Better identification of Hashimoto's disease

Better identification of Hashimoto's disease

If you are reading this blog than you probably suspect that you have or have been diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. You're probably looking for answers because you can't figure out why you're feeling so bad. Hopefully this blog will provide you with some answers that will give you hope that treatment is accessible and that your symptoms can be managed, thyroid blood counts can be improved (even the autoimmune markers!) and you can get your life back!

Patients often seek treatment for one of two reasons. First, they are currently being treated with a thyroid medication but still feel terrible with worsening symptoms such as anxiety, difficulty sleeping, brain fog, constipation, acid reflux, sweating, weight gain, fatigue, heart palpitations. The list goes on and on. The patient can't figure out why the thyroid symptoms are getting worse, but his primary care provider tells him his labs are normal and his thyroid looks good. Most of these patients have had their thyroid medication dose adjusted multiple times but still do not feel well or have only mild relief of symptoms. These patients haveonlyhad identified her poorly functioning thyroid, but no identification of a potentially persistent autoimmune disease called Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

The second scenario often occurs when a patient has already been diagnosed with thyroid autoimmunity and a poorly functioning thyroid (also known as Hashimoto's). Both the immune system and thyroid function continue to decline as the autoimmune disease progresses. These patients have been prescribed thyroid medications for poorly functioning thyroids and are told they are being treated effectively. In these cases, not a single mention of the immune system is typical of patient education. As their symptoms progress, patients will experience heart palpitations, anxiety, and sleepless nights. This is because they are only being treated for the symptoms of Hashimoto's, but most likely very little attention is paid to what could becausethe dysregulation of the immune system primarily.

No matter what category you are in, if you just have a poorly functioning thyroid or if you have autoimmunity along with your thyroid problem (also known as Hashimoto's), the treatment is exactly the same! Does that seem strange? Both conditions will continue to develop without first understanding a little about what might be causing the thyroid and immune problems. The lack of answers and treatment options becomes incredibly frustrating for most patients. Many of these patients ultimately come to us in hopes of finding answers to their questionsWhyNevertheless, they become depressed, sick and frustrated.

Some amazing statistics:

Did you know that Hashimoto's can be found in 13.4 to 38 percent of the population. Synthetic thyroid hormones have been at the top of the list of pharmaceutical top sellers for 3 years. With statistics this high, it makes a lot of sense that there is something more going on in our bodies, in our environment, or in our lifestyle to create these statistics!

Because this problem is so common, you might think that modern medicine would be better at diagnosing it. However, the unfortunate story is that many people, especially women, live with either underdiagnosed overactive or underactive thyroid function. Often the same people were diagnosed but subsequently treated improperly. For example, in a December 2010 survey from the United Kingdom, 1,037 people treated for hypothyroidism agreed to have their hormone levels rechecked - about 37.2% of them were taking incorrect hormone dosages; 19.8% too much hormone and 17.4% too little. Why is this important? Mismanagement of this condition or incorrect diagnosis will leave the patient feeling worse, not better. If they are prescribed too much thyroid medication, it can cause sleep problems, anxiety, panic attacks, sweating, hearing voices, heart palpitations, and an increase in resting heart rate. If they take too little, they generally continue to experience all of the original symptoms they felt before, such as: E.g., sluggishness, weight gain, constipation, temperature dysregulation, acid reflux, etc. What if we told you that the end result is this? it is notstraighta poorly functioning thyroid causing the problems, but an autoimmune disease?

The main question I get asked when we find TPO antibodies in lab work is: What is Hashimoto's? Hashimoto's, unfortunately, is a condition in which the immune system begins to attack the thyroid as if it were an external pathogen that needs to be treated, rather than just another body system. These constant immune attacks eventually render the thyroid unable to perform its functions and ultimately leave it unable to produce the hormones the body needs.

So the first question that needs to be asked should be:

Where exactly is the patient on the spectrum? Do you have hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's or both?

The conventional medical treatment for hypothyroidism or concurrent hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's is generally synthetic hormones. We've heard of all sorts of interesting treatments for Hashimoto's in mainstream medicine over the years. One of the most mind-blowing treatments for managing Hashimoto’s was “drinking lots of water.” In our years of treating thyroid disease, we have never had a patient tell us that they drank enough water to suddenly cure their chronic autoimmune disease! It is incredibly frustrating to see how sick patients are, coupled with the lack of answers they have received (even with a diagnosis), and despite hormone treatment they still feel terrible.

We say all this because it's important to findsomethingthat could cause immune system dysregulation. During a first appointment, it is so important to ask about previous viral infections, previous living situations, previous travel, previous chemical exposure, etc. In our experience, the patient encountered thissomethingthat could have dysregulated their immune system. When we do laboratory tests, dormant viral infections will often come back positive. On her CBC (complete blood count) we see changes in white blood cells, lymphocytes, neutrophils and increased inflammation. Some of these blood tests are pathologically incorrect, meaning that they are outside the standard laboratory reference range and have been marked, or just outside the functional laboratory range, which is generally unmarked. If additional laboratories are run, you will certainly find a chronic infection that is latent in the immune system. I find that this is always the case with Hashimoto's patients.

