Do You Have a Low Thyroid Causing Problems Losing Weight?

Experien ing !ust a "ew o" the low thyroid symptoms listed below an ma#e your li"e a living hell$ Weight gain or inability to lose weight... A slow metabolism... Food cravings and night-time hunger... Sleeping problems... Constant fatigue... Mind fog... And many more. If you have to add the lac of understanding of these debilitating hypothyroidism symptoms from your family and friends !and even from your family doctor"# your frustration is completely $ustified. %ut you are not a victim& there are ways you can deal with this on your own# you'll see. (p to )** million people suffer from an underactive thyroid all over the world !according to +hyroid Federation International"# and mounting scientific research lin s slow thyroid levels to stubborn weight loss resistance and countless other serious health conditions# A butterfly-shaped gland located in the center of the nec # your thyroid produces two vital metabolism-regulating hormones, triiodothyronine !+)" and thyroxine !+-"# both controlled by your pituitary gland through the thyroid-stimulating hormone !+S.". +his hormonal trio is - not surprisingly - much easier thrown out of balance in women# since we have a much more comple/ and delicate endocrine system than men. In fact# ten times more women than men have an underactive thyroid& it typically starts between the age of -* to 0*# along with the other hormonal changes occurring at this stage in women1s life. More and more women start e/periencing the three most common hypothyroid symptoms !weight gain# fatigue2depression and s in changes" in their )*1s and even 3*1s. If you suspect you might have low thyroid levels# chec this list of most common low thyroid symptoms. 4ote there are many symptoms that are general and can be shared by many disease and problems. +he secret is to reali5e some symptoms# especially when grouped together are very# very common in people with a low thyroid. Failure to lose weight# unusual fatigue# and s in-nail-hair changes are the most common symptoms. While abnormal temperature and slow pulse are some of the signs you might have. (se the list below as a chec sheet to see how many symptoms you do have,

How to Test Yoursel" at Home "or Low Thyroid Levels

6ou will be measuring your basal !at rest" body temperature !%%+" during )-0 consecutive days# immediately upon wa ing up in the morning# before getting out of bed and becoming physically active. 6ou can do this test on any day of the month# unless you are a menstruating woman# in

which case you should do it only on days 3#)#-# and 0 of your period& that's because your body temperature varies significantly with the menstruating cycle# altering your results.

78 It's best if you can get an old-fashioned# mercury thermometer !as for a %%+ or a fertility thermometer at your local pharmacy or natural health store"# as most digital thermometers aren't accurate enough for this thyroid testing and you could end up with unreliable results. +he night before starting your hypothyroid test re-set the thermometer by sha ing it down to get the mercury column go down to )09C !:09F". ;lace it by your bed so that you can reach it with minimal movement !this is important". +he following morning# as soon as you wa e up# gently push bac your comforter and put the thermometer in your armpit with its tip firmly placed ne/t to your s in# eeping it there for a full 7* minutes. <ust rela/ and stay still before the 7* minutes are up to avoid raising your temperature and compromising your hypothyroid test. =ecord the e/act readings each morning for at least ) consecutive days so you can average out the results. Considering that the normal body temperature with a healthy thyroid is )8.89C - )8.>9C !:?.>9F - :>.39F"# the lower your temperature below the %&'&(C )*+',(-. mar#/ the more undera tive your thyroid' 0long with at least other few low thyroid symptoms, your basal body temperature )11T. test is a pretty a urate and very help"ul diagnosti tool "or low thyroid levels/ although ontroversial with some medi al pra titioners' An underactive thyroid re@uires special attention and you should insist to have a comprehensive blood test done# measuring levels of the thyroid hormones +)# +- and +S..

What blood tests are used to assess thyroid "un tion?

(sually the first blood test performed is the +S. test. +S. is the ey hormone for diagnosing hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. If results of the +S. test are abnormal# one or more additional tests are needed to help determine the cause of the problem.

