Can you treat thyroid conditions naturally?

Are you tired or moody? Do you have difficulty losing weight, constipation or dry skin? Is your memory failing you? These are all common symptoms of hypothyroidism, or an under active thyroid gland. Up to 15% of the people have an under active thyroid gland, with many people going undiagnosed.And at least one in three women will have a thyroid problem at some stage in their lifetime.

An overactive thyroid, often caused by Grave’s Disease can also occur, but we’ll focus on an under-active thyroid here.

However it’s not always black and white, different people will present with different symptoms.

Many of our patients present with “normal” thyroid blood tests from their GP. Often this means a normal TSH however many people have subclinical hypothyroidism. We can help you with the diagnosis and treatment if this is the case. 

If you have hypothyroidism you may have some of the following symptoms:

• Chronic fatigue or low energy
• Depression or feeling melancholy and/or anxiety
• Constipation or harder stools
• Puffy face and eyelids
• Memory loss, confusion, brain fog
• Weight gain that is difficult to lose
• Dry coarse skin
• Intolerance to temperatures, hot or cold
• Menstrual issues or amenorrhea (loss of period)
• Infertility/ recurrent miscarriage
• Cold hands and feet
• Tinnitus
• Muscle weakness
• Loss of libido
• Insomnia
• Reduced sweating

So what exactly is the thyroid gland?

The thyroid gland is a small, butterfly shaped gland that sits just over your wind pipe in the middle of the throat. The thyroid gland has the job of regulating every tissue and organ in the body. Your thyroid controls your metabolism, moods, digestion, hormone balance, energy levels and much, much more.

Listen to this episode of The Shift Podcast (rated 4.9 stars by over 500 people) to go deeper 👇

How do I know if I have a thyroid problem?

As well as evaluating your symptom picture, there are several tests that may be useful to determine if your thyroid is under functioning. At Shift Brisbane thyroid issues like Hashimoto’s are one of the top three conditions that we treat. Our naturopaths have helped thousands of patients with thyroid issues and these are the things that we are looking for.

TSH

TSH, or thyroid stimulating hormone, is secreted by the body to stimulate the thyroid to produce more thyroid hormones. The higher the TSH, the more the body is trying to encourage the thyroid to work harder. A high TSH indicates a lowered thyroid function.

TSH is a poor indicator of thyroid function, as it doesn’t really take into account the whole picture. Unfortunately this is the gold standard that doctors use to check thyroid function, and if you are ‘in range’ then you are dismissed as being normal.

Research shows that TSH can be an unreliable marker and not the only important piece of the thyroid picture. This is why we recommend the following tests as well. Our naturopaths can order these tests for you if you don’t have them already.

T4 and T3

T4 and T3 are your actual thyroid hormones. T4, the inactive form, coverts into T3, which is the hormone used to regulate tissues in the body. You need to have adequate levels of both T4 and T3 in order for your thyroid to function optimally. By testing T4 and T3, we can assess if there is a problem with hormone production or the conversion of T4 to T3. There are different nutrients involved at each stage, so we are able to gain insight into nutrient deficiencies and know what to prescribe based on these results.

Reverse T3

Reverse T3 occurs when T3 ‘flips’ into a reverse form. Reverse T3 attaches to receptors and prevents T3 from binding to them. Checking for reverse T3 is important as your T3 could be normal, however if you have high reverse T3 then you will still have an underactive thyroid. Reverse T3 is not recognized by most doctors as being important, however our naturopathic team find it an essential part of the picture when evaluating someone with hypothyroidism.

Thyroid autoantibodies

Thyroid autoantibodies can show if there are immune factors that could be causing an autoimmune thyroiditis called Hashimoto’s disease. In Hashimoto’s, your immune system attacks the thyroid gland, leading to dysfunction. Autoimmune thyroid problems require different treatment to standard hypothyroidism, so it is important that this is ruled out.

Cholesterol

Unknown to many, often the cause of high cholesterol (especially high LDL) levels is hypothyroidism. In fact, high cholesterol was previously used by doctors as an indicator of hypothyroidism. This was before the introduction of statin drugs, which it seems are the only thing that are looked at when a cholesterol issue arises. The problem with this is that you could end up on cholesterol lowering drugs, while the underlying cause is not rectified. This is why taking a landscape approach to your thyroid health is so important.

Nutrients and your thyroid

Besides Hashimoto’s, nutrient deficiency is the next biggest cause of a low thyroid function. A deficiency in any of these nutrients can cause hypothyroidism to occur.

• Zinc
• Selenium
• Iodine
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin A
• Iron
• Tyrosine (an amino acid)

Urinary Iodine

Iodine is needed to make your thyroid hormones – T4 and T3. Iodine deficiency is a major cause of hypothyroism. Iodine is best tested through the urine, this test can be ordered through our naturopaths or through your GP.

It is important that you don’t take iodine if you have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis unless under professional supervision. Taking it when you don’t need it can make your Hashimoto’s worse. 

Hair mineral analysis

A hair mineral analysis can assess mineral levels in the body, as well as how your body is functioning. There are also many heavy metals that can inhibit thyroid function, so it is worthwhile ruling out this. Sometimes our naturopaths will order this test to get a bigger picture of what is going on.

Can you treat Hashimoto’s naturally?

In Hashimoto’s disease, your body makes antibodies which attack the thyroid tissue – leading to inflammation and ultimately the reduction of thyroid hormone production. This is the most common autoimmune disease in women and the most common cause of hypothyroidism. Our naturopaths use a multifaceted approach to reduce antibodies – herbal medicines, nutritional supplements and dietary intervention. There is goo evidence that eliminating gluten and dairy for example, can reduce your antibodies. We will help you with some simple dietary changes that will help you reduce your antibodies.

Can you cure Hashimoto’s naturally?

While we can’t cure Hashimoto’s, it is possible to put it into remission. It can take some time, from months to sometimes years for this to occur. This all depends on your antibody levels and other concurrent health factors.

What natural treatments work for thyroid issues?

Thankfully, there are many herbs and nutrients that have been clinically proven to improve thyroid function. If you have a suspected thyroid problem, seeing one of our naturopaths is a good first step. First we’ll make sure you have all of the right testing done, and then we’ll develop a treatment plan based on your individual symptom picture. Our naturopaths have helped thousands of patients to manage their hypothyroidism – we are very confident in our ability to treat this condition.

To make an appointment or to discuss treatment options with out team, call us on 07 3367 0337 or book online here and we’ll be happy to help.

If you want to learn more – Katherine discusses thyroid in length on this episode of The Shift 👇