Reddit reviews Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause

Ok, so I could soapbox on this forever, but I'll try to be brief. (edit: and looking back I failed ;) )

High tsh with normal T3 T4 (can you include your free t3 & t4 numbers because "normal" is subjective with some docs?) just on the surface sounds like you're early on in the hypo process. Your TSH is coming high from your pituitary gland because it's like the gland is screaming for hormone, but the hormone actually produced (T3 &4), while lower than your brain would like, doesn't fall into your doctor's ranges for being abnormal. That said, too many doctors treat entirely based on labs and not on symptoms. And imo the wait way too long just to be "sure" that your levels have adjusted as much as they could on the current dose.

The medical profession is way behind when you are dealing with autoimmune endocrine disorders.

Now all that said, there are many other problems that come along with Hashimotos and being autoimmune that while they correlate with thyroid problems they are not necessarily caused directly by thyroid dysfunction. It is the whole autoimmune process that really screws you up.

Your doctor poo pooing your request for a celiac test is bs. It is not an unusual request in this day and age, and the basic celiac test is bloodwork. Based on that reaction alone I'd switch docs because she's not even considering, especially given that you have a history of all kinds of gastric problems.

That said, celiac testing isn't the end all be all. I was blood tested; negative. Had an endoscopy (many gastric issues here too) and they found evidence of the same kind of damage that celiac causes (flattening of the mucus and villi around the duodenum) but a biopsy did not show celiac. Hence I was told non-celiac gluten intolerance. Many Hashimoto folk have this. Plus I remember reading somewhere that they can't find all the different types of celiac through testing yet.

So at one point I just gave up gluten anyway and felt better. -For a couple years prior, bread and cake things just started tasting like plain flour to me, whereas gluten free goods (once I tried them) started tasting like food again.

I too have done paleo and it helped but not as much as I needed. I just started reading a book that was highly recommended by a good friend with similar problems and it seems spectacular.

Really breaking it down, the book was written by a pharmacist. It goes into all the different mechanisms that go on with Hashimotos (at present understanding) and how they affect you. Of great consideration are the gastric issues because they usually = a lack of absorption and thus vitamin deficiencies going on to significant degree. What I like so far is that she doesn't just state those things but goes into easy to understand detail of what is actually happening and she does this for each thing (food, supplements, even some spices) that are affected by absorption.

Anyway, it's a stricter diet that paleo, but essentially said "if A is a problem then eliminate food 1, if B is a problem then add vitamin x but only the sublingual kind or only from food (depending on the vitamin based on what is absorbed better)".

Oh, and also she recommends against protein pump inhibitors because they reduce your acid and low acid = poor absorption = GERD. However she also says don't stop immediate and gives suggestions on how to transition off of them. And instead what you do is use a couple of specific digestive enzymes. She gives proper dosing and tells how long to use them. (if you just want to know off the bat, pm me and I'll tell you)

It's called Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause and I'm really excited about it because I've had very similar problems to yours and it's affected my life too much.

From what I am reading, gluten perpetuates the autoimmune response from your body, and you'll keep having issues unless you drop it. My Dr, who has hypothyroidism himself, says its okay to go gluten-less and not gluten-free, but I'm still having serious muscle and joint pain and am still tired, so I'm working all the food/ inflammation angles.

Dropping "goitrogens" (uncooked broccoli, all soy, etc), taking some supplements to boost immune system and gut health (turmeric, zinc, fish oil, probiotics, and when I finally find it cheap, selenium)... I've been feeling like shit for a long time and after getting past the shock of having an autoimmune disease I'm in full on "fuck this shit" mode.

I recommend two things! If you are struggling with cooking better for yourself, I recommend an app called Mealime. It's honestly great for any human, despite diet issues, but you can tell it to remove gluten from the recipes it gives you, and holy crap they're all good and fast! If you like to bake and cook like I do, a friend who's little girl has celiacs told me about a book called "How Can It Be Gluten Free", which is written and recipes tested by America's Test Kitchen (and has a second volume, also!).

Second thing, is go out and buy this book cause it's written by a pharmacist who is currently in remission from Hashi's and she talks about all the bull crap she went through with drs and medicine and supplements and food. I haven't read through it all but what I have has been very insightful and had great reviews on Amazon from people like us.

I hope this helps!

I would definitely recommend thyroid medication sooner rather than later; it can take time to find your right dose. I went untreated for years and ended up pretty anemic. The thyroid has a hand in pretty much every process in your body, and it's incredibly important. There are definitely lifestyle changes you can make that can help - I totally recommend any book by Izabella Wentz (I started with Finding Your Root Cause) - but the first step to feeling better is getting on meds.

What were your thyroid lab results (TSH, Free T4, Free T3, TPO/TG Antibodies)?

For me it was a general feeling of getting sick all the time )almost like a flu but not as strong), extreme tiredness and brain fog. The thing is my thyroid problem should have been under control because I already had a total thyroidectomy and my meds were under control. The doctor even wanted to reduce my hormone dosage. I had always felt tired but during the last year, after being on exchange in Europe and eating pasta and bread for most of my intake, I almost became bed ridden and could barely function. Since I didn't attribute it to my thyroid it took me a while to figure it out, trying to research chronic fatigue syndrome, mostly. Then I dounf two books that explained mot of my symptons.

