In a past article I went over the general aspects of thyroid disease and the options for successful treatment. In this article, I would like to concentrate on the most misunderstood cause of thyroid problems – an overly-active or over vigilant immune system attack on the thyroid gland. This particular autoimmune problem is called Hashimoto’s Disease. In the U.S., this is by far the most common cause of low thyroid function. In this condition the immune system, usually given the task of protecting you from foreign invader substances and organisms, falters and begins to attack the thyroid, slowly destroying tissue over time. This causes low thyroid function (hypothyroidism), leading to fatigue, hair loss, bowel problems, brain fog and a host of symptoms related to a general slowing of function in every cell in your body.
Genetics play a role here and can lead to susceptibility for thyroid disease and other autoimmune diseases as well. These diseases are known by the particular tissue the immune system attacks, like, rheumatoid arthritis (joints), celiac disease (small intestines), multiple sclerosis (central nervous system), psoriasis (skin), and, of course, Hashimoto’s disease (thyroid). It is really the immune system that is deranged and malfunctioning so it’s very important that it is evaluated and kept under control in order to decrease the potential devastating affects of this malfunction.
It sounds serious, and it is. You may be thinking, “Well if I have the gene for this, is there anything that I can do about it?” YES THERE IS! There are natural treatments that can rectify this situation and restore balance without resorting to drugs that only mask the symptoms, allowing the condition to worsen.
These genetic tendencies are both controlled and triggered by diet, stress and lifestyle. Once a gene is switched in the wrong direction you can alter these same factors, THAT YOU CONTROL, to markedly decrease the effect. This is most efficiently done by finding and fixing the things that are causing your immune over reaction. This can be difficult, but is usually possible.
Emerging theories suggest that most, if not all, immune conditions come as the result of problems with an unhealthy digestive tract. This is because it is associated with the largest total amount of immune tissue of your body.
From beginning (mouth) to end (you can guess), your digestive tract has a surface area of about two full tennis courts. This surface, if injured or inflamed by poor diet choices or toxic exposure, will allow the entrance of substances that the immune system sees as “foreign” (antigens). This triggers an antibody attack. While the digestive system is designed to extract nutrients and fluid from your dinner, it is also designed to protect the gut from antigens. Unfortunately, with poor dietary choices, the digestive tract can begin to break down and start letting harmful substances into your blood including bad bacteria, yeast and even parasites. This is called “leaky gut syndrome.” The antigens are identified as potentially harmful, and the war is “on.” Inflammation (cytokines) increases and spreads to other structures in the body including joints, organs, brain and thyroid. No wonder autoimmune conditions are so varied it their symptoms.
The thyroid is one of the most susceptible organs to the immune response. Therefore, you could use thyroid symptoms as an early indicator of an “out-of-whack” immune system. Making sure you are addressing this before more organs go off line becomes crucial to maintaining your health and quality of life. At our clinic we can use appropriate blood, hormone and gut testing to see what exactly caused the wayward immune attack and can direct a treatment program for correcting these problems. In this way, our Functional Medicine protocol produces the most effective natural approach to the thyroid/autoimmune problem so you can feel good again.
Dr. Don Davis, D.C., DACNB is a BOARD CERTIFIED CHIROPRACTIC NEUROLOGIST in Walnut Creek. He has been serving individuals with chronic pain for 30 years. For information about how you can get a free consultation with Dr. Davis, call (925) 279-4325 (HEAL). Visit us at WalnutCreekHealth.com or WalnutCreekThyroidInstitute.com
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