10 Signs You Have A Thyroid Problem
And 10 Things You Can Do About It) 

It's estimated that as many as 25 million Americans have a thyroid problem, and half of them have no idea that they do.Hypothyroidism, or an under-active thyroid, accounts for 90% of all thyroid imbalances.

The thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland in the center of your neck, is the master gland of metabolism. How well your thyroid is functioning is inter-related with every system in your body. If your thyroid is not running optimally, then neither are you.

Here are 10 signs that you could have an underactive thyroid:

1. Fatigue after sleeping 8 to 10 hours a night or needing to take a nap daily. 

2. Weight gain or the inability to lose weight. 

3. Mood issues such as mood swings, anxiety or depression. 

4. Hormone imbalances such as PMS, irregular periods, infertility and low  
    sex drive. 

5. Muscle pain, joint pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, or tendonitis. 

6. Cold hands and feet, feeling cold when others are not, or having a body 
    temperature consistently below 98.5. 

7. Dry or cracking skin, brittle nails and excessive hair loss. 

8. Constipation. 

9. Mind issues such as brain fog, poor concentration or poor memory. 

10. Neck swelling, snoring or hoarse voice. 

How does you thyroid gland work?
Thyroid hormone production is regulated by a feedback loop between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and the thyroid gland. Hypothalamic thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulates pituitary thyrotropin (TSH) synthesis and secretion. 

In turn, TSH stimulates production and release of T4 and T3 from the thyroid gland. When enough T4 is produced, it signals to TRH and TSH that there is enough thyroid hormone in circulation and not to produce more. 

About 85% of the hormone produced by our thyroid gland is T4, which is an inactive form of the hormone. After T4 is made, a small amount of it is converted into T3, which is the active form of thyroid hormone.

        - The role of Reverse T3 is not well known,
                                  however, I do see it elevated in persons under extreme stress...-

To complicate matters, T3 also gets converted into either Free T3 (FT3) or Reverse T3 (RT3). It's the Free T3 that really matters in all of this, since it's the only hormone that can attach to a receptor and cause your metabolism to rise, keep you warm, keep your bowels moving, mind working, and other hormones in check. The role of Reverse T3 is not well known, however, I do see it elevated in persons under extreme stress and those who have mercury toxicity.

And finally, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease, is the most common form of hypothyroidism and its numbers are rising annually. An autoimmune disease is one in which your body turns on itself and begins to attack a certain organ or tissue believing its foreign. 

I routinely screen all of my patients for autoimmune thyroid disease by ordering Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOAb) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb). 

Why is hypothyroidism so under diagnosed in the USA?
Many symptoms of thyroid imbalance are vague and most doctors spend only a few minutes talking with patients to sort out the cause of their complaint. 

Most conventional doctors use only one or two tests (TSH and T4) to screen for problems. They are not checking FT3, RT3 or thyroid antibodies.

Most conventional doctors use the ‘normal’ lab reference range as their guide only. Rather than listening to their patients symptoms, they use ‘optimal’ lab values and temperature as their guide.

What are 10 things you can do to improve your thyroid function?

1. Make sure you are taking a high quality multivitamin with Iodine, Zinc,  
    Selenium, Iron, Vitamin D and B vitamins. 

​2. Take a tyrosine and iodine supplement to help with the FT4 to FT3 
    conversion. 

3. Go gluten-free! If you have Hashimoto’s, try going completely grain and 
    legume free. 

4. Deal with your stress and support your adrenal glands. The adrenal glands 
    and thyroid work hand and hand. I recommend restorative yoga and 
    adaptogenic herbs, which support the adrenal glands in coping with stress. 

5. Get 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night. 

6. Have a biological dentist safely remove any amalgam fillings you may 
    have. 

7. Watch your intake of cruciferous vegetables. There is a bit of a debate 
    surrounding this. 

8. Get fluoride, bromide and chlorine out of your diet and environment. 

9. Heal your gut. A properly functioning digestive system (gut) is critical to 
    good health. 

10. Find a functional medicine doctor in your area and have them run the 
    above laboratory test and work with you to find our root cause of the  
    thyroid imbalance.

