This article is part of a special report on Thyroid Disorders. To see a comprehensive eBook on thyroid health, click here.
An estimated 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease. Up to 60 percent of these people are unaware of their condition. One in eight women will develop a thyroid disorder during her lifetime. The number of people suffering from thyroid disorders continues to rise each year. (1)
Hypothyroidism is one of the most common thyroid disorders. It’s estimated that nearly 5 percent of Americans age 12 and up have hypothyroidism. (2) It is characterized by mental slowing, depression, dementia, weight gain, constipation, dry skin, hair loss, cold intolerance, hoarse voice, irregular menstruation, infertility, muscle stiffness and pain, and a wide range of other not-so-fun symptoms.
Every cell in the body has receptors for thyroid hormone. These hormones are responsible for the most basic aspects of body function, impacting all major systems of the body.
You can think of the thyroid as the central gear in a sophisticated engine. If that gear breaks, the entire engine goes down with it.
That’s why people with hypothyroidism experience everything from weight gain and depression to infertility, bone fractures and hair loss.
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One of the biggest challenges facing those with hypothyroidism is that the standard of care for thyroid disorders in both conventional and alternative medicine is hopelessly inadequate.
The dream of patients with thyroid disorders and the practitioners who treat them is to find that single substance that will magically reverse the course of the disease. For doctors, this is either synthetic or bio-identical thyroid hormone. For the alternative types, this is iodine.
Unfortunately, in the vast majority of cases neither approach is effective. Patients may get relief for a short period of time, but inevitably symptoms return or the disease progresses.
So what’s the problem? Why have replacement hormones and supplemental iodine been such dismal failures?
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Because Hypothyroidism Is Caused by an Autoimmune Disease
Studies show that 90 percent of people with hypothyroidism are producing antibodies to thyroid tissue. (3) This causes the immune system to attack and destroy the thyroid, which over time causes a decline in thyroid hormone levels.
This autoimmune form of hypothyroidism is called Hashimoto’s disease. Hashimoto’s is the most common autoimmune disorder in the United States. (4) While not all people with Hashimoto’s have hypothyroid symptoms, thyroid antibodies have been found to be a marker for future thyroid disease.
Most doctors know hypothyroidism is an autoimmune disease. But most patients don’t. The reason doctors don’t tell their patients is simple: it doesn’t affect their treatment plan.
But in the case of Hashimoto’s, the consequences—i.e. side effects and complications—of using immunosuppressive drugs are believed to outweigh the potential benefits. (Thanks to conventional medicine for a relative moment of sanity here.)
So the standard of care for a Hashimoto’s patient is to simply wait until the immune system has destroyed enough thyroid tissue to classify them as hypothyroid, and then give them thyroid hormone replacement. If they start to exhibit other symptoms commonly associated with their condition, like depression or insulin resistance, they’ll get additional drugs for those problems.
The obvious shortcoming of this approach is that it doesn’t address the underlying cause of the problem, which is the immune system attacking the thyroid gland. And if the underlying cause isn’t addressed, the treatment isn’t going to work very well—or for very long.
If you’re in a leaky rowboat, bailing water will only get you so far. If you want to stop the boat from sinking, you’ve got to plug the leaks.
Extending this metaphor to Hashimoto’s disease, thyroid hormones are like bailing water. They may be a necessary part of the treatment. But unless the immune dysregulation is addressed (plugging the leaks), whoever is in that boat will be fighting a losing battle to keep it from sinking.
Hashimoto’s often manifests as a “polyendocrine autoimmune pattern.” This means that in addition to having antibodies to thyroid tissue, it’s not uncommon for Hashimoto’s patients to have antibodies to other tissues or enzymes as well. The most common are transglutaminase (Celiac disease), the cerebellum (neurological disorders), intrinsic factor (pernicious anemia), glutamic acid decarboxylase (anxiety/panic attacks and late onset type 1 diabetes).
For more on how to balance the immune system and treat Hashimoto’s, check out this article.
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Dr…does any of the conditions mention in this blog can cause a miscarriage???
