Suspect a Problem Thyroid? Diagnose & Treat at Home

Updated 5/10/2024

Medically reviewed by Dr. Atmika Paudel, PhD - Written by Dan Jackowiak Nc, HHP and Dr. Shalaka Samant, PhD

Dr. Atmika Paudel, PhD says... The information presented in this article describing thyroid dysfunction, it’s possible causes, symptoms, and tests to identify the same is medically correct.

Learn how to diagnose a problem thyroid yourself and fix the problem.

According to the ATA Hypothryoidism Booklet, page 6, American Thyroid Association, 2003.

"Thyroid hormones are essential and primary regulators of the body's metabolism. Imbalances can affect virtually every metabolic process in the body, exerting significant effects on mood and energy level. Thyroid function has a profound impact on overall health via its modulation of carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolism, vitamin utilization, mitochondrial function, digestive process, muscle and nerve activity, blood flow, oxygen utilization, hormone secretion, sexual and reproductive health, and many other physiological parameters."

That paragraph is significant because yeast infections are a symptom of a greater problem within the body and I see a lot of thyroid problems in women with yeast infections. Especially women that complain of their lack of energy and brain fog, which they attribute to candida yeast.

Dr. Shalaka Samant, PhD says...

The thyroid gland is an essential gland that controls hormones necessary for metabolism. The hypothalamus produces thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), which stimulates the pituitary to release thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). TSH is released in circulation and stimulates the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormones (THs)(1).

The thyroid produces the THs - thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), and calcitonin. The thyroid gland takes iodine (in many foods and iodized salt) to produce T4 and T3. Thyroid cells are the ones which can uniquely absorb iodine within the body. Thyroid disorders are the commonest amongst the various glandular disorders of the endocrine system (2).

1. Ortiga-Carvalho, T., Sidhaye, A. & Wondisford, F. Thyroid hormone receptors and resistance to thyroid hormone disorders. Nat Rev Endocrinol 10, 582–591 (2014).
2. Clinical endocrinology in India. N. Kochupillai. Current Science Vol. 79, No. 8 (25 October 2000), pp. 1061-1067. Published by: Current Science Association

Problem Thyroid Symptoms

Some, but not all of these problem thyroid symptoms include:

Hives
Brain fog
Irritability
Slowed metabolism
Constipation
Physical fatigue
Anxiety or panic attacks
Impaired memory
Migraine headaches
Increased sensitivity to heat and cold
Increased need for sleep
Muscle cramps and joint pain
Brittle fingernails
Mood instability
Decreased libido
Abnormal menstrual cycles

Now if you have had your thyroid hormones recently checked you might be ok and could rule out these symptoms but then maybe not.

Dr. Shalaka Samant, PhD says...

Thyroid disorders can range from a small, harmless goiter (enlarged gland) that needs no treatment to life-threatening cancer. The most common thyroid problems involve abnormal production of thyroid hormones. Too much thyroid hormone results in a condition known as hyperthyroidism. Insufficient hormone production leads to hypothyroidism.

Functional disorders of the thyroid (hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism) are in many cases, managed by primary care providers. In addition to diagnosed cases, there are many patients who present to their provider seeking evaluation of their thyroid status as a possible cause of a variety of complaints including obesity, mood changes, hair loss, and fatigue. Assessment of TSH (3)is the single most useful test of thyroid function in the vast majority of patients.

3. Biochemical Testing of the Thyroid: TSH is the Best and, Oftentimes, Only Test Needed – A Review for Primary Care. Clin Med Res. 2016 Jun; 14(2): 83–92. doi:10.3121/cmr.2016.1309

Thyroid Function & Blood Test Results

The thyroid gland is composed of follicles that selectively absorb iodine as iodide ions from the blood to produce the thyroid hormones. Twenty five percent of all the bodies iodine resides in the thyroid gland. As the American Thyroid Association says, the thyroid must have iodine to function correctly. If it does not then you are going to have problems whether your T levels are in the normal range or not.

After all, how can they fit one set of hormone levels and call them normal for everyone? We are all different with slightly different physiology and different nutritional needs based upon genetic and metabolic type. Of course, we all have the same basic nutritional needs but where one person may do well on a high protein, high fat diet the next may not and instead require more good carbs to maintain good health.

Do you understand what I am trying to say?

One person may do well with high T4 and T3 where another does better on the low end of the scale. Since the body is designed to function as a complete living organism made up of trillions of cells that work together with an innate intelligence to do what is best for itself. Wouldn't it be better to give it what it needs and let it do what it does best based upon its higher design?

You have to look at where your thyroid levels are on your blood tests and you have to look at all of them. Not just the overall TSH or T7 levels but each individual hormone that the thyroid produces, which are T4, T3 and calcitonin. If you are on the low end you may have a problem.

If additional tests from your doctor reveal possible autoimmune issues, known as Hashimoto's disease. You will more than likely need medication for the rest of your life. However, if you are a big wheat eater, you could try cutting all wheat from your diet and then retest in a month or two to see if the thyroid recovered on its own.

Wheat contains a protein called gliadin that sometimes tricks the immune system into attacking the thyroid. If caught in time, the solution is to simply stop eating wheat.

Dr. Shalaka Samant, PhD says...

That iodine is essential for a healthy thyroid is well known. Globally, about 2 thousand million people are affected by iodine deficiency. Iodized salt is readily available in supermarkets everywhere. However, iodine deficiency is re-emerging in some developed (4) countries. Therefore, iodine fortification and supplementation of foods is warranted.

