For people with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, the most common treatment method is synthetic thyroid hormone. Some medical doctors will recommend natural thyroid hormone, but either way, this is usually a “permanent” recommendation. In other words, people with hypothyroid conditions will be told to take synthetic or natural thyroid hormone daily for the rest of their life. In fact, one of the more common sayings for these people is “Once on thyroid hormone, always on thyroid hormone”.
Without question, there are some people who do need to be on thyroid hormone for the rest of their life. For example, someone who has received a complete thyroidectomy will need to take synthetic or natural thyroid hormone daily. Many people who receive a partial thyroidectomy or radioactive iodine treatment will need to be on thyroid hormone on a permanent basis, although this isn’t always the case. And even some people who haven’t had surgery performed or received RAI will need to take thyroid hormone for the rest of their life.
However, many people who develop hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis don’t need to take thyroid hormone forever. One of the stories I don’t believe I have shared on this website (until now) is that many years ago, my mother was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, and she was told to take synthetic thyroid hormone on a permanent basis. Of course if this were to happen today I would have tried convincing her to find the underlying cause of the condition, yada yada yada. But this happened when I was a child, and so I didn’t know what thyroid hormone was, let alone anything about natural treatment solutions for the condition.
In any case, my mother began taking the thyroid hormone, but eventually felt she didn’t need to take it, and so she abruptly stopped. I don’t recommend for people with hypothyroidism to take this approach, as many people would experience severe symptoms if they were to just stop taking their medication. As for my mother, once she stopped taking thyroid hormone she never had to take it again, as she felt fine, her thyroid labs normalized and they remained normal (I honestly have no idea if they tested her for thyroid antibodies, and she doesn’t recall this either since it was so long ago).
One thing I probably should point out is that my mother didn’t have a natural mindset. She smoked a couple of packs of cigarettes throughout my childhood, brought plenty of junk food into the house (brownies, cupcakes, soda, punch, etc.), and we would frequently eat at places like Burger King and White Castle.
I realize this is only one example of someone who was diagnosed with hypothyroidism who was able to stop taking thyroid hormone. And once again, I would not recommend for anyone who is currently taking thyroid hormone to abruptly stop taking their medication. The main point I’m trying to make is that most medical doctors have a “forever” mindset when it comes to hypothyroidism and thyroid hormone. Since they don’t look into the underlying cause of the disorder, and don’t believe it is possible to restore the function of the thyroid gland, the only thing they know how to do is to continuously manage the symptoms.
What they don’t understand is that people don’t simply develop hypothyroidism out of the blue. There is a reason why this happens, and many times the cause can be corrected, which in turn will restore the function of the thyroid gland back to normal. But how about if someone has Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis? Well, just remember that synthetic or thyroid hormone doesn’t do anything for the immune system component. So when someone is diagnosed with an autoimmune hypothyroid condition, it drives me crazy when they are simply told to take thyroid hormone for the rest of their life, without addressing other compromised areas of the body. If you address all of these other areas and the person still needs to take thyroid hormone, then that’s fine. At least an attempt was made to restore their thyroid health back to normal, and by correcting these other problems (immune system, weak adrenals, mineral deficiencies, hormone imbalances, etc.), you can’t help but to improve the person’s overall health.
In summary, some people with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis do need to take thyroid hormone for the rest of their life, and there admittedly are people who follow a natural treatment protocol who still need to take thyroid hormone continuously. On the other hand, many people with these conditions can restore their thyroid health back to normal, and to assume that anyone who is taking thyroid hormone will need to continue taking thyroid hormone on a permanent basis is just plain wrong in many cases.
According to doctors “there is no treatment for Hashimoto’s” I have been told that over and over again. They only treat the thyroid and they give you a synthetic hormone tell you it’s a natural hormone and your condemned to take it forever Many doctors give you the impression that they are treating your Hashimoto’s with a synthetic hormone, a very big misconception because THERE IS NO TREATMENT for Hashimoto’s even tho it was discovered about 100 years ago, they’ve made no progress in discovering a treatment for it. As long as they can treat the gland they’ve got a treatment for it, idiots, not all of us are going to be happy with their so called treatment because we know that there is no treatment.
I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s in Jan. of 2012 I was told I had to start taking Synthroid, I refused and starting researching. I started taking supplements, I was very scared to not listen to the doctor but thought I should give this a try it took about 4 to 5 months but my blood work improved including my thyroid antibodies dropping dramatically. I continue to monitor my blood but I want to let people know it is possible to correct your thyroid through supplements, I am living proof. I wanted to share this so people can at least give a natural treatment a try before the start taking a synthetic hormone.
