By Schuyler Corrigan

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January 25, 2022

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The thyroid gland is a small, butterfly-shaped gland in the front of the neck, and is an integral part of our complicated endocrine system. It plays a role in regulating our metabolism, controlling our body temperature, and supporting the balance of other hormones throughout our body. It is affected by things such as stress (acute and chronic), our sleep cycle, our environments, our diet, and also our genetic predisposition. Being a small and somewhat unassuming organ, we can sometimes overlook this essential organ when we experience certain chronic, daily symptoms. Our thyroid influences every tissue and organ system in the body and when there is a thyroid imbalance it can cause body-wide symptoms. Here are the 4 Things You Never Knew Your Thyroid Did For You:

 

1. Metabolism and weight regulation – this is a significant service your thyroid provides every day! Simplified, thyroid hormones affect carbohydrate metabolism and help your body burn fat, thus influencing your basal metabolic rate. One symptom of hypothyroidism (too little thyroid hormone) is weight gain, while in hyperthyroidism (too much thyroid hormone) weight loss may be a symptom. 

 

1. Regulating body temperature – Both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism have symptoms of body temperature dysregulation. If you often feel cold when others feel warm or vice versa, this could be a sign of a thyroid imbalance. One reason for this may be the thyroid’s effect on basal metabolic rate depending on the presence of too much or too little thyroid hormone. 

 

1. Supporting our stress and anxiety response – the thyroid is intricately connected to our HPA axis (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis) which is largely responsible for maintaining and responding to stress levels. One thing that can quickly throw off our thyroid function is periods of acute or chronic stress. 

 

1. Maintaining Energy balance – if you are frequently experiencing brain fog, overall fatigue, and muscle weakness, the thyroid is likely involved. Not only can our thyroid function affect our quality of sleep, but the thyroid releases hormones that our body uses to determine how much energy we need. This is really a feed-forward cycle that further emphasizes the importance of the background work our thyroid is doing every day.

 

Read More: Thyroid Imbalance

 

Thyroid health is one of the many areas that is supported by the naturopathic doctors here at Richmond Natural Medicine. Whether you have been diagnosed with an existing thyroid condition or are suspecting a possible thyroid imbalance, there are plenty of questions to ask and lab work to assess to further your knowledge about how to approach a personalized solution for you.

 

Read More: Assessment of Thyroid Function 

Read More: Thyroid Hormone Signaling in Energy Homeostasis & Energy Metabolism

If you need endocrine support or have any further questions about the thyroid, consider making an appointment with Dr. Gerep – one of our naturopathic doctors and endocrinology specialists