Your Thyroid May Be the Mystery of Why You Don’t Feel Well
— By Elena Michaels PhD, CCH, LMFT
Depression? Anxiety? Digestive issues? Inflammation? How about weight gain, fatigue, hair loss, memory/brain fog and more? Does this sound like you?
Are your thyroid tests “normal”? Has your thyroid even been tested? If your thyroid has been tested, have you had the correct thyroid tests done or just a simple TSH test? Thyroid issues are moe prevalent now for a variety of reasons and there are many undiagnosed low thyroid cases. Most of the time the immune system is not even addressed. If anything is done at all, the person is put on Synthroid, Levothyroxine or another T4 substance. It is assumed that the body can convert the T4 from the medication into the T3 which is the form the body uses. Many times the body is unable to make this conversion, especially if the body is challenged metabolically or even stressed in another way.
A person may be told they are “fine” when their lab tests are done, but because they still complain of not feeling well, antidepressants may be suggested. This happens frequently and if it has happened to you, don’t despair…there is hope!
A person may still not feel well even though their thyroid tests come back normal. Often there is an autoimmune situation at work that is not being addressed (this is when the body attacks itself and targets/destroys the thyroid gland and other tissues). Standard treatment consists of using the T4 thyroid medication (or even sometimes a combination T4 and T3 medication) and monitoring the patient. Medication is adjusted to keep the levels within range. The problem is the “normal range” is just the average of everyone who is tested at that particular lab and not “ideal” ranges. Additionally, if there is an autoimmune component, the thyroid gland continues to be destroyed and more and more medication is needed.
But now there is another option.
When low thyroid is due to an autoimmune situation, the immune system is what needs the attention. In 70 – 80% of low thyroid cases, there is an autoimmune attack on the thyroid gland.
Thyroid medications (synthetic or natural) do not address the autoimmune situation. To simply supply the body with various thyroid hormones/medications and ignore the cause of the low functioning thyroid (which may be an autoimmune process) misses the point.
Often, focusing on the immune system leads to great results and the person actually heals and feels better. Learning about and avoiding the triggers that set off the immune system attacking itself, saves the person’s thyroid gland (and other tissues) from being further destroyed.
You are more than a “lab value” and your symptoms of depression, anxiety, digestive issues, hair loss, memory and brain fog, inflammation and more, are real. This is a new area of treatment and I use the latest research and techniques to help people get to the root of these issues, find out exactly what is going on and utilize targeted treatments so they can feel better and really heal.
Dr. Elena Michaels is a Doctor of Natural Health, Solution-Focused Marriage & Family Therapist, Clinical Hypnotherapist and Meditation Teacher. She has been helped others create health, balance and joy for more than 3 decades. She can be reached at 661.250.4395, www.DrElena.com [email protected] or www.facebook.com/DrElenaMichaels