Exhausted, moody and forgetful patients often come in with this common complaint: “I’m tired, but I can’t sleep, I’m gaining weight like crazy, and my head feels weird.” If you’ve been struggling with insomnia, brain fog or unexplained weight gain, it may be time to check your thyroid gland.

That little butterfly-shaped organ at the base of your neck may be producing too much or not enough thyroid hormone. So many biological functions are controlled by your hormones: energy, mood, metabolism, body temperature, sleep, sexual function, digestion, even hair and nail growth.

Endocrinologists often give patients one generic thyroid test and make a diagnosis based on a traditionally accepted but outdated “normal” range. Some traditional doctors get so frustrated with thyroid imbalance symptoms they refer patients to a psychiatrist!

Our naturopathic providers, on the other hand, understand that digging up the root causes of your symptoms takes time, patience and the highly integrative approach they’ve been practicing for over a decade.

Rather than dictating what thyroid hormone level is “normal” for everyone, they strive to determine what level is optimal – for you. They want to know what level will enable you to function and maintain your lifestyle. For them, “normal” means symptom-free. So, they delve deeper, and don’t stop testing and treating until you feel better.

For compassionate, non-invasive naturopathic thyroid treatment, schedule a consultation with our naturopathic providers. Call the Vibrant Health Naturopathic Medical Center at ☎ (603) 610-8882 or contact us here.

Thyroid Imbalance Symptoms

If your body functions require more or less thyroid hormone than your gland is currently producing, you may be struggling with:

• weight gain or weight loss
• hair loss
• fatigue
• anxiety and irritability
• depression
• brain for and memory impairment
• insomnia
• constipation
• neck swelling
• dry, brittle nails
• feeling too cold or too hot
• abnormal periods
• water retention
• high blood cholesterol
• frequent infections and colds
• hand numbness
• carpal tunnel syndrome

Some patients panic, fearing it’s thyroid cancer – a very rare condition. If you have nodules (lumps) on your thyroid gland our naturopathic providers will have them evaluated to make sure they’re benign. Most likely your symptoms are being stimulated by your thyroid gland’s over or under production of thyroid hormone.

Hypothyroidism vs Hyperthyroidism

Hypothyroidism is diagnosed when your thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormones, potentially leading to weight gain, fatigue, feeling cold, muscle weakness, high cholesterol, joint pain or stiffness, and even depression.

Along with blood sugar regulating hormone and leptin resistance, low thyroid hormone can make losing weight very difficult – as your thyroid gland affects metabolic rate, blood sugar, affecting hunger and satiety.

Research has repeatedly demonstrated the link between hypothyroidism and obesity. That’s why our naturopathic providers thoroughly investigate your energy production, basal metabolism and other weight loss saboteurs.

The most common cause of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis: autoimmune inflammation disrupting the thyroid gland’s hormone production. Whole or partial surgical removal of the thyroid gland also disables thyroid hormone production.

Hyperthyroidism is diagnosed when a hyperactive thyroid gland produces more thyroid hormone than your body needs, causing fatigue, hair loss, irritability, weight loss and excessive sweating.

Unlike some traditional doctors, our naturopathic providers won’t assume your exhaustion and moods are all in your head – they’ll tweak your hormone levels until you feel like yourself again.

Common hyperthyroidism causes include Graves’ disease (an autoimmune dysfunction) and thyroiditis (thyroid gland inflammation). Thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer are rare causes of an overactive thyroid.

Left untreated, both hyper- and hypothyroidism can enlarge the thyroid gland until it develops a goiter – which can cause your neck to swell and make swallowing difficult.

Thyroid Diagnostics

First, our naturopathic providers will become familiar with your symptoms, general health, genetic predispositions, medical history, lifestyle and stress levels – all which may be contributing to your symptoms. Then, they may order these diagnostic tests:

TSH Test

Traditional doctors test levels of your TSH (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone) which tells your thyroid gland to produce and release hormones into your bloodstream. But what range is “normal”? Some doctors wait until your TSH is at level 10 to diagnose you with hypothyroidism – despite all the low thyroid symptoms you’re suffering!

Not our naturopathic providers. They will also test your:

• free T3: the active form of thyroid circulating in your bloodstream
• free T4: the inactive form of thyroid in your bloodstream
• reverse T3: the inactive form of T3 which can be elevated in patients with poor T4 to T3 conversion

This can explain a lot. You could have extremely low levels of T4 and T3, and well as thyroid-damaging antibodies, yet still have a TSH level that many endocrinologists consider “normal”. At Vibrant Health, we continue to search for the root cause– no matter how many tests it requires.

