“I feel terrible, so many health issues the list goes on and on, with no connection… skin irritation, weight gain, fatigue, oh and there are these heart palpitations, recently some hair loss. Maybe blood sugar issues? Oh yeah and my memory is terrible… Bowel movements? Oh sluggish, maybe a few times a week… I got my thyroid tested, and the doctor says I am healthy, but why do I feel so horrible? … Is it all in my head? I feel like I can’t think anymore… I just need to try harder to lose this weight. … Why can’t I just snap out of it? I guess I am just getting older.”

Holistic health practitioners hear the above statements all of the time. Clients are left feeling lost and ignored, maybe even start to think that it’s all in their head, while the body is truly in a deep state of imbalance. These symptoms may be a thyroid in the early stages of disease. A seemingly wide variety of issues with no connection can often be traced back to a struggling thyroid. This is largely because of its important role in the body and the involvement in so many processes throughout all of our organ systems.

The thyroid can be thought of as the hand that turns the dials on a good old-fashioned stereo equalizer. It can turn up the volume, turn down the base, change the treble, change the speed of the music and even adjust the balance between the right speaker and the left. It effects most of what we experience in life.

When the thyroid is turned down, many superficially separate bodily functions get down- regulated. In this instance, the thyroid has become “sluggish” or hypo, making one feel heavy, sluggish and weak. Now when things seem to be moving way too fast, like the music is blasting to a crazy techno beat, this is a sign that the thyroid has gone “hyper”. It can feel like pins and needles, sharp, buzzing and wired, but exhausted. I like to call this panic mode. Most often an endocrine gland will speed up for a time before it then collapses into hypo, almost like the organ is in a state of panic trying to get it together before it tanks. Both sides of the spectrum create disease throughout the body and balanced in between is where one feels healthy and vivacious. Often times a person’s quality of life rapidly declines, from a thyroid moving hyper or hypo, before the numbers from a lab test are able to reveal this early onset of disease.

The suspected thyroid issue that won’t show up on any tests is in fact very real. This is called subclinical.  Blood work is important and you should know your numbers. Lab tests are best used to track change over time. Numbers should be looked at not as individual stats for diagnoses, but together as a whole picture. More sensitive methods like the ones performed at our wellness center such as Nutrition Response Testing, hair analysis and an in-depth inquiry into one’s lifestyle and medical history can catch disease before it will show up in the numbers on standardized lab tests. This is a good thing that it does not show up in labs because treatment with patent medicine in these early cases is completely unwarranted. This is where “alternative” healing modalities truly excel. Subclinical thyroid disease is surprisingly common and very treatable through holistic methods.

Treatment of subclinical thyroid conditions can potentially reverse the progression before development of full-blown disease. If you already have a fully expressed thyroid disease, including an autoimmune condition, help is still out there. Many clients at Fast Track to Health have been extremely successful with the nutrition program. It combines herbs, whole food supplements and lifestyle changes that work synergistically with your current medications. The goal is to support the body in a way that allows it to more optimally utilize your pharmaceuticals, often allowing one to eventually go on a lower dosage. With time and diligence many clients are able to nourish and support their bodies in a way that rejuvenates the thyroid and possibly wean off their medications.

Functional health practices take time and some effort. However, true healing and recovery is possible. It’s important not to wait until health issues get bad enough to show up on tests. 

Stephanie Iannarone, founder of Fast Track to Health Wellness Center, is a board-certified Acupuncturist and Nutritionist in New York and New Jersey. Her expertise also includes Functional Medicine.

Fast Track to Health has two locations in South Jersey; 151 Fries Mill Rd., in Turnersville, and 415 New Rd., in Somers Point. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 609-736-0510 or visit FastTrackToHealth.net.