For the last few months, I have been gaining weight, regardless of what I ate, and I have not radically changed any eating habits. I have been sluggish, and my hands and feet were freezing all of the time. Of course, it was winter when it started; so I assumed that it was my slow circulation, and the cold weather. Even when spring came, and I started being outside, working in the yard and garden, and exercising more, I still gained weight. I was seriously frustrated ! ! When I went to the doctor; they said it could be an underactive thyroid, and gave me a blood test for that, which turned out positive. I started reading about the natural treatment, and it turns out that many people (some say 30 % of the population in the United States) have an underactive thyroid. We are low on natural iodine, for one thing. I went to Amazon and ordered a pound of natural kelp, and have started taking some of that every day to increase my mineral supplements as well as add the natural iodine to encourage the thyroid to produce more of its hormone. When I went back to the doctor for the test results; she wanted to start me on Synthroid, and I refused. I have read some horrific things about this medication, and it seems like the side-effects can be worse than the problem. My doctor was flustered, and she said that both she and her mother have taken it for years now, and it was perfectly safe. Well---- that was NOT what I wanted to hear either. I want to FIX the problem, not just treat it with synthetic hormones for the rest of my life. She just ignored the idea of kelp, and said she was sure that I was not short of iodine, and it was just my age. Finally, she came up with the idea of giving me Armour thyroid, which is at least a natural substance from a pig's thyroid. Siince pig is genetically the closest animal to a human, I agreed to try that. Meanwhile, I am taking the kelp, adding more seafood to my diet, and reading up on other natural methods of healing the thyroid gland.
I know its not something any of us want to accept that we have to take medication. I actually don't like reading those drug sheets or for that matter seeing those commerical about drugs or even looking one up online because to me this can scare us out of taking the medication. Now I am not saying that I like to take medication but in some cases I know I have no other choice such as for my Glaucoma and Acid Reflux, although the doctors has to fight me to get me ot understand the importance of taking it. I don't have a hyprothyroid but I know someone who does and he has been on medication for years for it. There doesn't seem to be any end to the cycle. In some ways I don't blame you for wanting to look for alternatives to try to come up with a cure for it. Unfortnately, I don't know if there is one, this condition is like diabetes and glaucoma there doesn't seem to be a cure but you never know what the future will hold. Let us know how you treatments go, I would be curious to know if this does work.
I don't have any answers to the specific problem but I know that, particularly when it comes to serious medical problems, it's hard to know what to do. Although I fully believe that there are holistic cures for just about everything, and that God's solutions are probably a better choice than those that are devised in a test tube, when faced with a serious problem, the decisions are not an easy one. When I was diagnosed with cancer, there were people who gave me suggestions for natural cures. However, none of them were the same, nor was there any way to know whether they were true solutions or something they heard on late-night radio or read in a book. On the other hand, doctors all gave me the same choices: surgery or radiation. I opted for radiation and, three years later, the cancer has not returned, but I have a bunch of other problems that were caused by the radiation. Had I opted for something other than to listen to the medical professionals, I am sure that I wouldn't have the problems that I am dealing with now, but I might be dying of cancer. Once I chose one option, the possible results of the others remain unknown. In your case, since the doctors are suggesting an artificial medication, I think that it might make sense to try some natural remedies first, since pharmacology is too often about masking symptoms rather than curing problems.
I have limited knowledge of medicines, but I think that most of them are a chemical version of natural ingredients but at a extreme higher cost. Regardless, Yvonne, I wish you a speedy recovery!
I am working on that part, Richard. I went to the Asian market today, and got some dried seaweed to make soup from, and also some of the kelp that they use to wrap sushi with. I have been reading about making sushi, and that may be my next endeavor. It will not be any sushi with raw fish, but some surimi and veggies in it. I bought a small package to try at the Asian store, and it was delicious, and it felt like something that my body wants. The added vitamins and minerals from the kelp should be a help, in any case. I have also been taking a spoonful of the kelp granules that I got from Amazon, and mixing them in a small glass of tomato juice fortified with garlic and cayenne. By the time I have added those to the tomato juice; I am doing good to even notice the kelp in there. I actually think that I am feeling better and have more energy already ! Life is an adventure....
