoms of active thyroid hormones as well.
In traditional medicine the thyroid problems are usually diagnosed in one of two ways. By symptom picture or TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) blood test. There are several ways these methods could be ineffective ways of identifying the underlying problem of thyroid function. Diagnosing by symptoms is a problem because as you can see there are so many symptoms that can be characterized by a thyroid function that a person or their doctor could end up treating PMS the reproductive system when the thyroid is the real problem. The TSH blood doesn’t actually test the active thyroid hormone instead the TSH blood test the hormone that stimulates the thyroid hormone to release the active and inactive hormone into the blood stream. It would be a better standard test require a thyroid panel to get more information about the thyroid hormone levels and the level of activity. Next time we will talk about the other organs that are involved in making sure the thyroid hormone is active and available to work at the level of the cell.
Live Vibrantly,
Dr. Dae
Dr. Dae's website: www.healthydaes.org
Dr. Dae's book: Daelicious! Recipes for Vibrant Living can be purchased @ www.amazon.com or www.healthydaes.org
Dr. Dae's Bio:
Daemon "Dr. Dae" (pronounced Dr. Day) Jones is a Naturopathic Physician who completed her training at the University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine. She is certified as a General Practitioner by the North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners (NABNE). Dr. Dae provides tailored treatment to meet the unique needs of every individual she sees in her practice. She also provides specialized support for persons challenged by nutritional deficiencies, weight problems, hormonal and reproductive system disorders, attention deficit disorder and those experiencing chronic diseases. Dr. Dae is an adjunct faculty member for Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts. She is the author of Daelicious! Recipes for Vibrant Living, The Healthydaes Newsletter, and is a regularly featured writer for the Elite GoogleNews Website empowher.com where she shares her personal and professional vision for living whole and living well. To learn more about Dr. Dae, her products and services, please visit her on the Web at www.Healthydaes.org