Thyroid Disorders

Thyroid disorders are one of the most commonly misdiagnosed diseases today. The lab values for determining function are poor and unreliable, yet they are the most commonly used. Many a patient has come in with 100% of the symptoms of a poorly functioning thyroid, yet because the labs are “normal”, they are told there is nothing wrong. I have had patients come in with the common thyroid tests revealing a “normal thyroid”, yet when other less common tests (such as thyroid antibody tests) are used, they are actually in deep trouble because their immune system is attacking their thyroid!

There are several reasons why we have so many poorly functioning thyroid glands today. Thyroid problems are not new, however, they are changing. We no longer have the abundance of goiter as in the past, but we have more auto-immune thyroid conditions, cancer and other serious thyroid problems.

Why? We have more thyroid stressors in our foods and in our environment than ever before. We eat foods that are diminishing function, we avoid foods that would help, and sometimes the very remedies we employ to help, are hurting our thyroids even more. When other glands in our endocrine system (such as the adrenals, pituitary, liver, pancreas and sex hormones) don’t function properly, that can also have a detrimental effect on the thyroid.

A very important key to healing a poorly functioning thyroid is to address the endocrine system as a whole – not just the thyroid. This is not an isolated thyroid problem. It is an endocrine system problem. Fortunately, we have several tools at our disposal to help. Using a combination of acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition and other remedies, we can help.