Ever felt drained and yet, your mind is on overdrive? Unable to focus, struggling to learn, are signs of a health condition perhaps. Here’s an important question: Has your healthcare provider suggested a thyroid issue but you’ve decided not to pursue treatment? You see, there are two main ways to deal with this, each with its own method: mainstream and holistic routines.
Conventional Medicine: The Doc Knows Best
The first type involves doctors, who normally follow established ways to make people healthy. In this group, a common doctor checks your blood to measure your TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone). The reason is that it’s a main guide to treat thyroid problems. If your TSH is high, it might mean your thyroid isn’t active enough. The solution is a drug named levothyroxine (T4). This made-up hormone fills in for the T4 that your body can’t make. This way, your TSH returns to the right amount.
Functional Medicine: Digging Deeper
Functional medicine on the other hand takes a wider view down the road. It looks at a human as a unit and in this case, a thyroid disease can be only the onset of the real trouble. Functional doctors assess the causes of your thyroid problems such as poor lifestyle, malnutrition, stress, and your gut health and make suggestions for your recovery.
On another point, picture your thyroid as a yogurt blender. Traditional medicine is devoted to feeding the machine all the yogurt it needs and starts it one. Functional medicine, on the other hand, strives to determine the beginning of the stopping without this even happening. The machine might be covered in a dust filter (gut problems), a broken light plug (nutrient deficiencies), or, then again, bad quality fuel (bad diet), who knows?
Here’s what sets them apart:
Testing: Functional medicine might use additional tests beyond TSH, like free T3 (the active thyroid hormone) and reverse T3 (an inactive form). They might also delve into gut health, nutrient deficiencies, and food sensitivities.
Treatment: Instead of just medication, functional practitioners might recommend dietary changes, stress management techniques, addressing gut health, or supplementing with specific nutrients.
So, what is the correct choice for you?
There are no general suggestions for everybody. Here’s a concise guide:
- You can go for standard treatment if: You know it’s hypothyroidism in your case and your body is okay with medication.
- You might get benefits from Functional medical methods if: You are tired all the time even with the prescribed drugs, are okay with the natural methods of getting healthy and unwilling to use the standard approach to thyroid treatments.
Things you have to bear in mind:
Talk to your doctor first: Don’t ditch your meds cold turkey! A healthcare professional can guide you on the best path, whether it’s conventional medicine, functional approaches, or even a mix of both.
Be realistic: Functional treatment of a patient requires time, effort, and attention. The issue of origin and the suggestion that new lifestyle adjustments should be made are two paths that take time.
Hire someone with a proper background: Don’t just pick anyone! Look for a practitioner in functional medicine who has a strong reputation and relevant qualifications. Recommendations from the community are a great bonus. A good place to start your search could be a functional thyroid clinic Melbourne.
The bottom line is: Whether you choose a traditional approach, functional medicine, or a blend of both, the key is finding a treatment plan that gets you back on track. A well-functioning thyroid is like having a car with a purring engine – ready to take you wherever you want to go!
