Can anyone suggest supplements that may help me in getting my antibodies down. I am following the Paleo diet and have seen various integrative GP's, but each one has given me a different list of supplements to take. (I am not happy about taking too many supplements!) I'm now feeling a bit confused, so if anyone can understand my latest results and give me some guidance, I would be very grateful.
Serum Cortisol: 330
Zinc: 18
Serum Copper: 16
Reverse T3: 230
B12: 317
Folate: 33.7
S Carotene Serum: 4.6
S-Lactate: 1.6
Vitamin D: 83
TSH: 4.7
T4: 11
T3: 3.9
Thyro'gb: 120
Peroxase: 140
Homocysteine: 7.7
Ferritin: 90
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Nicky_Sopp
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Are you totally gluten free? Other members know much more about this than me but in the meantime you could research Selenium. Put Selenium and antibodies into search box at the top
Yes I'm totally gluten free (that was the easy one!) And now going dairy and sugar free! As for alcohol and caffeine free - hmmn those will be the last to knock off! 😅 I've just been reading about Selenium on someone else's post about reducing antibodies. I'l definitelyl start taking that one tomorrow! Thank you 😊
I've been seeing various integrative doctors in Brisbane for about the last 9 years and have spent a fortune trying to find out a way to get off the Naural Thyroid Extract I have to take every morning (Thyroxine didn't work for me at all!). My problem is that I hate taking supplements of any kind, so even after seeing 5 different GPs and listening to each of their advice (I have got a drawer full of supplements), taking all of the pills they recommend, plus my Natural Thyroid Extract, makes me feel like a drug addict! 😉 I'm now trying to heal my gut and follow the Paleo diet.
Well there are a few natural ways to supplement selenium, brazil nuts ( but you have to be careful where you source them) and shellfish?
Whether you would get enough in foods to reduce antibodies I don't know but someone else will. Good for you, sounds like you're doing well. Thyroxine doesn't work for many, they all reside here
Thanks for the advice Pastille, I was told to take Selenium by a few of those doctors I've seen, but I am really bad at taking supplements (just realizing how bad now that I'm putting it in writing! 😯) and a bit of a rebel I suppose! 😈How address you doing? Are you taking Thyroxine? Are you eating gluten? Can I give you any advice? (Not that I'm an expert of course!)
You're welcome, I'm getting there with support from the knowledgeable people on here. I just try to answer a couple of posts now and then lighten the load I don't know a great deal myself I'd be lost without this site. Have to rush out now, hope the selenium helps you
Thanks SlowDragon. I'm on to the Selenium. Will start in the am. 😃 Yes I have Hashimotos and confirmed gluten intolerence too but apparently I've been told that if you are intolerant to gluten then you are more than likely to be to lactose too!
Hey Nicky, I'm in the same boat as you and doing the same. My naturopath has me on all these supplements and at the same time took me from Paleo and put me on the Auto Immune Protocol, which is even more restrictive than Paleo. Took a long time to learn, but I've gotten to the point where I don't have any alcohol, caffeine, no gluten of course, no dairy, no nuts, etc. After months of it I've become healthier than the "normal" people around me, everyone has been getting sick this winter yet my immune system has been winning the battle all season.
As for supplements that specifically reduce antibodies you should look into selenium, both my naturopath and endo suggest that I take it to reduce antibodies. 200mg (or mcg?) is regular dose. HOWEVER!... you need to have your selenium tested in your bloods, because taking too much selenium can be dangerous, so it's not just a supplement you take all willy nilly, have your doctor help you with the treatment. And also there are different types of selenium, some better than others, I can't personally recommend, but my naturopath has me on Selenomethionine (methionine form of selenium) and he says it's the most absorbent and right for people with Hashis.
By the way I'm not good at reading labs so I left that part out, it's hard to see without the ranges, but it looks like your TSH is high, unless your lab uses some strange ranges.
Hi Dang, your advice is spot on and yes I should definitely be following the AIP Protocol like you but I'm very naughty and a bit of a rebel and to be honest, I am finding it very hard to give up all the things I love (ie. wine, coffee, nuts, tomatoes, cream) and although I don't show any physical symptoms, I definitely want more energy and would love not to have to pop a pill every morning for the rest of my life! Wish I had your willpower! 😈
Hehe it's not willpower for me, my life has drastically changed since supplementing and doing AIP. I've lost 50 lbs, I'm never sick anymore, my stomach problems (which are truly horrible) have 99% disappeared. So that's what keeps me going. And trust me I'm 31 years old and the amount of pills I take every day makes me look like and old fart, but makes me feel like I'm 20 again when I used to feel 80.