Thyroid problems are common and when your doctor told you that her and her mother is using drugs. It means she is a failure in fixing the problem. Start with iodine is deficient in many locations and needs to be supplemented after saying that there is also other minerals that are replace iodine like fluoride and bromine. If you use fluoride tooth paste or drink water with fluoride, fluoride replaces iodine in the thyroid and prevents you from using it bromine also.There is other minerals that interact with iodine cobalt, mercury, arsenic. Second you think you are eating healthy but if you have thyroid problem you need to stop eating cruciferous vegetables,[cauliflower, cabbage, garden cress, bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts] these are a problem for people with thyroid problems. Good luck
Hypothyroid is something that is common to many older adults in the United States, I am not sure why this is exactly, but it seems to be fact. I to seem to have a similar thing happening, no matter how much I cut carries or how little I ate it seemed like I was gaining weight, not only that i was getting these strange palpations in my thyroid. I went in for a sonogram and they told me I actually had a multi nodular goiter, which seemed weird to me since this does not happen much in Americans. All I can figure is, because I grew up hearing how people should not eat salt because it will give you hyper tension, I seldom used much salt in cooking or as a seasoning. I am not sure thats my best guess. My doctor says my thyroid is not low enough consistently, i guess if you start the sythroid your thyroid will eventually fail completely and they could irradiate it. I have gone the homeopathic way and use a a herb called Bladderwreck that seems to work well, you have to try different doses to see what the right one for yourself. I also found a Thyro health mixture that seems to help. the thing with doing it this way is you have to be careful, to much iodine will make you have bad reaction, not enough also has an effect. @Yvonne Smith you may want to read up on Hashimoto's Thyroiditis this is the most common reason for hypothyroidism in woman
Thank you @Jenn Windey , and @Martin Alonzo ! I found one of the most recommended books on hypothyroidism is called "Thyroid Power"; so I started looking online for that. I found that it was cheaper to order the actual book on eBay than it was to get the ebook version; so the book is on the way, and I should be getting it any day now. I was able to feel the difference right away after I made the changes. The first day, I took the thyroid pill at bedtime when I take my nighttime meds and vitamins------ I couldn't sleep for HOURS ! Lesson learned, the next time, I took the pill right after I woke up in the morning, and I barely even needed the cup of coffee to get woke up and motivated. I also looked on Amazon and ordered a bottle of thyroid support , which contains vitamins and minerals that are known to help the thyroid. I have more energy, and have even lost some weight; so I feel that this natural approach is working great; and am really glad that I chose this over the synthroid that my doctor recommended. My head is even clearer, and not that "foggy" feeling anymore. It makes sense to me that many people, and especially older people, would be low in iodine here in the United States. We tend not to eat the foods that have much iodine in them, and for many people, their main source of iodine is the heavily-processed iodized salt. Then, we are told that salt is bad for us, and we should eliminate it from our diet as much as possible. While getting too much iodine is also a problem, I think that it is not something that is really likely to happen unless a person just overloads on iodine supplements. People in countries like Japan have eaten a whole lot more seafood and seagreens then we are apt to add to our diet, and they have very few thyroid problems from that. I have been researching the various information websites for hypothyroidism , and many people are reporting that they had much better results with the Armour thyroid than they had on synthroid. However, most of the doctors were about the same as mine was, and either claimed not to have heard of Armour thyroid, or refused to prescribe it, until the patient announced that they were going to find a different doctor, and flat refused the synthroid. Since the synthroid is a patented drug, and the Armour is just a natural extract that can't be patented; doctors get a much better kickback from recommending the synthroid. While I still have a while to go with this situation; I am feeling much better already, and believe that i am doing the right thing for my body.
It is interesting we take information from doctors that make their money only when you are sick. What is more important to your doctor curing you or his next car payment.
