You did your homework and tried every weight loss program you could find.
And nothing worked for your weight loss, or didn’t work for long.
You lost weight only to regain it. Or you sacrificed for months without shedding a pound.
They told you that you didn’t have will power, and you started to believe them.
You questioned yourself. Is this weight loss problem in my head or is it in my hormones?
Would you be surprised to learn that an estimated 30 million Americans are unsuccessful at weight loss because it is caused by a thyroid problem, and not to a lack of will power or discipline?
Weight Loss Is Regulated by the Thyroid
The thyroid gland is the primary regulator of your body’s metabolism.
If it does not function properly people can have weight loss as well as weight gaining issues.
It plays a distinct role in maintaining body temperature, can adjust the metabolic rate of every cell, controls neurotransmitters in the brain altering your moods, appetite, behavior and emotions.
When the thyroid isn’t doing its job, many people have significant hair loss, or feel cold even though it is warm. When emotions aren’t regulated the result is often depression, forgetfulness, irritability and weight loss problems.
An underactive thyroid can’t regulate your body’s rate of metabolism and you become overweight, suffering with weight loss problems, even if you only eat a little food.
If you have an underactive thryroid, without treatment weight loss seems hopeless.
Weight loss isn’t possible when your metabolism slows to a crawl. You feel fatigued, and your mind acts like it is in a fog.
It’s hard to focus and learn new things if you have a thyroid problem.
Most people do not realize how much thyroid imbalance can effect and change their quality of life.
If you are one of those who has struggled with weight loss for many years, you may find relief when you get the proper hormone testing.
Weight loss programs of any kind can be either unreliable or downright impossible when a normal thyroid is not available to regulate the weight at the desired level.
Are all weight loss problems thyroid or hormone related?
No, of course not. Thyroid problems are not the only reason people have excess weight or have difficulty with weight loss.
Weight Loss Won’t Happen Until the Thyroid Problem is Addressed
Only recently science determined that thyroid dysfunction has been the underlying cause of a wide range of diseases and conditions in addition to causing weight loss problems.
Many people have been misdiagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or senility because of foggy thinking brought on by thyroid imbalance.
Joint aches can result from a low thyroid and yet many people believe they have arthritis or are getting too old. And recent research confirms that even mild thyroid abnormalities can result in unpredictable weight loss or weight gain, despite good diet and exercise.
Could this be you?
Getting Your Thyroid Tested As a Step to Weight Loss
In the book Thyroid Mind Power, HowtoLearn.com Expert, Richard Shames, M.D., says “The majority of people who have a thyroid issue are still undiagnosed.
This is because mild or borderline thyroid problems do not show up on standard blood tests performed in routine doctor visits.”
So how do you determine if thyroid hormones are causing weight loss problems? Better thyroid and hormone testing is available, if you know how to look for it.
Since thyroid problems represent one of the most common of all medical disorders, the likelihood that your weight loss difficulty is thyroid related needs to be carefully considered.
Thyroid dysfunction has a high probability of being passed on through your family tree and with it, you may have weight loss problems.
If anyone in your family, especially your immediate family, has had a thyroid problem, then you are in line for a thyroid problem as well. It is just that simple. You may also struggle with weight loss or even be underweight.
Your family history is important to document, along with associated illnesses, and physical signs, and combined with a really detailed symptom list. Check all of these to see if they could be one of a combination of weight loss problems.
Richard Shames, M.D.
10 Signs that your Thyroid can be the cause of your Weight Loss problem
1. You have a family member with a thyroid problem. This is especially true if the family member in question was your mother, grandmother or aunt.
2. Associated autoimmune illnesses
3. Tendencies for migraine, carpal tunnel syndrome, and mitral valve prolapse will increase your likelihood of having a thyroid problem and possibly and accompanying weight loss problem.
4. Everything from colitis to diabetes, even having gray hair before age 40, could be a factor in increasing your chances of having a thyroid issue and a possible weight loss problem.
5. Being left-handed is an often forgotten risk factor increasing the likelihood that thyroid might be an issue for you and your weight loss (or gain) issues.
6. Cold Hands and Feet. People who have cold hands and feet, puffiness around the eyes, loss of the outer eyebrows and teeth indentations on the tongue are frequently people who have a thyroid issue and with it, a weight loss problem.
7. Body Temperature. One of the main physical signs is, of course, your body temperature.
It is a symptom of low thyroid to have a sensation of frequently being chilly and with it, you may experience a weight loss issue too.
