How Thyroid Health Affects The Immune System

Taking a Proactive Approach to Your Health is the Best Defense for Your Immune System

There are different aspects to building a strong immune system, and all are equally important to increase resistance and create resilience. These can include:

• Getting plenty of quality restorative sleep
• Optimizing nutrition
• Exercise
• Creating a healthy gut microbiome
• Reducing stress and spending quality time with loved ones

Ensuring that your hormones are balanced is equally important, since these are the chemical messengers that our brains and bodies use to communicate with each other and achieve optimal health. The thyroid gland is particularly important since it regulates the metabolism and energy levels. It is also the “detox” hormone, and if it’s underperforming, can make you more prone to acute infections and chronic illness.

Our providers at Renewed Vitality offer very comprehensive lab testing which looks at overall health of the immune system, inflammation levels, organ function, and imbalances in the endocrine system.

Thyroid Fundamentals

The thyroid gland is a small butterfly shaped organ in the front of your neck. It is critical for your overall health and drives the metabolic rate of every cell in your body. Thyroid is a master hormone. It regulates temperature, metabolism, and cerebral function. It is a massive contributor to energy levels and the body’s ability to maintain a constant temperature. Thyroid hormone helps remove cellular waste, increases fat breakdown, improves hair growth of the scalp and eyebrows, and reduce cholesterol levels and body weight. It is vital in the prevention of cognitive deterioration. Thyroid hormone is critical for fertility in women. Many women who go through expensive infertility treatments simply need thyroid hormone replacement. Think of the thyroid hormone as the overseer of the body, telling all the other organs to get to work!

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is the most common type of thyroid disorder treated at Renewed Vitality. Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland is not providing enough thyroid hormone to adequately drive the metabolism of the body, causing symptoms associated with a slow metabolism. Studies show that over 50 million Americans have this all too common medical condition. Hypothyroidism is much more prevalent than most people realize. Millions of people suffer from common symptoms of an underactive thyroid gland and may not realize that their symptoms are caused from an underactive thyroid gland.

Common Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

• Fatigue or lack of energy
• Weight gain and/or difficulty losing weight
• Weakness
• Dry, coarse hair
• Dry skin
• Hair loss
• Cold intolerance
• Cold hands and feet
• Muscle cramps
• Frequent muscle aches
• Constipation
• Depression
• Irritability
• Memory loss
• Abnormal menstrual cycles
• Decreased libido

Most individuals have varying combinations and severity levels of these symptoms. If you have some of these symptoms, it’s a good idea to be tested. Even if you have been tested before and were told that your thyroid levels are “normal,” but you’re still having symptoms, our providers can help you.

At Renewed Vitality, we do a thorough panel of tests to check out every aspect of thyroid hormone production and its utilization in the body. Our providers will check TSH, Free T3, Free T4, Reverse T3, and also check for the presence of antibodies which could indicate a diagnosis of Hashimoto’s Disease. (If a provider is not looking at your antibodies, the root cause of your hypothyroidism may be missed completely). Our providers are well-educated and stay up to date in order to help our patients heal. We do not use antiquated systems of testing nor reading the results of those tests, which unfortunately, are fairly common among the medical community.

Contact Us for a Thyroid Consultation

Call 214-389-1234

Diagnosis of Hypothyroidism

It is common practice in the medical field to only do surface level testing for hypothyroidism. Frequently, the only blood test recommended is the Thyroid Stimulating Hormone test. It is often assumed that if the pituitary is functioning and telling the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormones (via TSH), that there will be adequate amounts of active thyroid hormone in the body and that everything is fine. Some physicians will do a little deeper testing and check T3 and T4 levels. However, even when proper testing is done the reference range for what is considered normal is so wide, a patient can still be within in the “normal” range, and be feeling terrible because they don’t have the optimum levels of active thyroid hormones in their body necessary for their own individual needs.

In the event that a patient is diagnosed with hypothyroidism, the standard treatment is to prescribe a synthetic form of T4 which sometimes doesn’t get converted into T3, the active form of thyroid hormone. Or worse is converted to Reverse T3 which further aggravates the symptoms of hypothyroidism.  This is why so many people come through the doors of Renewed Vitality after years of not knowing why they feel awful, or after years of ineffective treatment.

The Renewed Vitality Solution for Hypothyroidism

Our providers have been working with thyroid disorders for years. As a result, we do extremely thorough testing when checking the health of the thyroid gland and availability of active thyroid hormone in the body. In addition to thorough testing, Renewed Vitality will do a physical examination to look for telltale signs of hypothyroidism. We will also listen to the symptoms you have been experiencing and investigate until we find the root cause of the problem.

