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Take a moment to scan the following list to see if you identify with these symptoms. Depression is only one of the many negative effects that you may be facing if your thyroid is malfunctioning.

Common symptoms of low thyroid function:

Low energy, fatigue, lethargy, need lots of sleep (more than eight hours), trouble getting up and going in the morning

Depression (including postpartum or after the start of menstruation or menopause)

Tendency to feel cold, particularly in hands and feet

Poor concentration and memory, mental sluggishness

Family history of thyroid problems

As a child, played quietly rather than physically and/or now have trouble getting exercise without a guilt trip

Weight gain began when you got your period, had a miscarriage or an abortion, gave birth, began menopause, or worsened after low-calorie dieting

Chubby or overweight since childhood

Tendency to excessive weight gain or inability to lose weight despite normal eating

Hoarseness, gravelly voice

Low blood pressure/heart rate

Menstrual problems, including excessive bleeding, severe cramping, irregular periods, severe PMS, scanty flow; early or late onset of first period (before 12 or after 14 years old); premenopausal cessation of menstruation (amenorrhea)

Reduced sexual drive

Swollen eyelids and face, general water retention

Thinning or loss of outside eyebrow hair

Tendency to have a low temperature

Headaches (including migraines)

High cholesterol, atherosclerosis, or excessive homocysteine

Lump in throat, trouble swallowing pills

Slow body movement or speech

Additional possible symptoms:

Goiter; enlarged, swollen, or lumpy thyroid (look at the base of your throat, under your Adam’s apple and above your sternum)

Coarse, dry hair

Bulging eyes

Infertility, impotence

Weak, brittle nails

Anemia, low red cell count

Adult acne, eczema

Dry, coarse, or thick skin

Pale skin

Hypoglycemia

Constipation

Hair loss

Labored, difficult breathing

Swollen feet

Nervousness, anxiety, panic

Enlarged heart

Premature graying

Gallbladder pain

Pain in joints

Autoimmune conditions often associated with thyroiditis: diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, Addison’s disease, allergy, Candida overgrowth, and pernicious anemia

Angina, heart palpitations, irregular heartbeat

Muscle weakness

Atherosclerosis

Extreme flexibility (double-jointed)

Strong-smelling urine

Tongue feels thick

Vision, eye problems

Excess earwax

Checking off your symptoms on this list is a solid start. But go beyond it to make an even stronger case. Ask yourself, “When did my symptoms begin? What illnesses or upsets was I experiencing at that time? Have my symptoms always been there?”

Quite a few of our clients report the start of symptoms after a tonsillectomy (the tonsils are close to the thyroid). The start of menstruation, menopause, or a pregnancy is perhaps the most common trigger in women, but the incidence of thyroid problems among women doubles after menopause, and up to 30 percent of women with PMS have some kind of thyroid problem. Among men, the rates of thyroid dysfunction climb steeply after age 60, but we’ve seen many younger men with thyroid malaise, often starting with unusual weight gain in childhood. Most of our low-thyroid female clients began to gain unneeded weight and lose needed vitality in puberty.

If you’ve found that you have many of the symptoms on the list above, check them off and take the list to show to your physician. Thyroid malfunction is easily overlooked by many doctors, who simply run a single test, read the results with outdated reference ranges, ignore the symptoms thoroughly, and tell you to see a therapist or a diet doctor. For this reason, I recommend a very specific strategy for demanding attention for your thyroid. Otherwise you may never get any. I detail this technical strategy, from finding an effective doctor to testing your thyroid, to successful treatment, in the “Thyroid Tool Kit,” page 306.