Your thyroid is critical to your body functioning properly, including controlling your metabolism. Some form of thyroid disease affects an estimated 20 million people in the United States. Within thyroid diseases you have hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, with hypothyroidism being more common, affecting up to 4.3% of adults.
With this frequency, it’s likely you either deal with this yourself or know someone who does. It’s also unfortunate that an estimated 60% of people with the condition do not know they have the issue. Discover what hypothyroidism is and eight benefits you or your loved one can expect with hormone therapy to treat it.
Why Is Hypothyroidism?
Hypothyroidism means that your body is producing less thyroid hormone than it should. There is more than one hormone in the process, and it could be any one of them.
People experiencing hypothyroidism may experience:
- Unexplained weight gain
- Uncontrollable fatigue
- Constantly being cold
- Depression
- Slow movements and thoughts
- Constipation
- Muscle and joint aches
- Dry skin
- Low libido
- Brittle nails and hair
- Extremity pain, tingling, or numbness
Benefits of Thyroid Hormone Therapy
Hormone therapy introduces an external source for necessary hormones when your body has a problem producing them on its own. Consider these eight benefits of using hormone therapy for an underactive thyroid.
1. Improved Energy
Hormone therapy improves how you metabolize glucose, especially glucose available to the brain. The result is often an improvement in energy and an improved ability to stay awake.
2. Better Temperature Regulation
Thyroid hormones determine how much your blood vessels dilate. The more dilated they are, the more heat they’ll transport to the various parts of your body. Hypothyroidism prevents the vessels from dilating to their full extent, reducing your body’s heating capacity. Improving your thyroid hormone balance enables your body to better regulate your temperature.
3. Better Weight Regulation
Reduced thyroid hormone levels slow your metabolism, which simply means it doesn’t burn as many calories. By improving your hormone levels, you raise your basal metabolic rate, which is how much your body burns while at rest.
4. Healthy Libido
A common side effect of hypothyroidism is a reduced sex drive. This can, in part, be attributed to the weight gain and fatigue associated with hypothyroidism. Too little thyroid hormone can also reduce prolactin, leading to female dryness, causing pain during intercourse.
5. Fewer Aches and Pains
The slower metabolism associated with hypothyroidism can lead to inflammation around the joints, causing stiffness and pain. Increasing your thyroid hormone levels will help reduce your inflammation, easing this discomfort.
6. Improved Cognitive Function
The thyroid has two direct effects on cognitive function, including controlling the blood flowing through the vasculature system and the amount of glucose available in the brain. People with hypothyroidism have reduced amounts of glucose available, which the brain relies on to power its cells. Raising the hormone levels increases both blood flow and glucose levels, improving cognitive function, especially memory.
7. Better Mood
Thyroid hormones are also critical to the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin. Low serotonin is often blamed for anxiety and depression. Raising your hormone levels to a healthy level provides what your body needs to also have healthy neurotransmitter levels.
If you’re in the Louisville area, call (720) 328-1790 or schedule your initial consultation online with the hormone experts at ThriveMD to see if hormone therapy is right for you.
