As you know, hypothyroidism (low thyroid) is extremely common. In US about 30 million people are being treated for it. The treatment is usually Synthroid, generic name levothyroxine sodium, which is versions of the real thyroid hormone T4.
Synthroid is among the most prescribed drugs in the US, usually in the top 5 drug in the US. For example, a 2024 insurer report lists levothyroxine as the second most prescribed drug in US with millions of prescriptions.
In other words, doctor diagnose and treat millions of people with hypothyroidism. But they miss about as many patients as they find. This has to do with the blood test they use and how they interpret it.
I want to repeat it. Tens of millions of people have hypothyroidism but their doctor don’t want to treat them because a blood test is “normal” no matter how many symptoms they may have.
This is where holistic doctors come in. Holistic MDs are regular MDs, they went to medical school and residency just like other doctors. The difference is that they know more about things that regular doctors don’t – vitamins and minerals, herbs, homeopathy, and other non-traditional things that medical school does not teach. They prefer natural things but use medications when necessary.
Reason #1 is that they have a somewhat different attitude toward treatment. They are more like what doctors used to be 200 years ago, listening to the symptoms, observing the patient and recommending treatment.
In the past, doctors did not have the benefit of blood tests, X-rays, MRIs, etc. Of course we use these tests today, but we don’t rely on them exclusively. We treat the patient, not the test results.
For example, if a patient comes to me complaining of fatigue, dry skin, depression, feeling colder than others, constipation, and gaining weight, I will definitely suspect hypothyroidism.
I will order all the right blood tests, not just TSH. And if the blood tests are “normal,” which is a controversial topic that I will address separately, I would still start treatment for hypothyroidism.
Because I do not treat blood tests, I treat patients, real people with real symptoms and problems. Many of my thyroid patients came to me because their own doctor would not treat them.
Another difference is how holistic doctor treat low thyroid. I prefer a natural desiccated thyroid gland, like Armour Thyroid or NP Thyroid. These are dried up thyroid glands of an animal, usually a pig, which are standardized and regulated by FDA just like other drugs and you do need a prescription to get it.
Many of my thyroid patients came to me because they were taking Synthroid and still had the symptom, so they wanted to try a natural thyroid.
Another difference is that holistic doctors realize that the medications, whether natural or synthetic, do not cure the problem. They help relieve the symptom, but whatever caused hypothyroidism is still there. It could be a deficiency of iodine or magnesium or selenium. Or it could be leaky gut syndrome causing autoimmune attack on the thyroid gland. Whatever the reason, we try to correct the underlying cause by making dietary changes, taking certain supplements, etc. in addition to taking medications.
The last reason I will mention is sort of related to reason #1, that we treat people, not blood tests. It has to do with the dose of medication. How much does a patient need? I think as much as necessary to fully control the symptoms. Regular doctors think that you are cured when your TSH become “normal” even if you still have the symptoms.
That’s why a doctor like me gets much better results and that’s why so many of my patients came to me from other doctors.