Hashimoto

by Maedy Colenso ND

Hashimoto thyroiditis is one of the fastest growing autoimmune conditions in which the thyroid begins attacking it's own thyroid cells. Hashimoto thyroiditis was named after the Japanese surgeon who discovered it in 1912. I find this interesting as it was discovered so long ago, can affect one in five women yet still medically there are no cures.

It is easily detected with a simple blood test and it can cause a vast number of symptoms. 

To check your thyroid accurately you need to check 

• TSH
• T3
• T4
• Reverse T3
• Thyroid Antibodies

Symptoms of Hashimoto

• Migraines
• Acid reflux
• Chronic coughs
• Allergies
• Brain fog
• Forgetfulness
• Hair loss
• Irritable bowel symptoms

What causes Hashimotos?

1. Specific genes can make you susceptible to Hashimotos.(Please remember genes symbolically might be like the gun but environment, lifestyle and nutrition are the bullets.)
2. Heavy metal toxicity
3. Gut health is critical
4. Adrenal function feeds the problem

With Hashimoto you will find that your thyroid antibodies are high.  

Do not accept it but take action, learn about it, seek professional help to keep the antibodies as low as you can,

or better still aim to keep them within normal range.

Some changes you can make to help control this condition:

Dietary  

1. Limit or avoid gluten, dairy, soy, legumes, caffeine and sugar
2. Eat heaps more veggies – up to 6 cups a day. Try juicing them
3. Limit fruit and avoid dried fruit
4. Rotate your foods
5. Limit seaweed as high in iodine

Liver Cleanse

1. Remove trigger foods – for some this can be gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, sugar, corn, deadly nightshades, caffeine, alcohol, seaweed, nuts and seeds
2. Caffeine is found in – coffee, tea, green teas  (use Madura instead) , coke, caramel, chocolate, cocoa
3. Drink lots of water and talk to your practitioner about great liver cleansing teas
4. Talk to your practitioner about supplements that aid you specifically for liver cleansing
5. Drink quality filtered water and more of it to flush the system
6. Make sure your bowels are emptying regularly to help in the process of the liver cleanse. If you are not going to the toilet daily let your practitioner know.

Adrenal Support

The adrenal gland is an important organ for our energy and our coping. The adrenal gland is really important for good thyroid function. Adrenals help with management of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. If these hormones are out of balance it can negatively effect the gut and the thyroid.

Things that may help adrenals

1. Stress management  - yoga, relaxation, slowing down, mindfulness
2. Early nights and sleep hygiene
3. Reassessing work life balance
4. Back down if doing extreme exercise regimes and intense physical exertion
5. Supplements that may help – adaptagenic herbs, some specific B Vitamins, selenium, thiamine (B1), magnesium.

Digestion 

I mentioned the dietary suggestions but the gut might need some more work. The gut can be one of the most influencing things on the thyroid antibodies.

Some people we would even suggest doing a comprehensive stool analysis ( CDSA) to see all the good and bad bacteria in the gut. It is also useful to check for parasites and DNA of parasites so all the gut information is there to work on.

What can disturb the gut:

• Parasites
• NSAIDs (non steroidal anti-inflammatories)
• Nutrient depletion
• Psycological stress
• Bacterial overgrowth
• Sinus and mouth infections where mucus and infection is swallowed
• Stress and fatigue
• Surgery and trauma
• Contraceptive pill
• Antibiotics
• Gluten and other food sensitivities
• Toxins
• Fungal infections 

All the above are important so as we know how to improve the microbiome of the gut.

The microbiome can be helped with guidance from your naturopath practitioner on the right remedies and dosage. 

Remedies and suggestions that may be useful for the digestion:

1. Hydrochloric acid levels – often seen to be low in Hashimotos. Some of the things used would be apple cider vinegar, thiamine, manganese,  betaine( TMG) or pepsin
2. Eliminate aggravating foods however unless HCL and enzymes are improved then more intolerances may develop.
3. Poorly digested proteins mean that bacteria in the gut can become opportunistic. We all have bacteria in the gut but it is a fine balance and bacteria overgrowth is when things go wrong. Use herbs to discourage the overgrowth of bacteria or parasites.
4. Enzymes in supplements or juices. These are ideally taken 45 minutes before eating or one hour after eating.
5. Probiotics need to be in balance 
6. In some cases we also use – prebiotics, glutamine to relax the gut, cysteine, zinc, lipoic acid, calcium d glucarate, I3C, vitamin D.

Thyroid Function

In the process of working on the thyroid antibodies we also need to support the thyroid if the levels of thyroid are being affected.

There are synthetic thyroid replacement or bioidentical thyroid replacement. The synthetic one has the bonus of being cheaper but it seems that the bio-identical one is the better one for the body and easier wean off as your thyroid improves. Both of these medications need to be prescribed by your GP and I advise you to do your research before choosing the type of thyroid medication you use. The right type and dosage of thyroid medication is critical.

If you have a TSH above 2 uIU/ml plus raised thyroid antibodies and thyroid symptoms there is a really good chance you will benefit from thyroid medication and need to talk to your medical practitioner. 

If you feel you have Hashimoto or would like to discuss this condition with your practitioner please do. Click here for bookings

ref: Hashimoto's Protocol - by Izabella Wentz