What is the best method of hypothyroidism treatment for you?
Hypothyroidism occurs when there is an inadequate secretion of thyroid hormones from your thyroid, resulting in a slowing down of your body’s metabolism. Low production of these hormones results in hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid). An often overlooked facet of hypothyroidism also occurs when thyroid hormones are not properly used at the cellular level, again resulting in a decrease in your body’s metabolic processes.
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Loss of energy (malaise/fatigue)
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Difficulty losing weight
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Weight gain
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Fluid retention
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Enlarged tongue with teeth indentations
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Cold extremities and cold sensitivity
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Cold intolerance
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Difficulty concentrating and short term memory loss
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Decreased mental sharpness, “brain fog”
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Hair loss
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Loss of hair on the outer edge of the eyebrows
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Dry skin
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Skin pallor, pastiness, and puffiness
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Brittle fingernails with ridging
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Low blood pressure
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Low basal body temperature
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Slow pulse rate
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Elevated cholesterol and triglycerides
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Depression or mood swings
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Hoarseness
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Constipation
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Muscle pain and cramps
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Joint pain
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Tiredness after a full night’s sleep
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Recurrent and chronic infections
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Menstrual irregularities
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Headaches
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Decreased sweating
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Enlarged thyroid gland
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Infertility
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Loss of libido
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Allergic disorders
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Slow speech
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Tingling and/or numbness in extremities
There are different classifications of hypothyroidism.
Type 1 Hypothyroidism occurs when your body does not produce enough thyroid hormone to energize your cells.
Type 2 Hypothyroidism, a lesser known type, takes place when your body develops a cellular resistance to thyroid hormone resulting in its not being able to be assimilated into and used by your body’s cells.
Autoimmune Thyroiditis (also called Hashimoto’s) is a genetically inherited trait in which your immune system makes antibodies to your own thyroid gland. Autoimmune thyroiditis is similar to an allergic response in that it occurs when your immune system overreacts, launching an attack on something that normally would be considered harmless. The difference is that in autoimmune thyroiditis, the target is not an ingested or inhaled substance, but your body’s own cells. Antibodies bind to your thyroid gland and prevent it from manufacturing thyroid hormone. Antibodies also may bind to the circulating thyroid hormone, making it unavailable to your body’s cells. Autoimmune thyroiditis adversely affects the assimilation of thyroid hormones into the cells. The antibodies to the thyroid gland which occur with autoimmune thyroiditis are proteins which bind thyroid hormone in the blood, thus decreasing the amount of free available thyroid which can be assimilated into the your cells. Like other autoimmune conditions, autoimmune thyroiditis can develop when the adrenal glands are stressed, especially following pregnancy or at menopause.
The cause of hypothyroidism may not always be clear in every case, but there are many environmental as well as genetic factors that can and do attribute to hypothyroidism.
As we age, our hormones gradually decline. This includes thyroid hormone, elevating our need for hypothyroidism treatment.
One cause of inadequate thyroid hormone production is an iodine deficiency. Each thyroid hormone molecule contains three or four atoms of iodine. If your diet contains insufficient iodine, the thyroid gland will be unable to synthesize adequate amounts of thyroid hormone. Iodine-deficiency hypothyroidism is characterized by an enlarged thyroid gland, or goiter.
Chlorine and fluoride in our tap water, bromides in our bread, and fluoride in our toothpaste, all displace iodine which can lead to poor thyroid function.
Another cause of hypothyroidism can be the destruction of the thyroid gland by either radioactive iodine or surgery.
Frequent exposure to general radiation in the form of x-rays to the chest, neck, and head can put your thyroid gland at potential risk and increase the potential need for hypothyroidism treatment.
Environmental factors, such as petrochemicals in the air (fuel exhaust), plastics, hormones in meats, and pesticides, can affect not only your thyroid gland, but also all of your hormones by causing an estrogen dominance effect. These xenoestrogens can block the production of your thyroid hormones.
Prescription medications can affect the functioning of your thyroid gland as well. Genetics can also play a role in causing hypothyroidism. Yeast overgrowth can contribute to an underactive thyroid gland because of the toxins it releases into the bloodstream. Mercury amalgams are toxic to the thyroid gland, as well, because of the mercury that is released into the bloodstream.
The thyroid gland is located in the lower portion of the anterior neck in front of the trachea and is shaped like a butterfly.
There are two main thyroid hormones:
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Tri-iodothyronine (T3)
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Thyroxine (T4)
T3 is the most active of the two thyroid hormones. This is why the method of hypothyroidism treatment is incredibly important and why we recommend that desiccated thyroid preparations that contain both the inactive and the active form of thyroid hormone.
The thyroid gland is part of your body’s endocrine system and regulates your body’s metabolism, growth, and development through the secretion of thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones enable the cells to produce and use energy by catalyzing a series of biochemical reactions which enable your cells to extract energy from food molecules and glucose, and create energy molecules. You can see how important hypothyroidism treatment can be in deficient individuals when you realize the integral role that thyroid hormone plays in the body.
