A vegetarian is someone who does not eat meat, fish or poultry. A vegan is a vegetarian who also does not eat any animal products, such as milk, cheese or eggs. People who choose this lifestyle are usually very committed to it, for reasons ranging from health or religion to love of animals or anti-cruelty sentiment. When a vegetarian suffers from hypothyroidism, he is faced with decisions that conflict with being a vegetarian and must wrestle with decisions about treatment.
Hypothyroid Condition
Hypothyroidism is a very common disease, but many people don't know they have it. If left untreated, a slight deficiency in thyroid hormones can lead to heart disease, and a major deficiency can lead to multiple-systems failure. In autoimmune thyroiditis, the patient's own immune system attacks her own thyroid gland. The cause is considered to be unknown, although the modern western diet of highly processed foods is suspected to be a major contributing factor. Treatments include the pig-derived Armour Thyroid replacement; levothyroxine synthetic thyroid replacement, herbal supplements and special diets.
Alternative Hypothyroid Treatments
A normally functioning thyroid produces the hormones T4, T3,T2, T1 and calcitonin. This is what Armour Thyroid replacement provides. The synthetic thyroid replacement provides T4 or a combination of T4 and T3. Patients generally view the Armour thyroid replacement as more effective than the synthetic thyroid.
Herbal treatments and special diets are meant to stimulate the thyroid rather than act as a replacement therapy. To the extent that they work, these types of treatments provide vegetarians with alternative treatment options. Each person will react differently and have different results from the various treatments, so it might be necessary to experiment to find what treatment works best.
Treatment of Choice
The synthetic thyroid replacement has emerged as the treatment of choice among doctors. This is because of the way Armour Thyroid is made. The pig thyroid is dried and then ground up (granulated). It is impossible to determine the potency of the granulated thyroid tissue. This leads to a tendency to overdose, which in turn leads to hyperthyroidism. The dosage for the synthetic thyroid replacement can be measured much more precisely. Nevertheless, many patients want a natural treatment for their condition; they often feel they get better results with Armour Thyroid, and they continue to use it. Vegetarians often must decide between a possibly less effective treatment for their condition and compromising their commitment as a vegetarian.
Tags: Armour Thyroid, synthetic thyroid, synthetic thyroid replacement, thyroid replacement, Armour Thyroid replacement