properly or to prevent further growth of thyroid tissue. These therapies are called replacement therapy and suppression therapy respectively. Thyroid treatment for hormone replacement is required in cases where the thyroid does not produce enough hormones for healthy functioning of the body organs. This condition is known as hypothyroidism. In such cases the goal of thyroid medications is to replace hormones and this can be in shape of either synthetic hormone pills or natural hormones. Replacement therapy is entirely different from taking medication and proper care has to be taken with regard to the dosage. Any increase in thyroid hormone can cause an excess supply resulting in hyperthyroidism, which in turn brings its own set of symptoms and problems. Alternative thyroid treatments for hormone replacement include hormones derived from pigs and natural products. There is an ongoing debate between the proponents of conventional therapies and those fighting the case for natural therapies with regard to all treatments, and hypothyroidism is no exception. Whereas conventional medicine refutes the efficacy of such hormone pills prescribed as part of natural thyroid medication,the naturopaths highlight the strong and dangerous side effects of synthetic medications. However, there are physicians who take a holistic approach to the entire affair of medication and believe that there are benefits to be derived from each form of treatment, be it conventional or alternative thyroid treatments. If conventional medicine has research to support its efficacy, the natural thyroid medication has an age-old history to prove that there is substance in its claims. But the situation is still that homeopathy which is an integral part of natural treatments that has a long history of having cured with success, is still denigrated by the advocates of allopathic therapy. With respect to natural hormone replacement, the common argument that the physicians give is that the synthetic hormone provides steady hormone levels. What the doctors have a propensity to overlook is that the vast majority of people cannot convert thyroxine (T4) to the active form of thyroid hormone, triodothyroxine (T3). This is easy to confirm by measuring the free hormone levels but virtually none of the doctors use these tests. The irony is that most of the conventional medicine is extensively funded and supported by a patent regimes. Natural products however lack both. With regards to hypothyroidism, it is simply a matter of preference as to which type of treatment one is comfortable with. Natural treatments treat symptoms in their totality and takes time to produce results. Conventional treatments, despite their side effects, are fast and supported by surgery. It has to be kept in mind that natural thyroid medication has even successfully managed postoperative care where surgery has given rise to newer problems. |
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