When was the last time you felt like jumping out of bed before your alarm? Can you run all day with a full tank of energy, never feeling tired? Can you function without caffeine?  If you answered no, then you should probably check your thyroid health!  Vibrant Natural Medicine is Tulsa, Oklahoma’s solution for natural thyroid treatments!

It’s very rare for me to meet someone who doesn’t report chronic fatigue.  They either wake unrefreshed and feel tired all day or have a slump in energy in the afternoon/evening. Fatigue can be caused by a number of factors, but if someone is getting adequate sleep (7-8 hours) and still feels tired throughout the day, typically the most common cause I find is thyroid dysfunction.

Hashimoto Hyperthyroid Case Studies

Many of my patients have suffered from hypothyroid symptoms for years, which is so unfortunate!  This article is going to briefly present four of my patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis that incorporated naturopathic medicine therapies into their care plan and had improvements and/or resolution of their hypothyroid symptoms, along with reductions in their thyroid antibody levels on labs.

Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism is one of the most common conditions I see in my naturopathic medical practice in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area.

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, an autoimmune condition of the thyroid, is one of the most common causes of hypothyroidism, but I find very few women have ever been tested for the TPO (thyroid peroxidase) and TG (thyroglobulin) antibodies associated with Hashimoto’s.

Each case I work with is unique. Some women have hypothyroid symptoms but have never had their thyroid tested and we often find imbalances and positive antibodies upon testing.  Others have gotten some testing done in the past (typically antibodies haven’t been assessed) and they might be taking a thyroid replacement medication, but still have numerous hypothyroid symptoms!! Upon looking deeper, we find positive antibodies, which changes the most optimal naturopathic medicine treatment plan.  There are also women who come to me because past lab work showed positive antibodies and they want further support to balance the autoimmune condition.  No matter the scenario, there are numerous natural thyroid treatments that can provide support in improving thyroid health and function, even with autoimmune Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.

At Vibrant Natural Medicine, we incorporate an individualized, holistic treatment plan aimed at uncovering the root cause of the imbalance. There is a focus to reduce inflammation, balance the overactive immune system, and work to restore optimal thyroid function so that you feel energized and vibrant!  Below are four case reports of patients completing our natural thyroid treatments and their results.

Case #1: Jennifer is a 35-year-old female who came to see me because she recently had a baby and she was struggling immensely with chronic fatigue.  This was her second child and she reported the fatigue was much worse than she had experienced with her first birth.  She was noticing excessive hair loss, brittle nails, and difficulty losing the baby weight. She also experienced painful, heavy periods.  We did a full thyroid panel and found she had positive TPO antibodies, so we began a holistic medicine treatment plan to support her thyroid, reduce symptoms, and balance immune function, which is vital with autoimmune conditions.  Within 2 months, her symptoms had improved, and her periods were less painful and not as heavy.  Her follow-up thyroid lab panel showed her TPO antibodies have come back into the normal range!  Jennifer chose to solely incorporate naturopathic treatment modalities and never took a thyroid hormone replacement medication.  Today, she is feeling great, and living in a state of vibrant health!

Date Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) Antibody

Normal Reference Range on This Lab <34

Sept 2019 90
March 2020 10

Case #2: Brandy is a 23-year-old female who was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s at age 11.  She had gained 50 pounds in a year and had a goiter at that point. She had been taking Armour thyroid for over a decade and was still suffering from extreme fatigue, ongoing aches and pains, and a lack of motivation.  She typically wouldn’t get out of bed all day due to the fatigue. She presented to my clinic looking for holistic support to help her feel better with Hashimoto’s.  Many of her past thyroid tests, which typically only included TSH, showed extremely elevated levels of TSH at over 20!  From a functional medicine standpoint, I want TSH to be between 1-2.  In March of 2020 at her consultation with me, I ran a full thyroid panel and found positive thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibodies, which were highly elevated at 528 as well as elevated thyroglobulin antibodies at a level of 15.2  Three months after integrating a naturopathic medicine plan and in-office therapies at Vibrant Natural Medicine, her repeat thyroid panel showed her TSH had come into the optimal range and her thyroid hormone levels had improved, indicating a better functioning thyroid gland!  Her thyroid antibodies had also began dropping!  If the inflammation and root causes of the Hashimoto’s autoimmune condition are not addressed, in many cases the antibody levels will continue to rise, leading to more destruction of the thyroid gland and worsening function over timeIt’s vital to work on restoring balance and fixing the underlying cause in Hashimoto’s versus just taking a synthetic thyroid replacement.

Date Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) Antibody Normal Ref Range <34 Thyroglobulin (TG) Antibody

Normal Ref Range <1

March 2020 530 15
June 2020 499 5

Case #3: Alicia, a 37-year-old female had been experiencing fatigue, brain fog, hair thinning, and difficulty losing weight for the past decade, and the symptoms worsened greatly after her last pregnancy.  She reported never having her thyroid levels tested, even after having her children. Her thyroid panel showed highly elevated levels of both antibodies. Within two months of incorporating her naturopathic medicine plan, her hypothyroid symptoms improved greatly, and her lab work continues to show a reduction in thyroid antibody levels.  She chose to solely incorporate natural treatment modalities and has never taken a thyroid hormone replacement medication.

Date Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) Antibody

Normal Ref Range <34

Thyroglobulin (TG) Antibody

Normal Ref Range <1

July 2019 500 35
June 2020 385 9

Case #4: Doug is a 66 year-old-male who presented with chronic fatigue and lab work indicating Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism with a TPO antibody level over 1,600!!  After incorporating a naturopathic medicine plan, his next set of labs showed nearly a 75% reduction in the TPO antibody levels!

 

Date Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) Antibody

Normal Ref Range <34

Aug 2019 1,650
Feb 2020 440

Many people are told by their practitioners that there is no reason to check for thyroid antibodies as it doesn’t change the standard treatment, thyroid hormone replacement, which is typically based only on TSH levels.  As a naturopathic doctor, I do feel it’s vital to assess the full picture of thyroid function, including antibody levels.  For more information about ideal thyroid tests, see my blog post titled Thyroid Labs Explained- TSH is only a snapshot of the whole picture.

It’s crucial to know if there are positive antibody levels to clarify if there is an autoimmune process going on.  The naturopathic medicine treatment plan for Hashimoto’s is vastly different than hypothyroidism with no autoimmune component.  In fact, many hypothyroid supplements can actually make the Hashimoto’s worse.  Therefore, it’s vital to test the antibody levels prior to taking supplements.  Additional immune balancing treatments must be employed with Hashimoto’s along with tailored thyroid support.  For more information on our assessment and treatment process at Vibrant Natural Medicine, see my blog post titled Natural Medicine Treatments for Hashimoto’s and Hypothyroid Conditions.

Many of my patients have been told that there is nothing that can be done for the autoimmune process of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, outside of synthetic thyroid hormone replacement therapy (Synthroid).  I hope this post shows you that the naturopathic medicine treatment plans incorporated at Vibrant Natural Medicine can provide support for balancing immune health in Hashimoto’s, optimizing thyroid gland function, and improving hypothyroid symptoms.

If you are sick of being exhausted then let’s get the right natural medicine thyroid treatments in place to get you feeling vibrant and energized!  Call the office at 918-995-7001 to schedule your consultation!

In vibrant wellness,

Holistic Doctor, Natural Doctor, Natural Medicine Practitioner

 

 

Vibrant Natural Medicine | Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Solution for Natural Thyroid Treatments

Tulsa Naturopathic Doctor | Natural Medicine | Holistic Practitioner | Functional Medicine | Tulsa Thyroid Specialist