Has anyone managed to out their hashimoto into remission?

[kingyl]

I've watched both Izabella went thy thyroid secret and everyone seems to have who are involved with her. Just wonder if any of us normals have been so lucky?

[shaws Administrator]

I actually think that hashimoto's eventually just become hypothyroid when the antibodies have burned out. Others more experience than me will respond too

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to shaws]

My Hashimoto's with extremely high antibodies were picked up nearly 24 years ago......antibodies still show little sign of disappearing.

Though since going GF last summer, and adding selenium TPO are slowly falling. TG however are rising, but I suspect that is because my TSH has gone up. (From 0.3 to 1.45) I am feeling so much better, and being more active, I now need to increase Levo.

[shaws Administrator in reply to SlowDragon]

Definitely need an increase. It's a pity we have to 'doctor' ourselves and hope GP will increase.

[crisstine in reply to SlowDragon]

Hi, Please what did you do to lower your antibodies? what does GF mean? Can you help me with information through your experience?. I am newly diagnosed. What kind of Selenium did you take? I mean in which form. In pills?

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to crisstine]

GF is strictly gluten free diet

Majority with Hashimoto's need to be gluten free. Everyone needs to try it.

But medics only test for coeliac. There's no test for gluten intolerance

If your antibodies are high this is Hashimoto's, (also known by medics here in UK more commonly as autoimmune thyroid disease).

About 90% of all hypothyroidism in Uk is due to Hashimoto's

Essential to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12.

Always get actual results and ranges. Post results when you have them, members can advise

Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels

Low vitamin levels stop Thyroid hormone working

Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten

According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)

But don't be surprised that GP or endo never mention gut, gluten or low vitamins. Hashimoto's is very poorly understood

Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

amymyersmd.com/2017/02/3-im...

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

scdlifestyle.com/2014/08/th...

drknews.com/changing-your-d...

Always take Levo on empty stomach and then nothing apart from water for at least an hour after. Many take on waking, but it may be more convenient and possibly more effective taken at bedtime

verywell.com/should-i-take-...

Many people find Levothyroxine brands are not interchangeable. Once you find a brand that suits you, best to make sure to only get that one at each prescription.

All thyroid tests should be done as early as possible in morning and fasting and don't take Levo in the 24 hours prior to test, delay and take straight after. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results

Selenium is a vitamin supplement

Lots of different makes

Personally I take solgar vitamin E with selenium. I can't swallow large pills (classic thyroid throat issues) it's a large powder capsule, so i tip the powder out and take it that way

Introduce supplements one at a time. Wait 10days to see if any noticeable effect, good or bad.

Only ever change one thing at a time. Eg dose of Levo or change in brand, or time of day taken

Don't take any other medications or supplements within 2 hours of Levothyroxine (4 hours for magnesium, vitamin D, hRT or iron)

[greygoose]

I haven't watched the film, but I'd like to know exactly what she means by 'remission'. If she means lowering antibodies, well, that's no proof of remission, because antibodies fluctuate. And, as shaws said, once the thyroid has been completely destroyed, the antibodies just disappear, there job is done, as it were. And even if you do manage to get rid of the antibodies, a certain amount of damage to the gland will already have been done, and you can't repair it, so you will still be obliged tomtke thyroid hormone replacement for life. So, I'm a little confused about the whole thing.

[samaja in reply to greygoose]

I think she means that your antibodies go very very low or even below the range border and stay there when periodically tested and what is more important your symptoms disappear and you lead as normal a life as you can.

And as a Hashi sufferer she speaks from experience but as a medical professional she does not claim that you are 'cured' for life only that you are in remission just like people with cancer are in remission - it can always come back.

There is also evidence that your gland can actually repair itself depending on the extent of damage of course and so some people can go off medication completely while others will need to stay on it for life.

