One of the most common conditions I see in the office is thyroid disease. I typically do not like to use the word disease but it affects so many individuals.

Signs and Symptoms:

• dry skin
• loss of outer part of eyebrows
• fluid in the ankles
• weight gain
• high cholesterol
• lack of sweating
• constipation
• hair loss
• low body temperature – always chilled especially in the hands and feet
• brittle nails

Why?
The thyroid is one of your first lines of “defense” against daily stress (especially the bad kind). Here is the sequence:

1. You encounter stress in the brain in the stress centers = pineal, pituitary, hypothalamus glands known as the hippocampus.
2. The brain signals to the thyroid that stress is high and energy needs to be created to either Fight or Run from the stress, i.e. Fight or Flight syndrome.
3. The thyroid then creates the hormones T3 and T4, which go and attach to every other cell in the body and signals them to start cranking out ATP from the mitochondria-Your cells power plants.
4. Chronic stress leads to thyroid burn out. Which results in CHRONIC FATIGUE.

Hypothyroidism:
Hypothyroidism means under-active thyroid. Under active thyroid is when the thyroid does not produce consistent levels of hormones T3 and T4. When this occurs, the cells stop producing energy(ATP) and it leads to chronic fatigue. Here are some of the most common researched causes of hypothyroidism.

• Chlorine, Fluoride, and Bromine
• Chronic Infections
• Iodine deficiency
• High Reverse T3 and Heavy Metals

We will discuss these in the next few days, and discuss simple ways to alleviate the symptoms of hypothyroidism.