One of the steps to thyroid health is to reduce excessive stress, especially emotional stress. Regular exercises and meditation will lead to daily restful sleep and adequate sleep of good quality is essential for controlling the stress of one’s daily living.

In the digestion of gluten in the human body, gliadin is formed. In the body, gliadin appears like transglutaminase, an enzyme required to make chemical bonds (5) throughout the human body. While present in many organs, the thyroid possesses a higher concentration of transglutaminase. When gliadins (from the digestion of gluten) approach the walls of the gut, the guts becomes more porous and allows the big molecules of gliadin to enter. The human body immediately goes to work in raising an immune response. When the immune system attacks gliadin, the antibodies also attack the thyroid (6) since the gliadin is a molecular mimicry of transglutaminase, the enzyme found abundantly in the thyroid. As the immune system responds, the thyroid is under attack (7) and can be damaged for up to 6 months after gluten intake. Chemicals such as plasticizers and certain pesticides (8) are also known thyroid balance disruptors.

4. Li, M., Eastman, C. The changing epidemiology of iodine deficiency. Nat Rev Endocrinol 8, 434–440 (2012).
5. Transglutaminases : Nature’s biological glues. Biochem. J. (2002) 368, 377±396 (Printed in Great Britain)
6. Tissue transglutaminase antibodies in individuals with celiac disease bind to thyroid follicles and extracellular matrix and may contribute to thyroid dysfunction. Thyroid. 2008 Nov;18(11):1171-8. doi: 10.1089/thy.2008.0110.
7. The presence of the antigliadin antibodies in autoimmune thyroid diseases. Hepatogastroenterology. 2003 Dec;50 Suppl 2
8. Thyroid function disruptors: from nature to chemicals. Journal of Molecular Endocrinology. Volume 62: Issue 1. R1–R19. Jan 2019

At Home Thyroid Tests

You can do a few simple tests at home to determine if your possible problem thyroid is working like it should be. The first is to take your temperature the first thing in the morning before you get out of bed. If the average temperature is below 97.8 for three days in a row, your thyroid is under active or you are iodine deficient.

Now I have seen many women test at 98 degrees for a few days in a row and most people would consider themselves not to have a problem. However, and this is what I mean by the medical thyroid hormone tests being wrong as well, they still have a problem.

Ok...lets get to the problem thyroid test.

Get some liquid iodine from the store or pharmacy. Lugo's brand is best but whatever they have will do. Now paint a spot about the size of a half dollar on your stomach somewhere. If it disappears in less than 12 hours your thyroid is starving for iodine and is not working like it was designed. Its that simple!

The thyroid must have iodine to function!

Or, you can do this 24 Hour Urine test, which is extremely accurate and easy to do.

The solution is equally just as simple, I would take Lugol's Iodine to support your thyroid.

The thyroid will use what it needs and the body will dump the rest. If you suffered from any of those symptoms above they will most certainly disappear as the body heals itself and the problem thyroid begins to work as it was designed for YOUR body.

Medical Review by Dr. Atmika Paudel, PhD

This article is well written, it starts from the very basic of what are thyroid hormones, how they can affect the body if they are not in the normal range (more or less). The written facts are well backed up with scientific literature and are presented in a logical manner so that general people can understand.

As has been mentioned in the above article, normal thyroid level is critical for the proper functioning of the overall body. It has recently been reported in periodontitis animal model that either hypo-or hyper-thyroidism can lead to dysbiosis of oral microbiota increasing the colonization of bad bacteria and yeast such as Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans. (1)

Another aspect the article has covered is the correlation of thyroid hormones with body temperature, which is correct. As has been shown in many literatures, there is a direct link between level of thyroid hormone in the body temperature (2, 3). If we monitor our body temperature regularly, that might give us a hint of our thyroid gland functioning, of course, there is always a possibility of other reasons behind it. Similarly, absorption of iodine via skin has been experimentally verified. A paper reported experiments performed to check the absorption of iodine through skin over time and found that iodine can be absorbed through skin which increase with time, even when there is no wound or cuts on the skin, iodine makes its way into the body via skin (4). And the role of iodine in thyroid functioning is very well studied and I believe that everyone has known about it for a long time.

Shcherba V, Havrylenko Y, Krynytska I, Marushchak M, Korda M. A comparative study of oral microbiocenosis structure in experimental comorbidity-free periodontitis and in periodontitis combined with thyroid dysfunction. Pol Merkur Lekarski. 2020 Feb 26;48(283):32-38.
Silva JE. Thermogenic mechanisms and their hormonal regulation. Physiol Rev. 2006 Apr;86(2):435-64. doi: 10.1152/physrev.00009.2005.
Mittag J. More Than Fever - Novel Concepts in the Regulation of Body Temperature by Thyroid Hormones. Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes. 2020 Jun;128(6-07):428-431. doi: 10.1055/a-1014-2510. Epub 2019 Oct 25.
Nesvadbova M, Crosera M, Maina G, Larese Filon F. Povidone iodine skin absorption: an ex-vivo study. Toxicol Lett. 2015 Jun 15;235(3):155-60. doi: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2015.04.004. Epub 2015 Apr 6.

Have Any Questions About The Thyroid?

Do you have any questions about thyroid problems or yeast infections in general? Ask your question here or contact us using the contact page of this website. It is also always a good idea to talk to your doctor as well.