The thyroid is responsible for control and regulation of metabolism and caloric burn. The thyroid determines when to generate heat to effectively burn off calories for use by the body. Low thyroid level can result in fatigue, weight gain or difficulty losing weight and depression. Ultimately, low levels can increase risk of heart disease and cancer. And guess what? Some blood tests ordered on a normal clinic visit do not detect low levels of thyroid hormones.
The importance of optimizing thyroid hormone levels is to achieve the best result for patients physically. With evaluation of thyroid function, it is not whether the lab levels are within normal range but rather where do they fall within the range. Is the thyroid function optimized? Trying to improve lab numbers even within the limits can greatly affect a you and how you are feeling.