What is a Cleanse? Why is Cleansing Helpful? Who Should Cleanse? 

What is a Cleanse? There are many different cleanses out there. The most extreme forms are juicing, water fasting and the Master Cleanse. Although these can be beneficial ways to cleanse, they are not appropriate for everyone or necessary for most people due to the extreme nature of the cleanses. Dr. Edwards’ cleanse philosophy is based on the teaching of sustainable habits rather than extreme measures. His seasonal cleanses are based on eating whole foods, following an anti-inflammatory diet, eliminating common food sensitivities and using key detox nutrients and herbs along with lifestyle recommendations to increase your body’s natural ability to clean and detox. Basically, cleanses give your body a break from food substances that commonly compromise health and will help your body to eliminate toxins that may be accumulating from environmental and lifestyle exposure. Wondering if your environment is toxic? Keep reading!

Why is Cleansing Helpful? Your body has natural routes of detoxification and built in mechanisms for cleansing itself.These are often overwhelmed by the modern environment because they evolved in a much simpler world. These routes include your: liver, gastrointestinal tract, lungs, kidneys/bladder, and skin. Detoxification also happens at a cellular, biochemical level.

Think about an average day. First thing in the morning you take a shower. What does your shampoo and soap have in it? Your cosmetics? Do you recognize all the ingredients? Most personal care products contain chemicals that our bodies do not need and have to eliminate through one or more of the above routes. Think about the strong smells of new cars, new furniture, paint, detergents and cleaning products. Most of these are also laden with toxins your body has to deal with. Are you eating foods grown with pesticides and artificial fertilizers? Do they have preservatives in them? Rancid oils? Are you eating a food you are sensitive to? What about the water you are drinking and air you are breathing? These can all be sources of toxins. Stress and our general mental emotional state can also contribute to the toxic burden in our bodies and the suboptimal functioning of your body’s normal routes of elimination. When the routes of elimination and detoxificaiton become over burderned, the toxins accumulate in your body and cause problems for the normal function of your cells, tissues, organs and whole body. Sometimes this overwhelm of the body results in a variety of fatigue, illness, disease, and other times it results in the slow decrease of function we often attribute simply to aging. The effects can be insidious. You might be used to how you feel but when was the last time you felt awesome? Or maybe you do feel awesome but want some tools to make sure you continue to feel that way.

Who Should Cleanse? A gentle seasonal cleanse is appropriate for most people and practically everyone benefits from them? Dr. Edwards has seen chronic health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, chronic fatigue, high blood pressure, many autoimmune conditions and depression, just to name a few, improve due to cleanses. Cleanses are even beneficial for those of you that are basically healthy but want to optimize your health and practice preventive medicine.

Seasonal Cleanses: Seasonal cleanses each year; are the Fall Preparation Cleanse, the Winter Renewal Cleanse, and the Spring/Summer Invigoration Cleanse. These Cleanses all involve nutrient dense, whole foods based, anti-inflammatory eating plans (no fasting or going hungry) designed to help each participant feel his/her best and to identify common food sensitivities which may be compromising optimal health. Unique to each Seasonal Cleanse are food and lifestyle recommendations as well as supplements specific to the time of year and theme for that cleanse. Various health topics are addressed and discussed during each season; there is always something to learn for experienced as well as new cleansers.
Each cleanse begins with an in-depth discussion of an anti-inflammatory, season appropriate eating plan takes place. This is a fantastic opportunity to ask any nutrition questions you might have whether or not they are directly related to the current Cleanse. You will also be walked through the components of the Cleanse, including seasonal hydrotherapy, supplements and other lifestyle recommendations. Dr. Edwards enjoys using these meetings as teaching opportunities to share a variety of health information with participants. Past topics have included inflammation, blood sugar, aging and anti-aging, cancer and weight loss. At the end of the Cleanse, participants will learn how to reintroduce foods in a manner that will allow them to identify food sensitivities and clearly experience how different foods affect their mood and energy level. This is also an opportunity to share experiences, ask questions, and set post-cleanse goals. During the Cleanse, Dr. Edwards supports participants by phone and e-mail.

For more information call: 215-966-8774.