Progress report is good. I am aking both the DPT (dessicatd pig thyroid/Armour thyroid), and now the thyroid mineral/vitamin supplement morning and night as well. I just ordered some Lugol's soloution, which is what they used to treat people with (and it worked) for many years, and also some Himalayan dark pink mineral sea salt. That will be here this week, and I have been reading up on the use of the Lugol's drops. Here is a short video by Dr. Brownstein, whi is one of the leading doctors that treats thyroid problems with natural methods. If this one interests you, he has a whole youtube channel to explore more of them. (this is the only one I have watch so far). He does a good job of explaining why so many people are iodine deficient. Things that are common in our lives, chlorine, flouride, and bromide (used in flours) are all some of the things that deplete our already meager iodine supply.
This is something that runs in my family, and I'm also hearing talk recently of Fibromyalgia (I have) being related to thyroid issues, which doesn't come as a surprise to any of us with Fibromyalgia. My Dad was on Synthroid for years, but that was ages back, so I'm not sure what symptoms he had. I'm all in favor of more natural methods of managing health and medical conditions. Glad to hear things are starting to turn around for you, and you're feeling better.
Actually, what Dr. Brownstein explains makes a whole lot of sense to me, @Diane Lane . He explains that every single hormone that our body makes needs iodine for the body to make it. Apparently, back in the early 1920's and 30's; many of the schoolgirls even had a goiter, the lack of iodine was so bad; and that is why it was added to salt. However, you can't get nearly as much as you need from the normal amount of salt a person would use, and then we are told that we have to cut it out of our diets anyway. He says that most of the immune system diseases are caused from not enough iodine, and if pregnant women don't get enough, it affects the baby's brain development. I was surprised to read that lack of iodine can also cause the atrial fibrillation that I had, so there are a whole lot of illnesses besides just thyroid problems from this, and yet, doctors will tell us we are not lacking in iodine. That is exactly what mine did when I suggested that I thought I was low on iodine, and she said it was "just my age". Just taking the natural desiccated thyroid every morning has made a difference, and with the supporting minerals and the Lugol's Iodine drops; I should start seeing and feeling even more of a change. Poor Bobby ! He was still sitting and waiting for the coffee to get done and his brain-fog to clear, and I was bouncing and singing around the house. To be honest; I did try to settle down until he had a chance to wake up, though.
Every cell in your body needs 90 different nutriments and they all interact. Sorting out one nutriment and concentrating on just one can be a big mistake. We are all deficient in minerals because they are not in the soils any more so out foods even the so called best are lacking. A simple example is most vegetables need 9 minerals to grow and if you want a good garden you need to put on fertilizer because out of 9 minerals 3 are missing and we need 60 how many are missing? Your vitamins need minerals to work properly. You can be mislead by looking up a certain vegetable to see what minerals does it have it will give you a list but this is only if the minerals were in the soil because plants can not make minerals. You hear people touting one mineral iodine, magnesium, calcium iron, selenium, and many more These are all important but should be taken with the other minerals that they need to work. If you check the agriculture department you probably could find what minerals are deficient in your area for example the great lakes area is iodine deficient and half of the US is selenium deficient. A hair test for minerals is useful but not complete blood test are next to useless but this is what the medical system likes. For example if you have a large amount of calcium in you blood the doctors will tell you to stop taking calcium but in fact you need to take even more because the calcium in your blood was taken from your bones and teeth to balance your blood PH because you were not taking in enough. See if you can find a good multi mineral [fulvic acid, or find one that has 60 + minerals] and then add the ones you think you are deficient.
That sounds like a good idea. Even in my 20s, I had chronic fatigue, and would take a multivitamin plus Geritol. These days, I don't do much, since it's only gotten worse, on top of the other issues I have. I'm looking into spirulina, since it also has B vitamins, which I appear to be lacking. I'll start with a good multivitamin, but I know I need at least the Bs and Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium on top of that, so it'll be a while before I get things regulated.