I wanted to reach out to see if any of the people on this board have any good information regarding Hashimoto's Disease. My Fiancé has just been diagnosed with it and we are both scrambling to gather information about it. We are both fairly healthy eaters and make most of our meals at home. Neither of us really bother with fast food, and mostly stay away from processed foods. Getting the jabs wasn't even an option for either of us and honestly my fiancé really doesn't partake in Western medicine for the most part.
We did find a great nurse practitioner that is in line with the Frontline Doctors that has been very helpful in helping us determine what might be causing these ailments. I am looking for any information that is helpful towards diet and lifestyle changes that might curb or reverse the effects of this disease. My fiance has been very lethargic lately (which is not normal for her), felt very weak (muscular) and had achy joints. She has taken a couple of blood tests, which have pointed us towards Hashimoto's, but I do think that there are other tests that might make sense to assure we aren't dealing with a mis-diagnosis. My fiance has noticed that she feels better when she cuts dairy products out of her diet, and sadly has noticed worse symptoms when the stress of her job is greater.
Any information that anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated as well as thoughts and prayers.
I appreciate this community greatly and how there are so many people that are willing to offer up education that they have on subjects or links they have that are helpful to other people.
Honestly, I consider this group of people to be more of my family and friends than those individuals I have grown up with and who don't currently see the world through a critical perspective in both social and political views.
Thank you for taking the time to read my plea for help. She is my world and all that I ask for in life is for her to be healthy and happy.
Warning. Do not start an iodine replacement regiment until you get more specialized information about your girlfriend's particular autoimmune condition. These issues tend to be multifactorial and can involve other glands - like adrenals. If iodine is introduced in an effort to kick start a thyroid without addressing adrenal function, a thyroid situation can actually be made worse. Thyroid malfunctioning can be like a pendulum. Swing it too far in one direction, then an equal force from another direction is required in an attempt to bring things back to equilibrium - but unfortunately it often misses the target and overcorrects. This is the vicious cycle one can get into if there is not a more systematic and controlled approach. Just be prepared that it can take time. There usually is no quick fix.
Everyone here is giving some really good advise, but take it all with a grain of salt and gather the information in order to come up with a course of action that will work for her. Even run of the mill low functioning thyroid, apart from autoimmune disease, can have compounding factors. Diet however, is always a good place to begin with any health challenge and those changes can be safely made. Supplementation however, can be tricky when it comes to thyroid.
Great advice. Iodine is NOT for every thyroid issue. And sometime supplements can do more harm than good if they are not the right ones. I do not go to western med docs, I only see functional medicine docs. They will help you with the right supplement and tests that western medicine has no idea about.
Good for you. Without someone with the kind of expertise of functional medicine, a person with endocrine dysfunction is more likely to be undertreated and continue to suffer for years.
I wish it were that simple. For those that are dealing with a straight low functioning thyroid, not complicated by autoimmune or other issues, you are correct in that some of the problems lie within an adrenal/thyroid relationship where diet, elimination of additional halides, and supplementation with iodine, are sufficient to improve a lagging thyroid. Hell, just getting rid of additional halides and gluten was sufficient for some patients to improve without meds or additional iodine. However, as a warning, excess iodine can also lead to thyroid problems both for non and autoimmune thyroid disease. IMHO, based upon years in clinical practice, education, and dealing with my own autoimmune thyroid issues, before supplementing with iodine, levels should be ascertained. (A down and dirty iodine test is to put iodine on a patch of skin and see if it is still there in 24hrs. That is, as long as someone is not allergic. If the iodine disappears quickly, then chances are, the body is deficient.)
If iodine supplementation is added to increase thyroid function where there may be possible adrenal insufficiency, by not addressing the adrenal issues before treating the thyroid, it could lead to increased problems rather than solving them. The addition of iodine may temporarily be an improvement in thyroid function and someone may feel better for a short time - but this increase in metabolic status may put additional stress on adrenal glands that can further lead to adrenal exhaustion. In fact, there are some alternative practitioners that will do only limited treatment on the thyroid until the adrenals are clear because of the risk of adrenal exhaustion. Patients that go the route of unguided iodine supplementation can end up hitting the wall when their adrenals finally crash. I am not trying to discourage people - they just need to be aware that there can be problems.
The endocrine system has several different axises in play. I have one textbook devoted to just the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and all the body systems this one axis can affect. If this axis is not functioning well, it can lead to thyroid imbalances. Years of inappropriate diagnosis and lack of treatment can add layers of compounded problems that leave patients frustrated, sick, and broke. Autoimmune thyroid disease adds another layer to this mix of what is already a delicate ballet. The body is now attacking itself and simply replacing iodine is not going to fix it.
So, my concern is that when it comes to endocrine issues, people need to do a lot of research or seek out someone they can trust that will help guide them through the maze that is endocrine dysfunction - especially when it involves autoimmune disease so they do not actually make themselves worse. Find a MD that has decided to specialize in thyroid away from standard medicine or someone in functional medicine. This is because it is a bit of art and a bit of science to balance between bloodwork parameters and patient symptomology. Also a homeopathic MD or OD is an option. I know a guy in my area that is a GP that decided to study thyroid/adrenal because someone in his family was sick. He has built his entire practice around treating glandular dysfunction - especially thyroid. He gives free workshops once a month to the community to educate the public. Many of his patients that come to him for help are improved - especially after years of banging their heads against the wall. Chinese medicine and acupuncture are also some alternatives that can be supportive.