Excessive amounts of T3 and T4 in your blood will increase your metabolism-the ability to process carbs and fats to create energy. As a result, all your body processes speed up and can create “hyper-type” symptoms. These symptoms are a result of excessive energy production from excessive thyroid hormones. Yes, too much energy can cause problems.

Hyperthyroid Symptoms:

• Unexplained weight loss-without a change in your normal diet
• Heart palpitations
• Nervousness and Mental stimulation issues
• Shaking, tremors, irritability
• Sweating and Heat Intolerance-hot most of the time
• Insomnia
• Dry, itching skin
• Thinning hair
• Fatigue and extreme muscle weakness
• Menstrual cycle problems in females
• Diarrhea

The main physical signs of hyperthyroidism are associated with Grave’s Disease, an immune system dysfunction within the thyroid gland.

• Bugling eyes
• Gritty sensation in eyes
• Red, retracted eyes, and inflamed feeling
• Pressure behind eyes
• Vision problems and light sensitivity

The vision problems are due to abnormal carbohydrate build up in and around muscle tissue surrounding the eyes. Additionally, the antibodies also appear to attack the tissue around the eyes as well.

Your pituitary gland(located at the base of the brain) secretes a hormone called TSH-thyroid stimulating hormone which signals to your thyroid to produce T3 and T4.

TSH regulates your thyroid by telling it how much T3 and T4 to produce depending on how much stress you have. In Grave’s Disease your body produces an antibody called the TRAb-thyrotropin receptor antibody, which can act like the normal TSH hormone. The antibody overrides the normal control signals from TSH, “hijacks” the attachment site of TSH, and causes your thyroid to “hyperactive” and overproduce thyroid hormone = hyperthyroidism.