I have been diagnosed with Hoshimotos disease and about 6 months ago had 5 nodules that were growing from six months before. My doctor never advised me on anything I could do to decrease or treat in any way the inflammation. I was introduced to a product that lowers inflammation in the body and other health improving things that is all natural. I had been taking it for TWO weeks and I now have only three nodules and they have shrunk. Is this normal?
Hi Chris,
I was diagnosed as hyperthyroid after I gave birth in 2000, took the iodine treatment and have been hypothyroid ever since. The amount of weight I have gained is astonishing. I am on levothyroxine 175 MCG
daily and I feel terrible all the time..tired, hair is brittle and falling out, heels are rough, can’t remember alot and my doctor just tells me my levels are fine and I must be eating too much, but I don’t eat alot at all. Now I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea..my life just sucks right now! My question is since I started with hyperthyroid could Hashimoto’s Disease still apply to me? Thanks for any help you can give..
I had my thyroid out at 20 years old,now 59, I tend to think they may have been in a bit of a hurry to do the surgery. Nonetheless, this is some of what I have done personally to help myself.
I just started on apple cider vinegar( has to have mothers’) on the bottle. The brand I use is Omega Nutrition organic. Anyway, my hair was falling out, dry, brittle, skin was dry and loosing collagen. I started taking this, about a tblsp. before I ate a meal and one before bed. My hair is growing like a weed and is coming in dark, at 59!, I was always plagued with yeast infections, they seem to have disappeared, back to the hair, IT HAS BOUNCE BACK, I remember the day when I realized something was really wrong with my hair before they took my thyroid out. Now, it’s just startling how healthy it has become. I also added liquid minerals daily. Just thought this might help.
Take care , Lorraine
About Apple Cider Vinegar internally….
It is high in Vitamin B’s
It absolutely normalized my ph levels within a week, which were non existant on the litmus tests.
My digestion and elimination has improved dramatically
No more bloating when I eat
It kills yeast, bacteria and parasites ( note: probiotics seem to work properly now)
Apple Cider Vinegar is different than wine or beer in that it undergo’s a different fermentation; giving a different reaction to the body.
Hi Chris,
I have hypothyroidism due to my pituitary gland being completely damaged by a brain tumor. I was 9 year old at the time and am now in my 40’s. Up until about 7 years ago I didn’t have much of a problem losing weight when / if I needed to. But now I’m finding it so incredibly hard to lose weight. I’ve been on synthroid or the generic form of it all my life. As I’m sure you know, I have to take many other medications like prednisone to make my body function “normally”. Do you have any suggestions for someone in my case??
Thanks,
Cathy P
I am taking carbimazole, for hyperthyroid, and also ferrograd for low in iron, can i possible to drink Barly grass powder.
my question is will it have bad side effect knowing i got this hyperthyroidism and low iron. if i drink Barly grass.
Please help, if any one can give me information about this.
appreciate for any info..
thanks
Emily
I have ab negative blood type, severe scolisis, compression of L4-L5, l am also a Gemini, which may affect something, I continually gain weight, I cannot lose no matter what, please can anyone give me some advice.
A retrospective conducted in Germany following 36 women and 2 men showed that treatment with levothyroxine (synthroid) reduced thyroid antibodies by 70% after 5 years of treatment for 92% of these patients. From these results it appears that treatment with thyroid hormone replacement alone does indeed treat the underlying autoimmune dysfunction. There may be more studies out there on this subject specifically but I cannot devote more time at present to research the issue, nevertheless I wonder if any large scale studies have been conducted with this in mind.
Here is a link to the article https://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/thy.2008.0008?journalCode=thy
Can anyone help. Hypo and hashi for many years. Been on synthroid 100 for long time. Taking cytomel for almost a year. I have never ever felt good as a matter of fact I feel worse every day. I’m severely lethargic. I am not able to think anything over like my brain is broken I’m depressed I can’t seem to gain weight I actually get thinner. I have crazy periods I have no sex drive I have no tolerance for for loud noises I’m always cold even in summer. My anti thyroid whatever it’s called is in the 500s I have a large goiter where I feel constriction. I need help the drs say I’m fine but I’m so not fine I feel terrible. Help!
