5 Reasons Why a Healthy Thyroid is so Important

The importance of a healthy thyroid can’t be overstated: your thyroid activates every cell in your body — every… single… cell. The thyroid is a master gland that regulates metabolism, temperature, and brain function.

Essentially, if your thyroid isn’t healthy, you won’t be healthy. But what does that really mean, in a practical sense? How does the thyroid affect you and your body? Here, we lay out five specific reasons (and there are many more) why it’s so important to keep your thyroid healthy.

1. Your Thyroid Gives Your Body Energy

Feeling more tired than you’d like? Fatigue is a common symptom of a low-functioning thyroid (hypothyroidism). The thyroid regulates your metabolism by controlling how efficiently your body converts oxygen and calories to energy.

The thyroid releases mostly T4 (thyroxine), which is inactive, as well as a small amount of the active form T3 (triiodothyronine). However, most of the T3 your cells need is converted from T4 through your liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal (GI) tract, brain, and heart.

That T3 then activates your mitochondria (the cells’ “power plants”) to produce energy. If your cells aren’t getting the proper amount of T3, your metabolism will be low, and your body can’t function as it should. When that happens, you can experience constant fatigue and extreme exhaustion that can interfere with daily life.

2. Thyroid Hormones Help Your Brain Function

If your brain works well, you can get through your days easier, solve problems better, and just generally live a more fulfilling life. And the thyroid has a lot to do with how well your brain operates: not only are thyroid hormones crucial for brain development in the womb, but they are also vital for proper brain functioning throughout your life.

Hypothyroidism can lead to lethargy, poor motor coordination, loss of cognitive function, memory impairment, and more. And hyperthyroidism can cause irritability, anxiety, and other symptoms.

Fortunately, most of these disorders can be reversed with proper treatment. So, if you’re feeling foggier than usual lately, it could very well be your thyroid.

3. A Healthy Thyroid is Vital for Digestion

Digestive issues? It could be your thyroid. An unhealthy thyroid can mean an unhealthy GI tract. Thyroid issues can lead to all manner of digestive issues, including:

• bloating
• constipation
• poor nutritional absorption
• gastritis
• indigestion
• IBS
• acid reflux

Your gut and your thyroid are intimately connected, and each can affect the other’s function. As we’ve discussed before, hypothyroidism has been strongly linked to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), which can lead to GI issues such as constipation, diarrhea, and gas. On the other hand, poor gut health can trigger Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the thyroid gland, hindering the production of thyroid hormone.

4. Proper Thyroid Function Can Help You Maintain a Healthy Weight

Have you ever felt like you couldn’t lose weight despite trying every diet and eating plan known to mankind? Or maybe you’ve been slowly gaining weight over the past couple of years, even though you haven’t been doing anything differently. Well, your thyroid may be the culprit.

Normally, thyroid hormones help your body burn fat by using stored calories as energy. But when your thyroid level is low, it’s much more difficult for your body to break down fat and metabolize it. And that can lead to excess weight gain.

Plus, when you have hypothyroidism, you may not move or exercise as much as you used to since your low thyroid levels are making you feel exhausted. And that lack of movement can also make it hard to keep the weight off.

5. A Better Functioning Thyroid Can Improve Your Sex Life

Thyroid issues can affect sexual desire and function more than you may realize. In fact, one study found that nearly 50 percent of women with hypothyroidism experience sexual dysfunction. Whether thyroid hormones are low (hypothyroidism) or high (hyperthyroidism), both men and women can experience sexual issues, including:

• loss of sex drive in both men and women
• painful sex due to vaginal dryness
• erectile dysfunction

As well, since the thyroid regulates your metabolism, it can cause fatigue and depression, which can also lead to a lowered libido.

Thyroid Testing and Treatment at Dynamic Life Health Center: We Can Help Get Your Thyroid Right!

We hope this has given you more information on what can happen to your body — and your life — when you have an undiagnosed thyroid condition. That’s why it’s so important to get your thyroid levels accurately tested.

Unfortunately, most conventional medicine doctors perform limited testing on the thyroid, only addressing TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) and possibly T4. This test doesn’t fully show how the thyroid hormones are operating in your body.

Specifically, the thyroid gland secretes T4 into the bloodstream, which then needs to be converted into T3 to be used for energy. But many people’s bodies cannot do this — and this problem with T3 conversion doesn’t show up in standard blood tests. Additionally, Hashimoto’s Disease, which is an autoimmune disorder can also cause Hypothyroidism. We test for antibodies in our full thyroid panel of testing to determine if you have Hashimoto’s. If so, we can address the root cause of your Hashimoto’s and prescribe medication for Hypothyroidism.

So, even if you’ve had a “normal” thyroid test at your doctor’s office, you can still have thyroid dysfunction.

Here at Dynamic Life Health Center, Dr. Berutti and PA, Melanie Martin, are highly trained in the latest advances in diagnosing thyroid disorders. We know how to treat your thyroid and will perform the precise testing needed for your specific situation. Then we can properly treat your condition and get you feeling your best.

Plus, if you’ve been diagnosed with a thyroid disorder, but the medication isn’t making things any better, we can prescribe a more tailored form of thyroid replacement to relieve your symptoms.

Learn More about Thyroid Treatment at Dynamic Life Health Center

When many patients come to see us, they have lost hope because they’ve felt unwell for so long and don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.

It’s rewarding as a practitioner to help so many people realize a much better “normal” and a regained sense of vitality!

Please call us to get more information about our thyroid treatments and how our clinic can help you with your health goals.

We look forward to the opportunity to restore your health and regain your vitality for life!

For More Information, Call Us at 817-539-6168

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For existing patients, please call us at 817-912-1600.