The diagnosis of hypothyroidism should be made primarily on the basis of your clinical history and basal body temperature. The single most important tool in determining your thyroid status and hypothyroidism treatment is a thorough review of your symptoms and a physical examination. Once the diagnosis of low thyroid has been established, hypothyroidism treatment can begin with a therapeutic trial of desiccated thyroid.
Blood tests are usually the first action taken by a physician to determine hypothyroidism treatment. Laboratory data can be helpful to confirm the diagnosis, but when the results of lab tests do not correspond to your signs and symptoms, it is the lab tests that should be considered suspect – not you.
The “normal laboratory range” of thyroid hormones is an arbitrary value, defined statistically as plus or minus two standard deviations from the mean. This so-called normal range is as wide as the Grand Canyon and as tall as the Empire State Building. In practice, it means that approximately 90-95 percent of the population will always fall within the normal range. However, be assured that 90-95 percent of the population does not feel healthy, well, or full of energy. It is the relative decline in your thyroid hormone level that matters, not your level compared to some arbitrarily defined standard. Unfortunately because of this, too many low thyroid individuals are denied hypothyroidism treatment because they are still within the "normal range"
Mainstream doctors tend to give a separate diagnosis for the symptoms of hypothyroidism, such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, and IBS, instead of determining the underlying cause of your symptoms. Therefore, all too often hypothyroidism treatment is overlooked and the individual symptoms of hypothyroidism are patched up with pharmaceutical drugs rather than addressing the underlying cause.
Adrenal fatigue often occurs in conjunction with hypothyroidism. They share many of the same symptoms. Although they are clinically distinct conditions, adrenal insufficiency and hypothyroidism are both metabolic problems that result in a slowdown of your body’s functions and a decline in energy. Some people may only have one of these conditions, but many people have both and require both adrenal and hypothyroidism treatment.
In the absence of adequate cortisol, hypothyroidism treatment or thyroid hormone replacement is less effective. When the adrenal glands are weak, even normal thyroid activity is a burden. Hypothyroidism treatment using supplemental thyroid hormone may result in initial improvement in energy levels and other symptoms, but as the adrenal glands become more exhausted, energy production is shut down. The solution is not just hypothyroidism treatment and more thyroid hormone. What is called for is adrenal support with small doses of cortisol.
Low-dose cortisol can make a tremendous difference in the energy and well-being of patients with hypothyroidism. Not only does it improve energy, raise body temperature, and increase resistance to infection, it also helps the body utilize thyroid hormone. Natural cortisol is especially helpful for patients with autoimmune thyroiditis, an extremely common cause of hypothyroidism. Like other autoimmune conditions, autoimmune thyroiditis can develop when the adrenal glands are stressed, especially following pregnancy or at menopause. Natural cortisol actually reduces levels of thyroid antibodies, enhancing the effectiveness of hypothyroidism treatment and thyroid hormone.
Despite having many symptoms of hypothyroidism, numerous patients’ hypothyroidism treatment hinges on a single blood test. Most physicians rely on blood tests to diagnose and determine hypothyroidism treatment, and if your tests come out normal, you are often labeled and treated like a hypochondriac or given the diagnosis of depressed and sent off with a prescription for an antidepressant. Oftentimes, many low thyroid individuals do not get the proper hypothyroidism treatment because physicians are too busy treating the symptoms rather than the underlying cause. Laboratory data can be helpful to confirm the diagnosis, but when the results of lab tests do not correspond to your signs and symptoms, it is the lab tests that should be considered suspect – not you.
The natural solution for hypothyroidism treatment utilizes bioidentical desiccated thyroid preparation.
Conventional medicine's common view of hypothyroidism treatment most often consists of synthetic thyroid preparations such as Synthroid, Levothroid, and Levoxyl, contain only thyroxine (T4). Desiccated thyroid is bioidentical thyroid, derived from pig thyroid glands. It contains both tri-iodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4).
Hypothyroidism treatment utilizing desiccated thyroid contains the same thyroid hormone molecules that the body produces, T3 and T4, along with nutrients from the thyroid gland.
Estrogen dominance causes the liver to produce high levels of thyroid binding globulin, which bind thyroid hormone and decrease the amount of free available thyroid hormone which can be assimilated into the cells. Estrogen dominance also causes a passive resistance at the cellular level for the proper assimilation of thyroid hormones.
Yes, a deficiency of thyroid hormones can affect levels of sex hormones, causing menstrual abnormalities in women and a loss of libido in both sexes. Hypothyroidism can also impair fertility and if it is present during pregnancy, can cause miscarriage, premature delivery, or stillbirth. We have numerous patients who have after many years of being unable to conceive, find success after hypothyroidism treatment.
Yes. Dr. Broda Barnes performed a study which showed a decreased heart attack death rate of 95 percent in patients who received hypothyroidism treatment utilizing natural thyroid hormone - a truly remarkable finding.