THYROID GLAND

The thyroid manages our body’s metabolic rate.  It is responsible for many processes including temperature control and energy production.

A malfunctioning thyroid can cause symptoms such as fatigue, sluggishness, irritability, weight-gain, problems with memory, muscle pain, fibromyalgia, etc. Thyroid disease is also thought to be the cause of one-fifth of all symptoms of depression.

Lack of energy can be because the thyroid is not releasing enough hormones (underactive/hypothyroid). Stress-related symptoms can stem from too many thyroid hormones in the blood stream (overactive). Sometimes, a general thyroid test is not enough to diagnose a thyroid disorder and a more detailed thyroid test is required.  This may include TSH, free T4, free T3, total T4, total T3, T3 resin uptake and perhaps reverse T3 and the thyroid auto antibodies TPO & TGA.

An overactive thyroid (hyperthyroid/Graves Disease) can leave you feeling nervous, irritable and hyper. Other symptoms can include weight loss even with a well-balanced diet, weak muscles, soft nails, hair loss, bone loss, etc. the stress you might feel could come from an overactive thyroid. 

A routine comprehensive thyroid check should be done every year as a health wellness check. If you are experiencing any of those symptoms, the test should be done to rule out thyroid disease.