Sissy,
Have you heard of Anatabloc? Many are reporting significant positive benefits even before this study result was released last month.
https://www.pharmaceuticalonline.com/doc.mvc/star-rock-creek-pharmaceuticals-asap-thyroid-immune-system-0001
Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals Report Positive Initial Results Of ASAP Human Thyroid Health Study Showing Benefits In Immune System Support
The study is a three-month, five-visit, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the impact of anatabine dietary supplementation in humans with autoimmune disease of the thyroid. The study was conducted at nine sites and builds upon previous epidemiological and animal experimental studies. Initial results for all study subjects suggest that dietary supplementation with anatabine ameliorates the immune system’s targeting of the thyroid gland in autoimmune thyroiditis.
I finally found references to abstracts dealing with the subject of molecular mimicry and explaining the mechanism. A lot of research was done on this in the late 1990’s. It’s worth a read. The link is on a multiple sclerosis site: https://www.direct-ms.org/molecularmimicry.html
It looks as though certain viruses cause the body to release antibodies that in turn target specific tissues e.g. thyroid, that have similar amino acid sequences. This is exacerbated by also consuming foods that have similar amino acid sequences to both the virus and the target organ affected e.g. anti-gliadin antibodies against wheat agglutinin. For the MS people it can be dairy, grains and beans and the viruses from memory were quite a few such as rotavirus and Epstein-Barr (glandular fever). But it’s better that it is read rather than what I’ve written here as it’s only recall.
I have Hashimoto and am on synthetic thyroid replacement too, and the best thing that has worked for me is going on a gluten-free diet, I had a lot of your symptoms but after only a few days without gluten I started to feel human again. Its been almost a year now and I feel like my old self like before Hashi struck, It may take longer than a few days for you, and it may not help all your symptoms, but going gluten free for a week or a month can’t do you any harm, so I advize you to at least try it and see as it may help you.
Sissy see my reply to you further down.
@Carol:
My whole life I was unable to tolerate alcohol, and would become flushed and tipsy after only a couple of sips. Fast-forward many years, and I discovered I had severe adrenal fatigue (cortisol levels undetectable most of the day, then higher at night, when it shouldn’t be). A 24-hour saliva panel revealed this, plus secondary hypothyroidism — years of blood testing yielded nothing but frustration and “your thyroid is perfectly normal,” even though I was a poster child for its symptoms.
Addressing the adrenal deficiency with natural methods (healthy, undamaged forms of dietary cholesterol, plus high-quality, non-synthetic vitamin B and C supplements and physiologic, not pharmacologic, doses of sheep-sourced adrenal cortex at the beginning), helped to bring my cortisol back without the use of synthetic drugs, plus it brought my thyroid numbers up to normal levels. Undiagnosed adrenal deficiencies are behind a lot of thyroid issues. Addressing the thyroid without taking the adrenals into account can be dangerous — if the adrenals are exhausted and slowed way down, they cannot accommodate a higher-functioning thyroid.
Most of the thyroid’s T4 hormone is converted to active T3 through an enzyme in the liver. If the liver isn’t functioning optimally for any reason, this will be compromised. A chance meeting with a TCM practitioner revealed a sluggish liver that was affecting my thyroid as well as my ability to metabolize alcohol. I ended up moving out of a big, polluted city and doing a total 180 with my lifestyle, drinking clean well water, producing our own food and not eating anything processed. I can now drink wine with meals (not a big drinker, but once in a while I enjoy it) and don’t get flushed anymore. I was surprised at the time, to learn that my liver was overloaded, as I never drank, did drugs (prescription or otherwise), smoked, or ate a lot of junk. I was told that a polluted environment, tainted city water, and stress were enough of a burden on the liver to cause problems.
I don’t know if such a drastic lifestyle change is feasible or even necessary for you, but wanted to share my experience, whatever it’s worth.
Is there any connection between Hypothyroidism and alcohol intolerance? I am unable to drink even small amounts of alcohol without becoming sick. I have just started seeing a homeopath and have started a gluten-free/dairy-free diet to deal with healing the gut, inflammation, etc. My endocrinologist dismissed any connection to my thyroid. I would like to be able to enjoy a nice glass of wine now and then!
