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Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is when your thyroid gland, at the front of your neck, fails to produce enough of a hormone called the thyroid hormone or when your body fails to use thyroid hormone efficiently. There are several different types of hypothyroidism. Perhaps 11 million Americans have hypothyroidism, although only half know it. The disease affects both sexes and all ages. However, middle-aged women are most vulnerable. If you have just developed the disease, you will most likely have muscle aches and often feel cold. Left untreated, hypothyroidism can cause serious health complications.

Signs and Symptoms

	Slow pulse
	Lethargy
	Hoarse voice; slowed speech
	Puffy face; drooping eyelids
	Loss of eyebrows from the side
	Intolerance to cold
	Weight gain
	Constipation
	Dry, scaly, thick, coarse hair
	Raised, thickened skin over the shins
	Carpal tunnel syndrome
	Confusion; depression; dementia
	Headaches
	Menstrual cramps or other menstrual disorders
	In children, growth retardation, delayed teething, and mental deficiency

What Causes It?

The various forms of hypothyroidism have different causes. In Hashimoto's thyroiditis, antibodies in the blood mistakenly attack the thyroid gland and start to destroy it. Post-therapeutic hypothyroidism occurs when treatment for hyperthyroidism leaves the thyroid unable to produce enough thyroid hormone. And hypothyroidism with goiter results when your diet lacks iodine. The addition of iodine to salt in the U.S. has made this rare.

What to Expect at Your Provider's Office

Your health care provider will test your reflexes. He or she will also examine the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet for evidence of carotene, an orange substance deposited as a result of the disease. Your provider will draw blood and may also want you to take a radioactive iodine uptake test. For this, you drink a liquid containing radioactive iodine. X rays will show whether large amounts of the iodine settle in your thyroid gland.

Treatment Options

Treatment Plan

Your health care provider will prescribe a thyroid hormone for you to take daily. It can take a while to find the dose that is just right for you. It will take 2 to 3 weeks before your condition improves. You will find all your symptoms gone within a few months. However, you must continue to take your thyroid hormone for the rest of your life.

Drug Therapies

Prescription

	Synthetic thyroid hormone—you may receive more than one drug; various side effects
	Dried forms of animal thyroid hormone—various side effects

Over the Counter

N/A

Complementary and Alternative Therapies

Thyroid function can be helped through nutrition and herbs.

Nutrition

	Avoid foods that suppress thyroid function, including broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, spinach, turnips, soybeans, peanuts, linseed, pinenuts, millet, cassava, and mustard greens.
	Avoid refined foods, dairy products, wheat, caffeine, and alcohol.
	Essential fatty acids (1,000 to 1,500 mg three times per day) are necessary for hormone production.
	Vitamin C (1,000 mg three to four times per day), vitamin A (10,000 to 25,000 IU per day), B complex [50 to 100 mg/day, augmented with vitamins B₂ (riboflavin, 15 mg), B₃ (niacin, 25 to 50 mg), and B₆ (pyridoxine, 25 to 50 mg)], selenium (200 mcg per day), iodine (300 mcg per day), vitamin E (400 IU per day), and zinc (30 mg per day) are necessary for thyroid hormone production.
	L-tyrosine (500 mg two or three times a day) also supports normal thyroid function. May make high blood pressure worse.
	Calcium (1,000 mg per day) and magnesium (200 to 600 mg per day) help many metabolic processes function normally.

Herbs

Herbs may be used as dried extracts (capsules, powders, teas), glycerites (glycerine extracts), or tinctures (alcohol extracts). Unless otherwise indicated, teas should be made with 1 tsp. herb per cup of hot water. Steep covered 5 to 10 minutes for leaf or flowers, and 10 to 20 minutes for roots. Drink 2 to 4 cups per day.

This combination supports thyroid function: Combine equal parts of the following herbs for a tea (3 to 4 cups per day) or tincture (20 to 30 drops three times per day). Horsetail (Equisetum arvense), oatstraw (Avena sativa), alfalfa (Medicago sativa), and gotu kola (Centella asiatica).

Kelp (Alaria esculenta), bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosis), and Irish moss (Chondrus crispus) may be taken as foods or in capsule form.

Coleus foreskohlii (1 to 2 ml three times a day) stimulates thyroid function with an increase in thyroid hormone production. Also, herbs such as guggul (Commiphora guggul) (25 mg of guggulsterones three times a day) and hawthorne (Crataegus oxyacantha) (500 mg twice a day) are taken to counteract high cholesterol, which often accompanies hypothyroidism.

Homeopathy

Homeopathy may be useful as a supportive therapy.

Physical Medicine

Contrast hydrotherapy (hot and cold applications) to the neck and throat may stimulate thyroid function. Alternate three minutes hot with one minute cold. Repeat three times for one set. Do two to three sets per day.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture may be helpful in correcting hormonal imbalances.

Massage

Therapeutic massage can relieve stress and improve circulation.

Following Up

After you start on thyroid hormone replacement therapy, your provider will want you to have frequent checkups to monitor its effectiveness.

Supporting Research

Bartram T. Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine. Dorset, England: Grace Publishers; 1995:304.

Berkow R. Merck Manual. 16th ed. Whitehorse Station, NJ: The Merck Publishing Group; 1992.

Murray MT, Pizzorno JE. Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine. Rocklin, Calif: Prima Publishing; 1998:386–390.

The publisher does not accept any responsibility for the accuracy of the information or the consequences arising from the application, use, or misuse of any of the information contained herein, including any injury and/or damage to any person or property as a matter of product liability, negligence, or otherwise. No warranty, expressed or implied, is made in regard to the contents of this material. No claims or endorsements are made for any drugs or compounds currently marketed or in investigative use. This material is not intended as a guide to self-medication. The reader is advised to discuss the information provided here with a doctor, pharmacist, nurse, or other authorized healthcare practitioner and to check product information (including package inserts) regarding dosage, precautions, warnings, interactions, and contraindications before administering any drug, herb, or supplement discussed herein.