What Do You Do When You Have Thyroid Symptoms That Won't Go Away Despite Being on Medications or When Your Labs Are Normal?
If you are reading this page, then most likely, you or someone you know has symptoms related to thyroid malfunction.
I’m here to tell you that if you are still suffering with thyroid signs or symptoms despite months or years of medical thyroid management – then you may be in the 90% group of thyroid sufferers that has autoimmune thyroid or Hashimoto’s.
Hi, my name is Dr. Karl Robert Johnson, DC, BCN and I am a board certified chiropractic physician as well as board certified in neurofeedback. I have been in private practice in Shelby Township, Michigan since 1983. I am the author of The Ultimate Strategy For Ending Your Chronic Condition series of eBooks and videos on chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia, balance disorders, migraines, thyroid disorders and others. I also wrote the book Reclaim Your Life; Your Guide To Revealing Your Body's Life-Changing Secrets For Renewed Health, which is available in my office and at Amazon.com
Although I work with patients who have medical disorders, typically these patients are already medically diagnosed with medical conditions such as hypothyroidism, who are considered to be successfully medically managed by their physician, but who still have stubborn symptoms for which there appears to be no medical answer.
Additionally, I do not diagnose or treat medical conditions as would a medical doctor with drugs or surgery.
Instead, I work with patients to help their body restore improved function via nutrition and diet and the neurological aspects of chiropractic care.
Traditionally doctors of chiropractic focus on the nervous system and the relationship the spine and nervous system have with each other AND the relationship between the nervous system and ALL other body functions.
I’m here today to tell you there are MAJOR influences the thyroid hormones have on the nervous system and musculoskeletal system and due to THAT reason, helping people with thyroid symptoms is within the domain of what I do as a doctor of chiropractic. In fact you may be suffering from recurrent body pains.
Concerning recurrent body aches and neck pain, a very likely culprit is your thyroid. Approximately 50+ million Americans have an underperforming and/or compromised thyroid. It's not known precisely what impairs thyroid function. Stress, toxins, pollution, chemicals and nutritional deficiencies are thought to be causes--but these are only the tip of the iceberg.
THOUGH A VARIETY OF FACTORS CAN AFFECT THYROID FUNCTION, ITS INABILITY TO FUNCTION PROPERLY OFTEN MANIFESTS SIMILARLY IN MOST CASES. SYMPTOMS MAY INCLUDE LETHARGY AND DEPRESSION, FATIGUE, OVERALL BODY ACHES, JOINT AND NECK PAIN, HEADACHES AND MIGRAINES, WEIGHT GAIN, AND A HOST OF OTHER MUSCULOSKELETAL COMPLAINTS.
Too often, results from your thyroid tests come back normal, suggesting there is no deeper issue beneath your recurrent body pain. Your doctor might attribute your episodes exclusively to stress, too many long days seated at your desk, not enough sleep, etc.
While reversing any of the above is helpful, doing so won't necessarily stop your recurring pains. It might also be true your thyroid tests seem normal because your case is one of subclinical hypothyroidism.
The nature of subclinical hypothyroidism makes it difficult to diagnose using standard thyroid tests. In fact, extensive blood work is generally required. This is how some people can go for years, enduring body pain that never leaves them--all because their thyroid is actually impaired but doesn't appear to be according to standard thyroid tests.
As I mentioned above, a majority of cases of thyroid malfunction in the United States is due to an autoimmune process. That means your own immune system is attacking and destroying your thyroid gland!
So, I’m here today to tell you how may FINALLY END Your thyroid nightmare….and over the next several minutes, I am going to address #1: What makes my methods unique? #2: How I successfully manage patients who have neuromusculoskeletal symptoms that are causally related to thyroid disorders. With this new found knowlege YOU can learn how to–FINALLY–break free from the horrible grip that your thyroid dysfunction has on YOUR life so you can feel good again!
I know you are most likely skeptical about another doctor saying he can help you -- skeptical about a treatment touted as different than anything you have ever seen or heard about -- I understand that you have been disappointed in past treatments, perhaps you feel you have been let down or worse yet; you have totally lost hope for getting better. Many medically diagnosed thyroid sufferers have told me they are embarrassed about looking for help because they have been “burned” in the past or told their symptoms were “in their head”. I totally understand and what I’m about to share with you is DIFFERENT -- and FOR REAL. You can see more testimonials about my health restoration approach approach on this page.
How do I successfully help people who are considered to be successfully medically managed by their physician, but who still have stubborn symptoms for which there appears to be no medical answer? By using specific metabolic and chiropractic neurological protocols COMBINED. You see, unlike most doctors, who look at thyroid dysfunction and the related neuro-musculoskeletal symptoms as strictly a thyroid gland condition, I look at as a complex net of neurological, hormone, immune system and nutritional problems. All these underlying factors can be helped - without drugs – by our proprietary methods. In other words; I make a functional diagnosis; meaning I look at the various systems of the body that are responsible for triggering proper thyroid function directly AND the systems and conditions that affect EITHER the thyroid gland OR the way the thyroid hormones are supposed to AFFECT OTHER body systems, glands and cells. Our method of functional diagnosis is complex and I have specialized training and experience in deciphering the various variables that cause the symptoms that take the ZEST out of YOUR life. In fact, I obtained specialized training in handling the underlying causes of thyroid symptoms from the best selling author and lecturer, Dr. Datis Kharrzazian. He wrote the book, "Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Labs are Normal".