GLEN ALLEN, Va., Jan. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Star Scientific, Inc. announced today the preliminary results of the Company’s ASAP (Anatabloc Supplementation Autoimmune Prevention) Human Thyroid Study that analyzes the impact of anatabine dietary supplementation on thyroid health.
excerpted;
The title of the study is, “A Multi-Site, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group Trial to Evaluate the Safety and Potential Effects of the Dietary Supplement Anatabine on Antithyroid Autoantibodies and Thyroid Function in Subjects with Autoimmune Thyroiditis”.
‘Dr. Paul Ladenson, senior endocrinological consultant for the study, stated, “Data from this rigorously conducted, placebo-controlled, double blind trial show that anatabine-treated subjects had progressive decreases in circulating thyroglobulin antibody levels, which became significant by the end of the trial. Current treatment for autoimmune thyroiditis is limited to end-stage disease when irreversible gland damage necessitates lifelong thyroid hormone replacement. The prospect of a novel nutritional or pharmaceutical intervention that could preserve thyroid health represents an encouraging advance.’
hello Jeff s
It appears you have hashimotos which is an autoimmune disease. Usually a gluten free diet is recommended. Test should be run for a celiac panel as well to rule out celiac disease. Usually with a thyroid panel you want to test FREE t3 , FREE t4, TSH as well as both anitbodies. Reverse T3 can also be tested if one suspects that might be an issue. This happens when body converts the active T3 into the inactive reverse T3 so the body can not use it . Usually the reason why some people develop reverse t3 issues is due to low iron and cortisol. Free t3 and reverse T3 should be done from the same blood sample when testing for reverse t3 issues. The treatment from my understanding for hashis is thyroid meds to suppress your TSH so your own thryroid gland is not under attack. In Hashis, the body starts to attack its own thyroid gland. I hope that helps answer your questions a bit. I have read quite a bit on thyroid issues but I am no expert. Chris might want to comment on this as well.
Take care and wish you all the best.
Hi Toni
I have been gluten free for more than 2 years–I’m fairly strict Paleo (very strict on the grains/gluten side). The tests that were done were ordered by my regular doctor. He has told me I should now see a Thyroid Dr. The two he has recommended don’t have any openings until March, unfortunately. Will try to insure they do the tests you suggest.
Hi Chris and Others:
I’m a 59 yr old male who has been Paleo for more than 2 years and for the most part have been doing fine. However, over the last couple of months, I started having a feeling like food was stuck in my throat and some tenderness near my Adam’s apple. Went in for a Dr’s visit and my thyroid was definitely tender, so the Dr. ordered a Thyroid panel. Got a call today saying that my thyroid is inflamed (their words) and that I should go see a thyroid Dr. I have a copy of my report, but am not sure how to read it. So any insights appreciated.
The report has TSH+Free T4; CBC with Differential/Platelet; Comp. Metabolic Panel; Thyroid Antibodies; Thyroxine; T3 Uptake; Triiodothyronine; and Sedimentation Rate-Westergren. I have posted some of the results below (mostly those that I think pertain to the Thyroid and a couple of items that showed up high.) If I should list anything else, let me know.
Test 1: TSH+Free T4
TSH: 2.200 uIU/ml (range: .450-4.500) T4, Free (Direct): 1.38 ng/dL (range: .82-1.77)
Test 2: CBC (Too many items to list, but everything seems to be within range)
Test 3: Comp. Metabolic Panel (mot things in range, but listed a couple that were high)
Glucose, Serum: 90 mg/dL (range: 65-99) BUN: 27 mg/dL (this was flagged as high. Range: 6-24) Creatine, Serum: 1.15 mg/dL (range:.76-1.27) BUN/Creatine Ratio: 23 (flagged as high. Range: 9-20) Calcium, Serum: 10.3 mg/dL (flagged as high. Range: 8.7-10.2)
Test 4: Thyroid Antibodies
Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) Ab: 60 IU/mL (flagged as high. Range: 0-34) Antithyroglobulin Ab: <20 IU/ml (range: 0-40)
Test 5: Thyroxine (T4)
Thyroxine (T4): 9.3 ug/dL (range: 4.5-12.0)
Test 6: T3 Uptake
T3 Uptake: 30% (range: 24-39)
Test 7: Triiodothyronine (T3)
Triiodothyronine: 90 ng/dL (range: 71-180)
Test 8: Sedimentation Rate
Sedimentation Rate-Westergren 6mm/hr (range: 0-30)
Am setting up an appointment with a Thyroid Dr. that my Dr. recommended. But in the meantime, does anyone have any comments/insights. Is the TPO high enough to worry about?
