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Thyroid Treatment for Weight Loss: What Works and What Doesn’t

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The thyroid is a vital part of our body’s ability to regulate our body weight, as the thyroid gland produces hormones that impacts our metabolism, energy levels and fat deposits. If the hormone is not naturally produced in the correct quantities, it can lead to weight gain, or even other issues like heart problems or high cholesterol.

How Thyroid Hormones Affect Weight

There are typically three different disorders associated with thyroids, where the most common is hypothyroidism which is an underactive thyroid which causes weight gain due to a slowing of the metabolism.

 On the other hand, an overactive thyroid will speed up the metabolism, which can often lead to weight loss that can feel unexpected. The third is a more rare disorder by the name of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, which is an autoimmune disorder that is known to cause hypothyroidism.

 The thyroid hormones known as T3 and T4 are created in the thyroid and then released from there, which in normally functioning humans will work in synergy with what the body needs. This typically happens in conjunction with a healthy diet, where iodine, zinc and selenium are known to have a positive effect on the thyroid.

 Certain medications such as levothyroxine or liothyronine for instance can restore the function of a regular metabolism, and while some people consider it a weight loss drug, it only corrects imbalances already there because of the incorrect levels of T3 and T4 hormones.

 As evidenced by facilities offering thyroid care in New Albany for instance, a combination of a healthy diet, the correct dose of medications and a lifestyle change that includes exercise, tools for managing stress and correcting any problematic sleep patterns, will often lead to fixing thyroid issues.

It is however important that each patient is tested for TSH, T3, T4 and typically also thyroid antibodies in order to identify the specific imbalances if at all present. This will then lead to a personal treatment plan, where the key is to continually monitor progress, in order to adjust if any unforeseen circumstances happen, or the hormone levels change over time.

Ineffective Approaches

As part of research done with thyroid testing New Albany, certain ineffective approaches have also been discovered and should thus be avoided in order to prevent further complications or setbacks in managing weight and thyroid health.

 Taking thyroid medication without a proper diagnosis and the tests involved can cause serious health risks. There have been several cases of patients suffering from heart problems due to self medicating or taking the wrong doses without checking in with a professional.

 In recent years there has also been spread some misinformation online, in terms of social media posts where extreme dieting consisting of none or very few calories have been popularized. This can have an adverse effect on weight loss however, as the metabolism can slow down even further as a result of the body coping with less nutrients.

 While supplements such as iodine, zinc, selenium and certain vitamins are known to be important factors in supporting a healthy thyroid function, simply taking these supplements without consulting a specialist can lead to complications or further imbalance the hormone levels.

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