Thyroid
Thyroid Turbulence: The Silent Disruptor
Thyroid issues are among the most common causes of hormonal imbalances – affecting an estimated 20 million Americans. If you’re dealing with stubborn weight, constant fatigue, or poor memory & focus, it may very well be a thyroid condition like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
The thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland in the neck, is responsible for a plethora of essential body functions. Its imbalances, often subtle in the beginning, can lead to a cascade of health disturbances.
Are you feeling fatigued most days despite a full night’s sleep?
Do you suspect your thyroid is to blame, but your doctor tells you that “your labs are fine”?
Perhaps you are already taking thyroid meds, but still don’t feel like yourself?
All of these symptoms are trying to tell you something… you aren’t getting the proper treatment you need!
Signs & Symptoms Of Thyroid Disorders
The common symptoms of hyperthyroidism (characterized by too much thyroid hormones) include the following symptoms and most likely are associated with Graves’ disease:
- Extreme or quick weight loss
- Nervousness and excess sweating
- Infrequent periods
- Eye issues
- Skin issues
- Muscle weakness
- Fast heart rate
The far more common symptoms of hypothyroidism (characterized by not enough thyroid hormones) include:
- Unexplained weight gain (or having trouble losing weight)
- Sluggishness, low energy, fatigue
- Brain fog, poor focus and memory
- Dry skin and hair
- Sensitivity to cold & cold extremities
- Frequent and stronger menstrual periods
Causes and Conventional Treatment
There are many aspects that can compromise thyroid health, including nutritional deficiencies, environmental toxins, pregnancy, and genetic factors. With Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, there’s typically a genetic predisposition as well.
Apart from more serious autoimmune thyroid conditions, women can contract thyroiditis after giving birth – this is also referred to as postpartum thyroiditis.
Nutrition also impacts your thyroid functions. A diet high in sugar, junk foods, inflammatory foods like gluten, and poor quality fats, regular alcohol consumption can all disrupt thyroid health. Deficiencies in important thyroid nutrients (like iodine, selenium, and zinc) can also be to blame.
The conventional treatment for hypothyroidism is hormone replacement medication, usually in the form of synthetic Synthroid or Armor.
While this can help some people in the short term, it doesn’t begin to address the reason why your thyroid function is impaired in the first place – allowing underlying disease process to continue unchecked. As a result, over time, you might need more and more thyroid medication while still struggling with symptoms.
With this cookie-cutter approach, women have often been prescribed the wrong type of hormone medication as well – providing them with just one form of the hormone while they may need another. This is why comprehensive testing for thyroid function is so important beyond just TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone).
The BHRT & Functional Medicine Approach To Thyroid Health
What most conventional-trained doctors don’t realize is that environmental toxins, stealth infections, and nutritional deficiencies hugely impact thyroid health.
Heavy metals, which have made their way into our food chain, can damage delicate gland tissues and cause your thyroid to malfunction.
Gluten is an inflammatory protein molecule that affects the integrity of the gut lining, leading to what’s known as Leaky Gut syndrome and frequently turning into autoimmune disorders like Hashimoto’s.
In addition, we are exposed to many more man-made chemicals (so-called xenobiotics) today – present in medications, beauty products, and cleaning supplies that disrupt proper hormone function.
These toxins accumulate inside your body, literally getting stuck in your tissues, ultimately triggering more serious disorders that affect hormone balance, digestion, joint health, and proper liver function.
That’s why in functional medicine, we never treat the symptoms – but rather start with an in-depth look at your medical history, your toxic load, and exposure to problematic environmental triggers, informed by advanced lab tests to identify the underlying root cause for your thyroid issues.
As part of our holistic approach towards thyroid health and overall hormonal balance, we then devise a full body-balancing protocol, which may require bioindentical thyroid hormones if the thyroid gland can no longer produce sufficient hormones.
We can help you reboot optimal thyroid function but also address other areas that may be causing havoc with your thyroid and adrenals – including diet, gut health, lifestyle and stress factors, sleep habits and more.
Schedule Discovery Consult
If you’re seeking a deeper understanding and comprehensive approach to your hormonal health, let’s explore a path tailored for you.
Our patient coordinator is on standby, happy to assist and clarify any questions you might have to determine if our comprehensive approach is right for you.
Click here to schedule your free discovery consult or call our office at 714.434.9355.
About Vaughan Vitality Wellness
Pioneering a transformative approach to hormone optimization, Dr. Kristi Vaughan DC, BCN, IFMCP, B.S. at Vaughan Vitality Wellness blends integrative & functional medicine insights with advanced diagnostic tools. We prioritize deciphering and treating the root causes of your symptoms so patients can feel and look their absolute best.
Thyroid Success Stories
“My wife sees Dr. Vaughan, in which she continued telling me I need to go see her to get help with my diabetes. She had seen me struggle with it for 10 years. I am only 54 years old, my health started to deteriorate. I finally went to have a visit with Dr. Vaughan. I was really impressed by her knowledge and her approach. My A1C was 10.4. Immediately in the program my fasting blood sugars started dropping. My head wasn’t as foggy and I wanted to go work out because I had more energy. She ran diagnostic test and discovered I also had a thyroid issue. After working with her and doing as she asked my A1C is now 5.2 on no medications. My thyroid is back in balance. I have my life back. Thank you Dr. Vaughan.” –Tim L
“My 13 year old daughter started seeing Dr. Vaughan because her TSH was 9.9, which is a thyroid test. She was feeling tired, body aches, and wasn’t eating much. A family member referred me to Dr. Vaughan. She spoke very highly of how she had helped her mother. Dr. Vaughan ran many test, in which she discovered my daughter had auto-immune thyroid. I have thyroid disease, on medications for years. She also tested my thyroid, I was also auto-immune thyroid. She worked with her and really the whole family educating us on the causes thyroid disease.. After her first blood test her TSH went down to 3.1. My daughter began to act like herself again, eating and playing as she did before. Dr. Vaughan really cares about her patients and their results. She’s a great doctor I would recommend her. I feel better than I have in a very long time.” – Malerie J.
“I have been on thyroid medications for almost 20 years and on diabetic medications for 15 years. It seems that the medications continue to increase, while my symptoms worsened. I have rheumatoid arthritis, with pain through out my body, fatigue and feeling not as sharp as I was in the past. I began to see Dr. Vaughan and within a few weeks I noticed an increase in energy. My diabetic medications began to drop. My weight began to drop. I have fought losing weight all my life due to my thyroid issues. My A1C was 8.9 when I started, with three different diabetic medications, high doses of statin medications and 150 mg thyroid medications. Six months later I am proud to say I have more energy than ever. I lost 35 pounds. My A1C is at 5.6 and off all diabetes medications, off my statin medication and my thyroid medication dropped down to 25 mg. Dr. Vaughan helped me realize I also have auto-immune thyroid, and how to control my auto-immune flare ups from happening. If you want to be healthy or get support out of your disease to a better place, go to Dr. Vaughan. Stop waiting. Your health will only get worse if you don’t address it.” – Karen C.
At Vaughn Vitality Wellness, we promise to put you first — by treating you with respect and providing the holistic medical attention you need. Our team excels at discovering the root cause of your medical condition. Our treatment approaches can help prevent disease and, in some cases, reverse illness.