HYPOTHYROIDISM at Aletris Center in Scottsdale, AZ
The thyroid, a small gland located beneath the voice box, is critical in regulating metabolism. The thyroid's role is to produce T3 and T4, hormones that increase overall metabolism and stimulate each cell to convert energy from food into cellular energy, carbon dioxide, water and heat. T3 and T4 elevate body temperature, stimulate protein synthesis, increase the use of glucose and the breakdown of fats for energy production, and speed the liver's excretion of cholesterol into bile which decreases serum levels of cholesterol and increases the body's ability to detoxify.
T3 and T4 accelerate growth, affect mood and memory, and stimulate the digestive tract. If you tend to feel cold, sluggish, gain weight easily, and are constipated, you may have hypothyroidism.
Causes of hypothyroidism include estrogen dominance, birth control pills, progesterone deficiency, elevated cortisol, iodine deficiency, tyrosine deficiency, anemia, toxicity from heavy metals, fluoride in drinking water, food sensitivities, cigarette smoke, radiation to the thyroid, and consumption of soy foods.
