Underactive Thyroid Requires Hormonal Balance

As a physician specializing in homeopathic and functional medicine, Susanne Saltzman, M.D., has treated thousands of men and women through the years with thyroid disorders, especially hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid). She says, “It is my experience that almost any symptom can be a result of a sluggish thyroid, however the most common complaints are fatigue, weight gain, constipation, hair loss, cold intolerance, dry skin, dry, brittle hair, memory problems, depression and infertility.”

The most important thing Saltzman has discovered in her clinical experience is that every woman is unique and may require a different type of thyroid hormone to feel better. “For example, most women who come to see me have been taking Synthroid or Levothyroxine for years, which is basically a synthetic form of thyroid hormone, but they do not feel well on it. Many of them complain of brain fog, inability to lose weight, hair loss and other symptoms,” she says. Blood work may show they have Hashimoto’s disease, an auto-immune disorder—essentially the body is attacking itself—in this case thyroid tissue. Saltzman notes, “Besides getting women on the right thyroid hormone, we must resolve this autoimmune process for the person to feel better.”

I have successfully treated hundreds of women with Hashimoto’s disease by using homeopathy and functional medicine. In the majority of cases, the antibody levels steadily improve until they are undetectable.

~Susanne Saltzman, M.D.

She thinks that most endocrinologists do not pay attention to these thyroid antibodies because they believe there is nothing that can be done about it. “But this is simply not true. I have successfully treated hundreds of women with Hashimoto’s disease by using homeopathy and functional medicine. In the majority of cases, the antibody levels steadily improve until they are undetectable,” says Saltzman. “This can take anywhere from three months to a year, depending on how high the levels are to begin with.”

In her opinion, resolving the auto-immune process alone does not negate the need for thyroid hormone in most cases. “It is important that people with thyroid problems who are not feeling their best on the usual thyroid prescriptions find an integrative physician who has experience using other forms of thyroid hormone,” she notes. “He or she can work with you to closely monitor your clinical symptoms and blood tests in an effort to find the right prescription that will help you to feel your best. If there is one thing I have learned as a holistic practitioner is that every person is biochemically unique, and one size does not fit all.”

Hartsdale Homeopathy is located at 400 Rella Blvd., Ste. 165, in Montebello, NY. For appointments, call 914-472-0666, or visit HartsdaleHomeopathy.com.