Thyroid Disease and Complementary

This page and its contents are Copyright © 2013 and Alternative Medicine (CAM) the American Thyroid Association What is Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)? Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is defined as a medical system, practice or product that is not usually thought of as standard care. Standard medical care is care that is based on scientific evidence. For thyroid cancer, standard care includes surgery, radioactive iodine and thyroid hormone suppression therapy. For patients with other thyroid diseases, standard care may include thyroid hormone suppression or supplementation. The National Institutes of Health National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NIH NCCAM) defines complementary medicine as being used along with standard medical treatments, and alternative medicine as being used in place of standard medical treatments. Integrative medicine is a comprehensive approach to care that includes a patients’ mind body and spirit; this combines standard medicine with CAM practices. What is the thyroid Types of Complementary and manipulated for healing and wellness. Alternative Medicine (CAM) Examples include: gland? The NIH NCCAM uses five categories to de- • Reiki • Tai Chi The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped scribe the different types of CAM. It would be Whole Medical Systems endocrine gland that is normally located difficult to create a comprehensive list, but These systems include beliefs and approaches in the lower front of the neck. The thyroid’s some examples are described below: to healing and wellness that come from all of the job is to make thyroid hormones, which are Mind-Body Medicines world and from many cultures. Examples include: secreted into the blood and then carried to These are based on a belief that the mind is • Naturopathy • Homeopathy every tissue in the body. Thyroid hormone able to affect your body. Examples include: • Chinese medicine • Vodun/Expiritism helps the body use energy, stay warm and • Yoga • Meditation • Ayurvedic medicine keep the brain, heart, muscles, and other • Hypnosis Reasons patients with thyroid organs working as they should. Biologically-Based Practices cancer/thyroid disease choose CAM These include things most often found in na- There are few studies that have looked at why ture, and includes dietary supplements and patients with thyroid disease choose CAM. What is a thyroid herbal products. Examples include: Some of the reasons they state are to: nodule? • Vitamins • Herbs 1. Help cope with the side effects of medication The term thyroid nodule refers to an • Special diets and treatments including fatigue, dry mouth, weight gain and mental “fogginess” abnormal growth of thyroid cells that forms A note about Biologically-Based Practices. It’s 2. Ease the stress and anxiety of medication a lump within the thyroid gland. Although common for patients with thyroid cancer or and treatments, or the worries about having the vast majority of thyroid nodules thyroid disease to be recommended to prac- a lifelong diagnosis are benign (noncancerous), a small tice a special diet that avoids foods that con- 3. Feel that this could help with their care proportion of thyroid nodules do contain tain iodine. In fact, use of iodine either in liquid form or as a supplement is not recommended. 4. Try to treat or cure their disease thyroid cancer. In order to diagnose and It’s also common for patients to be told to treat thyroid cancer at the earliest stage, take Vitamin D or calcium supplementation. In Making Choices most thyroid nodules need some type of one sense, physicians who treat patients with A diagnosis of thyroid cancer or thyroid disease evaluation. thyroid disease are therefore recommending can be stressful or worrisome. Some patients a few highly selected biologically based prac- who are newly diagnosed may want to add to tices. While these practices can be helpful, it’s their physician’s recommendations or even How you can help important to note that there is no one special avoid allopathic treatment entirely. It’s natural to A tax-deductible contribution to the diet or vitamin that has been proven to elimi- want to be well and to think about what else you American Thyroid Association supports nate cancer or remove thyroid disease. Be- can do to improve your health. There is a lot valuable patient education and crucial cause of these special reasons, it’s important of information available, and new approaches to talk with the doctor managing your treat- for treating thyroid cancer and thyroid disease thyroid research. New discoveries and ment about any special diets or supplements better understanding will translate into are always being tested. It can be hard to tell you are thinking about using. the difference between what is “standard” care improved ways to prevent, diagnose, and what is “complementary and alternative” and treat thyroid disease. Give online at Manipulative and Body-Based Practices medicine. This brochure is intended to help you www.thyroid.org. These are based on working with the body and understand what to consider as you make these are thought to have underlying benefits for the choices. The most important message is to talk mind as well. Examples include: with your doctor about what you are already using and before you try anything new. • Massage • Chiropraxy Energy Medicine Energy medicine invokes the belief that the body has energy fields that can be Thyroid Disease and Complementary

