The loss of thyroid hormone is known as hypothyroidism. If your thyroid is not producing enough thyroid hormones (hypothyroidism), you can have many symptoms such as fatigue, depression, weight gain, irregular menses, constipation and body aches and pains. All of this occurs because without enough thyroid hormones, you will not able to rebuild efficiently or use sugar and fats for energy. Also, if your thyroid hormone levels are too low the rest of your hormones are not working well, either.

Hypothyroidism is one of the easiest hormone problems to treat through taking hormone replacement therapy. However, you never want to take a hormone that your body is still making efficiently. That is why I recommend that you have your thyroid levels screened to make sure that you have this very highly treatable condition before you take thyroid hormones. Do not be misled, thyroid glandulars contain thyroid hormones and should also not be used without first making a diagnosis of real thyroid disease.

On the other side, there are many conditions that cause your thyroid gland to overproduce thyroid hormones. This condition is known as hyperthyroidism. Common symptoms include sweating, anxiousness, heat intolerance and unexplained weight loss. It is more complicated to treat someone who has hyperthryoidism because the treatment is individualized to the cause of the problem and may require medical, radiological and/or surgical intervention.

THYROID SCREENING

Consider getting screened for hypo or hyper thyroid problems if you are having any of the following symptoms. Remember there are many other hormone problems that can cause the same symptoms. Having the following does not mean that you have thyroid disease.
Common symptoms and problems associated with low thyroid:

1. Achy muscles and or joints
2. Cold intolerance
3. Constipation
4. Dry skin
5. Fatigue
6. Hair loss
7. Headaches
8. Lower body temperature (consistently lower than 98.5 degrees)
9. Low mood and or irritability
10. Sleep problems: either sleeping too much or not able to sleep enough and waking up tired
11. Strong family history of thyroid disease
12. Women only: Premenstrual tension, irregular cycles and/or heavy menstrual bleeding

Common symptoms and problems associated with high thyroid:

1. Abnormal weight loss or gain
2. Achy muscles and joints
3. Anxiety
4. Excessive sweating and/or night sweats
5. Fatigue
6. Hair loss
7. Heat intolerance, hot flashes or rushes
8. Increased appetite
9. Irregular or racing heart beats including atrial fibrillation
10. Loose bowel movements
11. Muscle weakness and shakiness
12. Sleep problems—both staying and/or falling asleep

THYROID FOLLOW-UP

You can also have your thyroid levels monitored through this site if you are already taking thyroid hormone replacement therapy. The reason to be checked is to make sure that you are getting enough thyroid replacement, are taking the right kind of thyroid medication and that you are not getting too much thyroid replacement because too much is more harmful than too little. Too much thyroid causes you to break down and use up your functional and structural chemicals too quickly leading to accelerated metabolic aging which ironically can cause further weight gain and fatigue, two of the most common symptoms that occur from low thyroid hormone levels. That is correct, too little or too much thyroid hormone can cause some of the same symptoms.

If you are interested in more details on thyroid disease read The Schwarzbein Principle II or The Schwarzbein Principle Step-by-Step Program.