If you experience low energy and you have (or suspect you have) thyroid or adrenal issues then this blog post is for you! Read as I explain how natural medicine can support you if you are still feeling tired despite your blood test saying that all is normal and the 8 areas that I investigate and enhance to bring your natural energy back. Don’t forget I am available to book for one on one appointments so please call me on 0438 989 607 to book in.
Firstly Adrenal function
Our adrenal glands are two little glands on top of the kidneys which pump out stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline in response to a stressor, either emotional or physical. Our body does an amazing job at keeping us functioning during stressful or busy times, but we are simply not designed to produce stress homrones for long periods of time and in fact these hormones will begin to have advserve affects on the body, such as affecting the frontal lobe of the brain and reducing our short term memory. When this happens the body will shut down production of adrenal hormones, to protect other parts of the body, this is commonly known as ‘adrenal fatigue’, but it is actually your body protecting itself as opposed to ‘running out ‘ of adrenal hormones. I commonly see people in my practice at the beginning stages of adrenal fatigue or in full adrenal fatigue, where they simply cannot perform the functions they once were with ease. Adrenal fatigue is one of the major reasons that women I work with feel tired despite taking thyroid medication.
Adrenal fatigue has many of the same symptoms of low thyroid too, such as low energy, mood, low body temperature, thinning hair, poor sleep patterns, decreased ability to deal with stress – so its important to consult a practitioner such as myself to assess how you can best be supported.
Herbal and nutritional medicine, using a group of herbs known as adaptogens, such as withania, rhodiola, nutrients such as magnesium and taurine, lifestyle modifications including relaxation and eating a nutritious diet with minimal processed food, sugar and caffeine can also really assist in supporting these issues – I have worked at supporting adrenals for over 10 years, so I do urge you to contact me if these symptoms sound like you.
Also, interactions between the hormones are sometimes as important as the direct action of the hormone itself. Some adrenal hormones assist in the conversion of storage thyroid hormone T-4 to our active thyroid hormone T-3, and perhaps assist in the final effect of active T-3 on the tissues. Some scientists believe that even the entrance of thyroid hormone into the cells is under the influence of adrenal hormones. Thus, if your adrenal level is low enough, you might do well to take both adrenal support and thyroid hormone together. Ultimately, this delicate balance should be only established by your expert in adrenal and thyroid and adrenal hormones, considering the right interpretation of your test results. I can arrange for salivary testing of your cortisol levels and a full thyroid blood panel which measures all of your thyroid hormones and then interpret them and tailor a treatment plan to support your individual needs.
Anaemia is another common reason why people with thyroid issues can have persistent tiredness which I always investigate
People often think of just iron deficiency as causing anaemia and tiredness, but there are three types of nutrient deficiencies that are common in those with thyroid disease and Hashimoto’s: iron, ferritin (iron stores), B12, and folic acid (B9). I recommend doing a test for iron levels, ferritin, B12 levels, and folic acid. Always be sure to get a copy of your lab tests. As is with the “normal” range for TSH, the “normal” lab values for B12, ferritin, and folic acid are not often correct in my opinion. For example, normal levels of B12 are between 200-900 pg/mL, yet levels under 350 are associated with neurological symptoms, but this will still be considered normal range. If your levels are below 800, you may still benefit from a supplement. For B12, be sure to get a methylcobalamin version rather than a cyanocobalamin version of B12. The methylcobalamin absorbs better.
Normal ferritin levels for women are between 12 and 150 ng/mL. According to some experts, the optimal ferritin level for thyroid function is between 90-110 ng/ml, I like to see it at around 100 and normally you will see any hair loss that has been experienced return once it gets to 70. I also use and recommend non-constipating forms of iron such as the bisglycinate form that wont block you up!
Another nutrient commonly associated with poor thyroid function and fatigue is Vitamin D
Low levels of vitamin D can be associated with fatigue, hypothyroidism, and autoimmunity in general. Be sure to get enough Vitamin D through sunshine, foods, or supplements. Your goal should be to get your vitamin D levels between 60-80 on your blood test- again I can assess this for you and advise on great forms of vitamin d to supplement with (D3) and foods that you should focus on to up your intake such as free range pasture raised chicken eggs.
