How to treat an overactive thyroid naturally?

[Nivsch]

I have T3 and T4 in the "normal" range but one of them is slightly above a thyroid expert's book range which is narrower than the health care formal one.

In addition I tend to physical restlessness and I feel very easily too hot and walking in my home with short clothes all the time even during the winter. I lost couple of kgs during last decade in comparison to how I was before and I struggle to gain them back.

I wont get right now into what I think are the reasons because this is a longer story, but I will thank any knowledge and experience insights from you guys about how to help that.

I started an improved nutrition regime with many cruciferous vegetables and tea infusions I heard that calm the immune system and support thyroid and adrenal. Edamame actually does good to me (but not tofu).

I try now seriously to avoid gluten and grains. So far it really helps, but I feel it can be better and that is why I ask here.

And last thing, I suspect I have a fat malabsorption. This is what the naturopath thought and I have read this is common with hyperthyroid.

Can eating the fat seperately from other meals, and as seperate as possible from protein and carbs, help it to be absorbed better?

I will thank you for any help 🙏

Edited March 25 by Nivsch

[ZenAlex]

Can you post a screenshot of your blood tests?

[Nivsch]

@ZenAlex Yes. 

The results were normal but the T3 was a bit higher than the treshold in the expert's book.

I can add what is written there later.

Edited March 25 by Nivsch

[Michael569]

Your thyroid levels seem well within normal ranges and there isn't anything that screams as red flag there. Although no antiboies have been tested so that could offer more insight. Most endocrinologists would not diagnose you with hyperthyroidism based on the above. The feeling of heat and restlesness could also come down to other things but without further assessment, I wouldn't fall for any major thyroid regulating protocols because you could harm yourself. 

If you suspect the tests is not correct, consider asking to be retested. 

2 hours ago, Nivsch said:

nd last thing, I suspect I have a fat malabsorption. This is what the naturopath thought

Naturopaths love to operate outside of their scope of practice and throw around medical diagnosis that they are not trained in. But unless this was properly investigated and you match the diagnostic criteria of fat malabsorbtion, i'd be cautious. Fat malabsorbtion is a serious issue usually caused by pancreatic deficiency but this is not something you should self-diagnose with. If concerned, best to consult your medical practitioner. 

Definitely keep improving your diet and lifestyle just please be careful with jumping on any radical protocols (herbal/supplemental and otherwise) without professional guidance

[Nivsch]

@Michael569 Should I trust the whole 'normal' range as a singular unit? I will show you later the range from the book which is different.

I feel annoyed by the dichotomy yes or no approach of the conventional diagnosis. This doesn't help unless you have a very acute case and only then they "see" it.

But I appreciate the caution you wrote to me from taking supplements and I will try at best only different teas and not anything too concentrated, thanks.

Edited March 25 by Nivsch

[Michael569]

27 minutes ago, Nivsch said:

I feel annoyed by the dichotomy yes or no approach of the conventional diagnosis. This doesn't help unless you have a very acute case and only then they "see" it.

Yeah, I can understand that. And there is a lot to be said about everything that lies between feeling good and getting diagnosed, the entire real of grey area where people feel awful yet their tests are not "bad enough" to be sufficient for a diagnosis. It is my personal frustration with the system as well.

There are things you see on tests and things you don't. The tests you shared don't even seem like there is a borderline issue, they show very healthy profile. But they are a fairly limited picture and for broader picture, there are other thyroid biomarkers you could test, such as the antibodies. Most doctors won't do that unless the above already looks suboptimal. 

27 minutes ago, Nivsch said:

Should I trust the whole 'normal' range as a singular unit? I will show you later the range from the book which is different.

It is important to always seek a bigger picture. Not everything that is metbolism-related needs to come down to thyroid. Is the book you mention, the Thyroid Healing by Medical Medium? 

Important  to bear in mind that if you are reading a 'thyroid book', it will likely be looking to bundle a variety of symptoms under a single diagnosis. Someone once said to me "to a man with a hammer, every problem is a nail" . You see a lot of that mono-focus approach on the social media and on this forum as welll because being able to see a wider picture and a wider array of solutions is infinitely more difficult and harder to sell. 

Edited March 25 by Michael569

[Nivsch]

@Michael569 I dont know, maybe the TSH is too close to the low treshold, isn't it? Because I feel symptoms.

