Millions of Americans struggle with low thyroid symptoms and are told at their doctor's office to take medication and return in three months. Welcome to the standard model of care.
The problem is that many people still have persistent low thyroid symptoms, even when taking the thyroid medication. People live with debilitating symptoms like fatigue, depression, anxiety, hair loss, weight gain and skin problems, and receive very little help from mainstream care.
Thyroid medication normally comes in the form of a synthetic T4 thyroid hormone. T4 is the main thyroid hormone that your body produces naturally, but it needs to be converted into T3 for it to be used actively in the body. I wrote an article for MindBodyGreen that explains in detail the many different causes of low thyroid symptoms that aren't tested for in the standard model of care. Since that article was first published, I've been able to talk to hundreds of people all over the world who are on thyroid replacement hormones and are told they're “normal,” even though they still have symptoms. These people know that how they're feeling is anything but normal.
Because thyroid physiology is so complex, there is rarely, if ever, a “magic pill” that cures the problem. The overwhelming majority of people struggling with low thyroid symptoms are having some sort of autoimmune response. This means that their immune system mistakes the thyroid as an enemy and attacks it. This immune dysregulation can cause systemic inflammation in the body. Inflammation is a normal response to an injury, but when the source of the inflammation, in this case an autoimmune response, isn't addressed, the vicious cycle of systemic inflammation is never broken.
The underlying issues of an autoimmune pattern and inflammation have to be addressed to restore the patient’s health. It's only when you deal with underlying issues like these that you can allow the thyroid hormone to be effectively used in the body.
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With that in mind, let’s go over five reasons why your thyroid medication may not be working over at MindBodyGreen.
Helping People Reverse Disease, Regain Energy, Lose Stubborn Weight And Restore Health, In Pittsburgh & Across The World Through Our Virtual Functional Medicine Practice. Dr. Will Cole: Your Source For The Future Of Natural Health. www.drwillcole.com
