Why Thyroid Testing Makes Sense

Do you have a health problem that you're struggling resolve? If so, get your thyroid tested!

As the thyroid gland produces hormones that regulate almost every cell in our body, there's a very good chance that you're experiencing a thyroid-related problem.

The Thyroflex thyroid test is a quick, non-invasive test which has been proven to accurately identify health issues which blood tests often fail to properly identify.

The hormones produced by the thyroid gland are called T4 & T3 and their job is to regulate the cells within our central nervous system, our heart, liver, kidneys, skin, bones and those within our muscles. Among the thyroid's most important functions is the control of our metabolic rate, thermogenesis, and oxygen consumption.

The thyroid gland is a bow-tie shaped gland which is located at the front of the neck, just below the Adam’s apple and around one in twenty people will experience some form of thyroid dysfunction in their lifetime. The risk of thyroid-related health issues increases as we age and women are more susceptible to thyroid-related health problems than men.

As the "master controller" of most bodily functions, an over-active or under-active thyroid gland can be the root cause of a broad range of health issues. This is why it makes sense to have your thyroid tested whenever you experience most health issues.

Goitre is an enlargement of the thyroid glad. A common cause of goitre is a shortage of iodine in the diet, especially in areas where the soil has little iodine.



If a person’s diet is too low in iodine, the pituitary gland constantly sends chemical messages to the thyroid gland, but without effect. This attempt to make more thyroid hormone causes the gland to get larger and larger.



This is also common with underactive thyroids, as the pituitary attempts to speed them up. Overactive thyroids can also produce goitres because their overactivity is often due to overstimulation. Goitres indicate a problem with the thyroid or iodine intake.



Common Thyroid Symptoms

Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)

An underactive thyroid releases too little T4 and T3 into the bloodstream, causing the metabolism to slow down too much. Common causes include poor conversion of T4 into T3 and Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune condition in which antibodies attack the thyroid gland. Symptoms include:

• Tired and sluggish, lethargic
• Dry hand and skin
• Increased need for sleep
• Weak muscles
• Constant feeling of cold (fingers/hands/feet)
• Frequent muscle cramps
• Poor memory
• Depressed (mood changes easily)
• Slow thinking
• Puffy eyes
• Hoarser or deeper voice
• Muscle and/or joint pain
• Constipation
• Coarse hair, hair loss, brittle hair
• Low sex drive
• Puffy hands and feet
• Unsteady gait (bump into things)
• Gain weight easily
• Thinning of outer eyebrow
• Higher cholesterol levels
• Carpel Tunnel Syndrome

Overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism)

An overactive thyroid releases too much T4 and T3 into the bloodstream, causing the metabolism to speed up too much. The most common cause is Graves’ disease. This is an autoimmune condition in which antibodies behave like TSH and stimulate the thyroid uncontrollably. Symptoms of an overactive thyroid include:

• Tachycardia (rapid heartbeat)
• Palpitation (skipping of heartbeat)
• Insomnia
• Shakiness
• Increased sweating
• Brittle nails
• Loss of appetite

Modern Thyroid Testing

The Thyroflex test is a quick, non-invasive test which has been proven to accurately

identify if the health issues you might be experiencing are related to your thyroid.

Standard blood tests often fail to properly identify thyroid function, they show how much

hormone is in the blood, not necessarily how well the thyroid hormones are working.

By measuring your brachioradialis reflex speed (reflex in the forearm) the Thyroflex test

identifies if your thyroid function is under or overactive or within optimal range.

The connection between slow reflexes and thyroid issues was made in the late 19th

century when doctors studying patients with hypothyroidism observed that clinically

hypothyroid individuals have very slow or absent tendon reflexes. And the speed at which

the reflex reaction occurs is an indictor of our metabolic function: the lower the speed of

conduction, the lower the metabolic function.

Functional pathology testing helps to get a complete picture of your thyroid hormones by

providing an extensive thyroid panel including TSH, Free T3, Free T4, Reverse T3 and

thyroid antibodies to fully understand your thyroid function.

If you suspect that you may have a thyroid problem then it is important to get it thoroughly

investigated.

Your Thyroid Health Practitioner

• Healthy Ageing (Anti-Ageing)
• Natural Hormone Balancing 
• Saliva & Urine Hormone testing for hormone imbalances
• Thyroid health checks 
• Thyroflex™ thyroid testing
• Skin Health & Cosmetic Nutrition
• Bio-Impedance Analysis to assess muscle mass, body fat and fluid levels
• Weight Management associated with hormone imbalances