So what causes the immune system to attack your thyroid?

One of the main chronic viruses we see in our Hashimoto cases is an old Epstein-Barr infection. EBV is also known as mononucleosis. EBV belongs to the herpes family. These types of infections are opportunistic, meaning they lie dormant for years until someone experiences a life event that compromises their immune system. Lo and behold, this old virus rises and causes chaos in the system. A common finding is that a patient is in a car accident, is going through menopause or is going through a divorce or similar stressful life event, and suddenly their health declines. Another unfortunate problem we see in practice is that these viruses can sometimes be treated with antiviral herbs. What we often find is that the herbs suppress the virus but do not eliminate it. Then, when cold and flu season comes, they have the same upper respiratory infection they've always had, or their recurring sinus infection returns. This is most likely their weak point, which already harbors some pathogens.

Essentially, biofilms can form through the overgrowth of viruses, bacteria and yeast. Biofilms are a protective barrier against pathogens, protecting them from antivirals, antibiotics and antifungals. These pathogens remain active in the body even after treatment with antifungal, antibiotic or antiviral medications. This applies to both common medical and alternative treatments. Unless the doctor first targets the biofilms directly and then the pathogen within them, chances are good that they will continue to have biofilms around the infection (regardless of what the infection is). These biofilms consistently cause problems for your immune system. In each of our recent chronic cases, from Hashimoto's disease to Addison's disease, all of these patients had mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr virus) or other unexplained infection that was never diagnosed, but they report being "quite sick" at some point in their history. These patients also generally have parasites, yeast overgrowth, SIBO, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infections, and/or a combination of all 3, which is not uncommon. Most patients also have a chronic viral infection such as EBV.

Are you beginning to understand how all of these problems can weaken the body over time and cause confusion in the immune system?

To make matters worse, let's consider all the chemicals we're exposed to every 7 days (an estimated over 80,000 per week). A large proportion of these chemicals have not been studied for effects on the human body or its systems. Many of the chemicals thathavehave been studied are identified as “endocrine disruptors”. An endocrine disruptor can adversely affect your hormones. Some of these chemicals also have a high chance of causing cancer. Did you know that most tap water contains detectable levels of chemicals known to cause cancer? You can check your zip code Here. Many of the chemicals we are exposed to can be found on www.ewg.org. You can look up many of the products you use to clean your home, apply to your skin, or in processed foods. The Environmental Working Group website is an excellent source of information to help people make more informed decisions about the chemical exposures they can control in their homes, food and personal care products. You can see what types of things can weaken the immune system (possibly carcinogenic), dysregulate hormones (endocrine disruptors), or place unnecessary stress on your liver from their point of view.

Possible nutritional contribution to Hashimoto's:

The foods we eat play an important role in modulating the levels of inflammation in our body and help keep our autoimmunity in check or worsen.

There will be another blog coming soon that specifically addresses food sensitivities. However, to determine food sensitivity, patients must commit to an elimination diet or we will conduct a Cyrex Labs found food sensitivity panel Here. Most patients have previously undergone food allergy testing, which is different from food sensitivity testing. A food allergy can be a life-threatening histamine reaction and is much further down the spectrum than food sensitivity. If you have a food allergy, you must avoid this food at all costs. Food sensitivity can be very unpleasant and cause a lot of harm to the patient, but is generally less dramatic than an allergy and is technically different.

Food sensitivities cause unnecessary inflammation in your system and cause the body to become inflamed. Because food sensitivities trigger an immune response, it is possible that repeated exposure to that item could eventually lead to an allergy. To add to the confusion a little, there are also foods that one cross-reacts toeach other.

For example, let's say you have an allergy to wheat or even a sensitivity. You avoid wheat because eating makes you feel bad, mood changes, etc. You gravitate towards gluten-free products or eat extra rice. Suddenly you feel bad about your new diet. Certain foods can react to wheat for both food sensitivities and food allergies. This means your body begins to develop a sensitivity to rice or tapioca. The body now reacts to other products of the immune system or to other types of grain. If we can't figure it out on an elimination diet, we use the Cyrex Array 4 to determine what other foods might be causing problems or causing the autoimmune disease to progress. By knowing what a food sensitivity is, we can develop a diet for optimal nutrition for the patient to reduce inflammation and reduce immune system flares in the body. Foods we eat are sensitive to causes and immune reactions. An immune reaction will cause a disease like Hashimoto's or another autoimmune disease to progress.

We hope this blog gives you some good ideas about what could be the root cause of the development of autoimmune flares and the progression of autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto's.

Inspired by Ann Barter