Dr. Datis Kharrazian, DC with Dr. Karl Johnson, DC, DNMSc
The great thing is: it is never too late look at underlying factors to your health concerns. It does not matter how long you have had your symptoms potentially caused by subclinical thyroid dysfunction. It does not matter what other doctor’s you’ve seen, or what medications you’ve taken. The reason it doesn’t matter is I’M GOING TO LOOK AT YOU LIKE NO ONE ELSE EVER HAS. That being said I will leave NO STONE UNTURNED TO FIND THE CAUSE of YOUR body dysfunction. Let me make a super important point: I do NOT treat Labels – in your case, you may have been labeled as having a thyroid disorder of some type (examples include: hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Hashimoto’s and Graves disease…or you may be one of millions who have thyroid symptoms and you were told your labs were normal and therefore don’t have a thyroid disorder – BUT YOU REALLY FEEL YOU DO and feel like your health has been mis-managed). The difference when you see me is I will dig DEEP to FIND THE CAUSE OF YOUR HEALTH CHALLENGE. What makes my thinking so different, you may ask --- I treat PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN LABLED. The label does not tell any doctor what is REALLY WRONG with WHY YOUR BODY IS NOT WORKING RIGHT.
So how do we find out what is not working right in your body so the REASON WHY YOU FEEL SO LOUSY GOES AWAY?
Simply put we look at you neurologically AND metabolically. In order to function at 100% your body chemistry needs to be balanced and in an optimal range AND your nervous system, including your brain needs to be functioning optimally too. It is like having a right and left hand. You need BOTH to be your best.…but before I get into that I want to explain some information about the thyroid and common symptoms that occur when the thyroid is malfunctioning.
Some 20 million Americans are affected by thyroid disorders…..that’s 1 in 13 people (and women are 24 times more likely than men to have a thyroid disorder)! Even more interesting is the fact that more than half of people affected with a thyroid disorder are unaware they have a thyroid problem because it frequently goes undiagnosed…until it gets severe.
According to the National Women’s Health Information Center, 1 in 8 women will experience a thyroid disorder during their lifetime. The reason why this fact may surprise you is because you’ve probably never heard it explained to you…that’s because not many doctors are familiar with the functional approach to helping patients who have subclinical hypothyroidism related to neuro-musculoskeletal dysfunction.
- Are you tired of running from doctor to doctor only to play “Russian Roulette” with different medications? “Here try this drug --- that didn’t work? Try this one!”
- Are you tired of taking drugs that haven't provided you with any significant relief?
- Do you continue to struggle with chronic thyroid symptoms day in and day out?
Here is a list of symptoms related to thyroid malfunction (although not complete, these are the main ones
Signs and Symptoms of Hypothyroidism:
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
- Difficulty swallowing
- Coarse, dry hair
- Dry, rough pale skin
- Thinning hair on scalp/hair loss
- Loss of body hair
- Cold intolerance (you can't tolerate cold temperatures like those around you)
- Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
- High Cholesterol
- Constipation
- Depression
- Irritability
- Memory loss
- Inability to concentrate
- Abnormal menstrual cycles/Heavy period
- Infertility
- Decreased libido
Signs and Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism:
- Palpitations
- Heat intolerance
- Nervousness
- Insomnia
- Breathlessness
- Increased bowel movements
- Light or absent menstrual periods
- Fatigue
- Fast heart rate
- Trembling hands
- Weight loss
- Muscle weakness
- Warm moist skin
- Hair loss
- Staring gaze
Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is an autoimmune disorder in which the patient’s immune system attacks the thyroid. Patient’s that suffer from Hashimoto’s experience some or all of the above symptoms or even a mix of some hypothyroid symptoms and some hyperthyroid symptoms.
Let’s talk about the thyroid gland a bit….
The thyroid "runs" our metabolism—it is the “gas pedal” of the body.
Thyroid hormones have direct effects on most organs, including the heart, which beats faster and harder under the influence of increased thyroid hormones (this is why heart problems can often accompany chronic thyroid problems in women, and perhaps why heart problems are more common in women under the age of 50).
T3 is the more biologically active hormone (it’s more important for cellular function), and in fact most of T4 (80%) is converted to T3 in the body’s peripheral tissues. So T4 is just a precursor for the more active hormone, T3.
One of the problems in some thyroid disorders is that you may have trouble converting T4 into T3 in your tissues (have you been checked for this?). This can create a deficiency of T3, disrupting the body’s ability to properly regulate metabolism…leading to specific symptoms.
There are some clinicians that are treating thyroid conditions with iodine. According to renowned thyroid expert, Dr. Datis Kharriazian, author of the book, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms?...When My Lab Tests Are Normal; using iodine to treat thyroid conditions is akin to throwing gasoline on a fire.