It is unfortunate that most people with Graves’ Disease and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis won’t ever consider a natural treatment protocol. Although more and more people with these autoimmune thyroid disorders are turning to natural treatment methods, most people will still follow the advice of their endocrinologist or general practitioner. What this of course usually means is that most people with these conditions will continue to take prescription drugs for the rest of their lives, without ever attempting to restore their health back to normal.
What I’d like to do in this post is discuss some of the common reasons why people with Graves’ Disease and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis decide NOT to try a natural treatment protocol:
Reason #1: Most people are close minded. This of course doesn’t describe you, as you wouldn’t be reading this information in the first place if you didn’t have an open mind. While you might not be ready to use natural treatment methods at this time, reading this information shows that you are at least considering it.
Reason #2: Many are skeptical about the safety and/or effectiveness of natural treatment methods. I can definitely understand people being skeptical. Some people laugh when I tell them that I was skeptical before starting my natural treatment protocol. They figure that because I’m a natural doctor that I would have been 100% confident that such a natural protocol would work. While I wasn’t too concerned about the safety of the protocol, I honestly wasn’t sure how effective it would be. So I was surprised at how quickly the natural treatment protocol worked. And while the results I personally had might not be enough to reassure you, perhaps you’ll take the same perspective as me before I began my natural treatment protocol. I figured that there was nothing to lose, as the worst case scenario would involve the natural treatment methods not working, and then I would have to take the prescription medication. But knowing that the medication wouldn’t cure the condition, along with the possibility of having to receive radioactive iodine, motivated me even more to try a natural treatment protocol.
Of course some people don’t think they are a candidate for a natural treatment protocol, as perhaps they have been on thyroid hormone for many years and figure that there is no way to restore the health of their thyroid gland. Others who have had thyroid surgery or received radioactive iodine might also think they can’t benefit from natural treatment methods. I’ll talk more about these “tough cases” in a future post, but I will say that many people who have had surgery or received radioactive iodine have benefited from natural treatment methods.
Reason #3: Financial concerns are definitely another reason why people don’t pursue and/or follow through with such a protocol. Following a natural treatment protocol under the guidance of a competent natural doctor obviously will cost money. This is why many people will attempt to self-treat their condition, figuring they can pick up a few supplements and/or herbal remedies at their local health food store. The problem with this approach is that the results one usually receive are far from optimal. In other words, they usually end up wasting their money. The truth is, while following a natural protocol might be perceived as being expensive by many, for most people it is affordable. And the good news is that it shouldn’t take a lot of money before you begin seeing results. I began seeing an improvement after only a few weeks, so it’s not as if I shelled out a few thousand dollars before seeing some good results. It was more like a few hundred, which included the cost of the consultation, the tests, and some quality nutritional supplements. Finally, let’s not forget that we are talking about your health here. So while nobody wants to spend money when they don’t have to, the fact remains that this is an investment in both your short term and long term health.
Reason #4: The fear-factor. Many people are simply afraid of the unknown. Some are afraid of the risks of not taking the drugs, as they fear their condition will become worse. Once again, I can relate with this, as when I began my natural protocol for Graves’ Disease, I was concerned about my high pulse rate and palpitations, and didn’t want my symptoms to become worse. But once again, it all came down to wanting to get to the underlying cause of the problem. And as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, many people choose to continue taking medication in the beginning of the natural treatment protocol, and then eventually wean off the prescription drugs when they begin feeling better.
Reason #5: They lack confidence in thinking that they can follow through with such a program. This is something I wasn’t concerned about when I began my natural treatment protocol for Graves’ Disease. However, when I began my very first purification program many years back it was a big challenge, as I’ve said numerous times that I grew up eating junk food, drinking soft drinks, etc. And once again, this isn’t to suggest that following such a protocol only involves a change in diet and taking supplements and herbs, as this is just part of the process. As for not having the confidence that you’ll follow through with the protocol, all I can say is that it is definitely tough in the beginning, but it does get easier. Plus, many times we will begin by making some small lifestyle changes, rather than changing everything at once. For example, for someone who eats junk food regularly, neglects their sleep, and fails to exercise, no natural doctor would expect them to immediately begin eating healthy all of the time, go to bed early each night, and exercise regularly. Sure, some people do make these extreme changes right away, but not everybody can do this AND stick with it. So sometimes it is necessary to begin slow, which makes it much easier to follow through.
Reason #6: Some will give in to peer pressure. Some people will be on the verge of choosing a natural treatment protocol, only to be talked out of it by a family member or friend. This usually happens because most people are close minded, and don’t realize how safe and effective natural treatment methods can be.
So these are some of the most common reasons why most people with Graves’ Disease or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis will never choose a natural treatment protocol. If you are strongly considering consulting with a natural endocrine doctor, then hopefully by reading this you will realize not only that natural treatments can be safe and effective under the guidance of a competent doctor, but I hope you also realize that you really have nothing to lose by giving natural treatment methods a try, but have a lot to gain.
Linda says
I am such a person. Started seeing a Naturopath 2 months ago. I have severe dysarthria. It started when I went off of Cymbalta a year ago. People said it would be temporary. When it lasted 3 months, I had an MRI. The Neurologist found nothing ,but recommended speech therapy. I knew there was something more to it. The Naturopath found that I have Hashimoto’s. And started treating me very conservatively. I also have balance issues now. My family & friends told me to see a regular dr. Well, I did. The thyroid panel I had showed me as ‘normal’. So much for that. I’m battling depression now. It’s so hard to live without being able to talk. I really feel it’s related to the thyroid. Trying to hang in there. It would be nice to get needed support.