Thyroid Disorders

What is thyroid and what causes problems in this gland?

A thyroid, a W-shaped gland located in the front part of the neck right below the Adam’s apple, is one of the most important glands of the body that regulates the functionality of other glands. In other words, the thyroid gland is a major part of a complex mechanism, and all parts of the body are regulated by a thyroid hormone.

Hypothyroidism is a condition that represents the low function of the thyroid gland. The number of cases of hypothyroidism per 1000 of the population grows very fast and becomes an epidemic. Many individuals in our society are suffering for years with no symptoms of the disease. This disorder can and in many cases is so slow-developing that the only sign of the disease is moderate weight gain. However, there are so many reasons for gaining weight in today’s life that nobody even thinks about hypothyroidism in the first place.

Despite their efforts to lose weight by spending more time in gyms, walking, and jogging, people often find that their weight does not change. This is the first call. Also, the gain of weight in the case of hypothyroidism has some specific properties. The person that suffers from this endocrinological disorder looks puffier than fatty.

Also, in many cases, this disorder starts not from the thyroid gland as expected, but from the immune system that creates antibodies that keep the function of the gland very low. This condition is known in medicine as Hashimoto disease in honor of the Japanese medical doctor who first described it.

The biggest problem, however, is that in many cases, specific blood tests for TSH, TSH-3, and TSH-4 do not help the diagnosis and show normal results.

Hypothyroidism is a medical condition when the level of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) goes up and the levels of T4 and T3 drop. reported.

Nevertheless, in my medical practice, I recurrently observe patients who demonstrate a decrease in T3 without any abnormality in T4 levels and, at the same time, have a low or normal TSH. This uncommon form of disorder in the gland has been described in scientific publications for a long time; however, it wasn’t often accepted or deliberated in traditional medical symposiums. A majority of physicians (including endocrinologists) have insufficient or very limited knowledge of internal physiological dysfunctions that cause those conditions as well as how to fix them.

I often question my patients, who have these or similar results of lab work, about what their primary physician said and how he/she explained it. Usually, I don’t hear any answer from them or something like “not much.”

Based on today’s scientific findings in endocrinology regarding this gland’s dysfunctions, there are three different names of the disorder that manifests a low level of T3:

• Euthyroid Sick Syndrome (ESS);
• Non-thyroidal Illness Syndrome (NTIS);
• Low T3 Syndrome.

And there is one very important thing that should be explained… These conditions have nothing to do with the thyroid gland, and the biggest mistake that can be made is to prescribe Synthroid to this kind of patient.

What is the mechanism behind the thyroid’s physiology, and what leads to this T3 deficit?

There are 5 steps in the mechanism that controls the thyroid’s functionality:

1. The hypothalamus (a small gland situated inside a brain) controls the concentrations of thyroid hormones in the bloodstream and creates thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH). This Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone (TRH) forces the thyroid to fabricate more T3 and T4.
2. TRH immediately stimulates a pituitary gland that synthesizes Thyrotropin, also known as Thyroid Stimulating Hormone or TSH.
3. This Thyroid Stimulating Hormone kicks off production of the T3 (Triiodothyronine) and T4 (Thyroxine) by the thyroid gland.
4. Deiodinase in different tissues of the body converts T4 into T3 and then D3 deactivates Triiodothyronine (T3) in the liver.
5. After that Thyroxine and Triiodothyronine become free T4 and free T3 and at this point, they are capable of exercising their metabolic outcome.

Hypothyroidism is normally caused by a dysfunction in step 3, when the thyroid is supposed to produce its hormones. This condition is well known in western medicine as Hashimoto’s, Ord’s, and Graves’ diseases. Furthermore, an iodine deficiency is another disorder that starts in step 3.

But the problem is that the Low T3 Syndrome, or Non-thyroidal Illness Syndrome (NTIS), initiates in steps 1, 2, 4, and 5, which have nothing to do with the thyroid gland itself.

Below is a documentary video prepared by a well-known holistic practitioner, David Brownstein, who dedicated a big part of his medical career to this subject.

How to treat Thyroid disorders?

Alternative and Holistic Medicine have an answer to thyroid disorders. Holistic practitioners can diagnose this condition using alternative diagnostic techniques like Iridology, pulse diagnosis, and tongue diagnosis, even if the blood work shows normal TSH.

After the problem is diagnosed use of acupuncture, Reiki, and homeopathy can produce much better results than Synthroid and other drugs.

When I see patients with thyroid problems, my first choice of treatment is homeopathy. The philosophy of this German medicine allows one to pinpoint straight to the roots of the problem, find the appropriate constitutional remedy and cure the patient. Choosing and prescribing the correct remedy in homeopathy increases the likelihood of a complete cure for the patient.

Even so, homeopathy is very effective for patients with thyroid problems, and I would combine it with Reiki. From the point of view of Reiki, any thyroid disease is related to the condition of the throat chakra, and in most cases, this chakra is closed. Opening the chakra would lead to a rapid initial positive change in the patient’s condition.

Occasionally I combine Reiki and Acupuncture. The thing is that these two methods have the same philosophy. In the case of acupuncture, the practitioner moves energy in the patient’s body using needles and in Reiki, the practitioner reaches the same goal using the power of hands.

Viva Healthy Life Medical Center uses a full spectrum of holistic treatments for Thyroid disorders. Dr. Tsan at this facility performs treatment that is both fundamental and effective.