Patient-Centered, Whole-Person, Functional Metabolic Care For Hashimoto's and Low Thyroid

The Connection Between The Brain And Thyroid

Dr. Chris Heimlich, DC, DACNB, Scottsdale Phoenix Metro Doctor explains the connection between the brain and hypothyroidism

What the heck does the brain have to do with the low thyroid symptoms?

In a word, everything.  The brain is called the master organ.  The brain is the control center for our entire body. It controls every cell, every organ, every tissue and the entire autonomic nervous system (composed of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems) as well as reactions to stress and behaviors.   The brain is as strong as it is complex and fragile. For the brain to work well, it needs to be in a balanced state. In such a state, neither the sympathetic nervous system, nor the parasympathetic nervous system dominates. 

The left and right hemispheres of the brain function in tandem. The various lobes on each side of the brain are intended to be naturally balanced and the activities within them are in intended to be in harmony.   You cannot have an optimally functioning body without an optimally functioning brain.

There is part of your brain called the hypothalamus.  This part drives the pituitary. Your pituitary drives the thyroid gland.  This means that if you brain is not sending down the correct signals to the thyroid gland, it will not function optimally.

As I mentioned above, the brain is also connected to all the rest of the organs in the body that also help with proper function of the thyroid.

How do you know if your brain is functioning optimally?

One of the best ways to have your brain function checked out is by a qualified doctor that understands functional neurology.  A functional neurological examination will help to determine if your brain is functioning at its highest capacity.

How can you fix your brain?

A safe, gentle, hands-on, dynamic integration process is used to re-boot, reconnect and restore proper brain function. Traditional chiropractic instruments and/or adjustments can also be used, but they are used in a very precise manner…to stimulate function in the effected part of the brain.

In addition, visual, auditory, and olfactory stimulation, heat, eye movements, eye exercises, and other modalities may be used to increase brain firing.

What health problems can you help with?

Please understand that BBT is not a specific treatment for any disease, illness or disorder. We do not try to cure anything.  I can still hear one of my instructors from 20 years ago saying “You only cure bacon and ham.  Don’t take credit for healing the body.  The body heals itself.  You are just there to find out have to facilitate the process.”

Once the “brain loop” is restored and any brain imbalances are minimized…amazing things can happen.

I see people every day that have medical histories that scream that they have a thyroid problem, yet they continue to suffer because no one ever looked at the whole picture.

If you haven’t requested a free copy of our Thyroid Recovery Report simply fill out the form to your right.

 

 

Natural Management Of Hashimotos

Dr. Chris Heimlich, DC, Scottsdale Phoenix Metro Doctor explains how Hashimoto’s can be managed from a natural and functional perspective…

Eighty percent of hypothyroidism in the United States is caused by an autoimmune disease   called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.  An autoimmune disease is an illness that occurs when the tissues of your body are attacked by its own immune system. With Hashimoto’s it is the thyroid gland that is under attack.  The recent research also shows there is a strong incidence a part of the brain called the cerebellum that is also targeted and attacked with patients that have Hashimoto’s.

Although, Hashimoto’s Disease can cause hyperthyroidism, it most commonly causes hypothyroidism, which is a low thyroid state.   This can cause the following low thyroid symptoms:

  • Fatigue
  • Weight Gain
  • Depression
  • Constipation
  • Hair falls out easily
  • Dry skin
  • Poor circulation and numbness in hand and feet
  • Morning headaches that wear off as day progresses

Typically Hashimoto’s is a slow gradual immune attack, resulting in thyroid cell death, eventually destroying enough cells to cause low thyroid symptoms.

Medical management of Hashimoto’s disease doesn’t change because the mechanism is autoimmune, although it should. 

Replacement thyroid hormones are still the treatment of choice.  Absolutely no attention is given to the autoimmune destruction itself.  This is because the use of steroids to calm the immune system down could cause more harm than benefit in the overall health of the patient.

Focusing the clinical management on slowing and modulating the autoimmune attack is crucial in Hashimoto’s Disease. How can you have a properly functioning thyroid if the body is continually attacking and killing it?

We take a functional approach to naturally supporting and modulating the immune system in autoimmune cases. We do special lab panels to measure the specifics of the immune response. We can look at inflammatory cytokines, lymphocyte subpopulation analysis, and natural killer cells. Natural management of autoimmune conditions is complex. Support that is specific to the individual immune system is essential if you truly want to help Hashimoto’s Disease.

I see people every day that have medical histories that scream that they have an autoimmune problem, yet they continue to suffer because no one ever looked at the whole picture.

If you haven’t requested a free copy of our Hashimoto’s Thyroid Recovery Report fill out the form to your right.

 

How the Digestive System plays a Huge role in Low Thyroid Function or Hypothyroid

Dr. Chris Heimlich DC, DACNB, Scottsdale Phoenix Metro Area Doctor Shares how the digestive system and hypothyroidism are connected

Did you know 20% of the healthy thyroid activity depends on the gut flora in the intestines?  Does your doctor?

Poor digestion function depletes the body of nutrients that support thyroid health, especially zinc, selenium, tyrosine, and vitamins A and D.  It is also believed that poor gut function can lead to autoimmune conditions.

Don’t go run down to the mall or health food store and buy the supplements I just talked about.   That is not the answer.

Hippocrates said that all disease begins in the gut.  Billions of dollars are spent every year in the U.S. on over the counter meds for gastrointestinal problems.  That doesn’t include the prescription medications.

Hypothyroidism has been shown to change the acid concentration in the stomach.  It has also been shown to alter gallbladder function.  It goes without saying, these are two very important parts of the digestive system.

How do you know if you have a problem with the GI system?

If you are on any medications for your stomach acid, reflux, bowels….. then you have a problem with the GI system.

Here are a few symptoms that show you are having issues:

  • Greasy or high fat foods cause distress
  • Metallic taste in mouth
  • Lower bowel gas and bloating
  • Increased thirst and appetite
  • Excessive passage of gas
  • Nausea and or vomiting
  • Heartburn
  • Temporary relief from antacids, food, milk, carbonated beverages
  • Heartburn when leaning forward or lying down
  • Excessive belching
  • Constipation
  • Diarrhea
  • Hard dry or small stool
  • Coated tongue
  • More than 3 bowel movements a day
  • Use of laxatives frequently
  • Lower abdominal pain relief by passing stool or gas
  • Offensive breath
  • Difficult bowel movements

I know some of you are probably thinking that everyone knows that those mean you have a problem.  But we see a lot of patients that just think that’s the norm.  They have had problems so long, they just think it’s the way it is.  Or they have been told to just take this or that to help try to control it.

Doesn’t it make more sense to try to fix the gut and get it to function the way it was intended to instead of cover up the symptoms?

Find a doctor that understands that not only is your thyroid gland a suspect in hypothyroid symptoms, but also your digestive system.  (As well as a bunch of other things I have talked about in different posts and videos)

I see people every day that have medical histories that scream that they have a thyroid problem, yet they continue to suffer because no one ever looked at the whole picture.

If you haven’t received a copy of our Thyroid Recovery Report simply fill out the form to your right.