Why am I feeling so tired but the Dr says my thyroid function is 'normal'

Many women experience a medley of hypothyroid symptoms, yet the standardised testing comes back as normal?

This article is to reassure that you are not crazy, it's the gaps in your testing that are wrong, NOT YOU!

The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland in your neck, it's role is to provide energy to every cell of the body. If the thyroid slows down every cellular process slows down, causing fatigue and weight gain.

Research has documented that 80% of the adult population has some level of thyroid dysfunction; therefore, a full thyroid function screen is very important for everyone. The standard blood testing only tests for 1 thyroid marker - TSH - this is not accurate enough to assess thyroid function.

Have you been to the GP with fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, muscle aches and pains, low libido, only to have your thyroid tested and be told everything is 'normal'?

This story is all too common.

80% of the Adult population have some kind of thyroid dysfunction. Full screening is essential to assess thyroid function accurately. Thyroid could be the underlying cause of your symptoms of brain fog, weight gain and fatigue!

My clinical experience has shown an overwhelming number of women to be experiencing undiagnosed thyroid issues and suboptimal thyroid function, this can cause debilitating symptoms:

Common Symptoms...

Hypothyroid (Under-active)

Tiredness & Sluggishness

Dryer Hair or Skin

Sleep More Than Usual

Weaker Muscles

Constant Feeling of Cold

Frequent Muscle Cramps

Poorer Memory

More Depressed

Slower Thinking

Puffier Eyes

Difficulty with Math

Hoarse or Deeper Voice

Constipation

Coarse Hair/Hair Loss/Brittle

Muscle / Joint Pain

Low Sex Drive / Impotence

Puffy Hands and Feet

Unsteady Gait

Gain Weight Easy

Outer Third of Eyebrows sparse hair

Menses More Irregular

Heavier Menses

Carpel Tunnel Syndrome

These symptoms can be experienced to varying degrees from mild to severe. If you are experiencing 5 or more of the listed symptoms, it is highly probably you have an undiagnosed thyroid condition. The only way to accurately diagnose, is through deeper essential testing. Correct treatment is essential to support the thyroid to function optimally, and to overcome and alleviate symptoms.

If the thyroid is over secreting, hyperthyroid, everything is the body speeds up causing:

Decreased appetite

Heart palpitations

Bad Digestion and bloating

Loose bowels, especially when under stress

Anxiety

Sweaty palms and armpits

Insomnia

Increased irritability

Brittle Nails

Shakiness

Many women can experience symptoms that swing between over and under-active thyroid - this is common with the presence of thyroid antibodies, an underlying autoimmune disorder that causes thyroid tissue damage and impacts functioning and hormonal secretion.

Essential Thyroid Testing

A full thyroid panel should cover these factors, then corrective treatment can be given. Please note, GP's and endocrinologists are not trained in nutritional medicine, therefore can't offer the same type of treatment as a naturopath. If you have been told your labs are normal by your GP, that means you need someone who can provide deeper testing and screening, treat sub-optimal imbalances with correctional doses of nutrients.

Thyroid must have testing: TSH, FT4, FT3, RT3, Anti-TPO ab., Anti-TG ab.

TSH: Thyroid stimulating hormone (Pituitary hormone)

FT4: Thyroxine (secreted by the thyroid gland - non-active)

FT3: Converted from FT4 in the liver and muscles, active hormone)

RT3: Reverse T3, non - active, blocks T3, causes hypothyroid symptoms, caused by adrenal stress and inflammation

Anti-TPO ab: Anti-Thyroid peroxidase antibody, indicated in Hashimoto's, autoimmune thyroid condition)

Anti-TG ab: Anti-thyroglobulin antibody, indicated in Hashimoto's, autoimmune thyroid condition

To get a complete picture of the thyroid story, other factors to check include; inflammatory markers, methylation status, nutritional testing and food intolerance.

Adrenal health and stress hormones

Sex hormones: oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone

To determine any other underlying hormonal imbalances that need to be addressed as part of the treatment.

Thyroflex Testing: is currently the only non-invasive tool available to accurately measure thyroid function at its cellular level. The standard blood test used to check for proper thyroid function is a good tool to establish a baseline thyroid function, but is often misleading in cases of ongoing treatment of patients with subclinical hypothyroidism.

This is the key essential testing to accurately determine your thyroid function, not the stand alone TSH marker from the GP.

If you suffer from any of these thyroid symptoms, I cannot stress enough the importance of an in depth testing of your thyroid function. You deserve the answers to why you are feeling as you do. You can start to feel amazing and love your life again with the right treatment for YOU!

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For healing solutions; Read: 8 key steps to healing your thyroid