Just for reference this is what I take every day: Levo 75mcg, T3 5mcgs (needs to be raised), Siberian ginseng (2x daily), Selenium, Glutamine (2x), Fish Oil (2x), B1 (benfothiamine 2x), Folic Acid, zinc (2x), probiotics (x2), magnesium, vit D (20,000 IU per week), and a thyroid supplement called T-Balance. And on top of that Apple cider vinegar.
When I first started I felt just like you, upset about it, unwilling and unwanting. But after the change I feel I take them gladly now. There's nothing wrong with supplements, especially if you get good quality natural ones.
If you don't feel sick maybe you don't need so many supplements, but from my experience I didn't realize how sick I really was until I started getting better. I thought I was fine, but now I know I never want to go back to it.
If you need any advice let me know, it's not often that someone on this forum is following the exact same protocol as me. So if we can help each other would be great 😉.
Love your advice Dang! Keep in touch! I'm a work in progress and I am already well on the way to cleaning myself up! When I read about your progress it makes me feel like I will eventually get there. Maybe I should set myself a timeframe because it's not an easy feat, to give up all of the food, drinks and rituals I love! I've just joined a gym, so once my daughter goes back to school on Tuesday, I'm going to give it my best shot! Well done Dang! Sounds like you are seeing some great practitioners! Keep up the great work! 😚
Thanks Nicky! If you need a timeframe then do it. Just stay cheery and positive, that's the most important thing and you'll get there
I'd be interested to know how it works out at the gym, I want to start working out too but haven't spoken to my docs yet about it. Will talk to my endo about it next week tho.
Hey Dang, I will get there because my gut is becoming more and more sensitive to the things I shouldn't eat. How long did it take you to transition from Paleo to AIP? Wine and coffee are the hardest ones for me to knock off!
That was the issue with my gut too, turns out I was constantly eating all the foods that were causing inflammation, like tomato which was my favourite thing, I've sworn off it for life now. I did Paleo for about 5 months, then when my naturopath recommended the extra restrictions I ordered myself a gluten free pizza right away, and started the diet the next morning haha. It's not easy, I won't lie, at first it's bad because they take EVERYTHING away, but once you get to the reintroduction phase you get to start eating foods you like again and in the process you find out what foods you react to, I had a reaction to Quinoa so bad that I thought I was dying for 10 days, but now I know better than to eat it (used to have it 3 times a week 😓).
So there are hurdles along the way, but this week I've gotten back the ability to eat potatoes, I had peanut butter for the first time in 4 months last night and I didn't get sick. These victories are so worth it. In the end you should only end up with a handful of foods you can't eat again. Most likely however if your condition is like mine (and many others with Hashis) gluten and dairy is probably off the table forever. And as much as we like alcohol (I cheated and drank on New Year) it worsens our condition, I can promise you that, you won't realize it till you go 2 months without the stuff, then cheat for one day, you'll feel it for the next week. It's a poison after all... you gotta pick between health and your vices, it's not always fun.
Thanks again for the fantastic advice Dang. I'm in Australia and its now 7.40 pm, so I've got to go and eat! Will read your posts again in the am and take some notes!
Well, for a start, your TSH is much too high for you to be able to reduce antibodies. The more gland activity there is, the more antibody activity - I presume you do still have some gland activity at this point. So, you need your TSH at zero. Although a lot of doctors/endos freak out at the sight of a suppressed TSH, it really is what you need in this case.
Thanks Grey Goose. I'm in the middle of cooking dinner at the mo, so won't stop too long, but my latest doctor told me to double my dose of thyroid extract during my last visit and I said no way! (I want to get off the meds not take more!) Maybe I should if it will help reduce the antibidies. She said it will help prevent my energy slump in the afternoon if I take another thyroid extract after lunch, but I figured I could cope for a while longer until the Paleo diet improves my health a little more. Hmmn! 😈
I'm sorry, I'm a bit confused, here. What exactly are you taking? I'm not sure what 'thyroid extract' is. But, in any case, you have Hashi's, and your TSH is over 4, so there's no way you're going to be able to come off thyroid hormone replacement just because you're doing the Paleo diet. Hypothyroidism is for life, I'm afraid.
