Why do 37 million people suffer from some form of  thyroid imbalance and why is it and mostly women?

As often will many health challenges, the answer is not a simple one. First let us review some facts about physiology.

The thyroid is not a gland that acts alone.  It is part of  a closed loop feedback inhibition hormonal system involving primarily the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Thyroid.  Remember that that the hormonal system is really the non-electrical communication system in the body that allows the many body tissues to get the same message essentially for whomever is capable of listening.

Hypothalamus

(TRH - Thyroid Releasing Hormone)

Pituitary

(TSH - Thyroid Stimulating Hormone)

Thyroid

( T4   &   T3 )

93%             7%

T4 - must be converted                      T3 - immediately used

to T3 primarily in the Liver                                   in body tissues

Liver

(Majority of T 4 - is converted to T3 and secondary components)

Thyroid Conditions

Informational Brochures are PDF files that can be downloaded and printed using adobe acrobat

Do I have it, what are the symptoms and what can I do about it.

T4-Thyoxine is named for the

4 Iodine molecules attached to it.

T3-Triiodothyronine is named for the

3 Iodine molecules attached to it.

How does the Thyroid malfunction?

Hypothyroidism  (Low Thyroid)

• Hashimoto's Thyroid Disease:
  In this situation and the most common requiring immediate medical intervention, is actually an auto immune defensive reaction of the body attacking itself in particular thyroid tissue.
  

• Lab diagnosis utilizes the TPO  (thyroid peroxidase antibody)  test.  Make sure your health care practitioner includes this lab at least once in his/her thyroid evaluation.
  

Functional Thyroid Imbalance

Thyroid-Adrenal-Pituitary

axis disruption:

• Once gross pathology is ruled out by simple lab test, it is imperative to review function abnormalities.  Here is where the challenge lies that applied kinesiology (chiropractors) have a unique advantage.
  

• Remembering that the Thyroid can not self-regulate one must look elsewhere when confronted by imbalance.
  

• The key is either the Pituitary  or Hypothalamus.
  

• The most common condition that disrupts Pituitary function is heavy metal toxicity from amalgam fillings.
  

• The most common condition that disrupts Hypothalamic function is any long standing chronic illness, long term stress and especially long term emotional stress.
  

Hyperthyroidism (Elevated Thyroid)

• Graves Thyroid Disease:
  Often associated with  Goiter or an enlarged Thyroid gland.
  Fairly uncommon and can be associated with tumor activity or a past reaction to elevated TSH levels as the gland tries to accommodate to the Pituitary's request to make more Thyroid hormone!
  

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Additional information

"Why do I still have Throid symptoms"

when my lab tests are normal

by

Dr. Datis Kharrazian

Treatment Options

As bizarre as it may seem the most common approach to treating thyroid imbalances as well as thyroid disease whatever the cause as discussed above is the same!  Replace the body's thyroid hormone with an external  source.  And commonly only one lab value is monitored TSH levels;

Thyroid Stimulating Hormone levels are monitored by assuming the ability of the pituitary to monitor body thyroid levels is perfect, thus look for the TSH levels over time to determine if there is a need for increasing or decreasing medications.  It is a simple as that!

Treatment options that focus on function imbalances take a different approach.  Once determined there is no immediate or life threatening emergency then then the diagnosis can take on a different strategy by evaluating and treating using applied kinesiology (N.O.W.) techniques:

• Pituitary stressors
  

• Hypothalamus stressors
  

• Thyroid stressors
  

• Adrenal stressors
  

• Emotional factors
  

• Other variables that adversely affect the hormonal systems
  

Treatment Options