The thyroid gland is one of the most important glands in the body.  If the thyroid gland is under-functioning it is known as hypothyroidism. The most common symptoms that accompany the diagnosis are:  fatigue, hair loss, constipation, weight gain, dry skin, absent or delayed menstrual cycle, cold intolerance, low libido and depression.  Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is one of the more common ways in which the thyroid hypo-functions.  Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune condition where the individual’s immune system turns on itself and begins to attack the body’s tissues,  in this case the thyroid.   The attack on the thyroid can initially cause an increase in release of the thyroid hormones but eventually the hormones will dwindle as the gland is destroyed causing the thyroid gland to fail. Once this occurs thyroid replacement is inevitable.

At East Valley Naturopathic Doctors we thoroughly diagnose and monitor our hypothyroid patients by testing TSH, FT4, FT3, Anti-TPO Antibodies and Anti-thyroblobulin Antibodies.  There are other tests that we commonly utilize to determine what caused the hypothyroidism initially.  The issue remains that what initially contributed to the thyroid disruption may still be negatively impacting the body in other ways, which is why it is extremely important to investigate further.

Causes of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis

Wheat gluten and other food sensitivities

Chemical and metal exposures: Mercury

Viral illness

Other contributing factors to cause Hypothyroidism

Mineral deficiencies particularly selenium, vitamin E, zinc and B vitamins are needed to convert T4 to T3 the more active of the thyroid hormones.

Adrenal function

Lifestyle: Stress, poor diet, smoking are all factors and cause stress to the body which affects thyroid function.

Thyroid medications

There are many different options to replace or to assist the thyroid.  The first option is a natural preparation derived from porcine thyroid glands containing both T4 and T3.  Naturethroid and Armour thyroid are examples of this type of formulation.  The  second option is synthetic T4 , which is mostly commonly known as synthroid, levothyroxine and levoxyl. Sometimes  synthetic T3 is needed  to be prescribed if blood levels of Free T3 are low . It may be utilized solely or in combination with a T4 medication.