If you have been diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, and are thinking about using natural treatment methods, then there is an excellent chance that you have considered taking nutritional supplements and/or herbal remedies to help restore your health back to normal. While taking the right kind of nutritional supplements can help with Hashimoto's, it can be both difficult and risky to attempt treating this serious autoimmune thyroid disorder on your own.
I have consulted with patients who figured that they can visit their local health food store and purchase a "thyroid support" formula, or a nutritional supplement that boosts the immune system, figuring that these types of supplements would provide the cure for their disorder. The truth is, most of the natural products that people purchase to treat conditions such as Hashimoto's Thyroiditis don't do much to help restore their health. While sometimes these supplements can provide temporary relief from their symptoms, in most cases it takes more than just nutritional supplements to completely restore a person's health back to normal. And of course in some people with this condition, it is not possible to completely restore their health through natural treatment methods (although this doesn't mean they still can't benefit from a natural treatment protocol).
Health And Supplements
When choosing nutritional supplements for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, you need to keep in mind that not only are you trying to restore the function of your thyroid gland, but just as important, you need to strengthen your immune system. And in most cases the adrenal glands and/or other areas of the body are affected as well. In fact, many healthcare professionals, including myself, agree that it is more important to focus on boosting the immune system before directly treating the thyroid gland. One reason for this is because a weakened immune system is a big reason why many people develop Hashimoto's Thyroiditis in the first place.
Supplements For Immune System Support
Some of the supplements that can help boost your immune system for people with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis include Echinacea, Selenium, and Astragalus. Of course you should first consult with a competent doctor to determine which of these you should take, as well as the proper dosage. Before purchasing nutritional supplements, remember that the quality is extremely important. This doesn't necessarily mean that you need to buy the most expensive supplements out there, but you do need to keep in mind that most nutritional supplements sold in retail stores, through the Internet, and even in many health food stores are of low quality. And if they aren't high quality nutritional supplements, then chances are your body won't properly absorb them, which obviously means you won't get the optimal benefits from taking them.
So what's wrong with taking an immune system support formula at your local health food store to help boost your immune system? Well, if you can find a high quality immune support formula then that's great, but in addition to all of the low quality ones that are out there, just remember that is extremely difficult to find a single "natural pill" that can do a great job in strengthening your immune system. It is one thing to take a "wellness formula" to temporarily boost your immune system and reduce the likelihood of coming down with a cold or the flu. It is an entirely different thing to expect an immune system support formula to effectively combat an autoimmune condition, such as Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.
It is also important to know that it usually takes more than just ingesting nutritional supplements to strengthen one's immune system. Here are five rules to follow that will help to boost your immune system, as well as help maintain the health of other areas of the body:
Rule #1: Eat healthy most of the time.
Rule #2: Take quality nutritional supplements.
Rule #3: Get at least 8 hours of quality sleep each night
Rule #4: Manage stress effectively
Rule #5: Exercise regularly
If you have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and do these five things with consistency, over time you will strengthen your immune system, which will help with your recovery. In addition, this will also help prevent other autoimmune conditions from developing in the future, which is very common with people who have Hashimoto's. The reason for this is because most people simply take synthetic thyroid hormone for the rest of their lives, and never address the immune system component. So if you focus on strengthening your immune system, then in addition to restoring the function of your thyroid gland, you are much more likely to stay healthy in the future.
Get Your Adrenal Glands Checked Out
Besides focusing on the immune system component, you should also get your adrenals tested, as many people with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis have adrenal problems. And just as is the case with the immune system, the adrenal function needs to be regulated before giving any direct treatment to the thyroid gland. If you try treating the thyroid gland before strengthening the immune system and balancing the adrenal glands, the treatment won't be nearly as effective.
Often times these problems I have spoken about thus far can be resolved by following the five rules I listed above, as eating healthy and regularly will help regulate your blood sugar levels, and in turn might be necessary to enforce rule #3, which involves getting quality sleep each night. Overall, when managing the adrenal glands the main key is to regulate the blood sugar levels. And the two best ways to do this are to 1) get rid of any sweet cravings you may have, and 2) avoid going long periods of time without eating.
Supplements To Address The Adrenal Glands
As for nutritional supplements that can help with the adrenal gland, one important one is called Gymnema, which can help stop any sweet and carbohydrate cravings you might have. You also need to manage the stress in your life, and while this does involve modifying your lifestyle to some extent, one herb that can help with chronic stress is Eleuthero, which is also called Siberian Ginseng. Once again, please consult with a competent doctor to determine the proper dosage of these supplements.
In addition to the immune system and adrenal glands, other areas of the body can be the cause of the problem, so while addressing the immune system and adrenal glands is important, this might not be enough to restore your health back to normal. Some people have problems with their gastrointestinal tract that is the underlying cause behind their disorder. Others have a hormonal imbalance that needs to be addressed. This is why it's a good idea to consult with a natural endocrine doctor, as a competent one will look at other areas of the body, and not just the thyroid gland.
Supplements For Thyroid Gland Support
Speaking of the thyroid gland, there are supplements one can take to help with its function. Many people with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis are iodine deficient. However, someone with Hashimoto's SHOULD NOT take iodine until both the immune system component and adrenals are addressed. If taken right off the bat, iodine can cause more harm than good, and this is one reason why many healthcare professionals will tell someone with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis to avoid iodine altogether. So iodine can be essential to take for a person who has a deficiency, but the timing is extremely important with regards to Hashimoto's.
While there are other supplements and herbs that can offer thyroid support, such as Ashwaganda and Bladderwrack, the fact remains that with Hashimoto's Thyroidits, the thyroid gland usually is not being directly affected. In other words, by addressing the actual cause of the autoimmune condition, often times giving minimal nutritional support to the thyroid gland will be fine. So there usually is no good reason to take many supplements directly aimed at restoring the function of the thyroid gland. By clearing up other areas of the body, and then giving some nutritional support to the thyroid gland, this gland will frequently begin functioning at a normal level again.
This of course assumes that it is possible to completely restore one's health, as in some cases this can't be done. For example, someone who had their thyroid gland completely removed will probably have to take synthetic or natural thyroid hormone for the rest of their lives. On the other hand, this doesn't mean that they shouldn't consider natural treatment methods to help strengthen their immune system, restore the function of their adrenal glands, correct any hormonal imbalances, etc.
In summary, taking nutritional supplements and herbal remedies in most cases can help. However, just because they are "natural" doesn't mean they don't carry any risks, which is why you should never self-treat yourself, and should instead consult with an expert. Since everyone is different, it makes sense that some people will need to take different supplements and herbs, and of course not everyone will need to take the same dosage.
Also, even though nutritional supplements and herbal remedies can help many people with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, taking supplements and herbs alone will not restore your health back to normal. In order to accomplish this, you need to make changes in your eating habits, exercise regularly, get quality sleep each night, and manage the stress in your life. So as you can see, restoring your health is definitely not easy to do, but most of the time it is possible. But the person with this condition needs to be ready to make these changes in their life. If you are ready to make these changes and want to see if you're a candidate for a natural treatment protocol, then consider consulting with a natural endocrine doctor. It very well might be the wisest decision you make this year.