Thyroid hormone is a major player in our health and in determining how we feel in general. It turns out that not only is it important in our overall function, but according to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), about 1 in 8 women from 35 to 65 years of age has low thyroid function, as does 1 in 5 over 65. What’s more, this is the tip of the iceberg because about half of the 13 million Americans who have a thyroid disorder don’t know it.
If you have hypothyroidism and are taking a prescription for thyroid hormone, it may not be enough or the right kind of treatment to actually keep your symptoms at bay. Unfortunately, in traditional western medicine there are no treatment options beyond thyroid replacement. If you are still having thyroid symptoms like weight gain, fatigue, insomnia, hair loss, brain fog, and constipation, then your only option is to take additional drugs for each and every symptom. This could include antidepressants, sleeping pills and stool softeners that don’t add to your well-being, and certainly don’t do anything to improve the function of your thyroid.
Everything in the body affects everything else. In order to properly treat and manage any chronically sick or ill patient you must look at EVERYTHING, all at once. I have low thyroid myself, and know that to effectively manage your ‘thyroid’ condition we have to look at the entire body. We call this a whole-person functional approach. There’s a night and day difference between treating a symptom, or a diagnosis, and treating the PERSON. Treating the person requires understanding the whole body — the brain & nervous system, the immune system, gastrointestinal system, hormones.
Thyroid related illnesses are more often than not diagnosed and treated in a simplistic fashion. For instance, the number one cause of low thyroid function in the United States is “Hashimoto’s Autoimmune Thyroid.” Yet, this is rarely the correct focus by your primary doctor. Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune problem, and it’s not a thyroid specific issue, in that the thyroid is not functioning because it is sick, but the immune system is overactive and attacks the thyroid, slowly destroying it cell by cell over time. No thyroid medication will do anything for this attack. If you address the autoimmune side of things as well as support the thyroid gland you can really feel good again. With autoimmune thyroid we support the immune system and the organs that function with the thyroid. That is why we test extensively to see if, for instance, you have an autoimmune condition (thyroid antibodies) or if your gut function is faulty (Gastrointestinal ecology profile), or if the adrenal glands are producing enough cortisol or DHEA hormone (Adrenal Salivary Index) or if glucose levels are surging (Fasting glucose and Hemoglobin A1c) and if liver function is up to par (liver enzyme blood tests). All of these will significantly affect your thyroid function. Commonly, the nervous system is eventually affected and we’ll do neurological testing and Brain Based Therapy (BBT) to address brain fog, balance disorders or decreased memory.
Rarely is the thyroid gland and thyroid metabolic physiology understood to clinically assess complete thyroid dysfunction. In today’s five-minute-doctor-visit-world, and with the insufficient thyroid panels that have become “standard”, the underlying cause of thyroid dysfunction is ignored or simply dismissed. Since the thyroid gland is connected to so many other systems like gastrointestinal dysfunction, immune function, adrenal hormone metabolism, stomach acid production, brain chemistry changes, and liver detoxification, its dysfunction can contribute to clinical symptoms throughout the body. These must all be addressed to lead to significant lasting improvement.
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) 279-4324 (HEAL). Visit us at WalnutCreekHealth.com or WalnutCreekThyroidInstitute.com
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