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0:00
Adrenal
0:00
Fatigue versus low thyroid
0:02
function. Are you feeling fatigued,
0:04
sluggish and struggling with
0:07
losing weight? Have you been
0:07
trying to take steps to address
0:10
your sluggish thyroid but still
0:10
not helping? Then you have to
0:14
really think about the adrenal
0:14
glands. Thyroid dysfunction is
0:18
fairly common these days, and
0:18
yet it always is not as simple
0:23
as what you think with one organ
0:23
only malfunctioning. What most
0:27
people don't understand is that
0:27
hypothyroidism, or low thyroid
0:31
function can actually be primary
0:31
or secondary. Primary
0:36
Hypothyroidism means that low
0:36
thyroid function comes first in
0:40
order of development. So when
0:40
this occurs, it means that the
0:43
thyroid can't make hormones like
0:43
T3 and T4, because the gland
0:47
itself is unhealthy. And this
0:47
can be caused by a variety of
0:51
conditions, but the most common
0:51
is Hashimotos Thyroiditis. And
0:56
this is a condition where your
0:56
immune system attacks and
0:59
destroys its own thyroid gland.
0:59
With secondary hypothyroidism,
1:05
the low thyroid function
1:05
develops as a result of changes
1:08
in other parts of the body. So
1:08
if you're undergoing therapy for
1:12
an underactive thyroid and still
1:12
have symptoms like fatigue, dry
1:16
skin, weight gain, low body
1:16
temperature, then you kind of
1:18
want to think about secondary
1:18
hypothyroidism, meaning you're
1:22
not really getting to the root
1:22
cause. Secondary hypothyroidism
1:26
can be linked with the pituitary
1:26
gland, or the hypothalamus
1:30
issues or taking certain
1:30
medications. It's also linked to
1:35
non-thyroidal illness syndrome,
1:35
where the TSH levels and the
1:40
thyroid stimulating hormone
1:40
levels and the structure of the
1:42
thyroid gland can actually look
1:42
normal alongside physical signs
1:46
of hypothyroidism. And one
1:46
common one is secondary
1:51
hypothyroidism. It can also
1:51
occur as a result of Adrenal
1:55
Fatigue Syndrome. This is a
1:55
little known condition that
1:59
occurs when chronic stress
1:59
causes adrenal glands to
2:02
malfunction. And a lot of the
2:02
symptoms do overlap with
2:06
hypothyroidism such as fatigue,
2:06
unexplained weight gain, cold
2:11
sensitivity, dry skin, thinning
2:11
hair, brain fog, slow thinking,
2:15
low body temperature, and mood
2:15
instabilities. So because the
2:21
symptoms and conditions are so
2:21
similar, it can really be
2:24
difficult to identify what's
2:24
truly going on in your body, as
2:28
low thyroid function is also
2:28
very common with adrenal
2:31
fatigue, because adrenal glands
2:31
and the thyroids are both part
2:35
of the hormonal circuit. And
2:35
this means that when the adrenal
2:39
glands get tired and fatigued,
2:39
and they become dysfunctional,
2:43
it can also cause the health of
2:43
the thyroid gland to degrade.
2:47
Blood testing can help to
2:47
identify whether your adrenal
2:50
hormones are out of balance. But
2:50
these aren't always guaranteed
2:56
that you're free from Adrenal
2:56
imbalance, they can look at your
3:00
thyroid health. But if you want
3:00
to see your adrenal testing,
3:04
saliva tests are a little
3:04
better, because they can
3:07
actually measure levels of the
3:07
free inactive cortisol
3:10
throughout the day, in addition
3:10
to DHEA, and the free and active
3:14
hormones as to how your adrenals
3:14
are functioning. So whether you
3:20
have primary or secondary
3:20
hypothyroidism, you definitely
3:23
need to still take steps to
3:23
improve both the thyroid
3:26
function and the adrenals. And
3:26
the first step is to test for
3:29
the root cause. So some blood
3:29
tests that you can do are the
3:33
thyroid stimulating hormone, TSH
3:33
and knowing that there are
3:38
optimal ranges for these and not
3:38
just normal ranges that the labs
3:41
give you. So you can ask your
3:41
doctor about that.
3:45
You also want to get tested for
3:45
T3 and T4. Those are different
3:51
hormones that your thyroid
3:51
produces. And also some
3:54
antibodies like thyroid
3:54
peroxidase antibodies, thyroid
3:57
globulin antibodies, as these
3:57
are the autoimmune antibodies
4:00
that could cause the Primary
4:00
Hypothyroidism. In addition, I
4:04
always like to add on reverse T3
4:04
to see where your thyroid is
4:09
putting the brakes on, because
4:09
of the reverse T3 is greater
4:12
than 15. Then I start thinking
4:12
about adrenal issues in addition
4:17
to the thyroid. So once that's
4:17
done, your thyroid hormones have
4:21
been found to be unbalanced, you
4:21
can start adopting strategies to
4:25
improve your thyroid function.
4:25
And some of those are detoxing
4:29
your body to get rid of the
4:29
toxins that affect thyroid
4:32
health. Maybe improving your
4:32
iodine intake or reducing your
4:36
stress and adopting strategies
4:36
to help you deal with them.
4:40
Improving gut health is very
4:40
key. With better diet
4:43
probiotics, prebiotics, choice
4:43
supplementing with iron,
4:49
potassium, zinc, selenium. In
4:49
addition to the iron or the
4:52
vitamin B's, E and H are
4:52
deficient and try eating a high
4:56
protein diet, increasing your
4:56
fat intake. And that's what we
5:01
would recommend for you. And so
5:01
if you'd like to hear more great
5:07
tips, make sure you click the
5:07
subscribe button also like and
5:09
share so that we can help others
5:09
know who we are. And if you're
5:14
suffering from the same issue,
5:14
we're here for you. We're here
5:16
to empower you to take control
5:16
over your health. And if you
5:19
have any questions about thyroid
5:19
testing, adrenal testing, just
5:22
give us a call.
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