Measure your temperature with a thermometer. If you are a person who has a body temperature consistently below 98.6° then you are someone who wants to think carefully about a possible thyroid test so that you can get a proper diagnosis. People with lower body temperatures often suffer from weight loss problems too.
8. Exhibiting Cardinal Symptoms of Thyroid. Consider the possibility of a thyroid problem when you have more than one of any of these typical cardinal thyroid symptoms:
- fatigue
- depression
- dry hair
- dry skin
- thinning hair
- high blood pressure
- high cholesterol
- low libido
9. Female conditions like irregular periods, PMS, endometriosis infertility, recurrent miscarriage, or difficult menopause.
10. Energy dropouts later in the day and continued weight gain despite good diet and exercise.
If you have a variety of these symptoms, some of the family history, a related illness, or a few of the physical signs, then you may rightfully suspect a thyroid and or hormone problem is related to your weight loss issue.
The definitive diagnostic maneuver is to do some testing.
Blood tests when done properly and as part of an entire panel of thyroid tests often reveal the condition in an indisputable way. These tests can give you the real reasons you suffer from weight loss problems.
But, how do you get good testing?
You can now self-order a highly accurate, dependable thyroid panel just by going online. You do not need a doctor; you do not need to get anyone’s permission according to Dr. Richard Shames.
Simply go to CanaryClub.org
Register to become a member (free) and you will be able to order your hormone home test kit sent directly to your address.
There is a wide variety of testing to choose from depending on your needs, including those which help tell you why you have weight loss issues.
If you are especially dealing with weight loss, thyroid and hormones, consider the AdvancedPlus Hormone Profile. The hormone test kit will include detailed instructions on how to collect samples of saliva and finger stick blood spot that you then send back to the lab for detailed analysis.
The result of this panel will be to inform you whether or not you have a thyroid abnormality, and whether or not you have some of the associated abnormalities in reproductive or adrenal hormones or vitamin D levels that affect thyroid function, hormone imbalance and weight loss.
Armed with these results you will now be able to get the kind of help you need for addressing this thyroid situation, hormonal imbalance and thereby better addressing your weight loss problem in general.
Conclusion: We urge you to make sure you are not also dealing with the symptoms of a thyroid disorder affecting your metabolism.
Dealing with weight loss is difficult enough even with a normal metabolism.
We wish you best of luck on your journey.
About the Authors:
Lynn Larkin is the co-founder of the CanaryClub.org.
She was born and raised in NYC, has been involved with social issues including non-profit fund raising, transformational education, women’s issues and personal growth for many years.
Larkin was trained in business and management and used her skills in a wide variety of fields. As an accredited Life Coach, Lynn was acutely aware of the effect health and well being had on a client’s productivity and satisfaction with life.
With skyrocketing health care costs and medical professionals who are overwhelmed and lack resources, Lynn saw a great need for education as well as affordable home testing and products for those with hormonal imbalance and environmentally caused health issues.
She noticed that it was often difficult to receive accurate diagnosis and support of ailments that were clearly debilitating, in a health system that was expensive and too often unresponsive to those who ‘just weren’t feeling well’. It is from this reality that the Canary Club was born, helping people achieve weight loss by detecting thyroid problems.
Karilee H. Shames Ph.D., RN,
Karilee Shames, Ph.D., RN is the co-founder and Advisor for the Canary Club.Org
Dr. Karilee Shames is a Certified Clinical Specialist in Psychiatric Nursing and in Holistic Nursing.
In 1977 she co-founded Nurses in Transition, a national nursing support network. Karilee served on the National Leadership Council for the American Holistic Nurses Association from 1995-1998. She was Assistant Professor of Nursing at Florida Atlantic University from 1999-2002. Previously she was California Coordinator, Director-at-Large, and Public Relations Chair for the American Holistic Nurses Association
Her books include: The Nightingale Conspiracy, Creative Imagery in Nursing, Energetic Approaches to Emotional Healing, The Gift of Health, Feeling Fat, Fuzzy or Frazzled, Thyroid Power and numerous chapters for professional volumes.
Karilee and Richard Shames, M.D. have a new book called Thyroid Mind Power:The Proven Cure for Hormone-Related Depression, Anxiety and Memory Loss.
Shames is presently in private practice in collaboration with Richard Shames, M.D. at the Preventive Medicine Center of Marin in San Rafael , CA where a focus on thyroid hormonal balance has aided thousands to attain weight loss.
More articles by Dr. Richard Shames and others
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