Hypothyroidism Rampant in India
How can Hypothyroidism be addressed from its root!
The malfunctioning thyroid is becoming extremely common in today’s time.Its more common in women than men.
It is an autoimmune condition and is commonly called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
In this condition, immune cells produce antibodies against a key enzyme that is required for thyroid hormone production — thyroid peroxidase and/or against thyroglobulin, which is the building block of thyroid hormones.
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is characterized by progressive destruction of the thyroid tissue resulting in underproduction of thyroid hormones and leading to hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism symptoms can be very difficult to tackle until the root cause is addressed, as in conventional medicine only treatment offered is giving various doses on T4 which needs to be converted into its active form T3 and T2.
This conversion requires various nutrients such as selenium, Iodine , Zinc etc…
Even if the patient is advised these nutrients, there could be the minimum absorption of these nutrients due to unhealthy gut function and one lands up feeling helpless!
Hypothyroidism symptoms can be :
Fatigue
Weight gain
Constipation
Depression
Dry skin
Hair loss
Sensitivity to cold
Goiter
These symptoms usually worsen over a period of time if left unattended, since the gland is progressively being destroyed. One more aspect of Hashimoto’s is that patients may experience temporary symptoms of hyperthyroidism — which is known as “Hashitoxicosis”
Symptoms associated with Hashitoxicosis may be:
Anxiety
Weight loss
Tremor
Sweating
Insomnia
Palpitations & rapid heart rate
Goiter
Thinning skin
Gut Association of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis:
To address this disease from its root, Gut healing is very crucial for the following reason.
The intestine is in constant contact with a variety of antigens from both food and microorganisms. Healthy microorganisms in the intestine provide a great benefit by forming protective lining around the intestinal endothelium, aiding in the digestion and assimilation of nutrients, and in the development of the intestinal immune system.
The intestinal lining provides a barrier that prevents both pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacteria from entering into highly immunoreactive areas such as the bloodstream. If this mucosal barrier is disrupted, the immune cells of the intestine can become exposed to bacterial and dietary compounds that would normally be kept out.
This, in turn, can lead to activation of the immune system and the development of autoimmune disease.
When this happens, intestinal cells change, and the overall permeability of the intestine increases.
Molecular mimicry ( our immune system identifies our organs as foreign and attacks them) is the underlying cause of this autoimmunity.
Now that we understand that point of beginning of autoimmunity is the gut and therefore what will most certainly help in preventing the progression of this disease is healing your gut with our 4R Gut healing program!
Freedom Age: Functional medicine approach to treat Hashimoto’s thyroiditis disease
We at Freedom Age practice 4R Program to treat Autoimmune disease:
Remove: Inflammatory food, Infections, Environmental toxins
Replace: Lost nutrients, Digestive enzymes
Replenish: Pre-biotics & Probiotics
Repair: Amino acids, Minerals, Vitamins, Collagen etc.
1. Heal your gut.
Healing your gut is essential to treat all Autoimmune diseases. 80% of immune system is in the gut.
2.Remove allergens:
Gluten and all other food that you have developed Intolerance to, this can be tested with a simple comprehensive food intolerance test.
3. Test for heavy metals and mycotoxins.
We do Oligoscan a Spectro-photometric test to know the cellular concentration of minerals and heavy metals!
4. Find and treat infections.
There are a number of bacterial and viral infections that have been associated with autoimmune conditions. These can be tested by comprehensive stool analysis and certain blood tests.
5. Manage your stress.
Exercise, Meditation, Yoga, Sleep hygiene, Music therapy all can help relieve stress.
At Freedom Age, With Functional Medicine approach we get to the root cause of the problem: removing the threats that derailed the immune system and strengthening the immune system rather than suppressing it! That’s why using this approach enables you to reverse and prevent many different autoimmune conditions with one approach!
Dr. Kalpana Shekhawat- M.D.
Functional Medicine Specialist