However, the main point she is making for me is that actually the fact that your thyroid could be eventually destroyed and your thyroid antibodies will disappear as a result is not something to hope for as the majority of doctors seem to think, because it just means that you are not treating the cause of the problem i.e. autoimmunity which will simply switch the target of its attack from the eventually non existent thyroid to something else and you end up with another autoimmune disease or more. The thyroid as such does not cause my Hashimoto's or Graves or cancer but my body's autoimmune attack on it (why?) does. So it is all about how important it is to be aware of this and in first place try to prevent the blow up - a lot of symptoms are present for years before lab markers start showing anything - especially if there is a genetic predisposition already in the family - and if you have it already diagnosed trying to stop the autoimmune response, trying to balance your immune system so it does not go to what she calls stage five when it attacks anything and everything and your body eventually gives up completely.

[Clutter in reply to samaja]

Samaja,

Hashimoto's antibodies will disappear when the thyroid is completely removed or completely dead and Hashimoto's does not go on to attack other organs unlike Graves which never goes away.

[samaja in reply to Clutter]

And I never said it did but that after Hashimoto's disappears from your body with your thyroid and the antibodies you will most probably develop a new autoimmune disease with new antibodies and a new name whether lupus, arthritis or whatever. Swapping names and antibodies is not the target for me which I believe might happen if the autoimmunity never has been addressed while 'treating' Hashi's or Graves (which conventional medicine usually does with levo as we know by the way). And anyway that was all mostly the conclusions from the programme and most of them not mine originally but I happen to share a lot of these opinions given my own experience so far.

[Clutter in reply to samaja]

Samaja,

Having one autoimmune disease undoubtedly increases the risks and likelihood of developing others but it doesn't mean that when Hashimoto's disappears it will be replaced by something else. I've had no thyroid antibodies for almost 5 years and haven't developed other autoimmune issues.

Levothyroxine doesn't treat Hashimoto's, it replaces the low thyroid hormones caused by Hashimoto's.

[Tile in reply to Clutter]

SORRY BUT LEVO LOWERS THYROID ANTIBODIES. PERIOD.

[greygoose in reply to samaja]

I totally agree with Clutter. My gland is dead from Hashi's, but I haven't developed any other autoimmune disease.

And, in any case, Hashi's goes into remission naturally from time to time, so...

[Scazzoh]

I'd love to start eating gluten again, but don't know if my low antibodies is because the disease is burning itself out, or because I don't eat gluten. Having had a really nasty Hashi's flare up last year, I don't want to take the chance. A thyroid scan will show how much, if any, of the thyroid gland remains, but not how it functions. I assume full remission means your thyroid is functioning normally and you don't have to take any replacement hormones, which I can't imagine many people achieving, especially as doctors don't treat high antibodies, but wait till TSH is high before offering treatment by which time the thyroid can be pretty much destroyed.

[Cooper27]

I am about to embark on Izabella Wentz thyroid protocol in the new year, so maybe I'll come back in a few months and do a post on whether I'm in remission or not. For the record, I have hashimotos, but at a very early stage - it hasn't affected my thyroid function yet. My TPO was 60.2 (0-34), TSH 0.9 & FT4 19.6, so you can see my thyroid function is pretty good already. If her protocol can cure anyone, it should cure me!

[Tile]

DXd w TSH 65 TPO in 1000s. GUESS IM CURED. TPO AB 10 to 20. Tg AB 3. DIdnt go gluten or diary free just took HIGH doses of Levo 200mcg. Now 150mcg hv suppressed TSH but think it's to my benefit.

[kingyl in reply to Tile]

How do you feel? Have your symptoms gone?

[Tile in reply to kingyl]

Im still hypothyroid and on levo. Levo never gave me much energy but lot more clearheaded now. I was severely hypo w TSH 65. Lost my labs from that time which was a long time ago when they didnt test TFTS (no FT3)like now...there are even thyroid tests that werent on any lab list back in the 80s. But doctors went by how you felt rather than lab numberd. Started on Amour but changed to Synthroid when doctor retired. Never felt optimal. Rxd Ritalin which gives the energy boost that I dont get from Levo. The 2 together are amazing. T3 feels lot like Ritalin.