Hashimoto's Thyroiditis And Natural Treatment Methods
It really shouldn’t be a surprise that more and more people with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, as well as other hypothyroid conditions, are turning to natural treatment methods. While millions of people continue to take Levothyroxine and other forms of synthetic and natural thyroid hormones on a daily basis, people are simply getting sick of taking pills to manage their symptoms. Obviously in some cases this is necessary. On the other hand, many people with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis who were told they need to take thyroid hormone for the rest of their lives have actually restored their health naturally.
I'm sure you have noticed that people in general are slowly becoming more aware of their health, and are making strides towards improving it through diet, exercise, and nutritional supplementation. While the drug industry is still booming, the same can be said for alternative healthcare. In addition of taking better care of their health, more and more people are seeing alternative doctors such as holistic medical doctors, chiropractors, naturopaths, acupuncturists, and other holistic healthcare practitioners.
The reason why natural treatment methods work so well with many people who have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is because these treatment methods try to address the actual cause of this autoimmune thyroid disorder, rather than just manage the symptoms. Of course some natural doctors will simply use natural methods to manage the symptoms, such as natural thyroid hormone. But what many competent natural doctors are finding out is that while the thyroid gland is of course being affected in these people, it often times is not the primary cause of the condition.
For a better understanding, let’s take the example of someone who has an infection, and as a result has a high fever. One can choose to treat the fever, and be successful in lowering it through medication. However, in this example it would obviously be beneficial to address the actual cause of the fever, which is the infection. By successfully treating the infection you will get rid of both the cause AND the symptoms.
The same holds true for many cases of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Many people think of this condition as being a thyroid disorder, when it really is a serious autoimmune condition that affects the thyroid gland. So comparing this to the infection/fever example, the autoimmune component frequently affects the production of thyroid hormone, which results in the hypothyroid symptoms. In other words, the weakened immune system is what causes problems with the thyroid gland. So as is the case with treating the fever, treating the thyroid gland alone usually won’t do anything for the cause of the condition.
To summarize what I said above, many people with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis can successfully manage their symptoms by taking synthetic or natural thyroid hormone for the rest of their lives. But if they want to try to restore their health back to normal, then the immune system component of the disorder must be addressed. As you may have guessed, this involves strengthening the immune system, which is a big challenge. Some people think that simply taking an immune system support formula and/or antioxidants from their local health food store is enough to strengthen their immune system. Unfortunately it is usually not this easy.
And what can make this even more complex is that in order to strengthen the immune system, you need to find out what weakened it in the first place. For example, many people have chronic stress, which often times will cause problems with the adrenal glands, and over time this can actually weaken the immune system. So in this example, one would have to not only address the weakened immune system, but the actual cause of the weak immune system, which in this case is the adrenals. Sometimes other issues can lead to a weakened immune system, such as problems with digestion and the gastrointestinal tract. Other times it might be due to hormone issues.
This is why it is not recommended that people with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis self-treat their condition naturally. Sure, it might save you some money in the short term, but the odds of you receiving optimal results by treating it on your own are very slim. The problem is that everyone is different, and as a result, most will need a different natural treatment protocol. And as I mentioned earlier, some people can’t have their health completely restored to normal.
For example, someone who had their thyroid gland completely removed will most likely need to be on some form of thyroid hormone for the rest of their lives. This doesn’t mean that someone who falls under this category can’t be helped through natural treatment methods. In fact, people with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis who have had their thyroid gland removed still need to strengthen their immune system, and have other areas of their health addressed that might have caused their condition to develop. So while they probably won’t be able to completely restore their health back to normal, they can still use natural treatment methods to dramatically improve their health and prevent future conditions from developing.
So if you have been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and are not sure whether natural treatment methods are for you, think about how it would benefit your health to actually get to the underlying cause of the condition. While the thyroid hormone you’re currently taking might be doing a good job of managing your symptoms (although in some cases it doesn’t do a good job in managing the symptoms), having a compromised immune system and possibly other weakened areas of your body will most likely result in the development of other conditions in the future. Consider seeing a natural endocrine doctor to see if your health can be restored through a natural treatment protocol.
For more information on how to treat hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis through natural treatment methods, please visit my facebook fan page, Natural Solutions for Graves Disease and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis at www.facebook.com/NaturalThyroidTreatment