To help you lose weight our naturopathic providers may also test and rebalance your:

• cortisol: your adrenal gland produces this crucial stress hormone
• leptin: helps regulate appetite by signaling hunger satisfaction
• blood sugar regulating hormone or c-peptide: these sugar level markers may explain why you have difficulty losing weight

They’ll determine whether you have leaky gut syndrome, gluten or dairy sensitivities, or deficiencies of: B vitamins, vitamin D3, folate, ferritin, magnesium, zinc, iodine, essential fatty acids (Omega 3), amino acids, and other essential nutrients iron.

They’ll also screen for reactivated viruses like Epstein-Barr virus and human herpes virus (HHV6), then test your blood for these increased antibodies:

• anti TPO: detects anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies mistakenly attacking your thyroid enzymes and thyroid tissue
• anti TGAb: this antibody targets thyroglobulin, the storage form of your thyroid hormones

If a viral infection is detected, they’ll prescribe an anti-viral protocol that may include custom anti-viral herbal formulations, Lose Dose Immunotherapy, homeopathy, natural anti-viral IVs, or botanical protocols like Byron White Formulas – herbal compounds that support immune response, detoxification and homeostasis. For more serious viral presentations, our doctors have the ability to prescribe anti-virals such as Valtrex, though most patients respond extremely well to our naturopathic approach.

Holistic Thyroid Imbalance Treatments

Our naturopathic providers may combine one or more of the following:

Supplements

They may prescribe a custom formulation that contains proprietary amounts of:

• Selenium - to assist with thyroid conversion of T4 to T3
• Zinc
• Vitamin A, C and E
• B-Vitamins
• Iodine - contraindicated in some cases of auto-immune thyroiditis
• L-Tyrosine- thyroid hormone is made of iodine + tyrosine
• N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine
• Ashwagandha root extract
• Guggul resin
• Turmeric root extract
• Thyroid Glandulars- to strengthen and tonify the thyroid gland

LDN

If you have been diagnosed with an auto-immune thyroid condition, and your thyroid gland doesn’t respond to other supplements, our naturopathic providers may prescribe LDN. A compounding pharmacy will titrate your precise dose for as long as your body needs it.

LDN may actually turn off the cells that cause autoimmunity by:

• increasing the amount of T-regulatory cytokines
• modulating growth factor TGF-B, which, when abnormally regulated can fuel cancer cell growth
• reducing Th-17 - the promoter of autoimmunity

By increasing your endogenous endorphin production, LDN may reduce inflammation, promote DNA synthesis, and help heal your gut. All of these actions appear to result in decreased autoimmunity seen with Hashimoto’s, Hypothyroidism or Grave’s Disease, and has been observed to improve thyroid numbers quite drastically.

The Autoimmune Diet

In cases of auto-immune thyroid disorders, our doctors may recommend adopting an autoimmune diet. The inflammation and leaky gut that are so common with these disorders may require eliminating or restricting: grains; legumes (beans, soy, peanuts, hummus); dairy products, processed foods, vegetable and canola oils, eggs, nuts and seeds, chocolate and certain spices like coriander and cumin; nightshade vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and potatoes; alcoholic beverages; gum, refined sugars and alternative sweeteners; emulsifiers and food thickeners; and NSAID painkillers like ibuprofen (Advil), aspirin (Bufferin), and naproxen sodium (Aleve).

You’ll be coached to replace inflammatory foods with these thyroid-healthy foods:

• antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables
• wild caught fish
• coconut oil
• probiotic-rich yogurt and kefir
• kimchi and sauerkraut
• sprouted seeds and beans
• bone broth

Naturopathic doctors constantly track potential negative interactions between the treatments listed above, as well as potential contraindications with other medications. Your feedback will be incorporated, and your custom protocol adjusted as needed.

Thyroid Optimization Therapy

Our naturopathic providers will try to optimize your thyroid hormone levels in the least invasive way possible. Natural dessicated thyroid – extracted from the dried thyroid gland of pigs – is a commonly prescribed, clinically validated FDA-regulated treatment.

When necessary, our naturopathic providers may also prescribe natural levothyroxine – the main thyroid hormone – in the form of: Armour®, Nature-Throid®, Westhroid® or WP Thyroid® or Tirosint® (hypoallergenic liquid).

For serious cases, or in cases of poor thyroid conversion or excessive Reverse T-3 production, Cytomel® T3 may be prescribed in the form of a compounded slow release T3, or as a prescription known as Cytomel®. Compounded sustained-release T3 may also be useful in treating or preventing goiter (enlarged thyroid gland). All medications must be used exactly as prescribed.

Book Your Appointment Today

Don’t let your thyroid imbalance symptoms define you. Allow the thorough, naturopathic touch of dedicated specialists resolve your hypo or hyper thyroid condition. Call our naturopathic providers for a customized, compassionate consultation at ☎ (603) 610-8882 or contact us here.

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