Two Rivers Health

We think these two glands – your adrenals and thyroid gland – get way less press than they deserve.

Between them, they account for hundreds of hormonal and biochemical reactions that keep you going, keep you active, keep you thinking straight, keep you fertile when you’re supposed to be fertile…and since over 80% of medical visits are due to stress related symptoms, we need to take a much closer look at how your stress response and your thyroid health are doing before we’re going to tell you that “Everything’s fine”.

Stress & Your Thyroid

When you’re under long term stress – that includes running along at the pace of modern life – there is pressure put on your hormonal system. The body understands that there is some kind of unrelenting threat to your safety so it goes into conservation and protection mode. Effectively, your cortisol (stress hormone) level rises or becomes irregular, and your thyroid hormone function decreases to preserve your energy.
The net result? “Everything’s slowing down”. You feel exhausted and foggy. You feel irritable or anxious at the slightest inconvenience. You’re snapping at your husband or kids. You feel less confident in yourself. You’re noticing increased weight gathering around your midline and your libido’s out the window.

These symptoms are classic for adrenal fatigue and subclinical hypothyroidism.

Your adrenal glands can only keep you adapting to stress for so long before they go kind of haywire – you’ll feel either flatlined all day, or “wired but tired” and have trouble falling asleep even if you’re totally exhausted.

If your thyroid’s getting affected, you’ll notice slowed thinking, less energy for exercise, weight gain and even irregular periods or increased perimenopausal hot flashes.

Too many women are being told that “this is a normal part of aging” and that they should either just deal with it, or take antidepressants or HRT (hormone replacement therapy).

As naturopathic doctors who prioritize helping women get their mind, mood and mojo back on track so they can feel great and go change the world, we are so excited to share that there are real, effective solutions to feeling like a dog’s breakfast. You don’t have to put up with this any longer!

I Think It’s My Thyroid…

…but my doctor says my thyroid’s “fine”.

You’ve probably noticed that there’s only one thyroid test listed on your blood work: TSH or thyroid stimulating hormone. TSH is produced by your pituitary gland to tell your thyroid gland to make more thyroid hormone. TSH on its own is an indirect (and incomplete) assessment of your thyroid health.

Before we can assess your thyroid to be healthy, we need to understand what the results from 5 thyroid blood tests and your symptoms are telling us.

We also need to understand how much your past and present stress levels, nutrition and toxicity may be impacting your thyroid function.

Here’s what to expect when seeing your Naturopathic Doctor for thyroid, adrenal or hormonal balance. We’ll review your individual health history in detail, including any lab work you’ve had done in the past year or two. (If possible, please bring these reports with you to your Initial Consultation). We’ll discuss your goals and experiences and get you started with the most important first steps. Recommendations may include additional testing with your medical doctor or through our office. You’ll get an initial treatment plan right away, and you’ll have lots of time to get answers to any questions you may have.

At your second visit, we’ll complete your assessment including additional lab results, and move into your longer-term treatment plan. We’ll review your results about every 4-6 weeks or as needed to monitor your progress and help you continue to improve your energy, mood, and self-care so that you can enjoy optimal health and wellbeing in mind, body and spirit for months and years to come.

We’re not ready to accept that “you’re fine” until you feel well – consistently and sustainably. Regardless of how your conventional doctor interprets your symptoms and results, we don’t settle until you feel great. You deserve incredible, vital health! Your body might just need some gentle and natural supports to get there.

Thyroid problems like hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s, adrenal issues like fatigue, cravings, sleep problems and anxiety, and women’s hormonal concerns like PMS, painful periods, PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), infertility and menopausal symptoms are among the most common yet underdiagnosed and poorly treated conditions we see among our patients (if they’re receiving any help at all with these concerns!)

We will stand with you and give you our complete attention, evidence-based natural medical care, and the wisdom we’ve gained as to how you can let your body heal, and step into the freedom, joy and wellbeing that only optimal health can offer.

It takes time for your body and mind to heal, yet most of our patients experience positive changes in their symptoms within 1-3 months of care. In fact, with nutrition, herbal medicine, acupuncture and other natural approaches, we’ve helped hundreds of people to get back to feeling like themselves again – often the best they’ve ever felt – and the best part is, you are the one doing all the amazing healing!