Amber slowly got up from the couch to grab another blanket. Everyone else in the room watching the game seemed to be fine with the temperature, but she was cold. As she settled back down, Amber winced from the aches in her muscles and joints. She reached over to the coffee table, where she kept one of her many bottles of moisturizer lying around the house, squirted some in her hands, and rubbed them together.

She studied the television. “Who has the ball?”

“We do,” Steve said.

She studied the uniforms of the players on the field. Why can’t I remember which color uniform we’re wearing?

Her mind began to wander. It wasn’t always like this. She’d noticed several changes over the last few years. The dry skin. The mental fog. Not being able to tolerate cold (or what she thought of as cold). She’d gained about 15 pounds and was eating like a bird. Her joints ached. Her muscles ached. Her menstrual cycle, which used to run like clockwork, was as unpredictable as her husband Steve was at a farm equipment auction! And, no, she didn’t think his tractor was sexy anymore. Nothing had changed with him. She just didn’t have the sex drive she had even five years ago much less twenty. And bowel movements? Forget it. Constipation, which used to be the exception, was now the norm.

Amber pulled the blanket up closer to her chin. “Who’s got the ball now?”…

Amber is a made-up patient, but I see this scenario all the time. Does it sound like you or someone you know? Maybe you have low thyroid.

Thyroid is like the gas pedal for your body. Simplistically, it tells your body if it needs to speed up or slow down. And no two individuals are alike when it comes to thyroid. There is a normal range for thyroid (and we’ll talk about that) but they’ve actually found that thyroid levels in an individual very little over time. So how do you know if your thyroid level is right? Could it be in the “normal” range and still be low compared to what it was, say ten years ago for you? Is that just part of “getting older?” What if your thyroid levels got lower over time but you had a twin and their levels stayed the same over time. What’s more appropriate — to treat your symptoms and get your levels back to where they were or to slow down your twin’s ‘gas pedal’ so that they feel the “getting older” just like you do?!

Let’s talk about the normal range for thyroid levels. Normal means statistically two standard deviations, or 95.4 percent, of where the thyroid levels of our population fall. As with all labs, normal does not mean optimal – it just means “normal” for 95.4 percent of the population. Optimal is another story. Think about it like this: let’s say you’re at a family reunion. There’s a big spread of food that ranges from green bean casseroles to fast-food chicken. We’ll call 95.4 percent of this feast “normal.” Now, let’s say you happen to have Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond as a cousin and she’s coming. No offense to your great aunt and her sweet potato casserole, but what cousin Ree’s going to grace this feast with is going to be awesome-eats on another level! That’s optimal. There’s a difference in normal and optimal!

Guy or girl, and age-independent, if you’re in a pickle like Amber, go see someone and get checked out – you may have low thyroid. On top of that, your thyroid levels may fall into a normal range and still be low compared to where they were, say twenty years ago when you were vibrant and full of energy. Let me just throw out a general word of advice – don’t just assume a change in your health is “a normal part of aging” – it might be, but it might not. Talk to your healthcare provider – they’re there to help!

• Dr. Thomas is a board-certified physician who operates Complete Health Integrative Wellness Clinic and Thomas Urology Clinic in Starkville, Mississippi. Is this column helpful or are you looking for more information? We’d love to hear from you. Go to www.CompleteHealthIWC.com or call 662-498-1400.

This newspaper column is for informational purposes only and is, under no circumstances, intended to constitute medical advice or to create or continue a physician-patient relationship.  If you have a medical emergency, you should immediately seek care from your nearest emergency room, and if you have specific health questions, you should consult your own physician.