Science Daily: Hashimoto's Affects Quality Of Life Even When TSH Is Normal page

[hazyjane]

Well, this is a huge "DUH!" for me, since I know first hand about having normal TSH and feeling awful! I thought I'd post this since there seems to be a new crop of hypothyroid and Hashimoto's people lately
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis can affect quality of life even when thyroid gland function is normal

I want to emphasize that the reason people still have symptoms even when on medication and with "normal" TSH, T4, etc. is because the immune system is still wreaking havoc in other parts of the body. No thyroid medications address that. Hashimoto's is not a thyroid disease, it's an immune system imbalance and it's often affecting tissues other than just the thyroid, with GI, joint, brain and heart tissues being the most common.
It's very common for people with Hashimoto's to develop other autoimmune diseases later on, which is why I emphasize the importance of getting the immune system balanced.

I've said it before, but I'm a big fan of Datis Kharrazian's work with Hashimoto's because it works. I'm able to not have to be on meds and my symptoms have either resolved or drastically dwindled. It's good to be addressing my immune system, esp. since I'm pretty sure it was attacking my brain tissue. I used to have a memory like a sieve, LOL! Not fun feeling senile all the time, esp. with my family history of Alzheimers!

The Healthy Skeptic has some great info on Hashimoto's and the immune system:
http://thehealthyskeptic.org/thyroid

For anyone with Hashimoto's or hypothyroidism, Datis Kharrazian's book is a must read. He's way ahead of the game! New Book on Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's by Datis Kharrazian, DHSc, DC, MS
Many of the practitioners on his site will work distance, as well as Dr. Joni Labbe: Thyroid Dr. – Joni Labbe, DC, CNN and Dr. Brady Hurst: TRUE HEALTH Center for Functional Medicine

I hope this info will save some people the trouble of going the CW treatment route (or even the popular "alternative" treatment route) which, more often than not, doesn't address the real issues or resolve all the symptoms of Hashimoto's.

[DFH]

Very true....

Great post. I bought the book you mentioned, just didn't read it yet!

I'm a big fan of Mary Shomon's books and her site too: Thyroid Disease Information Source -- Bestselling Books, News, Information on Living Well With Hypothyroidism, Autoimmune Disease, Thyroid Diet, Home Page of Mary Shomon

The CW on thyroid is just as backward and frustrating to deal with as the CW on diet and nutrition. It's just terrible.

[patchooli]

i'm actually kind of excited to read this, i knew i never felt the same after i was diagnosed with thyroid disease. it's nice to see it acknowledged. i'm an unusual case as i've been diagnosed since my teens (almost 2 decades now) and yet i'm still pumping out massive amounts of anti-thyroid antibodies. the last time i had them tested my thyroglobulin ab was 321 (normal below 41). and my thyroid peroxidase was 458 (normal is less than 35). there has to be something going on there...

i've known of mary shomon's work for a while, but i'm going to read the other stuff that was mentioned. thanks for posting this!

[patchooli]

hazyjane,

i just read through a lot of the material you gave links to. i'm interested to know if you worked directly with that dr. or another practitioner, or if you made changes on your own. any additional info, links, whatever...you could give me would be greatly appreciated.

c

[hazyjane]

hazyjane,

i just read through a lot of the material you gave links to. i'm interested to know if you worked directly with that dr. or another practitioner, or if you made changes on your own. any additional info, links, whatever...you could give me would be greatly appreciated.

c

I wish I could work with Dr. Kharrazian! I read his book first and got myself familiar with the information and I went strictly gluten-free (I was already Primal at the time but this meant no more gluten cheats EVER.)
I hadn't been diagnosed with Hashimoto's at that point- I only knew that I had suffered many thyroid symptoms over the years and other than lowish T3 (which my old NP felt was secondary to adrenal fatigue) my labs looked normal. I guess no one had tested my TPO antibodies yet (this is a common issue, as insurance companies consider thyroid antibody tests medically unnecessary, since in CW medicine, a positive antibody test doesn't change treatment) or if they had, no one had mentioned it (another common issue- many docs don't even bother mentioning positive antibodies to their patients!)

I started myself on emulsified D and Oxicell glutathione cream, since those seemed to be applicable to most of the hypothyroid pattern treatments outlined in the book (Apex Energetics is the brand that manufactures all the nutrient formulas described in the book and designed by Dr. Kharrazzian).

Then, I had to figure out how to find a practitioner and I was going to work distance with one when I (by sheer luck!) found out that there was an DC where I live that had trained in Kharrazian's protocols! So, I went to him, got the antibody tests- they came back positive, although my antibody levels were on the very low end of positive, likely due to my already Primal diet and possibly due to an overall weak immune system. Weak immune response can often result in lower antibody production because the immune system isn't robust enough to really crank out the antibodies (some people's antibodies shoot up temporarily as their immune system gets stronger!), so when someone has negative antibodies but has all the symptoms, Hashimoto's can still be the problem.


My new doc gave me a supplement challenge to determine TH1 or TH2 dominance. You can also use blood tests but they're very expensive. With the supplement challenge, it's usually obvious which one makes you feel better or worse. It was determined that I was TH1 dominant, so I began taking TH2 support supplements, as well as avoiding anything that would stimulate TH1 (medicinal mushrooms, echinacea, astragalus, licorice) and it was when I got on the TH2 support that I started to have more energy and it became easier to lose a few lbs. I just felt better on so many levels.

My doc has evolved my protocol over the last 6 months- it has involved healing leaky gut and food sensitivities, liver support and, recently, introducing dopamine support, which has helped my brain to feel like it's on and working, instead of on screen saver mode The crux of my treatment right now is emulsified D, glutathione cream, TH2 support, colostrum (both for gut repair and immune modulation) and cod liver oil. It's not complicated. He wants to get me down to the bare minimum. I went to see him weekly at first and now I see him once/month.

He hasn't dealt directly with my reproductive hormones yet (he wanted to tackle the immune system first) but I have seen my cycles become regular again, after getting kind of whacked out for about a year and a half. This is encouraging! I had both low estrogen and progesterone, which was really affecting my fertility, not to mention my aging rate (I could tell a sudden steep decline in how my skin looked a few years ago. Yikes! It looks like I'm making more collagen now).

[hazyjane]

Here's a good interview with Dr. Kharrazian on Mary Shomon's site:
Optimal Treatment for Hypothyroidism - Dr. Datis Kharrazian Shares Thoughts About The Best Way to Treat an Underactive Thyroid and Hypothyroidism

[patchooli]

thanks for all that great info. i will definitely read through the interview and think about what to do next...

[Classic]

Hazyjane,
thanks sooo much for all the information.

[patchooli]

i have to take a minute to thank you again, hazyjane. i've read through a lot of the stuff that you linked and suggested. i'm going to try to meet with a local thyroid specialist now (who follows dr. kharrazian's principles). i'm really hoping that i will get somewhere. i've had thyroid disease for so long that i don't think i remember what it was like to be well. you've given me my first lead in many years. thank you so much.

[hazyjane]

You're welcome, everyone! It was SO frickin' frustrating to feel like crap for so many years despite trying natural thyroid support, adrenal support, a short round of Armour, etc. and although Primal/Paleo helped a lot, it really was the immune balancing that made the biggest difference. It feels good to know that I don't have to end up fat, balding and senile, LOL!

PS- I wanted to add that the dopamine support has also made a big difference in my digestion/elimination and also in my libido Hurray!