Can Hashimoto’s be treated Naturally?
Yes, first you must understand there is no current cure for Hashimoto’s disease. But with new innovations with nutritional medicines, better understanding of other major contributors to the disease process
and with a lot of help from new/improved laboratory tests, the condition can be calmed down and controlled, Naturally. It’s not that medications aren’t helpful for some, but why not give your own body’s ability to heal a chance, first.
Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is an auto-immune inflammation of the thyroid gland. This means that the body can sometimes aim an immune attack, similar to the way it might fight germs or cancer, against its own thyroid gland. When that occurs, white blood cells called lymphocytes can infiltrate into the tissue of the thyroid gland. When doctors remove small amounts of thyroid tissue, either with a needle biopsy or during surgery, pathologists are able to see this infiltration, using microscopes. Blood tests can also demonstrate antibodies against the thyroid gland.
Hashimoto’s is more common in women, especially of child-bearing age. It can result in diffuse swelling of the thyroid gland. Patients may not have any thyroid function complaints at all. Sometimes patients can develop symptoms of low thyroid function, and rarely, overactive thyroid symptoms.
Here’s a list of some of the relevant issues needed to be addressed by you and your Functional Medicine Doctor.
- Nutritional Status: What are the vitamins/minerals your body needs and are you absorbing them optimally? Which ones do you specifically need and could taking certain supplementation actually hurt your thyroid and immune system?
- Hormonal Status: How can one hormone, for example insulin, impact other hormones including the thyroid? How do your female and male hormones impact the immune and thyroid system?
- Central Nervous System: How does various areas in your brain contribute to health? How does thyroid impact the brain and vice versa?
- Intestinal Permeability: What is leaky gut and is this impacting how you express auto-immune disease?
- Dysbiosis: How does the 3 pounds of gut bacteria influence our immune system and the rest of the body? What happens when bad bacteria become the dominant player in your gut?
- Detoxification Ability: How does the environment plus your genetics interact to sequester and eliminate toxins that are known to create thyroid disease?
- Inflammation: How does your body process inflammatory chemicals and how do they create a vicious circle with hypothyroidism?
- Food Sensitivities: What foods are beneficial and what are not? How do I determine what food sensitivities I have?
- Anti-oxidant status: What is glutathione and how can it help my thyroid? How do I get my body to make this naturally and should I supplement with it?
- Immunomodulation: This is a fancy term for “what can we do to calm your immune system down and activate the symphony conductors, T-regulatory cells?” This is critical because these are the generals of the immune system and dictate whether we develop auto-immune disease in the first place! Even with dietary changes and detoxification and the removal of the above factors patients need stimulation to the immune system to rehabilitate it and optimize results.
For more information on Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis or to speak with a Functional Medicine Doctor, Call 303-460-0867, or meet our Doctors on our web site with testimonials, clinic information, scheduling, patient forms, and more at www.naturalhormonereplacementclinicsofcolorado.comm
