Greenville SC Thyroid Doctor Answers – What Causes Low Thyroid?
The thyroid is a small butterfly shaped gland that is located at the base of your neck. This tiny but powerful gland is responsible for making the hormones that regulate metabolism, control temperature sensitivity, and regulate growth and development. Hypothyroidism, or low thyroid, occurs when the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormone. Did you know that every cell in your body uses thyroid hormones?
If you suffer from low thyroid, you may experience symptoms such as hair loss, brain fog, depression, weight gain, chronic fatigue, low libido, insomnia and joint pain, just to name a few. While you may only experience one or two of these symptoms, the bad news is that over time, if your thyroid condition is not managed properly your symptoms can get progressively worse and become quite debilitating. This is why it’s important not to ignore the symptoms and warning signs of a thyroid condition.
That being said, unfortunately even folks who have been tested for thyroid dysfunction have been told that they’re fine because their lab tests appear to be normal. Sadly, this is because their practitioner may have only tested TSH levels, and this is not enough information to give the provider the complete picture of their health. What may be considered “normal” to your primary care provider may not be what’s normal for your optimum health. This means that you may actually have a thyroid condition even though your TSH levels are normal.
The key to getting you back in control of your thyroid condition and your health is to have comprehensive testing done to determine exactly what’s causing your thyroid dysfunction. Did you know that there are actually at least six different thyroid markers that should be checked in order to properly diagnose a thyroid condition? Testing should include but not be limited to a complete blood chemistry panel, saliva, stool and urine samples.
So how do you go about getting the testing that you need? Functional wellness practitioners begin all care with comprehensive testing in order to determine the underlying causes of your thyroid disorder. These practitioners create customized care plans for every patient that are based on these thorough lab-testing results. They understand that every patient is unique and has their own triggers and responses to therapies.
The goal of a functional wellness provider is to educate you about your condition, coach you throughout the recovery process, and mentor you so that you are empowered with the tools to manage your thyroid condition for the rest of your life. They want you to become independently healthy and not become part of the vicious cycle of returning to your doctor over and over again with little to no results.
