Natural Treatments for Hypothyroidism

If by this moment you are suffering from hypothyroidism or had your thyroid removed, you have already learneda lesson: the thyroid may be small in size, but it is significant in importance. Probably, your doctor has prescribed daily doses of the hormone T4. And you, you are willing to do what your doctor says, but pills, medicines, specifying “daw” (dispense as written) on the prescription, meaning that the pharmacy cannot substitute a generic or cheaper brand for the brand determined, and so on… It seems you have had enough of that.

You prefer the natural way of dealing with your condition. Accordingly, you have been doing some research about it. In fact, you are reading these lines for the same reason. Have you found any plant or herbal replacement for thyroid hormone? For sure you have not. The reason is straightforward,and we imagine your doctor has already told you: There is no natural or over-the-counter herb or plant that acts like thyroid hormone and can be taken instead of thyroid hormone.

Let us focus on the question: Is there a “natural” thyroid treatment? Yes. But what do we re­fer to “natural” thyroid treatment?Prescrip­tion thyroid hormone replacement drugs such asArmour Thyroid or Naturethroid. They are made from the desiccated thyroid glands of pigs, rather than synthetic reproduc­tions of hormones. Animals? Yes, but it is important to note that “natural” thyroid does not refer to over-the-counter “glandular” supplements, made with raw thyroid and other endocrine glands of cattle, sheep, and pigs.

There is a catch here: Only a few practitioners have ever recommended these thyroid glandulars. Why? Holistic practitioner Dr. Gina Honeyman-Lowe, for example, says she has had a few patients benefit from over-the-counter thyroid hor­mone glandulars, but most of the time she finds she has to switchthem to a prescription form of thyroid hormone for optimal im­provement.The truth is, if you are significantly hypothyroid, you will, in most cases, need to go on some form of prescription thyroid hormone replace­ment drug—possibly even for life.

At this point, we do not endorse any particular therapy. What we do support is your visit to a respected and recommended nutritionist with expertise in working with thyroid problems. Anyway, here you have a summary of some treatments and alternatives based on the natural way of dealing with the deficiencies related to this condition. Take some minutes to read about them and see if any of these fits your needs.

It is a must starting by considering the opinion of a well-known herbalist, Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa, also known as K. P. Khalsa:“Ultimately what works very well is to get healthy. The way to treat this disease and many of these other slipperier, obscure inflammatory and autoimmune diseases,is to treat what ails them.” So among various alternatives, Khalsa recommends some stretching and exercise in the program of disease treat­ment, (like yoga shoulder stands and activities that use neck ro­tation and neck extension). However, the list goes on to the following:

1. Chinese medicine: Everybody knows traditional Chinese live longer, healthier and less stressed than the rest of the world. And their medicine, thousand years old, tries to find the balance in the body (precisely what patients suffering from hypothyroidism has lost.) Regarding the efficiency of CM,there are several verified studies conducted in Asia showing suc­cessful application of CM for immunologically based diseases, in­cluding thyroid problems. The Journal of Chinese Medicine found that the use of mox­ibustion (the use of heat at specific areas on the body as a way to add energy) along with Chinese medicinal powder at particular energy points led to therecovery of thyroid function in some patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. CM is also famous for the usage of acupuncture, and in the USA it is now an established practice.

Acupuncture has been reported to be quite in treating the deficiency of energy which is one of the problems when undergoing hypothyroidism, and in some of the symptomatic pain related to it. If you want to give acupuncture a chance, make sure your acupuncturist is licensed and certified. Not a “fan” of needles? Then, you might want to keep reading.

2. Naturopathy:Maybe, this is the first time you read about this, but no big deal. Naturopathic philosophy looks for a balance of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects.This approach points out the body’s innate ability to heal itself. Practitioners act like primary-care providers for comple­mentary therapies and work along with a network of alterna­tive providers. So, you can call this the psychologist of your body because it draws on many different disciplines. Be careful when looking for a naturopath, stick with someone who has an “N.D.” and is a licensed Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine.
3. Herbalism:Are you thinking of so-called herbalists trying to sell not only supplements but offering you a place on the massive multilevel-marketing? Well, no doubt there is a new crowd of those individuals, but what we mean is getting herbal medicine prescribed by practitioners such as physicians, osteopaths, naturopaths and, nutritionists. If we go to the bottom, there is nothing new here: many of today’s drugs are obtained from whether herbal sources or synthetic ver­sions of naturally occurring herbs.

Of course, there are lots of studies showing herbal products and their impact on health conditions, ranging from enhancing the im­mune to reducing swelling, to increasing energy or aiding in weight loss.

4. Ayurveda:This one comes from India, and it is about four thousand years older than Chinese one (it is the oldest medical system ever known). Its name comes from Sanskrit; we can understand the word as “science of life” or “life knowledge.” It is exerted with the belief that the body naturally seeks harmony and balance (Does it ring a bell?).From Ayurveda’s point of view, if one is sick or suffering from an illness, it is due to emotional imbalance or disorders in the different regulatory systems everyone has.

Ayurveda counts on some medicines. For instance, is a component derived from the plant . Z-guggulsterone has as an anti-inflammatory, antiobesity, and cholesterol-lowering agent in the “guggul.” This Ayurvedic medicine is consid­ered vital for the of a sluggish metabolism, and studies have shown that Z-guggulsterone has the ability to in­crease the thyroid’s ability take up the engines it needs for hormone conversion. It also increases the oxygen uptake in muscles.

“Triphala” is another effective herbal remedies used by many thyroid patients with digestion and constipa­tion problems, and the results are remarkable positive. Believe it or not, there

What do you think so far? If you have found something interesting, maybe a therapy to deal with continuing symptoms that may not be relieved by thyroid hormone replacement,keep on looking for advice and counseling. Apparently, there are some alterna­tive approaches and methodologies which could reduce the strain on your thyroid so you can reduce the dosage of thyroid hormone replacement. But just do not jump on any alternative only because a friend of a friend has a cousin that has successfully tried it. Remember, it is about your health.

References:

1. MARY J. SHOMON. (2009) Living well with hypothyroidism: what your doctor doesn’t tell you...that you need to know / Mary J. Shomon. —Rev. ed., 3, 52-68