Thank you so much for sharing your story Barb, as it’s great that you experienced great results taking a natural approach.
Can you please share your findings. What supplements help with Hypothyrodism? Thank you soooo much.
I have also visited several endocrinologists that tell me just to take the synthroid and get on with life. I ask if there is something more I can do for myself, since I’m not yet 40 and have more than a few inflammatory conditions (Hashimoto’s, IBS, IC). They never have anything to offer. After suffering from daily hives starting a few months ago and undergoing Lupus screening (negative), I finally found a doctor who was willing to work with me and encourage lifestyle changes to recover my health. He found multiple food allergies (IgG) including gluten and dairy. I’m currently on an elimination diet for those foods and feeling better. This article gives me hope that as my inflammatory conditions improve and my body stops attacking itself that I may be able to stop taking synthroid!
Hi Stacy,
I’m glad the doctor you’re currently seeing has been helping. Many people benefit greatly from avoiding gluten and dairy. Getting rid of the inflammation is very important with any autoimmune condition, and of course most medical doctors don’t do anything to address this.
Could u suggest me that Doctor’s name? Plss
Hi,
I had a total thyroidectomy back in 2002 and I am wondering if you have any ideas for a natural approach for replacing synthroid. I have read many for natural thryoid support, but am having trouble finding any in the form of natural thyroid hormone replacement, other than raising pigs for their thyroids! Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
i have hashimoto’s. i’ve always been super skinny at 5’9 1/2. then when i hit my 30’s i noticed that although i didn’t work out i was active at work and before when i had an active work lifestyle i stayed thin, now it was impossible i even cut out carbs and made sandwiches on lettuce leaves……no result. since i was a phlebotomist i started noticing ppl’s blood tests and asking questions. i finally requested a thyroid test and my pcp didnt even WANT to do it. she said i had it done the year before and my TSH was normal. i persisted and sure enough it was high. she agreed to start me on levothyroxin and i immediately felt amazing, i wasn’t constipated, i had all this energy i could FUNCTION, i even went off my antidepressants (the dr weaned me off). anyway this wasn’t good enough for me she was just going to leave it at that. i went to an endocrinologist who didn’t want to be bothered he was more concerned with fat diabetics than someone with this disorder but he ran the lab work anyway the ft4 and the test for hashimotos and sure enough my antibodies were pretty high so now i had the confirmation. eventually my body leveled out from the levothyroxin “high” that supercharged me. my thyroid levels are “normal” but of course the antibodies are still there. i personally have just accepted it as i eat healthy and i have never been sick, i think i had the flu once or twice in my life and im 36, my mother has never had the flu, my grandmother has had her thyroid out and never had the flu, my half sister has hypothyroidism and has never been sick with the flu nor has my brother. so it’s not like we are a sickly family we have super good immune systems. i do wonder if it’s the crap they put on our food, the pesticides the air we breath etc , genetic engineering as i can’t think of any other way i would have gotten this except genetically passes. anyway i have an appt with a new endocrinologist i heard is exceptional on sept 30 so “fingers crossed” but if nothing comes of it i am happy to keep my body regulated with levothyroxin. unlike others on here i do eat healthy etc but i’m not a science created anti medicine person. if i have a headache i pop an ib profin and if i need meds to regulate a body function i take them. i don’t do the flu shot (i don’t feel i need it and i don’t trust it, and i don’t take antibiotics for everything unless it is absolutely a last resort as i’m severely allergic to sulfa drugs and i can’t afford antibiotic resistance as i’m already limited in use. who know how or if any of this ties with my hashimoto’s but it could be anything.
I am 68 and I take Levothyroxine for hypothyroidism and we just can’t find the right level for me to take. One test my levels are too high so I’ll take a new prescription to lower my level, then the next time they’re too low. It’s been like this for the last several years.
They want to stick a needle into my thyroid through my neck with me being awake and they said I can’t swallow while they’re doing this procedure, I said there is no way in hell you’re going to do that to me. There has to be a better way.
Glenda, sometimes it can be challenging to regulate the dosage of thyroid hormone meds, although keep in mind that eating certain foods and/or taking certain supplements can also affect the absorption.
My present TSH level is 11 but I know the root cause. It is due to taking excess of iodine food. I know this because I use to take more and more salt in my diet, more then the normal amount. For how long should I wait while stopping the excess use of salt to lower my TSH level without using synthetic drugs?
Hi Noelle,
I’d be surprised if just eating a lot of iodized salt would cause the TSH to be so high, but if both thyroid hormone levels are looking good then there is less concern, although I would continue to monitor the thyroid panel to make sure the TSH is heading in the right direction.