Thyroid
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A thyroid problem can present in many ways, and the symptoms can masquerade as other health problems. If you don’t feel like yourself and know something is off but identifying the problem has felt impossible, it’s time to start thinking about your thyroid. At Swetech Family Medicine, we focus on identifying and treating the root of your health concern instead of just addressing symptoms, a methodology that is incredibly important when it comes to thyroid health.
Types of Thyroid
Problems with the thyroid often present in contradictory ways:
- You’re too hot or too cold, are sweating, or have chills.
- You’re excessively tired or have too much energy.
- You inexplicably gain too much weight or lose too much weight.
- You have mood swings or extreme irritability.
- You’re anxious and restless or depressed and lethargic.
These varying symptoms clearly illustrate that there are two different thyroid imbalances: hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism.
Hypothyroidism is the condition that brings you down. Your metabolism is low, which means the rest of you is low too, evidenced by fatigue, dry skin, constipation, and weight gain. Heart rate, body temperature, and all aspects of your metabolism are disrupted. If you have a hypoactive thyroid gland, it doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone to properly regulate your body.
Hyperthyroidism is having an overactive thyroid. When too much of the thyroxine hormone is produced, your body revs up because metabolism is increased. You may find yourself losing too much weight for no reason, having a rapid or irregular heartbeat, sweating excessively, suffering from irritability, or having sleeping problems.
Understanding the Thyroid
The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland in the neck responsible for the storage and release of the hormones that manage your metabolism – triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). The thyroid’s production of T4 is converted to T3, which does the bulk of the thyroid’s work. The pituitary gland is involved too, creating thyroid-stimulating hormones (TSH) that tell the thyroid gland how much T3 and T4 it’s supposed to produce.
When the production of these hormones is disturbed, a thyroid disorder can develop and present as a complication just about anywhere in the body. The wide range of symptoms makes it that much harder to diagnose a thyroid problem.
The Holistic Method for Diagnosing a Thyroid
It is important to do bloodwork to test for a thyroid imbalance, but the blood tests need to be thorough enough to get a true picture of what’s happening with this critical gland. Along with the basic blood draw for TSH levels, tests should be done to look for things like reverse T3, thyroid antibodies, heavy metals, or selenium.
Holistic medicine includes bloodwork but goes beyond traditional testing to see what other factors could be influencing your health and symptoms. Your medical history, lifestyle, environment, genetics, diet and nutrition, activity level, and so much more are relevant to your state of being right now.
Your thyroid affects your whole and your whole affects your thyroid. Holistic treatment is the most effective way to get the answers that inform long-term wellness.
Thyroid Health Support In
If you just don’t feel right and believe a condition has gone undiagnosed no matter how much poking and prodding has been done, don’t hesitate to advocate for yourself. If you suspect a problem – or you’re tired of being deemed a hypochondriac or as someone having psychosomatic symptoms – reach out to the doctors of osteopathy (DOs) at Swetech Medical Center to discuss thyroid health. We believe you when you say something isn’t right.
During your visit to our office, we won’t just look at your symptoms, we will look at your whole. By reviewing your overall health and unique medical history, we identify what has gone haywire within your system and treat it at the source. Our doctors believe in full-body wellness, hands-on treatment, patience, and your happiness.
Don’t allow a potential thyroid problem to take over your life. Schedule an appointment at Swetech Medical Center in Clinton Township to discuss your symptoms, concerns, and beliefs. Allow us to help you find and keep good health.
