Mississauga and Oakville Pain Clinic offering chiropractic, physiotherapy, massage therapy and orthotic services to residents of Churchill Meadows InMississauga
Mississauga and Oakville Pain Clinic offering chiropractic, physiotherapy, massage therapy and orthotic services to residents of Churchill Meadows InMississauga
By Dr.Mehreen Hussain,ND
Around 20 million Americans have some form of Thyroid dysregulation and that’s only those who get lab tested, the millions that have not been tested or lab values are normal range, are left thinking what’s wrong with my body?
Naturopathic doctors see thyroid conditions on a regular basis, as conventional medicine has a limited approach to treating thyroid- either medications for life or surgical removal of the gland! Patients need to know that there are other safe and effective options to treating Thyroid Naturally.
What is the Thyroid Gland?
The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland that sits in your throat and is the master regulator for your metabolism. When the thyroid gland is functioning well, the body can regulate your temperature, your protein metabolism, your uptake of vitamins/nutrients and your energy levels. When the thyroid isn’t functioning properly, it can cause problems with your energy levels, your hormones, your weight, your mood/brain function, fertility and menstrual cycle.
What is Hypothyroidism?
Hypothyroidism is when your thyroid gland is underactive and not producing enough thyroid hormones. Hypothyroidism symptoms include:
Hypothyroidism may be a result of high-stress, iodine deficiency, or an autoimmune disorder called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
What is Hyperthyroidism?
Hyperthyroidism is when your thyroid gland is over-functional and producing high amounts of thyroid hormone. Hyperthyroidism symptoms include:
Hyperthyroidism may lead to a medical emergency called Graves’ disease, which is an autoimmune condition.
What is Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis?
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune disorder, where your immune system sees your thyroid gland itself as a pathogen and attacks it. This leads to chronic inflammation, as well as chronic under-performance of the thyroid gland.
Hashimoto’s generally progresses very slowly, taking many years to take full effect. As a result, you likely won’t have any symptoms at all at first. Because of this, the best way to diagnose Hashimoto’s disease is by looking at the levels of TPO antibodies in your blood. TPO is an enzyme that plays a role in your thyroid’s production of thyroid hormones.
What is Graves Disease?
Graves’ disease is an autoimmune condition of hyperthyroidism. It stimulates the thyroid to work harder than normal through increased production of TSIs (thyroid stimulating immunoglobins). Symptoms of Graves’ disease are similar to hyperthyroidism, but with additional complications.
One is Graves’ ophthalmopathy, where inflammation affects the tissue around the eyes. This happens in about 30% of cases. Another is Graves’ dermopathy, where your skin becomes reddened and thicker, especially on your shins or feet.
What are Thyroid Labs?
Proper diagnosis of what is causing your thyroid condition is a critical step on the way to health. Conventional testing usually measures TSH only, and if your TSH is in range, no further testing is suggested, which can miss underlying issues. Naturopathic doctors often test the whole panel of thyroid markers:
TSH, T4, T3, rT3, free T4, free T3, Anti-TPO, Anti-Thyroglobulin
Testing the whole panel, gives a comprehensive way view of Thyroid dysfunction and what treatments are necessary to help support the thyroid gland.
How do Naturopathic Doctors Treat Thyroid Conditions?
Conventional medicine tends to write a prescription for Synthroid, a synthetic form of T4, for hypothyroidism and methimazole, a thyroid inhibiting drug for hyperthyroidism. In addition, the thyroid gland can be removed surgically in Graves, Hashimoto’s and Thyroid cancer leaving the patient with a master regulator for the body. Many patients find that thyroid drugs do not help their symptoms and do not help treat the disease and with time, they develop additional complications and adverse effects of the disease.
Naturopathic doctors realize this and bring nutrition, supplements and other form of therapiesand thyroid hormones to help patients with thyroid conditions feel better. Thyroid health is also dependent on the health of your adrenal glands, and immune system, therefore support theses with herbs and nutrients help keep the whole system in balance.
Contact the Muscle and Joint Clinic, Call 905-593-1605
Contact the Muscle and Joint Clinic today to speak with Dr. Mehreen Hussain, Naturopathic Doctor about your thyroid concerns. We will work together to uncover the root cause of your thyroid condition and build a comprehensive treatment plan to get your thyroid functioning again properly and naturally!