This page and its contents are Copyright © 2013 and Alternative Medicine (CAM) the American Thyroid Association Talk with your doctor before you information about how well their product 4. Does the information take into account my use CAM, and if you are already works or claim they have only positive results specific condition? using CAM without side effects. Here are some approaches Patients with thyroid cancer and thyroid Some patients are afraid their doctor won’t un- to remember when finding a practitioner: disease have special needs that not all CAM derstand or approve of the use of CAM; some 1. Ask your physician if they can suggest a practitioners fully understand. It’s important physicians may not understand or approve of CAM practitioner to know this and to make sure you ask lots this in their patients. But physicians know that 2. Ask whether someone in your cancer or of questions and talk with your doctor before their patients want to take an active role in their treatment center can recommend a CAM using CAM. treatment. We want the best for our patients practitioner Government and would prefer an open line of communica- 3. Ask whether your hospital has a center Resources – Agencies tion. Talking with your physician about CAM is for integrative medicine or has staff who particularly important because we want to en- practice this National Cancer Institute – Office sure that your treatment works well, and some 4. Contact the CAM professional organization of Cancer Complementary and Alternative CAM that may seem safe could potentially in- to ensure that your practitioner is certified. Medicine (OCCAM) http://cam.cancer.gov terfere with your treatment. This means that they have proper training in National Institutes for Health - Questions to ask your doctor about their field as judged by national experts. A National Center for Complementary and CAM: comprehensive list of certifying organizations Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) Do you know what types of CAM might help me is beyond the scope of this brochure; as an http://nccam.nih.gov deal with the side effects of treatment? example, massage therapists may have Toll-free: 1-888-644-6226 certification through the American Massage TTY: 1-866-464-3615 Will CAM interfere with my treatment or Therapy Foundation and acupuncturists medicines? Cancer Information Service (CIS) through NCCAOM (the National Certification http://www.cancer.gov/aboutnci/cis Can you help me understand what I have read/ Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental http://www.cancer.gov heard about CAM? Medicine). Toll-free: 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) A “Natural” product does not Where can I get more TTY: 1-800-332-8615 mean a “Safe” product Physician Data Query (PDQ®) Supplements do not have to be approved by the information and how http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/ Federal Government before being sold to the cancerdatabase public, and a prescription is not needed to buy can I trust it? National Library of Medicine them. The same is true for most CAM practices. There is a lot of information about CAM and http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ There are ads and claims that a certain product it’s difficult to know who to trust. Good places has been used for years, or that they are effective to start are listed at the end of this brochure. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in fighting cancer; these claims do not prove that Here are some key questions to ask as you http://www.fda.gov/ these approaches are safe or effective. Some of evaluate CAM information: Federal Trade Commission (FTC) these therapies can cost thousands of dollars. 1. Who benefits from the information given? http://www.ftc.gov/ It’s important for you as a consumer to decide If the site is selling or promoting something, National Cancer Institute-Sponsored what is best for you, but you should be careful. even indirectly, this will tell you that the Tell your physician if you are using any form of Cancer Centers information is likely to be unreliable. A review http://cancercenters.cancer.gov/ CAM, no matter how safe you think it is. Here board, expert review and a well-known and are some facts about biological products you respected organization are important for may find surprising: reliability. • Herbs and other products may interfere with 2. Where does the information itself come from? how well other medicines work in your body. Is the author of the site themselves an • Supplements and cleanses can act like drugs expert, and are their references listed and in your body. from credible sources? Do they have the • Vitamins can have strong activity in your body. credentials to be able to critically evaluate • Taking more of a good vitamin is not claims and the data underlying them? necessarily better. Anecdotal evidence (based on stories from a handful of people) or qualitative evidence Choose practitioners with care (based on feelings about the treatment) is CAM practitioners are people who should have not considered to be substantial scientific training and experience in CAM treatment. data to support claims of benefit. You should choose one as carefully and 3. How current is the information? thoughtfully as you choose your physician. Information on CAM and on standard Be careful of products advertised that claim treatment changes quickly. they have a “cure” but do not give specific

Further information Further details on this and other thyroid-related topics are available in the patient information section on the American Thyroid Association website at www.thyroid.org.