But yes, it can be the adrenal and not the thyroid, but since everything is connected to everything I would expect it would somehow involve both in subtle senses.

Edited March 25 by Nivsch

[undeather]

Not only are your thyroid-hormones in the normal range.
There is a rather unconventional "optimal range" used by some endocrinologist - and you are bang in it. (If I have not misconverted the units)

I highly doubt your symptoms stem from your thyroid.
Michael gave you some pretty decent input. I would take that to the heart.
 

Edited March 25 by undeather

[Nivsch]

@undeather Even if it is not the thyroid, the goitrogenic foods and herbs still make me feel significantly better. Though not to the place I want to be, it is still a siginificant improvement.

Edited March 25 by Nivsch

[Michael569]

1 hour ago, Nivsch said:

I dont know, maybe the TSH is too close to the low treshold, isn't it? Because I feel symptoms.

Lower TSH vs higher is actually beneficial.

It depends what professional you speak to but even 0.5 is still considered fine. It is only after you start getting below 0.1-0.3 the normal changes to suboptimal 

 TSH per se is not made by thyroid but by your pituitary gland in your brain. Which is why it is called Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH)  The lower the better, as long as the low is not extremely low. Yours is perfectly fine. 

Like I said, if you are still worried, consider looking up the full thyroid panel which also includes thyroid antibodies but you may need to pay for it as your doctor will not have this covered by insurance in the absence of abnormal TSH/fT3 panel 

That being said if you do experience symptoms, continue working with your practitioner to investigate. Your symptoms might come down to other things being slightly out of balance. There are lots of reasons why you may feel a symptom. 

1 hour ago, Nivsch said:

But yes, it can be the adrenal and not the thyroid, but since everything is connected to everything I would expect it would somehow involve both in subtle senses.

 The complexity of the human endocrine system goes beyond thyroid and adrenal glands. I know this is what a lot of naturopaths who live in the delusional world of adrenal fatigue focus, but it is an extremely short-sighted view of the body. I know a few herbalists and naturopaths personally and this is basically 90% of their focus - adrenals, thyroid and burnout. They can't see beyond this and they classify all their clients in these symptom clusters. 

Your symptoms might be caused by nutritional imbalances, sleep deprivation, stress, physical pasivity or excessive physical activity, just to name a few. Your body might also be fighting something off like a low grade infection. 

Are you eating enough? Is there any chance that you caught something? (Virus/bacteria etc...covid?) 

Edited March 25 by Michael569

[Nivsch]

49 minutes ago, Michael569 said:

I know this is what a lot of naturopaths who live in the delusional world of adrenal fatigue focus, but it is an extremely short-sighted view of the body. I know a few herbalists and naturopaths personally and this is basically 90% of their focus - adrenals, thyroid and burnout. They can't see beyond this and they classify all their clients in these symptom clusters. 

Lol but the conventional approaches are probably worse 😝 

Thank you for the in depth answers. 

I eat whenever I am hungry and not limit myself. This is going on for months so the virus direction is less relevant to me I guess 😬

Edited March 25 by Nivsch

[undeather]

35 minutes ago, Nivsch said:

@undeather Even if it is not the thyroid, the goitrogenic foods and herbs still make me feel significantly better. Though not to the place I want to be, it is still a siginificant improvement.

Herbs and healthy foods will most likely make you feel significantly better to begin with.
One must also not underestimate the effect of placebo like dynamics in such cases. 
I have seen this way too many times in some of my patients.
Pateint X with symtpoms Y tries food/habit/supplement Z and feels a direct improvement in their health.
Only to later find out the real cause of their ailment being something much more ordinary.

Now, important disclaimer - what you are doign is great! 
If you feel an improvement, more power to you! - It's great that you are in touch with your subjective wellbeing to that extent.
That said, we would love you to consider a more broader spectrum of potential causes.
As Michael said, a lot of naturopaths are caught in a very reductionistic and short-sighted framework.

[Nivsch]

@undeather  Thanks! 🙏🌼 Interesting. I hope it is not placebo. Surely SOME of that isn't.

Thats why I preffer to anyway see what helps people with hyperthyroid here (even if this isn't my case) because I have a thought that it may overlap with another hormones imbalances dynamics with similar symptoms and maybe what helps them will be worth consider to try myself.

Edited March 25 by Nivsch