Is a Synthetic Thyroid Hormone Really Necessary For Hashimoto's Thyroiditis?

Millions of people with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis takeare a couple of steps you can take:
synthetic thyroid hormone on a daily basis. Many ofStep #1: Speak with your endocrinologist or primary
these people are told that they will need to take thiscare physician. Now to be honest, most
for the rest of their lives. But are endocrinologists andendocrinologists and general practitioners won't be
other medical doctors too hasty when it comes tosupportive of your decision to treat your condition
making this recommendation for patients with thisthrough natural methods. In addition to being skeptical
condition? Being a healthcare professional andabout the effectiveness of natural treatment methods,
someone who has personally dealt with anthey most likely will tell you that it can be dangerous to
autoimmune thyroid disorder, I think in some cases thetreat an autoimmune thyroid disorder naturally.
answer is "yes".The truth is that it CAN be dangerous, if you don't do it
On the surface, it might seem like common sense tounder the guidance of a competent natural doctor.
recommend synthetic thyroid hormone to someoneSome people will try to treat their condition on their
who has a deficiency and can't produce their ownown, while others might consult with a self-proclaimed
thyroid hormone naturally. After all, we can't survivenatural healer with no true credentials. This without
without thyroid hormone, and if our bodies are notquestion can be risky and is not recommended.
producing a sufficient amount of it, or in some casesStep #2: Consult with a natural doctor that focuses on
not producing any whatsoever, then what otherendocrine conditions. It admittedly can be difficult to find
options do we have?a holistic doctor that focuses on endocrine disorders,
How about natural thyroid hormone? Well, withoutbut they can be found if you do a little bit of research.
question this can be an option for someone withYou do need to be careful here as well, as some
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, or other cases of"holistic doctors" will simply recommend natural thyroid
hypothyroidism for that matter. This is especially truehormone in place of synthetic thyroid hormone, and not
with regards to people who don't respond well todo anything to try to restore the normal function of
synthetic thyroid hormone. There are many peopleyour thyroid gland.
who don't receive enough symptomatic relief whenThe good news is that you don't necessarily need to
taking synthetic thyroid hormone, but do well whenconsult with a natural doctor that practices locally in
taking a natural form of thyroid hormone, such asyour area. If you can find a competent natural doctor
Armour or Westhroid.within driving distance then that's great. But assuming
In fact, many holistic doctors will recommend naturalyou have already been diagnosed with Hashimoto's
thyroid hormone to their patients instead of syntheticThyroiditis, there is no reason why you can't consult
thyroid hormone. The problem is that natural thyroidwith a natural doctor remotely over the phone and still
hormone also doesn't do anything for the actual causereceive great results if it is determined that you're a
of the problem, but simply covers up the hypothyroidgood candidate for receiving natural treatment
symptoms.methods. In fact, there are some advantages to
An Option Most Doctors Don't Consider:remote consultations, as you don't have to drive a
By the way, the goal here isn't to criticize medicalgreat distance and/or deal with traffic, wait for a long
doctors for recommending synthetic thyroid hormoneperiod of time in a doctor's office, etc. You can simply
to their patients. After all, most doctors are just doingconsult over the phone with a doctor from the
what they have been trained to do when theycomfort of your own home.
attended medical school, which in most cases meansIn the opening paragraph I mentioned how I was
giving some type of prescription drug to help managediagnosed with an autoimmune thyroid disorder. I
the symptoms. As for holistic doctors recommendingpersonally was diagnosed with Graves' Disease, which
natural thyroid hormone, once again, what I'm about tois a hyperthyroid condition. But while it might seem like
say isn't meant to criticize these doctors, as mostthe complete opposite of a hypothyroid disorder such
doctors are of course just trying to help their patients.as Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, there are a number of
In other words, when a doctor recommends syntheticsimilarities, as both conditions affect the immune
or natural thyroid hormone, they are usually doing whatsystem, and in many cases other areas of the body,
they feel is best for the patient.such as the adrenal glands.
The problem I have with giving everyone withBoth autoimmune thyroid disorders often are labeled
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis synthetic or natural thyroidas being "incurable" by most medical doctors. While I'm
hormone is that many of these doctors underestimatenot going to tell you that there is a cure for your
the self-healing ability of our bodies. While there aredisorder, I will let you know that many people with both
people who definitely need synthetic or natural thyroidHashimoto's Thyroiditis and Graves' Disease have
hormone, there are also a high percentage of peoplereceived excellent results through natural treatment
taking these hormones that potentially can restore themethods, and this includes myself. And by the way,
normal function of their own thyroid gland. I'm notsome of these people with Hashimoto's who were on
suggesting this is an easy process, but neither is losingsynthetic thyroid hormone for many years still received
weight, yet many people are willing to put in the timegreat results. So please don't give up hope if you have
and do what is necessary to shed some pounds.had your condition for a long period of time.
Similarly, in order to restore the normal function of yourA big reason why natural treatment methods can be
thyroid gland so that it can produce it's own thyroidso effective with autoimmune thyroid disorders is
hormone, it usually will take some time, and some formbecause they address the underlying cause of the
of a commitment on your part. I realize that manycondition. Rather than just controlling the symptoms
people are fine with taking synthetic or natural thyroidthrough medication, a good natural treatment protocol
hormone forever, and if this describes you, then that'swill attempt to strengthen the weakened immune
perfectly fine. However, if you don't want to takesystem, address the adrenal glands and other areas
synthetic or natural thyroid hormone for the rest ofthat might be contributing to the problem, and will
your life, then you might want to consider a naturalultimately restore the normal function of the thyroid
treatment protocol.gland when this is possible.
Don't Stop Taking Your Thyroid HormoneOnce again, this isn't suggesting that everyone who
Although there is the possibility of restoring the normalhas Hashimoto's Thyroiditis is a good candidate for
function of your thyroid gland through natural treatmentnatural treatment methods. There are some people
methods if you have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, I am bywho won't benefit from a natural treatment protocol.
no means recommending that you stop takingOn the other hand, there are some people with this
synthetic or natural thyroid hormone. In fact, I can't tellcondition whose health can't be completely restored to
you to stop taking thyroid hormone, even if I wanted to.normal, but can still receive some positive benefits
In some cases taking synthetic or natural thyroidfrom a natural treatment protocol.
hormone is necessary, such as in some cases whereIn summary, if you have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and
people have received radioactive iodine, or if you hadare sick and tired of taking synthetic or natural thyroid
your thyroid gland completely removed throughhormone everyday, consider consulting with a natural
surgery. So everyone's situation is different, whichdoctor to see if you are a candidate to receive natural
obviously means that everyone with Hashimoto'streatment methods. Try to have an open mind and
Thyroiditis should be treated on a case-by-case basis.realize that the body has an amazing ability to heal and
Consider Natural Treatment Options For Hashimoto'sregenerate itself, although sometimes it admittedly
Thyroiditisneeds some outside help to accomplish this. You have
If you like the idea of trying to restore the normalnothing to lose by speaking with someone, and it just
function of your thyroid gland through natural treatmentmight be possible to restore the normal function of
methods so that you don't have to rely on takingyour thyroid gland so you won't have to rely on taking
synthetic or natural thyroid hormone forever, then heremedication for the rest of your life.