T2H Test
+his blood test is the most sensitive test of thyroid function available. +he +S. test can detect +S. blood levels as low as *.*7 milli-international units per liter !mI(2A". +he normal range "or T2H is between 3'% and % m456L/ although the range varies from one laboratory to another. %etween ) to ).> is borderline and ).: or higher is deficiently low thyroid. +he +S. test is based on the way +S. and thyroid hormones wor together. 4ormally# the pituitary boosts +S. production when thyroid hormone levels in the blood are low. +he thyroid responds by ma ing more hormone. +hen# when the body has enough thyroid hormone circulating in the blood# +S. output drops. +he cycle repeats continuously to maintain a healthy level of thyroid hormone in the body. +he +S. test measures the amount of +S. being secreted by the pituitary. In people whose thyroid produces too much thyroid hormone# the pituitary shuts down +S. production# leading to low or even undetectable +S. levels in the blood. An abnormally low +S. level suggests hyperthyroidism. In people whose thyroid is not functioning normally and produces too little thyroid hormone# the thyroid cannot respond normally to +S. by producing thyroid hormone. As a result# the pituitary eeps ma ing +S.# trying to get the thyroid to respond. An abnormally high +S. level suggests hypothyroidism. Bccasionally# however# a low +S. level can indicate a type of hypothyroidism called secondary hypothyroidism. Instead of a problem with the thyroid gland# this type of hypothyroidism is caused by an abnormality in the pituitary that prevents it from ma ing enough +S. to stimulate thyroid hormone production. Cery rarely# hyperthyroidism can result from a problem with the pituitary rather than the thyroid. 4oncancerous# or benign# pituitary tumors may overproduce +S. and cause thyroid hormone levels to rise. .owever# such tumors are e/tremely rare. +he usual cause of a high +S. level is an underfunctioning thyroid gland or inade@uate dosage of thyroid hormone medication in patients ta ing replacement hormone.

T7 Tests
+- is the principal thyroid hormone and e/ists in two forms-+- that is bound to proteins in the blood and ept in reserve until the body needs it# and a small amount of unbound or DfreeD +- !F+-"# which is the active form of the hormone and is available to body tissues. +he normal range for total +-bound and free together-is usually about -.0 to 73.8 micrograms per deciliter !Eg2dA"# although the range varies from one laboratory to another. +he normal F+- range is about *.? to 7.> nanograms per deciliter !ng2dA". Flevated total +- or F+- suggests hyperthyroidism# and low total +- or F+- suggests hypothyroidism. Sometimes total +- levels are abnormal because the protein-bound +- is abnormally high or low due to elevated or low concentrations of the protein that binds +-. +herefore# F+- must be calculated separately. Measuring F+- directly re@uires complicated laboratory procedures# so F+- is usually estimated based on the ratio of binding protein to total +-. 4ormal F+- levels# when the total +- is high or low#

indicate the issue is the binding protein# not the thyroid. For e/ample# pregnancy or the use of oral contraceptives increases levels of binding protein in the blood. In this case# the total +- will be high due to the binding protein but the person does not have hyperthyroidism. Severe illness or the use of corticosteroids-a class of medications that treat asthma# arthritis# and s in conditions# among other health problems-can decrease binding protein levels. +he total +- measurement will be low as a conse@uence# but the person does not have hypothyroidism. In either case-having high binding protein or having low binding protein-the F+- will be normal and the person has normal thyroid function-also called euthyroid.

T% Test
Bnly about 3* percent of the +) circulating in the blood comes from the thyroid gland# while all of the circulating +- comes from the thyroid. +he remaining >* percent of circulating +) comes from various cells all over the body where +- is converted to +). +) is far more active than +- and# li e +-# e/ists in both bound and free states. In some cases of hyperthyroidism# F+- is normal but free +) !F+)" is elevated# so measuring both forms is useful if hyperthyroidism is suspected. +he normal F+) range is about *.3 to *.0 ng2dA. +he +) test is not useful in diagnosing hypothyroidism because levels are not reduced until the hypothyroidism is severe.