There's lots of questions to consider before pursuing treatment for hypothyroidism. For instance, have you had proper thyroid functioning tests (done by blood work.)? Many times people are diagnosed with hypothyroidism by an elevated level of TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). This may sound counter intuitive because a high level actually indicates decreased thyroid function, but that is because if the thyroid is not producing as much hormone as needed, then the body often responds by producing more TSH to try and stimulate it to produce more. It's not always quite so simple, though, as there are many steps in the production /release of thyroid hormones that could be going awry. It's important to have an idea of what your thyroid function is when considering treatment.

Alternative therapies are usually natural extracts taken from the thyroid glands of animals (often pigs) that are purified. These can be bought at natural foods stores or other specialty homeopathic stores. The potency of these supplements may not be completely predictable and if you did choose this type of therapy it is important to keep having your thyroid levels checked (which is also true with prescription thyroid medications),
Source(s):
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hypothyroidism/DS00353

Asker's Rating:

Permalink | Report