10 Signs you might have Hyperthyroidism

Have you unexpectedly lost weight? Do you have a rapid heartbeat? Do you struggle with anxiety, irritability and heat sensitivity? If you answered yes to these questions, there’s a chance you could be suffering from an overactive thyroid, or Hyperthyroidism.

Women are more likely to suffer from hyperthyroidism than men — as many as 1 in 50 women in Australia will experience overactive thyroid issues.

What is Hyperthyroidism?

Hyperthyroidism is when the thyroid becomes overactive and releases too much T3 and T4 into the bloodstream. If you have too much thyroid hormone (thyroxine) circulating in your bloodstream, your metabolism is continually ‘revved up’.

What are the symptoms of Hyperthyroidism?

Hyperthyroidism develops slowly, so many people don’t recognise the early signs. However, if you experience the following symptoms, you could be suffering from Hyperthyroidism:

1. Weight loss (even with increased appetite)

2. Swelling at the base of the neck (where the thyroid gland is located)

3. Excessive sweating or intolerance to heat

4. Anxiety or nervousness

5. Muscle weakness

6. Tremors or shaking

7. Increased heart rate or palpitations

8. Infertility in women or infrequent menstruation

9. Raised, thickened skin over the shins, tops of feet, back, hands or face

10. Bulging eyes

What causes Hyperthyroidism?

There are many causes of Hyperthyroidism, but the most common is the autoimmune condition Graves’ disease. Other causes include:

• Stress (including pregnancy)

• Excessive iodine

• Inflammation of the thyroid

• Benign tumours of the thyroid

• Overuse of antibiotics

What is Graves’ disease?

Graves’ disease is an autoimmune condition in which antibodies attack your thyroid, causing it to make excessive amounts of thyroid hormone. These antibodies are called thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulins (TSIs).

Graves’ disease usually starts in young to mid-adult life, but can sometimes occur in kids, teenagers and the elderly. It’s much more common in women than men.

About one-third of people who have Graves’ disease show symptoms of Graves’ ophthalmopathy. This is where inflammation affects the muscles and other tissues around your eyes. This may result in bulging, red, or puffy eyes, as well as light sensitivity, double vision and sometimes vision loss.

The medical approach to treating Graves’ Disease is to use drugs to suppress your thyroid’s production of thyroid hormone for up to 12 months. This treats the symptoms (thyroid hormone production), but doesn’t get to the bottom of why your immune system is attacking your thyroid in the first place.

What should I do if I think I have Hyperthyroidism?

The steps for healing Hyperthyroidism (overactive) and Hypothyroidism (underactive) conditions are actually very similar.

1. Get tested

If you are experiencing a combination of some of these symptoms, there’s a chance you may have a thyroid problem. The first thing you need to do is get tested. But, before you do, read my blog on why your thyroid test might be wrong. Instead, ask your Naturopath for a referral to have the following tested:

• TSH

• Free T4

• Free T3

• Thyroid Antibodies

• Reverse T3

This will tell the full story of what is happening with your thyroid and uncover any underlying conditions that might be affecting its hormone production.

2. Take a look at your diet

Once you confirm that you have an overactive thyroid, it’s important to take a look at your diet. We recommend our modified elimination diet as the first step in reducing foods that may place a strain on your gut and your immune system. It involves:

• Avoiding caffeine and alcohol

• Cutting out sugar and other refined foods — sugar places undue stress on your thyroid and adrenal glands.

• Increasing your protein intake — make sure to have a good balance of protein to complex carbohydrates, as well as good fats.

• Plus, boosting your intake of these thyroid-loving foods.

3. Make some changes to your lifestyle

There are some simple, but effective changes to your lifestyle which can help to maintain optimum thyroid function.

• Reduce your stress — find ways to de-stress and relax each day. Think a warm bath, going for a leisurely walk, getting a massage, yoga and meditating. This can help to alleviate the added pressure on a stressed thyroid. It’s also worth trying to reduce your overall stress levels by figuring out your triggers, managing your workload and asking for help when you need it.

• Regular exercise — moderate exercise a few days per week can help to naturally balance your system overall.

4. Take thyroid-calming Herbs

It is possible to calm your thyroid function, but it’s very hard to do through diet alone. There are several safe and effective herbal medicines that can really help to calm an overactive thyroid — my favourites are Bugleweed and Lemon Balm.
Our Naturopaths specialise in determining what your specific needs are so that you can be prescribed the right supplements and herbal medicines for you. Remember, overactive and underactive thyroid conditions need different treatment, so it is important to seek advice.

If you want to know more about how our Naturopaths can help treat Hyperthyroidism, you can call to book a free 15 minute chat with a Naturopath on (02) 4961 4075.

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Do you want to find out how natural health can help treat your thyroid condition and discover some of the super foods to eat and diet principles to follow to help balance your immune system?

Click here to access our free guide – Natural Remedies for Thyroid Health.