By Dave Carpenter, ND, C. Ac., CCI
Low energy is one of the most common complaints that brings patients to my office. In many cases, lack of energy is due to an unhealthy diet or poor lifestyle choices — eating sugary foods, drinking too much caffeine or alcohol, or getting less sleep than your body needs. However, persistent fatigue may also point to an underactive thyroid gland.
Hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough of the hormones that regulate metabolism, is more common than you might think. According to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), about 1 in 8 women from 35 to 65 years of age has low thyroid function, as does 1 in 5 over 65. (Although men are not immune to this condition, its incidence is about seven times greater in women.) What’s more, about half of the 13 million Americans who have a thyroid disorder don’ know it.
Are You at Risk?
Thyroid disease can occur at any age, but there are certain times when it is most likely to occur. One of these is in the immediate postpartum period. In fact, hypothyroidism may be the underlying cause in many women who experience postpartum depression. Treating the symptoms of depression with prescription antidepressants won’t correct the underlying thyroid deficiency. If you’ve recently given birth and are suffering from the postpartum blues, ask your doctor for a thyrotropin test. This test, which measures blood levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), is the gold standard for diagnosing hypothyroidism.
Another stage of life at which thyroid disorders are more common is at menopause. Many women who experience depression and “brain fog” during menopause are told that these symptoms are caused by plummeting levels of estrogen. Yet low levels of thyroid hormone can produce identical symptoms. (Other common signs of low thyroid function — at any age — include hair loss, weight gain, dry skin, slow heartbeat, and cold hands and feet.) If you’re going through menopause and are suffering from depression, it’s crucial to rule out hypothyroidism, because left untreated, hypothyroidism can cause dangerously high cholesterol levels. In fact, patients with hypothyroidism often have cholesterol levels 30 to 50 percent higher than desirable.
The third time at which thyroid disease is especially likely to occur is after the age of 60. It’s easy to attribute symptoms of hypothyroidism such as fatigue and memory impairment to the aging process, when in reality these symptoms are due to a low level of thyroid hormones circulating through the body. The good news is that correcting the underlying thyroid deficiency can have dramatic effects on energy, mood, and cognitive function.
Anyone suffering from the symptoms described above, regardless of age, should have their thyroid function measured by a physician. While the most common tests measure levels of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4, by far the most sensitive test is the thyrotropin test, which measures levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH).
I Suggest YouTest Your Thyroid at Home
If you want to test yourself at home before you request the TSH test from your doctor, you can get a pretty good idea of the health of your thyroid gland by the old tried-and-true method of Basal Metabolism Test (BMT) or underarm basal (resting) temperature testing. Your body temperature reflects your metabolic rate, which in turn is largely determined by thyroid hormones. Since activity increases your metabolism and your body temperature, getting an accurate measure of your basal metabolism requires that you perform this test while you are completely at rest — in other words, while you’re lying in bed, before getting up and moving around.
This test is easier with a basal thermometer (available at any drugstore) because it has more marked gradations, but any thermometer will do. Here’s how to do the test:
*Before going to bed at night, shake the thermometer down below 95 degrees, and leave it within arm’s reach of the bed.
*Upon awakening, place the thermometer in your armpit for a full 10 minutes (or two minutes for a digital thermometer). Remain still and reclined throughout the test.
*Record the temperature, date and time. Do this for at least three days.
*Menstruating women must perform the test on the second, third, and fourth days of menstruation. Men and postmenopausal women can perform the test at any time.
While a normal oral temperature is 98.6 degrees, normal basal body temperature ranges between 97.6 and 98.2 degrees.
If your basal temperature measures consistently under 97.8 degrees you may have inadequate thyroid production. Low basal body temperatures are common, however, and do not prove hypothyroidism on their own. If your temperature is low and you have symptoms of an underactive thyroid, work with your doctor to confirm a diagnosis and begin treatment. I’ve found that most peole with low basal temperatures and many hypothyroid symptoms find these improve dramatically on the Alkalize To Energize program. See the article under Your Health tab.