Cold Hands and Feet? What They Say About Your Mental Health
siha yako Meet your mitochondria. With a laundry list of responsibilities ranging from creating energy to determining the time of a cell’s death, mitochondria have increasingly become the focus of chronic disease research. The keeper of our mitochondria is our thyroid hormone. This is why, when thyroid hormone is deficient or poorly functioning, patients experience an array of symptoms, including fatigue, constipation, hair loss, depression, foggy thinking, cold body temperature, low metabolism, and muscle aches. How much of what we call “mental illness” is actually thyroid-driven? In my experience, a vast majority, and certainly enough of a subset to warrant a more sophisticated appreciation for proper diagnosis and treatment in these patients. Thyroid health is so much more than pumping out a hormonal product. It is a sophisticated conversation between the brain, gland, hormones, and the receiving cells and tissues. This circuitry is at the mercy of yet another hormone, cortisol, pro