A Guide To Medical & Natural Hypothyroidism Treatments

Treatment of hypothyroidism disease varies from patient-to-patient, although standard treatment often begins with the use of supplemental thyroid hormone. This makes sense, because hypothyroidism results when the thyroid gland stops producing enough thyroid hormone, or because the thyroid gland is damaged and cannot produce enough hormone.

Typically traditional medical providers prescribe synthetic thyroid hormones including the thyroid hormone levothyroxine, sold under the brand names Levothroid, Synthroid, and many other names. These hormones help restore hormone levels resulting in rapid results for many patients. Some patients may require a combination of thyroid hormones to achieve optimal results.

There are also natural hormones you can take available from other health practitioners that will help restore thyroid function. A provider can recommend a proper dosage.

There are many stages to treating hypothyroidism with synthetic or supplemental hormones. These include determining a proper dose and combination of hormones to keep the thyroid gland healthy without producing too much hormone.

Supplementing with too much thyroid hormone can result in hyperthyroidism, which is a condition where the body overproduces thyroid hormone. This condition can also have unpleasant side effects, including heart palpitations, shakiness, insomnia, sweating, and other related symptoms.

Treating Hypothyroidism Extra Strategies

Along with supplementation with thyroid hormones there are some other steps you can take to improve the function of the thyroid gland.

The first is sorting fact from fiction. There is a lot of fiction available when it comes to curing hypothyroidism. Just about everywhere you look there is some article or new book that describes a way to conquer hypothyroidism. They can’t all be right, or can they?

There are many ways to help strengthen your thyroid gland, but there are also many gimmicks. Typically if you find someone that recommends one thing, like eat oil only for a month, you might want to stay away from it.

But, there are some good recommendations available besides taking supplemental hormones. Here are some of them:

- If you require iodine, as recommended by a healthcare professional, then be sure to incorporate more of it in your diet. In some cases a severe deficiency of iodine can cause hypothyroidism. This is rare in developed countries as iodine is often added to foods such as salt. People eating a raw diet may not benefit from these food additives however.

- Be aware of some foods or supplements that may interfere with synthetic hormone absorption, if you are taking thyroid hormones. These may include iron or calcium supplements.

- Eat a healthy diet as recommended by your physician with a variety of foods, such as increasing essential fatty acids found in fish and flaxseed oil, having a serve of protein with each meal, and consuming gluten free grains, such as buckwheat, corn, rice, and sorghum

- Nutrition, such as selenium, tyrosine, l-carnitine, CoQ10

- Eat all foods in moderation.

- Try to participate in daily exercise.

- Consider testing for food sensitivities

Some studies suggest that sensitivity to wheat and gluten products are common among individuals with autoimmune disorders, such as Hashimotos hypothyroidism. Some people with non autoimmune hypothyroidism are also sensitive to these types of foods. Eliminating them from the diet may help reduce the amount of stress placed on the body and thus enhance the thyroid gland’s ability to function properly.

This may also help decrease inflammation in the body, which will help you feel better (so you can feel refreshed to exercise!). Inflammation is a leading cause of many illnesses and disease processes in the body, including hypothyroidism. Cutting out offending foods can result in dramatic improvements not only to hypothyroidism, but other conditions in the body.

Sleep

Many people overlook the importance of sleep when considering treatment for any disorder, including hypothyroidism. However, sleep deprivation is just as problematic as too much sugar or any other vice. Over time it can wreak havoc on the endocrine system, which is responsible for thyroid function.

If you are not already getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep each night, consider modifying your schedule so you can find a way to do this. This will improve the long-term health benefits of your hypothyroidism treatment plan.

If you miss a good night of sleep, you will not be able to make up for it on the weekend. One lost night of sleep is like two to your body. The catch up becomes increasingly harder with time. So do your body a favor and hasten recovery from hypothyroidism and many other illnesses…by getting enough sleep each and every night!

So as you can see, a lot can be done to help manage hypothyroidism and improve your general well being, just by making simple and natural changes to your lifestyle. A specific diet removing foods that have been shown to contribute to hypothyroidism, and increasing healthy foods will have a major impact on both your thyroid hormones and the functioning of your body as a whole. And the best part is this is just the tip of the ice berg of the options that natural medicine can provide you.