Autoimmune thyroiditis is inflammation driven. I think you will find treatment method beyond hormonal supplementation will be to suppress the inflammation process with only marginally effective drugs until the gland is totally fried.
But there’s hope!. It’s 2013 after all and science continues to progress. See the latest human trial results on using a small molecule alkaloid anatabine citrate. ‘Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals Report Positive Initial Results of ASAP Human Thyroid Health Study Showing Benefits in Immune System Support’
Anatabine supplementation suppresses several pro-inflammatory molecules (cytokines) in the blood. And suppresses NFKB and STAT3 activation.
Hello Chris
I am a 50 yr old white female. I was diagnosed with Cutaneous Limited Scleroderma with secondary Raynaulds Phenomenon. Since there is no cure for my Scleroderma or Raynaulds my doctors can only manage my symptoms with a variety of medications. I was just recently diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. They haven’t told me that it is Hashimoto disease as of yet but they have put me on Levonthroxine 0.05 mg per day. I also have Gastro problems associated with my Scleroderma. I have extremely dry skin, and hair loss that we associated with Scleroderma and a consistent chill throughout my body along with 2nd stage Raynaulds. I’m on 100mg Viagra daily to help the hands and feet. I also take a 400/500 Calcium & Vitamin D supplement twice daily without it I cannot keep my Vitamin D level above 18. I have difficulties swallowing which they associated with my Scleroderma and have had my first esophagus stretching. It helped some but not as much as it should have.
My question is how to control the Hypothyroidism along with fights the affect of my other two major illnesses? Is it going to possible to have all of or some of these illnesses under some type of management since there are no cures for them? While fighting to control one or two am I damaging the other? Is there a proper diet to help maintain a happy medium between them all?
I have been dealing with hypothyroidism for 5 years. I have been tested for Hashimotos at least twice and have been told I do not have it. I did test for an autoimmune disease at 1:164 titer homogenous. However, further tests for autoimmune were negative. I have been told it is my normal to test positive and to not have the test run again unless I have worsening symptoms. I have 2 siblings and a nephew who have been diagnosed with celiac disease (blood and biopsy). I have tested negative with blood tests for celiac but an IgG ELISA came back as positive, IgA negative. I take vit. D for a deficient (16) level and take Tirosint for thyroid. I have 2 siblings with psoriasis and numerous other relatives with hypothyroid and psoriasis. I have what I think is extreme fatigue, bowel issues (I would say it is IBS), achy joints and very dry eyes- I started restasis this summer. The rheumatologist suggested that the dry eye is my thyroid, the medication for my depression (zoloft for 18 years) causes my dry eye and I am one in 20 percent who test positive for autoimmune but don’t have any autoimmune!!
I am very confused. I am 51 and menopause has begun. I feel like most dr. would like for me to ride out my menopause and then I will miraculously feel better. Why are the dr’s giving me no definitive answers? or are there none? Do I have food allergies? I did a skin test and a blood test which I have read are not good indicators of food allergies. FRUSTRATED.
Thank you for your articles they are giving me the insight and courage to continue to find an answer. Insurance and money are major obstacles for a lot of us in this situation.
If i took RAI to switch from HYPER to HYPO, does it follow that i may not have the AUTOIMMUNE issue because its not my body that killed my thyroid but rather the RAI?
The primary cause of hyperthyroidism is autoimmune (Graves’), and RAI doesn’t address the autoimmunity — it just kills the thyroid.
