What are the major differences between hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism? More specifically, how do you identify the symptoms, causes, and treatments for both. In this article, I’ll take you through each and what you need to know about them.
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The State of Thyroid Hormones
In both cases of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, we’re looking at the present state of thyroid hormones in the body—whether there are too many or not enough. The fact is that thyroid hormones do a lot of very important things in the body.
The three main categories of what thyroid hormones do in the body include:
- Manage energy production—This Affects things like heart rate, energy levels, bowel movements, menstrual rhythms, and more.
- Nerve conduction – How nerve signals move throughout the body and how well they work within the brain.
- Tissue repair – The regeneration and repair of things like skin, hair, and nails — also includes tendons, ligaments, muscles, and bones.
Each of these things relates to the thyroid hormones in our body. That is why it is so important to have these hormones in the correct amounts.
Symptoms of Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism
Let’s talk a little bit more about the symptoms of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism and how we can better understand them. Here’s an example: When we have too little thyroid hormone, our heart rate is slower. When there is too much, it is elevated (you may even feel like your heart is beating out of your chest).
The same is true for energy levels: We feel fatigued or exhausted when we have too little. When we have too much, we can feel wired – it’s not a positive kind of energy, more like an anxious or frenetic energy that takes over.
Body weight is another important one. Weight gain becomes easier when there is way too little thyroid hormone, and when there is too much there is often loss of muscle and bone.
Key Insight: At the extremes, when you’re struggling with almost no hormone or an incredible surplus, the symptoms are very distinct – but, in most cases when the thyroid is not right, it’s only off to a moderate or mild degree.
That’s the interesting part about these symptoms. You could have hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism and still experience the exact same things. Too much and too little are clearly bad, but it’s hard to know which you’re struggling with if you find yourself in the middle.
The Causes of Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism
So what causes all of this to occur? In most situations, the most common cause by far is autoimmune thyroid disease. The main ones here are:
- Hashimoto’s diseases – Where the autoimmunity damages the thyroid and prevents it from making enough thyroid hormone to suit the body’s needs.
- Graves’ disease – A point where autoimmunity hurts the regulatory processes and puts the thyroid into a state of confusion.
Generally speaking, Hashimoto’s is often associated with too little thyroid hormone, and Graves’ is associated with too much. But there’s a lot of nuance in between!
Treatments for Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism
Let’s talk about treatments! I’ll start by discussing the more conventional treatments available.
Conventional Treatments for Hypothyroidism
When the thyroid is badly underactive, the main conventional treatment is to prescribe a medication containing T4.
T4 is the main hormone that the thyroid produces. The rationale is that if there is too little hormone, we can help by adding more. I won’t cover it here today, but the main thing to know is that the odds of success with this treatment are low.
The main problem is that, in many cases, the symptoms associated have more to do with the immune response – and not the lack of hormone. If you simply try to add more hormone, you may feel better in the short term, but you’re unlikely to feel your best at all.
Natural Treatments for Hypothyroidism
The biggest thing you can do to naturally treat hypothyroidism is to embrace what is known as a hypothyroid diet. But there are a lot of diets that exist for hypothyroidism, so how do you go about choosing one? Here’s what you need to keep in mind.
The diets shown to have the highest rates of clinical success revolve around regulating iodine on your plate. Many other diets – like gluten-free – may help in some ways, but it doesn’t move the needle as much for thyroid disease.
Key Insight: Studies have shown that iodine regulation can help so much, that it can even reverse the disease entirely for most people. That is why many have argued that this kind of diet should be the primary step for treating hypothyroidism.
There is also a lot of great research out there about the benefits of nutraceuticals for an underactive thyroid. They’ve been shown to reduce the symptoms associated with hypothyroidism and help the thyroid work better.
As it happens, all of this great research is what inspired me to create Thyroid-Specific Formulations. This is a line of nutraceuticals formulated based on the latest current evidence about what can help you the most.
Conventional Treatments for Hyperthyroidism
In the conventional world, the mainstays of treatment for hyperthyroidism are medication, destroying the thyroid with radioactive iodine, or surgery to remove the thyroid. In these cases, they work – but is definitive therapy always the right course of action?
The main medication used in conventional medicine is Methimazole. This medication diminishes the amount of iodine absorbed by the thyroid, making it less able to make excessive amounts of thyroid hormone.
Natural Treatments for Hyperthyroidism
When things are going ideally, diet can also play a big role in helping to treat an overactive thyroid. In fact, when partnered with medication, diet can have a sort of multiplier effect that makes things much more effective in the long term.
Think about it like this: If there is less iodine in the diet and available to the thyroid, your medications have a whole lot less work to do. That means that you’re unlikely to need them for as long or in such great doses. A bit of a win-win situation!
The Big Difference Between Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism
I hope that provided a helpful overview of the symptoms, causes, and treatments for both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. To sum up, there are some things that I would love for you to take with you on your journey.
First, the symptoms of both can be incredibly varied. The truth is that, when it comes to your thyroid, every part of your body may become involved and could suffer. Unlike any other hormone, thyroid hormones act on every single cell from head to toe.
The other important thing is to know that hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, when not at the extremes, can look a lot alike. This could cause some confusion for you when it comes to the next steps, so it’s especially clear to gain clarity on what’s causing your symptoms.
Finally, a hypothyroidism diet can do a lot. For most versions of hypothyroidism, this can be a mainstay of treatment that helps reverse the disease entirely (while also being a great help in cases of hyperthyroidism). If you have either, think about what’s on your plate!
Don’t Settle For Less Than Your Best
If you have either hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, I want you to hear this: You should never give up on feeling your best. If you take the right steps, you can reverse these things and get back to feeling better. My Thyroid Quiz can be a great place to start – I hope it helps you!
P.S. Whenever you are ready, here is how I can help you now:
- Schedule a Thyroid Second Opinion with me, Dr. C, Click Here for Details
- Need help to choose supplements? Click ‘Help Me Decide Here’
- Get my top books Here
Dr. Alan Glen Christianson (Dr. C) is a Naturopathic Endocrinologist and the author of The NY Times bestselling Hormone Healing Cookbook, The Metabolism Reset Diet, and The Thyroid Reset Diet.
Dr. C’s gift for figuring out what works has helped hundreds of thousands reverse thyroid disease, heal their adrenals, and lose weight naturally. Learn more about the surprising story that started his quest.
