The thyroid is a butterfly shaped organ that resides at the base of the neck and governs basal metabolic rate.
Common Thyroid Conditions
Thyroid disorders are one of the most common conditions that I see and treat in my clinic. Thyroid dysfunction is often left untreated for a number of years due to inadequacy in standard testing procedures.
Patients may often be misdiagnosed with depression or anxiety and told that they are experiencing symptoms which are a normal part of ageing; or are told to eat less and exercise more, or worse - it's all in their head.
Thyroid Testing Procedure
Standard thyroid testing involves running a TSH test, which tests how much the thyroid is being stimulated by the pituitary. Actual bioactive thyroid concentrations are ignored in this type of testing.
Your TSH may be normal, but thyroid hormone levels are high or low. Without appropriate testing, it isn't picked up. I see this all the time - normal TSH and very low active thyroid hormone.
There are various nutrients which are required for the manufacture of thyroid hormone. If you are not getting enough of these nutrients, then your thyroid doesn't have the ingredients it requires to make the hormones.
