Low Thyroid Support: the safe space for cold, hungry, tired, grumpy
It’s a savage realisation the moment something clicks regarding certain aspects of your ‘normal' that are actually signs or symptoms of something greater at play. For me, one of the little ones was finding out that if the outer third of your eyebrow is notably thinned, it can be a hint towards one presentation of a hypothyroid picture. Cue furiously scrolling through all the family pictures on my mum’s side and the collective eyebrow situations, while mentally linking a bunch of underlying autoimmune stuff.
Now, of course, this as a stand alone isn’t remotely cause for any medical concern. Don’t go to your GP complaining about your eyebrows. Pretty please.
Things about our bodies that we’ve lived with for a lifetime are part of our normal, but sometimes that also means they can be part of the collective of things easily overlooked, dismissed, or not thought twice about.. Just like feeling cold all the time, grumpy & tired, hungry. All of which are also thyroid symptoms, and all can have a myriad of reasons to justify them being present, which is why thyroid patterns often sit within an easily overlooked in-between, murky area.
Thyroid regulation issues can present with no symptoms, lots of symptoms, or sub-clinically. The latter meaning that, if you get your TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) checked, it’ll come up within lab range, sometimes on the higher end of normal, and you’re sent away being told you’re fine, when you otherwise tick all the boxes for presenting with thyroid symptoms.
Now, you might be thinking “If a GP said my thyroids fine, why would I think otherwise?”. There are nuanced parts to this that are more a consult type conversation, but in essence, it’s largely reactive healthcare, rather than proactive/preventative healthcare …namely due to medicare’s restrictions limiting what GP’s are able to test for. Early stage thyroid presentations often goes overlooked. When it comes to symptoms, listen to your body. It’s trying to tell you something, so is the current version of “normal” serving you?
Another reason to care, is that thyroid issues influence fertile health, energy levels, temperature regulation, mood, metabolic action and weight. Issues within any of these areas gives cause to ensure thyroid’s better supported, especially if you’re predisposed to autoimmune issues. We want to make sure you’re doing things that are supportive, while getting enough of the cofactors needed to make and better regulate thyroid hormones, along with enough knowledge to know what makes it easier or harder for the thyroid to work optimally.
WHERE DO YOU SIT ON THE SYMPTOMS RANGE?
As mentioned, thyroid issues can range from:
· No obvious symptoms
o If you don’t present with any particular thyroid symptoms, testing would likely be up for discussion in cases often where more obvious causes have been ruled out, such as with sub-fertility.
· Having lots of symptoms but testing coming back with “nothing” (subclinical)
o If you’re in the “my thyroid was checked and I was told I’m fine but I have lots of symptoms” category, then guess what! We still better support your thyroid! It’s common to have your TSH checked, but not other thyroid markers. It’s also common for TSH to be in the upper range of lab-normal and feel like crap. If you see a practitioner who focuses on thyroid support, comprehensive testing in encouraged, where indicated. From a Chinese Medicine POV we work on addressing symptoms as well as the root issue, regardless of where they all sit in part of a formed pattern picture.
o Lab ranges change depending on which lab company you use, what state you’re in, and also periodically get revised based on general population. They don’t account for your individual symptom picture or optimal health ranges. Optimal ranges are a lot tighter than the ranges given in reports. If you tick boxes for having thyroid symptoms, then it’s very likely you can do things to adjust and support your thyroid.
o A non-exclusive list of hypothyroid symptoms*: feeling cold, tired, constipated, weight gain, thinning hair (especially outer eyebrow), depression, brittle nails, impaired memory, puffy face or fluid retention, heavy cycles, joint issues, palpitations
o (Although today we’re focusing more on low thyroid, here’s a non-exclusive list of hyperthyroid symptoms*: feeling hot, weight loss, hair loss, large appetite, insomnia, sweating, sore or bulging eyes, fast heart rate, heart palpitations.)
*Two things to remember: 1. You can have none of these symptoms and still have thyroid regulation issues. 2. Any one symptom isn’t automatic cause for pathologising. That’s where investigating comes into the mix!
· Confirmed thyroid issue (eg. Hashimoto’s).
o Blood work results will have been at a range that confirms a dysregulated thyroid, often in conjunction with symptom picture. Depending on your GP’s advice and specific health picture, intervention is widely varied.
o If you already have an thyroid diagnosis, there are ways to approach supportive care that’s tailored to your individual picture and includes supporting the co-factors that are required to make and/or assist in regulating your thyroid, symptom picture, and managing antibody levels if applicable. This is true for supporting people taking medication, or wanting to assess their options.
Regardless of where you slouch on the spectrum of symptoms, thyroid is the strong sidekick in having you feel well.
Help it to help you!
Laelia is an Acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine practitioner who loves to support people in feeling less depleted. You can book in with her here.