OK, well you do need an increase, but do not double your dose in one go! It would be far too much and would stress your body. Increase by a half a grain or a quarter of a grain - depending on how well you tolerate increases - every two weeks. No faster.
According to some of the doctors in the US there is hope. Following the AIP protocol and taking the right supplements can eventually help us get it into remission.
Yes, well, finding a doctor that knows very much about Hashi's is difficult. Lots of people think they've gone into remission because antibodies fluctuate. They could stay low for some time, but 9 times out of 10, they will rise again.
But, even if they don't, the damage is already done to your gland - otherwise your TSH would not be high. And there is no diet that can repair the damage done to a thyroid gland. So, you're always going to need thyroid hormone replacement, with or without antibodies. Sorry to rain on your parade, but I've never heard of anybody's gland regenerating to the extend that they could come of THR.
I have noticed that they talk about "remission" but then they also talk about taking their thyroid hormone replacement, so I gather by remission they're talking about stopping the disease from getting any worse, rather than curing it.
I've read that you should take selenium supplements along with an optimal dose of thyroid hormone because they work synergistically:
Amy Myers (Integrative GP USA) said she has to take thyroid supplement, as she has Graves disease and was advised in her 20s to take massive doses of iodine to destroy her gland. Isabella Wentz (Thyroid Pharmacist) says that in some cases she has come across, the gland can be regenerated and thyroid supplements reduced. There is a documentary series Isabella Wentz has put together playing free at the moment (I watched the first part yesterday). Google Thyroid Pharmacist and you can tune in!
Thanks Silver Fairy. I will definitely do that tomorrow but I need to switch off now, as it's dinner time! Do you know if I need another B12 injection (I had one a few years ago) or B12 supplements?
Thank you to everyone who read my post yesterday and tried to help me answer the questions I have on reducing antibodies. I finally feel that I have some support in this lonely and challenging journey I have been on over the last 12 Years. For anyone whose interested, I've just watched the 2nd part of the documentary series running in the US at the moment. It is called the 'Thyroid Secret' and has been put together by Isabella Wentz (pharmacist and fellow Hashimotos victim and now specialist!) and a team of health professionals. The latest Hashimotos/thyroid research is discussed and it is really worth watching and investing some time in. I personally believe that there is some light at the end of the tunnel for all of us and that we should never give up hope that we can regain the health and wellness that is our birthright. 😃😚
I've just started no gluten/no dairy too. I'm trying to restrict any grains. For selenium I'm eating 2/3 Brazil nuts everyday, as others have stated Selenium is helpful but you can also upset thyroid function if you have too higher dose. I don't eat much sugar in my diet anyway so that's easy to restrict. Also avoiding calcium in the first couple of hours after taking my meds as I've read this hinders absorption. After 20yrs on Levo this information is totally new to me and I'm kicking myself for not knowing/being told earlier.
I feel better already, I'm def more alert, I've lost some weight as my clothes are looser ( prefer that method of judging compared to actual scales). Think Paleo is a good diet to follow as the AIP is so restrictive. If you suffer with a bloating stomach it's worth looking into fermenting foods also, l don't eat apples anymore and have swapped white/red onion to spring onion. It's not related to Thyroid but could also be making you feel uncomfortable.
Hi JoNunan, Yes I think we are on the same track apart from the Thyroxine. When I found out that my thyroid was low and that I was allergic to gluten and consequently put on Thyroxine by the first doctor I saw about 9 years ago, I found that it didn't really work for me and came off it for a while. I then saw another Doctor who prescribed NDT to me. This has been much more effective. Also NDT comes from a natural source (yes it is ground up pig thyroid glands!) rather than being a synthetic drug, so therefore I am far more comfortable with taking that! I think WP Thyroid has less fillers, so I'm probably going to change to that one for my next batch.
Yes AIP is a very restrictive diet but I think it will be easier to follow after doing the Paleo diet for a while longer. I know I still have a long way to go, as although I'm now off grains, sugar and dairy (which were not easy for me to give up, especially as my only real issue is the lack of energy I feel in the evenings), coffee and wine are going to be the really hard ones for me to eliminate. However, they will probably have to be the next on my list, if I want to heal my gut and start absorbing the nutrients my body needs to function properly.
Sounds like you are doing the right things as bone broths and fermenting foods are both also important parts of the gut healing protocol that the integrative doctors recommend and also on my agenda for this year.
Good luck with the rest of your journey and don't forget to have a look at the 'Thyroid Secret' a 9 part documentary series put together by Isabella Wentz, playing at the moment.
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