Getting an accurate test from a physician to diagnose hypothyroidism can be difficult. The truth is, most medical doctors, and conventional medicine as a whole, have really failed to truly help the public with hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), which is well supported by testimony from thousands of unhappy patients.

After doing tests your doctor may tell you that you are in the "normal range", even if you still have hypothyroid symptoms and know something is very wrong in your body.
This can be very counter productive, especially if the search for relief goes off at a tangent looking elsewhere, and leaves you with the symptoms.

 

Remember, in natural medicine, there is still an underlying factor as to why your thyroid is not functioning and it always goes back to toxicity (chemcials or gut bacteria) or deficiencies of certain key nutrients.   A cookie cutter approach does not work - with one individual the cause is different than the next individual.  This is why it is important to have a good, solid relationship with a naturopathic doctor that you trust who can work with you on your individual issues and dosing amounts.

 

YOU COULD BE BORDERLINE HYPOTHYROID !!

Despite the sensitivity of all the tests the medicals doctors can give a patient today, a mildly hypothyroid person can still appear normal in a test.

Many people have symptoms of hypothyroidism and are clearly hypothyroid, yet they complain that no doctors will help them. Even if their tests come up "normal", they suffer tremendously with symptoms of low thyroid functioning daily.

Why is it that so many people who need some thyroid help simply cannot get it from their doctor?

The Mayo Clinic has determined that as much as 10 percent of the population suffer from thyroid problems and it appears to be on the increase.

 

Thyroid disease can be treated.

 

Hypothyroidsm treatment.
First you need to stop stressing your body, and start eating healthy foods. Diet, exercise and reducing your stress level will start your recovery. Some people have stressed their body for too long and require a thyroid hormone. There are synthetic hormones and natural hormones. Natural is always better. In fact, synthetic hormones can cause more problems than they solve. 

 

 

Without treatment, you are setting yourself up for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and a list of other symptoms like Carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, PMS, infertility, dangerously high cholesterol, severe depression (including suicidal thoughts), obesity, heart failure, stroke, and death. This is about the health of every tissue and organ in your body. Every cell in your body is dependent upon your thyroid.

 

TESTS FOR HYPOTHYROIDISM ARE NOT ALWAYS ACCURATE

TSH tests and blood tests are useful to help diagnose hypothyroidism but should not be used alone. Symptoms and body temperature are the most important factor. It is rare that a blood chemistry panel shows your true condition because the values measured are only about 30% accurate. It is common for a hypothyroid person to have a completely normal thyroid panel. This is why the Thyroid Panel is considered by many to be inadequate.

 

It is common for a hypothyroid person to have a low TSH value, which is usually interpreted as hyperthyroidism, not the reverse, despite many symptoms of low thyroid (depression, dry skin, weight problems, chronic infections, female problems, hair loss, low blood sugar, and so on).

TSH tests are not as scientifically accurate as they need to be.

There is a sophisticated test to reveal even mild low thyroid and it is the TRH (Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone) test. This test requires an injection, followed by one or more blood draws at 15, 30 and 45 minute intervals. This test is accurate, but is expensive and inconvenient for both patient and the lab.

 

HERE IS A SIMPLE AND ACCURATE TEST FOR HYPOTHYROIDISM

THE BODY TEMPERATURE TEST

 
There is one simple thing almost anyone can do at home to uncover an underactive thyroid:

Take your own temperature.
The "basal body temperature" test was developed by Broda O. Barnes, M.D.,
Because thyroid hormone is so vital to cellular metabolism, reduced thyroid function often manifests as a drop in body temperature to below the normal level of 98.6*F. Barnes recommended the following procedure:
Immediately upon awakening, and with as little movement as possible, place the thermometer under the tongue.

Record the readings on three consecutive days - women should not do this the week of their periods.

If the average temperature over the three days is less than 97.8*F, then, according to Barnes, you may have hypothyroidism. Even if you have had a blood test and were told you did not have a low thyroid reading, you might go back and look at the test results again. You may find that your blood levels of thyroid hormones are actually low normal.  Many people who are within the so-called "normal" range but below the midpoint could benefit enormously from thyroid supplementation.

Your optimum oral temperature should be 97.8 - 98.0 in the morning before arising. Your oral temperature should rise to 98.6 to 99 degrees for about 10 hours a day (from 8 am until 11 am).

A good test time is to take your oral temperature is between 11 am and 3 pm. The next time to do this is 20 minutes after lunch which is when your thyroid function should be at its best.

It is so important to work on getting and keeping your temperature at 98.6. The thyroid system is a vicious circle, one thing leads to another until bacteria, parasites, and viruses attack and cause other diseases and symptoms, including the body's wanting to attack itself. When body enzymes are not the correct temperature, 98.6, they don't turn into correct hormones, which then cause illness.

Even if your temperature is normal and you still have symptoms, you may have a low grade infection that is raising your temperature. Symptoms are a really important factor that need to be taken into account. Once the low grade infection is taken care of, you will be able to pick up a low temperature.

Purchase an inexpensive bottle of the brownish-red iodine in the drugstore. Paint a circle about the size of a silver dollar on your stomach, If this color is absorbed in two to six hours there could be an iodine deficiency.   This nutrient is necessary for the body's production of tyrosine and can be found in the Superfood Greens that we carry in the office.  We also carry a thyroid complex in the case that extra nourishing is needed.

 

Three Things that are very toxic to the thyroid

 

1.  Flouride - avoid flouride treatments from the dentist and do not cook your foods in tap water!!  Especially steaming your foods in tap water gives you a nice healthy concentrated dose of cancer causing flouride right in your foods!

 

2.  Chlorine -- avoid chlorine cleaning products (use peroxide instead), and be sure to pick up a chlorine filter for your shower (which is probably your highest exposure) - Home Depot or Lowers have them for about $30-40.

 

3.  Bromide -- in most processed baked goods.

 

I have had about 10 people in the past few weeks that have come to me with thyroid issues.  I am not sure if it is more prevalent around this area of the country or if it is just that widespread everywhere.  The last thing that we need is the potential radiation fallout problems.

 

Dr. Valerie Nelson, ND

Board Certified Integrative Medicine