Depression and Thyroid: The Functional Medicine Approach
One of the most dreaded of mankind’s diseases is depression. The sad fact that it is the one illness devoid of hope in the minds of those who suffer from this global pandemic is what makes depression so terrifying. Depression is a silent threat impacting millions every year, unlike painful diseases such as arthritis, which reveals its ugly face by causing people’s suffering.
The aim of this article is to educate you on a few of the common triggers of depression.
Depression Is On The Rise
Mental conditions are one of the major public health problems in the WHO European Region, impacting more than a third of the population annually. Most of the mental illnesses in all countries are far more widespread among those who are most impoverished.
According to the Office for National Statistics, twice as many adults in Britain are experiencing signs of depression these days compared with the same period last year. Below are only some of the predominant causes of depression. You owe it to yourself to be completely sure that you have thoroughly investigated each of the following triggers, especially if you want to feel better and put joy and happiness back into your life.
Depression and Thyroid Function: Why Do Hypothyroidism Cause Depression?
Hypothyroidism appears when the thyroid releases not enough hormones. Symptoms include loss of appetite, concentration and sleeping difficulties, short temper, reduced energy, mood swings, depression and strong stress. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) is part of a sensitive feedback mechanism required to ensure optimum levels of thyroid hormones are circulating in the body.
Thyroid and Depression
Thyroid disorder is highly related to depression, which is the most often observed neuropsychiatric symptom in people with hypothyroidism. Bearing in mind the important role thyroid hormones play in the functioning of the brain, it would be advisable to test TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) in those with depressive symptoms.
174 hypothyroid patients aged 19-68 years were cross-sectionally studied for levothyroxine with TSH levels within the standard clinical reference range of 0.5-5 uIU / mL. The Beck depression questionnaire was conducted and correlated with the TSH levels.
In summary, in about 60 % of hypothyroid patients’ presented depressive symptoms and intensity has been shown to correlate with levels of TSH. A TSH level below 2.5 uIU / mL is maintained by more than 95 % of a healthy population and it is commonly accepted that a value within the normal ranges of 0.5-5 uIU / mL is not natural for all. Serious depression was associated with levels above 4 uIU / mL. To determine and manage depression symptoms effectively researchers strongly recommend an ideal cut-off of 2.5 uIU / mL.
It is well known that the measurement of only TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) is an incomplete way of measuring the thyroid. It is important to obtain a complete thyroid panel to find out thyroid dysfunction symptoms as a potential cause of depression and anxiety. Scientists have identified a correlation between low T3 and long-standing depression. Indeed, traditional hypothyroidism treatment with Synthroid (a T4- only thyroid medication) can lead to an increase in mood disorders due to its inability to resolve a deficient T3. A detailed thyroid panel will also measure the likelihood of you developing a thyroid autoimmune / depression condition.
The research revealed women with elevated levels of anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) antibodies have been found more vulnerable to depression.
A recent German study revealed: "in cases of frequent depressive episodes, it seems appropriate not only to get lab testing for TSH, T3, and T4 but also to determine the autoimmune status of the thyroid gland (autoantibodies)."
What thyroid tests to ask for?
Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)
Free serum thyroxine (fT4)
Free triiodothyronine (fT3)
Reverse T3 (rT3)
Anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (anti-TG)
Anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (anti-TPO)
It is important to ask your physician or a nutritional therapist to do a detailed thyroid check.
Do NOT reach for a single TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) test, as the source of your depression can be identified with a thyroid problem.
Depression and Adrenal Function
Depression has been associated with disturbances in the stress core of the body — the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis. The HPA is a crucial structure of communication between the hypothalamus, the pituitary and the adrenal glands.
The hypothalamus is an area of the brain that regulates a variety of body functions including emotions, actions, pain, and pleasure. The pituitary gland is split into two distinct portions: the anterior (front) pituitary and the posterior (back) pituitary.
Anterior pituitary can be also related to depression and produces six hormones which are very significant for maintaining well-being and health, including mental health.
One of these hormones, adrenocorticotropin, is responsible for forcing the adrenal glands to release well-known stress hormones called cortisol and DHEA. When a person feels some strong depressing thoughts, the hypothalamus is sending a signal to pituitary glands informing it to release Adrenocorticotropin.
A direct connection between the excessive production of cortisol and mood changes has been identified, in both depressed and healthy people. Balance is the answer.
Can depression cause fatigue?
Anxiety, insomnia, lack of libido is correlated with hyperactivation of the stress system of the body, whereas underactivity is related to depression with corresponding fatigue, lethargy, and indifference.
Depressed people sometimes manifest trouble in the usual relationship with the hypothalamic, pituitary, and adrenal glands. A hyperactive Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis is likely to occur in hypersecretion of cortisol, resulting in depressive symptoms too.
Depression and Zinc Deficiency
The association between nutrient deficiencies and chemical toxins is another common source of depression. To function, our bodies require appropriate quantities of trace minerals such as magnesium, zinc, calcium and potassium. Again, balance is the key. Specific mineral excesses or deficiencies may cause symptoms of depression. Low zinc levels are related, for example, to resistant depression.
Chemical Connection: Invisible Brain Toxins
In order to detoxify most invisible toxins your body detoxification pathways has to function properly.
When a new carpet is placed or a building is repaired or freshly decorated, it is not uncommon for a person to feel rapid depression symptoms.
Your body needs sufficient quantities of zinc to detoxify chemical toxins found in your home or even workplace.
A chemical called trichloroethylene is the most widespread chemical used in carpets, home furnishings, copying machines, commercial floor cleaners, polishers, waxes, glues, adhesives, and other typical household and office areas.
When you are exposed to this substance, you will typically either inhale it or absorb it through your skin. Usually, this chemical is neutralized and removed by the detoxification mechanism of your body.
However, if the capacity of the body to neutralize toxins is weakened (possibly zinc and other nutrients deficiency), the substance will back up and concentrate in the brain and is likely to be transformed to choloral hydrate. And a person who is sensitive to tricholoroethylene feels like: spacey, dizzy, slow, incapable to concentrate, foggy, and really sad/depressed.
There is no one nor medication nor mineral that cures everyone. What can support one person can do harm to another. With this in mind, it’s crucial to understand what might be causing your mental health.
You could suffer from a zinc deficiency that would affect the ability of the body to efficiently remove toxic substances from your body.
It is vital for your therapist to consider and understand the possible causes of disease. Your doctor MUST undergo a comprehensive and very informative interview/consultation with you to assess the potential causes of disease and decide what direction to take. An anti-depressants recommendation is clearly not appropriate without proper medical “detective” work.
If you suspect the cause of your depression is related to toxic chemicals and/or deficiency in nutrients, then you should ask your nutritional therapist to arrange the following tests:
• Urine Toxic Metals- DMSA Challenge (Doctor’s Data)
• RBC mineral/toxic chemical assay (Genova/MetaMetrix)
• Toxic Effects Core (Genova/MetaMetrix)
Depression affects new victims every single day.
The factors of this mental problem may differ from deficiencies in the thyroid, cortisol, or nutritional deficiencies or ( and) chemical toxicity exposure.
“There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.”
Sources:
https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-017-1478-9