Thyroid Health

Despite sticking to his tried-and-true jogging and weight lifting routine, Mark noticed that he seemed to be losing muscle mass. Where his triceps once held his skin taut, flabbiness was starting to take over. But the real wake-up call came when he saw an older picture of himself. In the two years since the picture was taken, his pectoral areas had grown substantially—but it was all fat. When increasing his workouts didn’t help, Mark began to wonder if he had a health issue that he wasn’t aware of.

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is a powerful therapy made from plant-based hormones that are chemically identical to those produced by the body. BHRT is prescribed to treat a wide variety of hormone-related symptoms in both men and women, including those going through menopause or andropause and who have thyroid disorders or adrenal fatigue. Whether you need support due to natural hormonal transitions or a medical condition, BHRT can be a life-changing therapy that has helped people take control of their health and find a comfortable balance for over 30 years.

Thyroid conditions can be frustrating to discover. They masquerade as major depression, chronic fatigue, or even acid reflux, and produce any number of uncomfortable and confusing symptoms that may take months to notice and treat. If you’ve been recently diagnosed with a thyroid condition, it’s normal to feel scared, frustrated, or angry—it’s always difficult to make peace with the fact that our bodies sometimes don’t perform their normal functions as we need them to.

Thyroid disease is extremely common, affecting more than 27 million Americans. While it is important that a thyroid condition be managed by a doctor, you are your own best advocate for your health, and there is much you can do on your own to support your thyroid health. The foods you eat are an important factor that can have a major effect on your experience with thyroid disease. Certain foods can help you manage hypothyroidism, reduce the symptoms of fatigue, and balance your hormones while other foods can make the condition worse.

Many of the symptoms of hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) coincide with other conditions, allowing hypothyroidism to go undetected for quite some time. Changes in the menstrual cycle, constipation, depression, dry skin, hair loss, fatigue, and difficulty losing weight could be attributed to everything from menopause to normal aging. However, with the rates of thyroid disorders rising in recent decades, according to the American Thyroid Association (ATA), any potential thyroid symptoms should not be ignored. Left untreated, thyroid disorder increases the risk of certain serious conditions such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and infertility.

It’s a common story: your bone-numbing fatigue, inability to sleep, brain fog, aches and pains, headaches, depressed mood, hair loss, low sex drive, and the weight gain you can’t control—no matter how many calories you cut—finally drive you to the doctor. You’re diagnosed with hypothyroidism and given a prescription for levothyroxine, which you take faithfully. But the weeks go by, and you don’t feel any better.