Hypothyroidism is a disease of an endocrine nature in which thyroid function is impaired. The thyroid gland ceases to produce hormones necessary for the person, as a result of which hormonal imbalance appears in the body.
The most common type of treatment is hormone therapy, the meaning of which is the replacement of the necessary hormones with medical products. This method is the most effective, but it has a number of side effects. Therefore, specialists try to find other ways of treatment without resorting to synthetic drugs. People with reduced thyroid function are often interested in how to cure hypothyroidism without hormones?
Methods of non-hormonal treatment of hypothyroidism
To answer this question, it is necessary first of all to know the state of the thyroid gland, the severity of the disease, the cause that caused the onset of the disease. In other words, if the disease sufficiently strongly affected the thyroid gland, it is likely that hormone treatment can not be avoided. At the initial stage of hypothyroidism, hormone therapy can be replaced by some types of alternative therapy:
Treatment of hypothyroidism with homeopathy
With the help of homeopathic medications, one can try to cure hypothyroidism only in the initial stage, when there was no surgical intervention, and the organ is not much affected by the disease. Unlike hormonal treatment, homeopathic therapy is carried out for many months, and the result is not immediately apparent. If a person decided to try to defeat the disease with the help of homeopathic medicines, he needs to be prepared for a complex treatment process - very often one has to take medicines at a strictly designated time and several times a day.
The most common homeopathic drugs for the treatment of a malfunction in the functioning of the thyroid gland are: Ignacy, Tarentula, Spongia and others. The decision on homeopathic treatment should be made only by the attending physician. Independently to pass from hormonal treatment to alternative, in no event it is impossible.
Proper nutrition
Treatment of hypothyroidism with a special diet brings good results. Again, it should be noted that this method of alternative treatment is only permissible if the disease is in its primary stage. If the thyroid gland fails, doctors recommend the following diet:
- It is necessary to completely abandon the use of sugar and caffeine;
- Candy, chocolate, flour confectionery products will also have to be excluded from the diet;
- It is recommended to eat foods with high protein content: meat, fish;
- Lack of iodine, iron, vitamin D has a negative effect on the thyroid gland, therefore it is necessary to take this into account when compiling a diet;
- Fried, salted, fatty foods are best excluded from the diet;
- Products that include gluten, also have to be removed from daily nutrition;
- Foods that can cause allergies should be avoided.
Phytotherapy
With the help of many medicinal herbs, it is possible to stabilize the thyroid gland. Decoctions of black chokeberry, pine buds, alder bark, juniper, St. John's wort, chamomile, licorice, celandine are prepared in the calculation of two tablespoons of dry grass per liter of boiling water. Prepared infusion should be consumed half an hour before meals in half a glass.
Folk remedies
For the most effective treatment of hypothyroidism, folk remedies should be used in conjunction with other types of non-hormonal therapy. There are several recipes tested not for one decade:
- Solution of iodine. In a glass of cold boiled water, mix a few drops of iodine with apple cider vinegar;
- Vegetable juice. For its preparation it is necessary to take beets, potatoes and carrots and squeeze out the juice from them. Next, the juice is mixed in equal proportions and consumed 60 ml before each meal;
- Dried dill is mixed with chopped walnuts. To this mixture, add a couple of tablespoons of honey and mix thoroughly.
Therapy with folk remedies is allowed only under the supervision of the attending physician and at the initial stage of the disease.
When it is possible to resort to non-hormonal therapy
It is possible to dispense with hormonal therapy in the treatment of thyroid gland, but only in certain cases:
- Symptoms of the disease are poorly expressed, while the patient's hormonal background is not significantly affected;
- Disease is detected at the initial stage of development;
- If the thyroid disease is caused by a lack of iodine in the body;
- In the treatment of impaired thyroid function, no surgical intervention was used.
Untimely therapy or self-medication can adversely affect the whole body, so the choice of treatment remains with the doctor, who must make an appropriate decision only on the basis of diagnostic and laboratory tests.
Than hypothyroidism is dangerous
To treatment of a hypothyrosis, as well as to any other disease, it is better to start at an initial stage of development of illness. This greatly increases the chances of a favorable outcome of therapy. Incorrect or untimely treatment can lead to the following serious consequences:
- Anemia;
- The problem with conception in women;
- Prostate adenoma in men;
- Decreased Intellect and memory impairment;
- The occurrence of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidneys, cardiovascular system.
Failures in the functioning of the thyroid gland can lead to improper metabolism, which most often causes obesity and severe swelling. In advanced cases, death is not excluded.
Diagnosis of the disease
Newborns in the maternity hospital on the fifth day of life take an analysis that can detect elevated levels of TSH.Adults undergo such a diagnosis only after contacting a doctor with complaints of malaise. To make an accurate diagnosis, the doctor sends the patient to the following studies:
- Biochemical blood test;
- Ultrasound examination of the thyroid gland;
- Patient examination by palpation;
- Biopsy of the thyroid;
- Delivery of a blood test for TSH and other hormones.
Only with a full examination, an endocrinologist can assign a status to the disease - congenital or acquired hypothyroidism. The congenital form of the disease is more or less clear, but what does acquired hypothyroidism mean? Depending on the causes of the onset of the disease and the degree of damage to thyroid functions, doctors distinguish three types of acquired hypothyroidism:
- Primary. This type of disease can occur on the basis of a lack of iodine in the body, transferred infectious diseases.
- Secondary. The emergence of a secondary form of the disease can be triggered by severe blood loss, damage to the pituitary gland, various tumor formations.
- Tertiary. In this case, the part of the brain responsible for endocrine activity begins to malfunction. This type of disease is much less common than in the previous two.
Failures in the functioning of the thyroid gland can adversely affect the condition of the entire body. The untimely diagnosed and neglected disease is more difficult to treat than the time set. Hypothyroidism, found at the initial stage, can be cured without the use of hormones.
Do not forget that non-hormonal treatment should be carried out only under the supervision of an endocrinologist. Frequent walks in the fresh air, a small physical load, proper nutrition, taking some homeopathic remedies can affect the outcome of treatment, but only if the thyroid gland tissue is weakly affected. Progressing disease is treatable only with the use of hormonal drugs.
