Hashimoto is an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid gland. It's the leading cause of hypothyroidism in the U.S., accounting for nearly 20% of all cases.

The exact cause of Hashimoto’s is still unknown. But current research suggests that environmental factors like poor diets, stress, infections, toxins contribute to the onset of the disease.

The trouble with Hashimoto's is that traditional medicine can only offer you a bandaid approach, by prescribing thyroid medication. Unfortunately, this wont help heal the underlying auto-immune process.

However, Functional Medicine is a pretty different approach. With this, it becomes very easy to identify the problem even during the earlier stages of Hashimoto's.

In this post, we will discuss, What is Hashimoto's disease? How functional medicine differs from conventional medicine in terms of diagnosis and treatment for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis & much more. If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with diabetes it's a good idea to consult a professional as soon as possible to find out how best to treat it.

 

 

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What is Hashimoto's disease?

The thyroid gland is a butterfly shaped endocrine organ in your neck. The thyroid gland produces different hormones called thyroxine or TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone)

These thyroid hormones are essential for regulating metabolism, or the speed at which you burn calories. They regulate various body functions

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis is a condition in which the immune system betrays you and attacks cells all over your body, including those in the thyroid gland. This leads to an autoimmune condition where the thyroid gland swells.

 

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Hashimoto's Disease can progress due to certain environmental factors such as radiation, chemicals that hurt DNA molecules, smoking cigarettes, a lack of iodine intake, a poor diet and high levels of stress. In some cases prescription drugs can also cause or worsen it.

Symptoms of Hashimoto's disease

Hashimoto's disease typically progresses slowly over the course of years and comes with some serious long-term impacts. Until you have experienced symptoms of it, it can be hard to recognize that anything is wrong. So, there are some similarities between Hashimoto's disease and an underactive thyroid.

Symptoms of Hashimoto's Disease

• The increase in weight can lead to a variety of specific symptoms and possible complications. The doctors and nurses in the medical profession will be able to provide you with advice on how to combat excess weight.
• Fatigue
• Brain fog
• Constipation
• Hair issues
• Feeling cold
• Mood changes like depression, anxiety
• Menstrual problems like irregular periods or heavy periods.
• Infertility problems
• Chronic pain, especially in the muscles and joints
• Dry and rough skin
• Puffy eyes are a hallmark of allergies, but there are also other causes. Congestion can lead to swollen eyes, both inside the tissue below the eyelids and around the eyes themselves.

Diagnosis of Hashimoto's disease

Early diagnosis is absolutely crucial for autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto's disease. In the case of Hashimoto's, a blood test and an ultrasound can be used to diagnose it.

The diagnosis for thyroiditis is confirmed by the presence of antibodies to thyrocytes in the patient's bloodstream (anti-TPO antibody).

There are some similar approaches in both conventional and functional medicine. For example, for thyroid function, doctors first test for TSH and T4 levels. There is a good chance that the problems with Hashimoto's thyroid aren't detected with these tests alone.

With Functional Medicine, a full panel of thyroid tests are done which includes testing for TSH, T3, T4, Reverse T3 and Thyroid Antibodies. Abnormalities in these can help diagnose Hashimoto's disease.

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Conventional medicine approach for Hashimoto's thyroiditis

Conventional medical treatment for Hashimoto's is to replace thyroid hormone.

A lot of doctors only treat the symptoms and don't dig further for the cause. When we're trying to relieve pain, we can stop short and end up never identifying what the root problem is. As a result, people end up feeling like their sickness has no resolution and that can be pretty frustrating.

Medications can be helpful, but they often neglect to address the underlying cause of your health issue. For example, if your digestive problems are due to a gluten intolerance, you'll only see improvements when you reduce all traces of this from your diet.

Functional Medicine Approach For Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

If you want to be healthier, functional medicine is the way to go. These practitioners focus on more than just treating symptoms - they handle the root cause of disease. If this sounds interesting, book an appointment today!

Functional medicine states that issues with other organs (such as gut problems) can contribute to autoimmune thyroiditis. What makes this work is that your body then attacks itself because of something else originally wrong with you.

If you have been going to a conventional medical professional for years without noticeable symptom relief, then it's possible that there are other aspects of your body that need your attention.

The goal of functional medicine is to help improve the health of your thyroid, which can reduce inflammation. They did this by identifying what caused the inflammation in the first place and then working to make improvements.

 

 

A typical Functional Medicine approach includes —

1. A lot of people are affected by Hashimoto's and in many cases, the underlying factors are different for each person. Some factors that may lead to the disease is exposure to toxins, viral infections, deficiencies in certain nutrients and metabolism problems. You need to see a Functional Medicine physician for an initial consult with an in-depth examination of your history and ordering advanced lab testing.
2. With a Hashimoto's functional medicine plan, we can address everything that could be contributing to your inflammation. We work with you to create a personalized menu of things you need - such as dietary changes and stress management strategies.
3. Requesting advanced functional medicine tests: Many patients come to see me, telling me that their doctor has told them their tests are all normal. They say they feel awful and still have symptoms, but I often find serious abnormalities when I order advanced functional medicine testing. The problem is that conventional medicine doesn't test for everything. Through advanced functional medicine testing we can pinpoint the issue and create a plan to solve it.
4. To give you a roadmap to recovering from your Hashimoto's so that you can live symptom-free in the future and not have to see doctors indefinitely. When patients graduate, they are always surprised at how quickly they have overcome their condition. They have never heard a doctor say that they can manage their disease on their own now, and don’t want to see him anymore. They have heard once you get Hashimoto’s, you continue to see your doctor forever. But through functional medicine, we teach you about your disease so that you know how to prevent it from reoccurring in the future.

This approach is a revolutionary treatment of Hashimoto’s because it addresses the root cause of your condition and helps you reverse the disease. It ensures that you live symptom free for life.

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Summary

With all these said, the first step is to visit a Functional medicine doctor specializing in Thyroid healing in Toledo. Your doctor will discuss your problems and come up with a personalized treatment plan for you

Dr. Gupta now offers virtual online consultations for people from all over the country who are interested in treating their health holistically and working with a licensed physician. Just start with a 15 minute evaluation call and see if we're a good fit to work together!

 

To get started you can click here for a free 15 minute evaluation call.