Your thyroid gland is a big deal. It acts on almost every cell in your body. And when it isn’t working properly, you tend to notice.
Just look at the symptoms of low thyroid:
- Exhaustion, weakness, and fatigue
- Sensitivity to cold and reduced sweating
- Shortness of breath when exercising
- Slight to moderate weight gain
- Problems with concentration or memory, slow thoughts or speech
- Hair thinning and falling out
- Crappy nails
- Dry skin
No one wants those!
Dealing with an underactive thyroid, however, is complicated by two things:
- Testing thyroid function accurately might mean doing thyroid tests your medical doctor hasn’t told you about.
- Conventional thyroid medications don’t work well for everyone.
Our answer to the first challenge is to test more robustly–you can read about those tests here.
The solution to the second challenge for some people is to use natural desiccated thyroid (NDT).
One of the advantages of this thyroid treatment is that it contains both T3 and T4 hormones, which are naturally produced by the thyroid gland. Conventional thyroid therapy typically only contains T4, so NDT can provide a more balanced hormone profile.
Some studies have suggested that desiccated thyroid treatment may be more effective than synthetic hormones for improving symptoms, particularly in individuals who have difficulty converting T4 to T3.
Note that desiccated thyroid treatment isn’t appropriate for everyone! Proper testing and monitoring by a naturopathic doctor with prescribing authority can determine whether it’s a good choice for you.
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