The thyroid gland and the brain have a close-knit relationship. This two-way street of communication helps to maintain hormonal harmony in the body. When circulating levels of thyroid hormone are low, the brain (via the hypothalamus and pituitary gland) secrete TRH and then TSH to stimulate the thyroid to produce more hormones until proper amounts are reached in circulation. This is why TSH levels are inversely associated with thyroid status— meaning the higher the number, the more hypothyroid. As with any relationship, this open communication is imperative to maintain the status as “in a relationship” instead of “it’s complicated”. When either party begins to disrupt communication, the relationship will struggle. Common reasons for brain-thyroid communication interruptions: Autoimmunity: One of the most common reasons(upwards of 95% of the time) for this includes thyroid damage related to Hashimoto’s (autoimmunity) in which the inflammatory damage is too great for the thyrocytes (cells in the thyroid) to properly produce adequate amounts of thyroid hormone. No matter how hard the brain works to produce TSH and stimulate the thyroid, the thyroid just can’t perform the task. HPA Axis dysfunction: the HPA-Axis stands for the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal axis. This brain-adrenal axis communicates directly to the thyroid gland. Stress...
The topic of exercise in the hypothyroidism ruffles a lot of feather. I get it though. When an OB/gyn, personal trainer, sports medicine specialist, orthopedist, chiropractor, neurologist, or any other... Read More
Hands up if you’ve been personally victimized by your thyroid on your pursuit of weight management! Weight gain/weight loss resistance is one of the most pervasive symptoms of hypothyroidism.... Read More
If I’ve not been clear enough about my stance on carbs, allow me to shout from the virtual rooftops that I am Team Carb… especially for my fellow hypothyroidism... Read More
Is your TSH normal but you still feel hypothyroid? Here’s a possible reason why… The thyroid hormone receptors in the brain versus those in the peripheral (extremities, organs, etc.)... Read More
Before there was technology to assess thyroid hormones in labs, there was this marker… Cholesterol! Almost a century ago, medical scientists in the 1930’s discovered that suboptimal levels of... Read More
Ah, the debate over broccoli (and other goitrogenic foods) and thyroid health dates back to the 1950’s when research came out about the negative effects of foods like cruciferous... Read More
By popular demand, I am going to share some books I find to be helpful support materials as you learn about your thyroid health. While books written by providers... Read More
This topic is a bit heavy, however, I want to introduce it as a means to educate you that if you’re still dealing with hypothyroid symptoms and your labs... Read More
Supporting your thyroid with supplements seems like a good idea, but there are a few cases in which blindly supplementing with well-marketed thyroid-specific products can actually do more harm... Read More
If you’ve actually gained weight from dieting and exercising, you’ll want to continue reading. Gosh, it’s so tempting, isn’t it? The whole eating-less, working out more to lose weight... Read More
A quick Google search of “diet for hypothyroidism” reveals 92,200,000 different results. Yikes, that’s a lot to sift through. Before you succumb to paralysis by analysis, try focusing on... Read More
Welcome back! I wanted to spend time in this Thyroid School newsletter discussing one of the most crucial, yet most skipped over, aspects of thyroid health… the T4 to T3... Read More
Overwhelmed with thyroid information? Trust me, I get it. There is SO much to know about the thyroid that you may find yourself getting a serious case of paralysis... Read More
Last Thyroid School email, I reviewed how to tell the difference between whether your hypothyroidism is autoimmune in nature or not. To review, autoimmunity is a problem when your immune... Read More
Thanks to all who attended the free community class! If you missed last week’s Thyroid School email and free class, be sure you sign up to join my free Thyroid School... Read More
We’re still on the topic of thyroid hormone PRODUCTION. Here is a little recap: Last Thyroid School email, I reviewed nutrient deficiencies— why they happen, how to identify them,... Read More
Hello again! Last TS email, I reviewed the most common nutritional deficiencies that can affect thyroid function from the production level. Production of thyroid hormone is the first step... Read More
This week, Thyroid School is covering some of the common root causes behind hypothyroidism including poor overall production and conversion. It’ll take a few weeks to review them all,... Read More
Last Thyroid School email, I introduced the different “types” of hypothyroidism. If you missed it, you can read more about it here. Identifying your root cause is step one... Read More
If you missed Thyroid School: Issue 1, you can find that here! Let’s chat about where thyroid hormone production truly begins… THE BRAIN! When levels of circulating thyroid hormone... Read More
Ah, the thyroid. Such a little gland with such a big impact on our bodies! The thyroid sits at the base of the neck and produces thyroid hormones that play a crucial role in... Read More
