Published May 22 2010
More and more people are looking for a natural thyroid specialist to help restore their health, rather than take drugs for the rest of their lives. However, finding a natural thyroid specialist is no easy task, and there are a few reasons for this:
1. Endocrinologists are trained to recommend drugs and surgery. While there are some “general” holistic medical doctors, rarely will you find an endocrinologist who specializes in natural treatment methods. When it comes to dealing with thyroid disorders, most endocrinologists are simply trained to recommend conventional treatments. So for someone with a hypothyroid disorder, such as Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, they will almost always recommend synthetic or natural thyroid hormone medication to their patients. For the hyperthyroid patient, such as someone who has Graves’ Disease, they will usually recommend anti-thyroid drugs or radioactive iodine therapy, or in rare cases thyroid surgery.
While some people with these conditions do need conventional medical treatment methods, many people with thyroid conditions can restore their health back to normal. And most of the time the malfunctioning thyroid gland is not the actual cause of the disorder, and as a result it still puzzles me why most endocrinologists don’t at least look at other areas of the body, such as the immune system, adrenal glands, digestive system, etc. Although sometimes it is necessary to manage the symptoms, many people can avoid taking drugs for the rest of their lives if someone actually tried to get to the underlying cause of their condition.
2. Most natural healthcare professionals help people with many different conditions. Chances are there is a natural healthcare professional who is within driving distance from where you live, and/or your place of work. The problem is that most holistic doctors don’t specialize in endocrine disorders. This applies to holistic medical doctors, naturopathic physicians, chiropractors, and other healthcare professionals. Just about all of these doctors see people with many different types of conditions, and not just people with endocrine disorders.
Does this mean that they can’t help people with thyroid an autoimmune thyroid disorders? Not necessarily, as I would rather go to a natural healthcare professional who works with many different conditions than to simply follow the advice of an endocrinologist or general practitioner. But on the other hand, I’d prefer seeing a doctor who only deals with endocrine problems. When I was diagnosed with an autoimmune thyroid disorder, there were numerous “general” natural healthcare professionals within driving distance.
And although I did strongly consider consulting with a local naturopath, I decided I wanted to speak with someone who focused on endocrine disorders. Since there was nobody in my direct area that was qualified, I ended up consulting with a natural endocrine doctor remotely over the phone and through email (after initially being diagnosed by a local endocrinologist). To this day I have no regrets, as I feel great, and would recommend that others who don’t have a natural thyroid specialist in their area consider speaking with someone remotely as well.
3. Very few doctors undergo the necessary training. There are millions of people who suffer from thyroid and autoimmune thyroid disorders and would consider receiving natural treatment methods. Despite this, very few natural doctors decide to focus on endocrine disorders. A big reason for this is because they don’t want to turn away other people with different types of conditions, which is understandable.
But while it’s great to want to help everyone, in my opinion it is more challenging to be a “general” practitioner, compared with someone who is considered to be a specialist. Of course this doesn’t mean that a natural thyroid specialist would not have any knowledge in other areas, and wouldn’t be able to help people with other conditions. Since most thyroid and autoimmune disorders are caused by “imbalances” in other areas of the body, any competent natural endocrine doctor will need to have a strong knowledge of the entire body, as they will need to be able to figure out what other areas of the body might be causing one’s thyroid condition.
Unfortunately, there aren’t enough natural thyroid specialists to meet the demand of people who have thyroid conditions and seek natural treatment methods. People are simply getting sick and tired of covering up their symptoms, and when possible, want to get to the underlying cause of their conditions.
4. Most doctors have not experienced a thyroid disorder themselves that they treated naturally. This obviously doesn’t mean that a natural doctor who hasn’t experienced a thyroid condition can’t help others. But being a natural healthcare professional who was personally diagnosed with an autoimmune thyroid condition, I think it without question has helped me better understand what other people with thyroid disorders are dealing with. This is true even for people who have a different type of thyroid condition than I had.
So How Can You Find A Competent Natural Thyroid Specialist?
If you are looking for a natural thyroid specialist then I probably would start by contacting some of the local natural healthcare professionals and see if they have experience working with thyroid and autoimmune thyroid conditions. But how about if you are unable to find such a doctor? The good news is that in most cases it’s fine to consult with such a specialist remotely over the phone, although I do think it’s a good idea to first get evaluated by someone in person, as obviously a physical exam can’t be conducted remotely. But once you have gone through the initial examination, most people who are candidates for natural treatment methods can be helped remotely.
With regards to finding a natural thyroid specialist who does more than just recommend natural thyroid hormone medication (for those people with hypothyroidism), or has experience working with hyperthyroidism and Graves’ Disease (if you have this condition), the best way is of course word of mouth. So if you have a friend, family member, or co-worker who has consulted with a natural endocrine doctor and received great results, then you probably will want to give that doctor a try. Another option is to perform an online search for a “natural thyroid specialist” or “natural endocrine doctor”. In my free natural thyroid recovery guide I give some specific resources to help you find a natural endocrine doctor, and if you haven’t done so already you can obtain this guide simply by providing your name and email address on the right side of this page.
In summary, if you have any type of thyroid disorder and want to try restoring your health back to normal, then I strongly recommend seeking the advice of a natural endocrine doctor. Although not everyone can be helped through natural treatment methods, for those that can be helped, I promise it will be one of the best decisions you ever make regarding your health.