Once the diagnosis for hypothyroidism has been made your individualized treatment plan will be created and implemented. The goal of thyroid hormone replacement therapy is to compensate for the lack of hormone secreted by your thyroid gland. There are a wide variety of types and forms of replacement thyroid hormone. But it’s important to understand that every patient’s therapy will be different. There’s no set treatment plan when it comes to thyroid hormone replacement therapy. How the body absorbs the hormones, along with the amount of hormone that it needs is quite varied. Your treatment plan will be individualized based exactly on your lab results and symptoms. As such, you should expect that we will adjust dosage and forms of therapy until we have the optimal formula for you.

At Renewed Vitality we take pride and joy in having helped hundreds of people successfully overcome hypothyroidism and restoring them back to their healthy and energetic life they once enjoyed!

Hashimoto’s Disease

Hashimoto’s Disease was the first disease to be recognized as an autoimmune disorder. It was discovered in 1912 in Japan by Dr. Kakaru Hashimoto. Hashimoto’s occurs when the immune system views the thyroid gland as a foreign intruder and sets out to destroy it. It can at first be characterized by alternating occurrences of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. Symptoms of hyperthyroidism occur when the thyroid cells are destroyed and reserved thyroid hormone is released into the bloodstream. Symptoms of hypothyroidism occur when there simply isn’t enough thyroid hormone because the gland is slowly being degraded and is unable to function correctly.

Thyroid peroxidase (TPO) is an enzyme typically occurring in a healthy thyroid gland. TPO is integral in the creation of thyroid hormones.   In patients with Hashimoto’s Disease the immune system makes antibodies against TPO that mistakenly attack the healthy tissue.   If TPO antibodies are present in blood samples it suggests that the cause of thyroid disease is an autoimmune disorder, such as Hashimoto’s Disease. Most individuals with Hashimoto’s Disease will have elevated TPO levels; however, some may not, especially in the early stages.

Hashimoto’s can come from insufficient iodine, selenium, iron and zinc. It can also be caused because of a compromised immune system, compromised gut health, and food insensitivities. A comprehensive approach to treating Hashimoto’s Disease includes supplementing the thyroid hormone and addressing the underlying cause of the autoimmune reaction. It is also likely that other hormones will be lacking or off balance because they are influenced by the thyroid hormone. The hormones DHEA, testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, and others should be checked and adjusted as needed. 

Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism is when the thyroid gland is overactive and too much T3 and T4 is produced. Symptoms include panic attacks, shortness of breath, increased heart rate, shaky hands, continual diarrhea, unexplained weight loss, irritability, excessive hair loss, unrelenting sweating, severe muscle fatigue, and sleep problems that leads to relentless exhaustion. Hyperthyroidism occurs more frequently in women than men, and usually in the 40 to 60 age range. It is often misdiagnosed as anxiety and cardiac disorders. If left untreated it can lead to thyroid storm (thyrotoxicosis). Thyrotoxicosis can be fatal. Symptoms include high fevers, abnormally fast heart rate, queasiness and vomiting, shakiness, agitation, and psychosis.

Hyperthyroidism is diagnosed though in-depth laboratory testing, physical examination, and investigation of health history and symptom evaluation. There are several treatment options that our providers will help you explore and implement. These include diet modification especially removing corn, wheat/gluten, soy, dairy, sugar, artificial sweeteners, yeast, anything that is genetically modified, and minimizing cruciferous veggies and/or cooking them.

Graves’ Disease is an autoimmune disorder that can cause Hyperthyroidism. If Graves’ isn’t treated correctly, it can cause serious complications. If you are having any of the symptoms mentioned above, rest assured that we will also check for antibodies which would confirm a Graves’ diagnosis, so that you are treated effectively and safely. 

There are medications that may be used to inhibit the production of thyroid hormones. In clinical studies, L-carnitine supplementation has been shown to help prevent or reverse muscle weakness and other symptoms in individuals suffering from hyperthyroidism. Radiation or surgery is always a last resort.

Free Phone Consultation with our New Patient Coordinator

Renewed Vitality is a place of hope. Our knowledgeable providers are experts in their field and take the time to find the underlying causes of hormonal imbalances and illness. We will work with you using proven, scientific-based technology, in a warm and compassionate environment, to help you restore your health so that you can live a life of vitality and wellness.

Please contact our New Patient Coordinator for your Free Phone Consultation. She can answer any questions or concerns that you may have and give you additional information about our providers, our protocols and fees, what is covered by insurance and what is not and any other details you may need. She can also get you booked for your first appointments, if you decide we are a good fit for you. There are no obligations to book an appointment. Please call 214-740-4703 to learn more, or complete the form below, and we will contact you. We would love to help you!