Thyroid Conditions – Functional Medicine

• The Significance of Conventional Treatment

Thyroid Conditions – Functional Medicine Perth

Thyroid disease is a common condition what often required thyroid treatment, it  strikes 1 in 8 women as well as many men in the western world. Seeing a practitioner that has experience in thyroid disorders in Perth that can treat the underlying pathology of the condition is vital. The prevalence of the condition is likely to be further reaching as it is a disease that goes commonly undiagnosed.

Thyroid Symptoms

• Are you feeling constantly fatigued?
• Have you recently gained weight?
• Are you experiencing dry skin, cold extremities or hair loss?
• Do you have digestive issues, anxiety or low mood?

There are a range of varying conditions, with the most common being including the following:-

• Hypothyroidism – under activity of the thyroid gland
• Hashimoto’s thyroiditis – an autoimmune condition that attacks the underactive thyroid
• Hyperthyroidism – overactivity of the gland
• Grave’s Disease – an autoimmune disease associated with an overactive gland
• Thyroid Cancer – cancer of the tissue

**Overactive thyroid conditions will usually present in the first instance with sweating, rapid heart rate, weight loss, anxiety, tremors as well as increased bowel movements too.

The Significance of Conventional Treatment

The conventional treatment for disorders is usually the prescription of a pharmaceutical drug, for instance, thyroxine, or in cases where it is overactive, such as in Graves disease, radiation to kill off the tissue or surgery. Multinodular goiters and other pathological changes can occur and diagnosis is not always available through blood testing.

Around 20% of disease sufferers present within “normal” blood test ranges, for example, ultrasound or other imaging techniques will help diagnose in these cases. Initial conventional screening only requests the blood test of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH). This is the hormone released from the pituitary gland. Moreover, other blood tests are required to paint a full picture on how the thyroid is functioning.

Functional Thyroid Blood Tests

TSH – Thyroid-stimulating hormone is a hormone released by the pituitary gland. Specifically, to control the amount of thyroxine (T4) produced in the gland.  This marker is commonly the only marker useful for testing dysfunction. However, it does not provide measure levels of the actual hormones themselves.

T3 / FT3 – Active form of thyroid hormone, is made up of 3 molecules of Iodine and partially released by the thyroid and converted from T4 in the liver and specifically, other tissues of the body. FT3 stands for Free T3, measures the amount of triiodothyronine (T3) not bound to protein in the blood.

T4 / FT4 – Less active form of hormone actually, made up of 4 molecules of Iodine. This is the replacement in most conventional medicine approaches when it is low.  FT4 stands for Free T4, measuring the amount of thyroxine (T4) not bound to protein in the blood.

RT3 – Reverse T3 is a hormone produced in higher quantities in the presence of inflammation and stress. Moreover, high cortisol and inflammation markers cause RT3 to rise, blocking the uptake and conversion of active T3.

TPO and TGAb antibodies – Thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin are the antibodies that attack the gland indicating an autoimmune attack if present in the blood.

Functional Medicine Thyroid Treatment in Perth

Why are my Thyroid levels low

There are three main reasons that contribute to your thyroid not functioning correctly including the following:-

1. Nutrient deficiencies from the four key nutrients such as Iodine, Zinc, Selenium and Tyrosine.
2. An autoimmune attack on the tissue itself. For instance, Gut pathology, intestinal permeability, infections, diet and lifestyle are key players here
3. Other systemic issues such a chronic viral load, gut infections, food intolerances etc

These underlying causes need investigation as well as underlying imbalances correction to heal from disease. At our Perth clinic of Advanced Functional Medicine, we have experience with thyroid disorders and imbalances.

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