Hypothyroidism, or an under active thyroid, can have symptoms that show up over time and is prevalent among women ages 60 and older, particularly after menopause. Your thyroid either isn’t making enough of your thyroid hormones or it’s not releasing enough of the hormones. We can do lab work to get a baseline for your TSH, T3 (the active form), and T4 (the stored form) levels, see if your body’s converting the stored form to active form, and determine a course of treatment that’s right for you.
Often people with thyroid hormone levels in the lower end of the “normal” range are left untreated by primary care doctors despite complaints of symptoms such as brittle nails, always feeling cold and sluggish. You don’t have it live with these and other symptoms any longer. Let’s get you on the path to feeling your best!
We hear the word ‘normal’ thrown around a lot when talking about thyroid and hormone levels in general. Normal is looking at averages, but averages aren’t optimal, and averages don’t often equate to you feeling your best. Blood work is a great place to start and gives us a framework but how you feel is just as important as what the numbers have to say.
With the addition of a thyroid hormone medication (like Levothyroxine or Synthroid) or natural supplements, your thyroid levels will begin to improve rapidly. It may take a little bit of time to notice an improvement some of your symptoms, but it will come.
After reviewing your lab results and hearing from you where you want to see improvement, I can put together a plan. I use bio-identical hormones, meaning these hormones chemically are identical to what your body produces but are derived from natural plant sources. We’ll start slow, monitoring your progress and doing follow-up labs as needed.
Once you get started on thyroid hormone optimization it becomes an ongoing treatment path, meaning you’ll be taking a bio-identical medication or using supplementation for the rest of your life to maintain optimal levels. If you back off of your treatment plan your previous symptoms are likely to return.
Giving your body the thyroid boost it needs.
Your body may not be producing an adequate amount of thyroid hormones for a variety of reasons; supplementing with a bio-identical hormone can bring your levels into better equilibrium and eliminate your unwanted symptoms. Most people take their thyroid medication first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, making sure not to ingest any food, beverages, or other medications for at least 45 minutes before or after their thyroid medication.
Like to enjoy your coffee in the morning? Maybe you’re better off taking your medication if you get up to use the restroom during the night. As long as you have a consistent schedule that works into your lifestyle you’re more likely to adhere to your treatment and enjoy the benefits.
