Dear Frens, I have learned so much about my own health and using alternative remedies and sources, and I am very grateful to you for that.
I turn to you for help and guidance for a friend with Hashimoto hypothyroidism. She was not helped with synthetic drugs, but initially found improvement with Armour Thyroid (desiccated pig thyroid). She's been on the lowest dose for 3 years and her symptoms are worsening, yet no doctor will prescribe a higher dose to see if it will help. Are there alternative sources to which she can turn to find assistance? She lives in the Columbus Ohio area. TY
Thank you for info, btw no iodine supplements?
No, too much iodine intake is actually hugely detrimental to Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Get your iodine levels checked though, to make sure they're not too low. If they're normal, leave them where they're at, don't take any extra iodine, or even iodized salt or iodine rich foods. I found this out the hard way, taking in more iodine when I found out I had Hashimoto's, but I ended up feeling way worse after a few weeks. Once I stopped the extra iodine intake I felt much better. Iodine is essential for the thyroid, yes, but everyone seems to think that's all the thyroid needs. It needs so much more to function properly, like selenium, magnesium, iron, potassium, vitamins A, B, C, and D.
The body will get enough iodine from various foods, there's no reason to take extra supplements. This is my experience, although it seems almost universal for Hashimoto's patients.
Thank you for your response. I already took selenium but it was low dosage, only 100mcg.. I read it should be 200-400. What dosages do you take for all those vitamins, minerals, is it weight dependent?
Selenium should definitely be 200mcg. I tried 400mcg for a time but found it to be too much, so 200mcg is the sweet spot.
The dosages for the other vitamins is somewhat weight dependent. For example my vitamin D was really low so I have to take 5,000 IU once a day just to keep it stable. Before starting any of these I would recommend getting your levels tested to see what you're most deficient in, however it is okay to start taking basic vitamins on your own. Vitamin C for example can be low doses like 50mg up to 1,000mg. I personally take 500mg per day. Iron is 50mg per day, but that's also because my iron levels are still below optimum level. Potassium doesn't need to be much, just something like 99mg per day. All the B vitamins depends on your levels, but B1 is super necessary for energy production and you need to take way more than what is typically recommended. I take 1500mg per day, and even then I still don't think it's enough but I don't want to overdo it. Vitamin A will also depend on your levels, but something like 5,000 to 10,000 IU would be all right.