The Delicate (and extraordinary) Thyroid Gland

This delicate gland sits at the front of the throat and does an extraordinary job, in cahoots with the Hypothalamus, to maintain and regulate your temperature, metabolism and overall drive.

However it can be easily upset and thrown out of balance into either a hyper (high) or hypo (low) functioning state, especially for women.

There are so many delicate factors that need to be in harmony for the thyroid gland to be functioning at an optimal level. One of the most imortant factors is making sure the body has the the right amount of micro nutrients for the thyroid to create thyroid hormone such as iodine, copper, selenium and zinc.

Alas different pathology labs have different ideas about what a "normal" range should be for thyroid hormone tests. Which means a person may have felt exhausted, cold, flat, or even anxious, ravenous, and too thin for a long time, but they are informed by their doctors that their hormone levels are "normal".

When I am scanning over patients blood tests, I am eternally grateful for the enormous contribution that Clare Pyers has made to Chinese medicine with her invaluable published text "Integrative TCM guide." This book spells out every lab tests, and what the integrative approach is to looking at smaller values to dig deep into what is going on for the patient, both from a western and TCM perspective. ⠀

This has been so helpful in clinic, especially when looking at thyroid hormone blood tests, and it makes me wonder how many people are out there feeling crummy because their thyroid is struggling, and yet have been told their thyroid is fine? ⠀