Perth Thyroid Naturopath

Low thyroid function (hypothyroidism) means your thyroid gland can no longer produce adequate levels of the thyroid hormones, T4 and T3.

Symptoms of low thyroid function include:

• unexplained weight gain

• unrelenting fatigue despite adequate sleep

• brain fog including poor word recall, memory problems, and inability to focus

• mood disturbance including irritability, depression and anxiety

• sensitivity to cold, wearing a jumper when everyone else is in a T shirt

• constipation and other IBS symptoms such as bloating

• dry skin, thinning hair and/or brittle nails

• joint and muscle pain, including fibromyalgia.

You may experience some or all these symptoms, have a blood test and be told that your thyroid function is ‘normal.’  

When your doctor tests your thyroid function, they measure the level of a hormone called TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). The range is wide with TSH levels of between 0.5 and 5.5 being considered ‘normal’.

However, medical research recommends a narrowing of the TSH range. If your TSH level is over 2, you may have subclinical hypothyroidism. This means you are in the beginning stages of low thyroid function.

Whilst conventional medicine does not treat subclinical hypothyroidism, if you have a TSH over 2 and experience low thyroid symptoms, you may benefit from naturopathic thyroid treatment.

As a naturopath, I can either review your recent thyroid function blood test or order a new test to assess if you have subclinical low thyroid function.

If you have subclinical hypothyroidism, I can help treat it by:

• ensuring you have adequate levels of the nutrients needed to make optimal levels of thyroid hormones

• providing dietary and lifestyle advice to support thyroid function

• treating the most common cause of subclinical low thyroid function, autoimmunity.

When you were diagnosed with low thyroid function, your doctor prescribed thyroid hormone replacement called thyroxine. 

Thyroxine is a synthetic form of the thyroid hormone T4 needed to replace what your thyroid gland can no longer produce and is essential for you to take daily for your health and well-being. However, you may feel frustrated because, although you have regular testing and your doctor says your thyroxine dose is adequate, you still experience low thyroid function symptoms.

Unfortunately, thyroxine alone does not always eliminate low thyroid function symptoms.This is often because your body cannot utilise thyroxine effectively. Thyroxine (T4) needs to be converted into the active thyroid hormone T3 to be used by the body. If you have a T4 to T3 conversion issue, then you may not feel well on thyroxine alone.

A GP can usually only test TSH and T4 under Medicare. However, you can have a T4 to T3 conversion issue even if your TSH and T4 levels are ‘normal’, so testing T3 is crucial.

As a naturopath, I can arrange for a blood test for all thyroid hormones, TSH, T4, and T3, to assess if you have a T4 to T3 conversion issue.

If you have a T4 to T3 conversion, I can help to treat it by:

• supporting gut and liver health, where most conversion occurs

• ensuring you have sufficient levels of nutrients needed for conversion

• supporting adrenal health as high cortisol can prevent conversion

• reducing inflammation which impairs conversion.

In Australia, low thyroid function is often caused by an autoimmune condition, known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, where your overactive immune system produces antibodies that slowly attack your thyroid gland over time.

Thyroid antibodies usually become elevated well before your thyroid hormone levels become abnormal. This means you can proactively treat low thyroid function at its early stages if testing reveals elevated thyroid antibodies.

The main conventional treatment for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is thyroxine. Whilst thyroxine is needed to replace the hormones your thyroid can no longer produce; it does not treat autoimmunity.

As a naturopath, I can treat autoimmunity, helping to slow down the progression of your low thyroid function to reduce symptoms.

I can order a blood test that measure the two types of thyroid antibodies, TPO and TgAb, to assess whether you have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

If you have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, I can help to treat your thyroid autoimmunity by:

• recommending dietary and lifestyle modifications

• supporting gut health to help balance immunity

• ensuring you have sufficient levels of immune modulating nutrients.

A predisposition to autoimmunity can be hereditary.

You may find that some of your immediate and/or extended family members have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and/or other autoimmune conditions such as Graves’ disease, Coeliac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and Sjogren’s syndrome.

Low thyroid function is more common in women, often triggered by times of reproductive hormonal change, including pregnancy and perimenopause.

Low thyroid function is very common, yet its vague symptoms of fatigue and weight gain can often be misdiagnosed as other health conditions such as depression, post-partum symptoms, or perimenopausal symptoms.

You may also think you’re tired because you just had a baby, or that your weight gain is just ‘middle-age spread’. Feeling extremely tired and/or putting on weight rapidly despite no change to your diet or exercise regime is not normal, and I highly recommend you investigate further to find the cause of these symptoms.