Food sensitivities are also relevant to energy levels
Food sensitivities are different from food allergies and eating a food one is sensitive to may result in fatigue. People with thyroid disease especially Hashimoto’s often present with gluten, dairy, soy, egg, corn, and nut sensitivities. Undertaking an elimination diet with my guidance, or doing some food sensitivity testing (IGG, IGA) can give you a tremendous amount of your energy back. Food is medicine after all!
Leading on from this is the importance of Blood sugar imbalances to proper energy levels
Blood sugar imbalances can wreak havoc on our energy levels as well as cause anxiety. Opt to eat more protein and fat with each meal rather than carbohydrates – if you are overweight consider a ketogenic weight loss program to get back to your ideal weight range.
Further to the importance of food is the importance of good digestion for proper energy levels!
The digestive process takes a lot of energy. Poor gut function is always a factor with Hashimoto’s and autoimmunity but with any form of thyroid disease anything you can do to aid the process of digestion will help you get some energy back. If you have compromised digestion this is vital to support and heal so that you can effectively absorb nutrients and regulate body processes through correct gut function- naturopathic medicine is full of healing and support herbs and nutrients for all gut proesses and I am very experienced in supporting gut function.
Also a vital area to focus on for correct thyroid function and energy levels are Liver and liver congestion
Some of us may be exhausted because we do not have the ability to process the toxins our body is dealing with. The toxins may be external such as molds, or internal, such as the ones caused by an imbalance of gut bacteria or pathogens. The toxins saturate the liver enzymes, and we feel exhausted. T4 is also converted into T3 in the liver so it is vital that the liver is working properly to fulfil this function. I have a specialised liver detoxification program that I support patients with which targets liver and gut with wonderful herbs such as turmeric and milk thistle, healing nutrients such as glutamine and broccoli sprout powder and essential conjugating amino acids for liver detoxification, which I find really assists in improving the energy levels and overall wellbeing of my patients.
And are your blood tests really showing no problems–
Get a copy of them and take a look at the range that you are sitting in- have them looked at by a Naturopath or functional medicine practitioner like myself- the normal range for TSH sits between 0.5-5 on most lab tests, and if you are within this range your thyroid is considered to be functioning optimally, however you can be sitting within normal range and still have subclinical thyroid disease. In the US, the new optimal levels as defined by The National Academy of Clinical Biochemists indicated that 95% of individuals without thyroid disease have TSH concentrations below 2.5 mIU/mL, and following on from this a new normal reference range was defined by the American College of Clinical Endocrinologists to be between 0.3- 3.0 mIU/mL – I tend to work on 0.5 – 1.5 being optimal, so anything outside of these parameters may be classed as within normal range but it is not within normal functional optimal range. Often only the TSH is tested, whereas its vital to know all of your thyroid hormone levels – such as T4, your storage thyroid hormone, T3 your actual active thyroid hormone, reverse T3 which can literally put the breaks on your active T3 levels, and antibody levels to check if there is autoimmunity present.
Also lets look into Low T3/high reverse T3 as reasons why there can be fatigue –
T3 is our main “energy” hormone produced by the thyroid. When our cells see T3, they produce more energy. Reverse T3 is a molecule that looks like T3 but has slowing down effects. When cells see this molecule, they slow down energy production. Levothyroxine or thyroxine is the most commonly prescribed thyroid medication but only contains T4, a precursor to T3, our main “energy” hormone. T4 is converted to T3 in the body, predominantly in the liver and gut but in many people, this doesn’t always happen due to stress, nutrient deficiencies, and other factors, so we can continue to feel exhausted despite normal T4 levels- natural medicine can again support these factors and improve your perameters.
If you continue to be fatigued while on medications, you can have your doctor or myself test your free T3 levels, (and reverse T3, although sometimes it’s not necessary). You may then benefit from looking at nutrients to support thyroid conversion, look at the health of the conversion sites (liver and gut) or look at alternatives to thyroxine itself.
I hope that this post gave you some interesting insights to think about – do contact me for more info or to arrange an appointment to support your individual health needs – my number is 0438 989 607 and I look forward to hearing from you,
Victoria xxxx
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