Thyroid Question?!
Question: Should thyroid hormones be given to a patient solely based on a borderline blood test? Wouldn't an uptake and scan be vitally necessary to determine amount of hormone given?
Is there a natural alternative to taking thyroid hormones for hypothyroid?
Answers: Should thyroid hormones be given to a patient solely based on a borderline blood test? Wouldn't an uptake and scan be vitally necessary to determine amount of hormone given?
Is there a natural alternative to taking thyroid hormones for hypothyroid?
I have hypothyroid.
There is 1 other blood value you ought to have. MDs don't usually give it. TRH. That along with TSH Free T3; Free T4; calculated T3 & calculated T4 should give you
comprehensive profile.
I don't think you need a scan.
My blood tests were not even initially out of the normal range which is very common. My MD diagnosed it by my symptoms & yes I have been on thyroid medication. I take both T3 & T 4 because my body can't convert the T4 to T3.
There is a natural hormone replacement which is called Armour Thyroid. You get it by prescription.
You might try www.womentowomen.com/hypothyroidism/
Good luck to you.
No scan or uptake necessary to determine amount. The doctor starts the patient at a low dose, sees what kind of symptoms have and how they respond. Then he will repeat lab work and tirate your dose by your lab results.
Some people will tell you to increase your iodine intake because iodine is essential for a healthy functioning thyroid. That is why most salt is iodized. Just make sure if you do this, that you are only getting the daily recommended dose, because too much isn't good for you either. Iodine will not by itself cure you, if you truely have hypothyroidism. You will still need hormone replacement.
Good Luck.
No they shouldn't, and yes they did for my Mom. She found an ND/Chiro who got her off it - since it and all the other drugs were making her worse. He gave her something called thyrolate - which the MDs hated because they say it isn't tested and could be unreliable. She just stopped going to them and telling them what she was doing. It's not like they didn't have a good 20 years to get it right before crippling her!
Well, a few years of thyrolate and few other specific supplements to her, and she no longer had to take anything regularly. She also found out what things were worse for her thyroid, including anti-bacterial cleaners (avoid like the plague) and is doing 100% better. She is 68, still on no meds and works cleaning houses to support herself. She does occasionally have to put herself back on a temporary dose if she starts to feel out of whack.
I am hypothyroid, diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease.
First, being borderline won't necessarily necessitate medication - for some it does, but not for all.
The initial tests are usually limited - request blood work - specifically T3 and T4 and TSH levels - that will give more answers than just the T3 alone.
An uptake is not required - it is not recommended for those pregnant or breastfeeding because it is not known to be safe for the baby. (better safe than sorry) It can be helpful, so that your doctor can SEE how your body/ thyroid is processing - but this test hasn't been around for a long time, and thyroids have been treated for much longer than this test has been in use :) It is a tool for your doctor to know how to better treat your person-specific health issues.
Another test (that can be done safely during pregnancy and/ or breastfeeding) is a thyroid ultrasound - this helps determine the presence of guiter and nodules, and their respective size(s). These can be repeated yearly or every other year, so that your doctor can monitor your progress/ condition on medication.
Many doctors will start a patient on the lowest possible dose, retesting hormone (T3, T4, and TSH) levels every two to three months, and adjusting as necessary.
There are some natural remedies, but I am not as familiar with them. Google should produce a variety of responses, though.
HTH! :)
TSH is a very sensitive index of hypothyroid states most of the time provided pituitary gland is functioning normally, thyroid profile is very important, the best is to follow with your doctor clinically and have the test repeated as your doctor advises,
There is no natural alternative so so not try them .How do I know well my mother is a health foodie and so am I but I have thyroid disease she put me on kelp because she heard it helped and it doesnt.I became dangerously ill began hearing voices,gained weight and got a very large goiter that made swallowing painful.also I will say I got very ill very fast. Get another test if you dont trust the first but if itsays thyroid or synthroid or levothyroxid is needed you need to take that and not play around with your health.Ive been on synthoid now for 11 years and the worst thing about it is some people claim it leachs calcium from you so bunk up on calcium. I know one woman who blamed her osteoporios on it but she was drinking about 5 sodas a day and that is also blamed for ostepororios sorry about my spelling. You should take this seriously because without thyroid hormone replacement you will die.My Grama died at 48 from this so its nothing to play with.