Thyroid Example

Traditional treatment for this case would ensure following a blood test, usually measuring only 1 of the thyroid hormones. Commonly, drug therapy would be started, forcing the thyroid to ‘return to normal’. The confusing thing here is, it may help lab values appear ‘normal’ even though the patient often has the same symptoms of fatigue, hard to lose weight, thinning hair, etc… These cases are often considered ‘healed’ because the lab value, which is needed for the diagnosis, is back in the normal range even though the patient feels the exact same. This is often referred to as ‘disease management’.

Here are some differences. The thyroid is a reactive gland that is responding to many messages our body is giving it. If our messages NEVER CHANGE, why would we expect to feel different? Did you know your thyroid has several markers to evaluate on a blood test? Messages from our liver, stress hormone (cortisol) and integrity of our intestinal system all influence thyroid’s function. Our liver helps ‘recycle’ certain thyroid hormones. If our liver is taxed with toxicity or certain medications, we may be ‘mixed messaging’ our thyroid’s behavior. We all have an abundance of stressors in our current culture. Did you know our stress response influences multiple pathways of thyroid signaling? In addition, a whopping 20% of our thyroid hormones are activated in your intestinal tract. It only makes sense that this system could give yet another mixed message if it is sub-optimal. Evaluating the involved systems is essential so treatment can focus on the root cause of the thyroid’s behavior.