Digestive issues

Hi, anybody advise on digestive issues with possible thyroid issues?

[Kes8]

Might need to be more specific for people to help you - what type of digestive issues?

[Hidden in reply to Kes8]

I have TPO at 277, and previously posted my other results which are “in range”. I’m waiting on a reply my GP sent the endocrinologist seeking advice. Not had other anti bodies checked yet.

I’m vitamin D deficiency, level was 25, on a loading dose currently... one capsule a day for 15 days, 20,000iu

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Your previous post shows you have Hashimoto's and vitamin D deficiency

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

You need B12, folate and ferritin tested

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

Low vitamin levels affect 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. Dairy is second most common.

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

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

while still eating high gluten diet ask GP for coeliac blood test first or buy test online for under £20, just to rule it out first

Assuming test is negative you can immediately go on strictly gluten free diet




(If test is positive you will need to remain on high gluten diet until endoscopy, maximum 6 weeks wait officially)




Trying gluten free diet for 3-6 months. If no noticeable improvement then reintroduce gluten and see if symptoms get worse

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

amymyersmd.com/2018/04/3-re...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

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

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

restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...

Other gut issues due to being hypothyroid

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Low stomach acid can be common issue

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

stopthethyroidmadness.com/s...

scdlifestyle.com/2012/03/3-...

naturalendocrinesolutions.c...

Once ALL four vitamins are tested and supplementing to bring to optimal, you need thyroid levels retested

Making sure to do test as early as possible in morning and fasting

[Hidden in reply to SlowDragon]

Hi SlowDragon, I had a coeliac blood test and came back fine. Would that still mean I could have issue with gluten? Thanks for your speedy reply 👍🏻

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Hidden]

Yes

Coeliac is only one variation on gluten intolerance and test is very unreliable too

Trying strictly gluten free diet for 3-6 months is only way to know if gluten is a problem

But first you need folate, ferritin and B12 tested by GP or privately

If these are low too, like vitamin D, this is strong indication that gut is affected

Loading dose of vitamin D is 300,000iu over 6-8 weeks

Local CCG guidelines

clinox.info/clinical-suppor...

GP will only prescribe to bring vitamin D up to 50nmol. Aiming to improve vitamin D by self supplementing to at least 80nmol and around 100nmol may be better .







Once you Improve level, very likely you will need on going maintenance dose to keep it there.




Retesting twice yearly via vitamindtest.org.uk




Vitamin D mouth spray by Better You is good as avoids poor gut function.




It's trial and error what dose each person needs. Frequently with Hashimoto's we need higher dose than average

Government recommends everyone supplement vitamin D October to April

gov.uk/government/news/phe-...




Also read up on importance of magnesium and vitamin K2 Mk7 supplements when taking vitamin D

betterbones.com/bone-nutrit...

articles.mercola.com/sites/...

healthy-holistic-living.com...

sciencedaily.com/releases/2...

articles.mercola.com/sites/...


betterbones.com/bone-nutrit...

This article explains should discuss with specialists before taking any vitamin K if you take any blood thinning medication

drsinatra.com/vitamin-k2-su...

Heart burn is frequently low stomach acid and very common when hypothyroid

[Hidden in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you. Explains a lot. Hating this, feel like everyday something else going on 🙈. I’m on a loading dose of vitamin D of 300,000, but GP has done it over 15 days!?

I’ll may have to do private testing for others as GP wanted to wait for consultant to email him back first, which doesn’t make sense to me.

Thanks again for the informative response 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Hidden]

Thousands on here forced to test privately

Perhaps test once you finish loading vitamin D course

You might want to check that GP got that correct, such a high dose over 15 days

Medichecks or Blue Horizon test include TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if Thyroid antibodies are raised

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have special offers, Medichecks usually have offers on Thursdays, Blue Horizon its more random

Medichecks currently have an offer on until end of May - 20% off

thyroiduk.org.uk/index.html

Private testing for suspected Graves - TSI or TRab antibodies

medichecks.com/thyroid-func...

[BadHare in reply to Hidden]

Some people have an issue with phytates (a form of anti-nutrient) that are also found in grains, rather than a reaction to gliadin the gluten protein. You'd need to exclude all grains to see if it helps you feel better. You should know fairly soon if it's phytates, but it takes a full 3 months being gluten free to rid the body of gliadin antibodies. Even sniffing a breadcrumb in that time could cause a reaction, so the exclusion needs to be strict. If there's no improvement after trying this, perhaps switch to sourdough bread in which both phytates & much of the gliadin is broken down & rendeerd harmless. I eat this as it's fine for my digestion & actually enhances nutrient upake, whereas normal bread doesn't.

[Hidden]

Mild stomach pains, previously had constipation although that’s seemed to have eased. Also had heartburn which I’ve never suffered from. Last night felt a little nauseous too for a while.

[BadHare in reply to Hidden]

Try a tablespoon of linseeds night & morning with a LARGE glass of water.

This will prevent constipation & also flush any detritis from your colon.

Add some probiotics to your diet, & eat plenty of fresh fruit & veg for prebiotics to feed good bacteria in your gut. Avoid processed food, especially bad fats & artificial sweeteners as these feed toxic gut bactera.

I drink kefir for probiotics twice daily, though as someone posted this morning, 1 in 1,000 people don't get on with this.

[Hidden in reply to BadHare]

Brilliant, thanks for the advice 👍🏻

[BadHare in reply to Hidden]

You're welcome!

[Hidden]

I have given vitamin C to my child to relieve constipation and after taking it for a couple of months he nolonger needs it. Vitamin C used to be thought just to improve the digestion of iron but I think it is becoming accepted that it is good for digesting all sorts of stuff now including thyroid hormones. I think it is very good for gut health. I also take a supplement by NOW called Super Enzymes contains lots of digestive enzymes, reduces my IBS, bloating and help digestive process. Relieves acid as well.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thank you