Hashimoto's and lowering antibodies

[Gill-56]

Has anyone had success lowering antibodies? If yes, what did you find helped?

[Marz]

Many people here have had success by going gluten free. Lots of information on websites by Chris Kresser - Izabella Wentz and so on. I have been GF for almost two years without a huge success - but I do feel better ! Maybe there is hidden gluten in my diet somewhere - possibly the supplements Must buy a magnifying glass to read the small print As I have ataxia I was also keen to keep gluten molecules out of my brain - where they can cause inflammation I have read

I had a course of acupuncture which proved to be very successful in reducing them - twice a week for a month. My Physio also has Hashi's so was interested in experimenting - so it was free ! I live in Crete.

Are your anti-bodies causing you a problem ?

[Gill-56 in reply to Marz]

Hi Marz. Thanks for your feedback. No I'm not experiencing any known problems just told they are very high >1300. This was all from routine blood tests where TSH and t4 were normal, borderline normal, etc, over the years and eventually gp sent me for TPO testing which came back positive. I've since seen a consultant who says I have a goitre which now makes sense as I can see it when I swallow. I've been put on Levo 50 mcg. Just want to lower antibodies although he told me once you've got you cant get rid of.

[Marz in reply to Gill-56]

Docs do have a problem when dealing with auto-immune issues - they do not have the answers as they are not taught them at Medical School

What were your results that were declared NORMAL. Remember normal is an opinion and not a result

[Gill-56 in reply to Marz]

My last tests showed TPO >1300 above high reference limit.

TSH 5.33 (0.35-5.5)

Free T4 11.6 (10.0 - 19.8)

PTH 4.24. (1.48-7.63)

These were taken early afternoon in October before I was out on medication which I started 15th of this month.

[Marz in reply to Gill-56]

You will need to have the Levo increased slowly so that your TSH reduces to 1 or less. The FT4 is low in range and needs to be much nearer the top of the range. The FT4 result would also suggest that the FT3 that wasn't tested will also be low in the range. T3 is the Active thyroid hormone and needed in every cell of the body - so when low there is not enough to go around and things begin to go wrong.

How are your levels of Ferritin - Folate - Iron - B12 - VitD ? When these are low in range the thyroid cannot work well and conversion of T4 to T3 is poor. They all need to be optimal....B12 around a 1000 - Folate and Ferritin mid-range and VitD towards the top of the range too.

Have you considered/explored going gluten free to help reduce the anti-bodies ? On the right at the top of this page there is a heading - Topics. You will find 1500 posts linked to Hashimotos if you wish to learn more

I am not a Doc just another Hashi's sufferer ....

[Gill-56 in reply to Marz]

Marz, thanks again for the feedback. I will be tested for calcium, b12, vit d, ferritin and iron in late January before my next appointment along with some other blood tests. I am seriously considering gluten free but not sure if I should consultant my Endo at my second visit or maybe they don't get involved with diet change ideas? I'm keen to explore acupuncture too.

[HarryE]

Mine dropped from almost 200 to back in range just taking NDT

Edit, that should say almost 2000

[Hidden]

My anti-TPO were >6000 at the time of diagnosis. Suppressing my TSH helps lower them to undetectable levels (<20). Most doctors freak out at the sight of a suppressed TSH, though...however, every time I have tried to normalise my TSH (at the request of an ignorant doctor), so that it ended up somewhere between 1-2, my anti-TPO levels would inevitable rise again.

[Gill-56]

I guess the high antibodies are consuming my thoughts as it sounds pretty scary, especially since I have no known symptoms and wonder how many people are in the same position but don't know!

[Marz in reply to Gill-56]

I would say there are loads of people with anti-bodies unknowingly as they are rarely tested due to costs and the ignorance surrounding auto-immunity. Hashimotos is the most common of thyroid conditions throughout the world. I have always thought it best to think of oneself as having an auto-immune problem that affects the thyroid rather than having a thyroid problem. So it is best to deal with the immune system is possible....

[infomaniac]

Did you give any more thought to taking Doxycycline Gill? I would be very interested in the outcome of that.

[Gill-56]

Infomaniac, I'm still researching all areas and I'm near the end of the book Root Cause by Izabella Wentz. I'm thinking of diet change first but still find the info on doxycycline very interesting. I would research that a lot further before making a decision.