Hi Chris, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s about 5 yrs ago. I also have a multi nodule thyroid with nodules on both sides. I have annual FNA’s and they have come back non cancerous. My endocinologist wanted to remove my thyroid last year due to the nodules causing me discomfort (the only reason for the surgery). I decided not to have the removal as I did not want to go hypo and be on medication when my thyroid levels were more on the hyper side. I just wasn’t ready to have my thyroid removed and felt there should be something else I can do besides surgery. I have not been prescribed any medication but all my symptoms are hypo – hair loss, fatigue, weight gain, dry skin, constipation, I could go on and on. My endo had the wait and see attitude or else just whip my thyroid out and medicate me. I have since moved and I’m in the process of looking for a new doctor. Should I go with an endocrinologist, I didn’t have any luck with my last one, or search for a different doctor? I do think that Hashimoto’s is genetic as my Mother had thyroid problems but was never diagnosed properly (long story, health system in Ireland), my sister had most of her thyroid removed about 20 yrs ago due to nodules and she now suffers from Chron’s disease. She has never been tested for Hashimoto’s, but is showing symptoms of other autoimmune disease including Celiac disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Is it better to go ahead and have my thyroid removed as due to the Hashimoto’s my immune system will end up destroying it anyway? I realllllly don’t want surgery and would like to keep my thyroid in place in the hopes that there will be some kind of break through in the future for Hashimoto’s. Yes, the nodules are bothersome but I can put up with them for now as they aren’t growing.
Chris
I have had multiple miscarriages before having my healthy baby in 2012. I am on 25 mcg levothyroxin even after the baby and before the baby + during pregnancy -the dose remained same. I feel sluggish, I have knee/joint pains, muscle stiffness, lazy, memory loss. I got my detailed thyroid bloddwork done which came normal just a week ago. I need to know, why I feel this way, shall I get myself checked for Hashimoto’s? Or shall I get thyroid scan,ct scan or any xray done since i feel phlegm in my throat mostly and a little pain in the throat area. I do not have difficulty swallowing at all.
Yes, I would absolutely get checked for Hashimoto’s.
Thank YOu Chris – will get back to you soon after getting my Hashimoto checked.
I would like to know if it is even possible to have Hashimoto’s disease or a thyroid autoimmune disease with out a thyroid. I had a thyroidectomy 10 years ago, but fit the symptoms of these autoimmune diseases. One ENT tells me I can and do have Hashimoto’s, another has told me no and that it is impossible to have an autoimmune disease without a thyroid. Please give me info on this, so that I can understand and know what I should do.
Thank you
Hello Christopher,
Read some of the earlier comments 🙂 Dulce Leon asked a similar question. The answer as Chris put it is that having a thyroidectomy is a lot like scrapping gum off the shoe – its almost impossible to remove all traces of the thyroid tissue, therefore you can still produce antibodies that could attack what is left of the thyroid. If you run a test for antibodies and are still producing them, its a problem. I suggest finding a naturopath or someone into integrative medicine that will run multiple tests and help you manage your thyroid condition.
Diane Sanfillipo has a great book called practical paleo that has an autoimmune protocol which is great to follow if you have autoimmune disease.
Yes, it is absolutely possible to have autoimmune thyroid disease without a thyroid. Megan did a good job of answering your question; the autoimmune process underlies the thyroid condition and doesn’t stop when you take the thyroid out.
I have been dealing w/ Hashimoto’s or over 4 years now. I have been dealing with very bad health the whole time. I have severe leg pain & weakness, also am very fatigued all the time, I have had many episodes where i can barely walk due to the pain. I am on 137mcg levothyroxine. I have had numerous tests, a mri showed that i had just 1 lesion on brain also. My neuro doctor doesn’t seem very concerned about this and my last visit to him he pretty much said he is giving up and doesn’t know why i am having all this pain. I am @ my wits end with feeling this way & no doctors can figure out or even care what i am going through. Is this all caused by my hashi’s or should i be concerned about other things? I am a 40 year old male and before this I had perfect health.