Long story short Hashimoto's thryoiditis is an autoimmune disorder that goes beyond the thyroid and for people with autoimmune disorders gluten wreaks havoc on the body. Since I stopped eating gluten (first i did an elimination diet where you stop eating gluten, soy,dairy and corn I've since reintroduced corn and dairy with great success) my energy levels are way better and i feel muuuuuch better and whenever I eat it i feel bad and very tired but I agree that my situation may have deteriorated more than it should have because of the 6 months that I had gluten comprise most of my diet.

Here are the 2 books:
http://www.amazon.com/Immune-System-Recovery-Plan-Autoimmune-ebook/dp/B008J48LT6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407973564&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Hashimotos-Thyroiditis-Lifestyle-Interventions-Treating/dp/0615825796/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1407973565&sr=8-3

The first one explains better the gluten issue while the second focuses more on Hashimoto's.

If you have any further questions I'll be glad to help.

Get your antibodies checked. If positive, find the source of your illness.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0615825796?pc_redir=1411972398&robot_redir=1

Also, campassi, are you familiar with the Root Cause book?

http://www.amazon.com/Hashimotos-Thyroiditis-Lifestyle-Interventions-Treating/dp/0615825796

Here is the mobile version of your link

Literally going through a version of this right now.

Diagnosed Hashi's at 17, put on levo and 11 yrs later still had symptoms and felt absolute blah.

Jan. 2018- needed to try something to change this, so I started a keto diet, felt better at first then worse (also avoided gluten like 80% of the time)-- Around April I found out about the AIP diet and tried a mostly, paleoish/AIP as much as I really could, diet, most importantly avoiding gluten altogether. I then staggered eliminating potential problem-causing foods, getting rid of dairy first, then nightshades, etc. As a poor foodie who enjoys cooking, it was tough, but doable. Lots of repeated recipes.

Of course, come these past holidays I had to test some limits. I had eliminated all of the AIP "categories" - I was hangry - but I was also DEFINITELY feeling better. So I had some nibbles here and there, only testing one type at a time, and in a small amount. And, if I had some cow dairy, or a sizable amount of gluten, I got a reaction :( Physically, irritated white bumps on or inside my lips, then a slew of Hashi symptoms, like that fatigue man.

I absolutely scoffed at the thought of a "gluten free" diet when it first popped up too. I hate that I have done the time to test it, with this result. But... I do love learning new, healthy recipes. It sucks, but most doctors aren't interested in treating the cause of these symptoms. Read up and research, take everyone's experience and story in, and listen to your body! It might be gluten, or it might be another sensitivity, but your body's reaction should be a good gauge.

This and This were my starter books looking into the science of what was causing everything, This was helpful when eliminating foods, and lately I've been adapting some recipes from this book (+ meat!) which has been very tasty.

A lot of this is trial and error to see what works for you. The Root Cause might help you figure out where to start to discover triggers and reduce the antibodies. I'm still working on it too! My peroxidase is down to 124 and thyroglobulin has stayed steady at 2. Currently on T4 and T3, taking various supplements (multi-vit, Vit B and D, probiotic, calcium, fish oil), soy and dairy free (gluten free didn't seem to help, but I may try GF again depending on how things go).

​

Edited to add: I had a food sensitivity test done in Dec, which revealed that I am highly reactive to casein and whey and eggs (yolks and whites), which is why I went DF in January. I had severe GI issues and have felt way better DF. Working on healing my leaky gut to try to reduce my autoimmune response.

Check out the Root Cause by Isabella Wentz! Here is her blog... but the book explains really clearly how you can put autoimmune disorders into remission, so I'd recommend you check it out!

The Root Cause was a good read: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0615825796/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_TxLEDb3BTK09X

Don't fret! Sounds like it's an under active thyroid, which is what I have. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis when I was about 10, so trust me when I say that it's definitely not anything to be frightened about.

My biggest suggestion, if it is hypothyroidism, is to read this book: https://www.amazon.com/Hashimotos-Thyroiditis-Lifestyle-Interventions-Treating/dp/0615825796

It is a fantastic source of knowledge and information about what's going on in your body and what can help and why.

Another tip, especially after reading the book, is to make sure you have a doctor who's willing to listen and work with you and not just prescribe pills and send you on your way. A lot of times, symptoms will persist even when your blood work comes back normal. It wasn't until I read the book just recently, and started taking a few additional supplements that I finally started to feel better. I have had HT for as long as I can remember so I never knew anything other than being cold all the time, feeling like it was nearly impossible to wake up in the morning, and being tired all the time.

Thyroid problems are irritating and a hassle, but they're completely manageable and shouldn't affect your job at all.

If you have any questions or want to talk, feel free to let me know. I have, quite literally, a lifetime of experience with it.

Hey, thanks for replying.

I think what I am going to do to start is take this Thyroid Support supplement and read this book. Searching through the reviews and judging by what others have said about Selenium alone, I think I might have more luck trying to clean up the antibodies by treating the root cause with nutrition than I will by just letting my antibodies kill my healthy tissue and putting fake hormone in my body to help with the resultant hormone deficiency. It seems strange to me based on what I've read already that doctors aren't trying to cure the actual condition, but just using synthroid as a bandaid, basically, to patch up the biggest side effect of the condition. From what I understand so far, my symptoms are a result of processes that are happening with the antibodies attacking my healthy tissues. Different amounts of certain nutrition sort of "mop up" the various imbalances and excess byproducts in the system due to different reactions (for example, selenium does something good and, if I recall correctly, hydrogen pyroxide is byproduct made in over-abundance with Hashimoto's). But I am just beginning to learn and the ideas I shared here are just scraping the surface.