Learning About Hashimoto’s (hypothyroidism part 5)
Sadly, for a good 6 months after being diagnosed with a clear case of Hashimoto’s (my TPO antibodies were 416)…. I did not have my normal brain, I could sit in a chair and feel as if the room was spinning, I did not have good a train of thought, I was not loosing weight at a good rate, I was VERY easily frustrated, and I did not have enough energy. Certain things did improve while using Armour once again though… I was no longer constipated, my eyes no longer had a yellow jaundice tint, I lost a little weight, I had a little more energy, and that’s about it! Not enough improvement to feel I wanted to spend the rest of my life like this! During this time my lab numbers improved (not antibodies), things like TSH & free T3/T4 were normal.
So, after about 6 months I knew the clouds had lifted enough for me to try to get to the bottom of this. I knew the Rx, Armour, was just treating the symptoms of my disease, but I really wanted to get to the cause! I submitted myself to the idea that “Even if I have to take a medication for the rest of my life because my thyroid is damaged, I HAVE to stop this autoimmune reaction to improve my quality of life and not get another autoimmune disease!!!”
In my research I found very few other women writing healing and having success (even among natural sources). Oh, they wrote about hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s, drugs to use, supplements to try…. but not about healing it (or putting the disease into remission) – the common theme was: frustration! Women were frustrated they weren’t getting better, that the doctors told them they’ll be like this for the rest of their life, and to just take anti-depressants. Was that ever incentive for me to work harder at researching!?!
In February 2011 I attended a gathering of the Weston Price foundation, where they showed videos from the 2010 WAPF conference. Two of the three presentations dealt specifically with thyroid & adrenal health. This was a major blessing to me, as those were my exact issues. Here were the speakers:
1) Fat: An Endocrine Organ -Stephanie Seneff, PhD
2) Thyroid-Adrenal-Lyme Connection -Bruce Rind, MD
3) Stress and Hormones, What’s the Connection? -Anne Fischer-Silva, CNT, LE
The book Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms When My Lab Tests Are Normal? was sold at this event, and I got to reading! After reading that book, and speaking with Anne Fischer Silva (one of the above speakers) personally, I went off of gluten immediately (and have yet to purposefully have another bite). Going off of gluten and keeping my blood sugar more regulated (by eating less carbs) have TO DATE been the most obvious improvement I’ve felt in all of the healing I have done.
Just avoiding the gluten didn’t fix my problem though! The adrenals were next. And that’s where I’ll start next time!
Posted in Uncategorized
December 5th, 2011 at 3:46 pm
Kristen,
It sounds like you’re heading in the right direction and I’m glad you’re interested in getting to the bottom of your condition and not just looking for a quick fix.
My wife has Hashimoto’s and had her thyroid removed because of cancer.
She suffered until I did my homework and gave her a plan.
I put all the info. in a book
TheHypothyroidDiet.com
Let me know if I can help.
Warm regards,
Dr. Kevin
December 6th, 2011 at 3:05 pm
Hello Kristen,
I am finding your posts very interesting and informative as I too have this type of thyroid problem for the last 13+ years.
I did not feel better until I cleansed myself a few years back and my brain fog left then, but I still have some problems. I look forward to learning more.
December 6th, 2011 at 10:08 pm
Thank you for sharing all this Kristen! I have so much in common with what you have gone through! Without a real lead or knowing the cause of some of my own health problems,through trial and error I have discovered regulating my blood sugars and diet are key. I have not tried the gluten free diet yet but am anxious to try it now after reading this. I am also anxious to hear about how the adrenals are affected as I just learned mine are fatigued. I have also noticed the yellow tint of my eyes recently as well.
Thank you for your time and sharing what you have learned!!
Melanie S.
December 7th, 2011 at 2:40 pm
Hi Melanie,
Gluten is ” just” a protein in some grains, and it is not inherently evil. But today’s rations to gluten are like 50x what they were 50 years ago. There is also the chronic inflammation many people have today that is exacerbated by gluten. And we really shouldn’t have our diet based in grain anyways. The yellow tint in your eyes can signal a liver in distress. My liver was in distress because of a lack of thyroid hormones to make it work. Your liver could be in distress because of some other reason. It’s all about getting to the cause!
December 7th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
Hi Dr. Kevin!
Thanks for the link, I checked out your page a bit and will investigate it further. I did read “what are the triggers for Hashimotos?” And I can tell you I had more than one of those triggers. My practitioner is just taking me one step at a time (which is easier to handle).
Thanks for reading! I’d be interested in additions or notes to my recent post about the adrenals and it can exacerbate and also be a trigger for hashimotos (or any other autoimmune disease).
Kristen
May 18th, 2012 at 11:50 pm
Hello Kristen,
I am so excited to have come across your blog, and the other info. through the Bulk Herb Store. I live in Washington, so, cannot attend the conference. (Bummer!) But, this also sets me on the road to research, as I desire very much to get a more natural way of getting healthier. I was diagnosed with a Thyroid condition when I was 18, when I went for a regular checkup. I was developing a goiter, had a throat scan that showed the problem, but then, through many years of adjustments in medications, I finally found out that I also have Hashimoto’s, about 18 yrs. ago. I am now 50, and I hope it is not too late to make some changes, for the better. I thank God for leading me to this information, so that I can now find out more.
Susan