Hashimoto’s

[PeeltheOnion]

Hi, I am wondering if any of you have Hashimoto’s are are treating it without thyroxine or in combination with other non-medical therapies?

[greygoose]

What do you mean by a 'non-medical therapy'? If the Hashi's has already damaged the thyroid, the only therapy that will help is thyroid hormone replacement, to replace the hormone the thyroid can no-longer make enough of. The thyroid cannot regenerate once damaged.

Some people think that if you catch Hashi's in time, you can reverse the auto-immune problem with diet. However it's very rare to catch it in time because antibodies are so rarely tested. It's only ever diagnosed once the need of thyroid hormone replacement has set in. So, I doubt any kind of 'non-medical' therapy is going to reverse it.

There is no treatment for Hashi's. It's just the hormone deficiency that results that can be treated. Although, for some people, a gluten-free or dairy-free diet can help with symptoms.

[PeeltheOnion in reply to greygoose]

Hi! Thanks for your thoughts. I discovered antibodies very early on as my thyroid panel showed some irregularities, so we did antibody testing. I started off on thyroxine to supplement thyroid hormone as you rightly say, but also worked with a functional medicine doctor who did blood, urine and stool panels to under why my immune system overreacted. It came down to too many viruses in my gut and weak cellular structures. She recommended a strict no sugar, no wheat and no dairy diet plus 18 various supplements. After 6 months, my viruses were reduced and cellular membranes much stronger plus my antibodies, TSH, T3 and T4 were normal. A sonogram also showed no damage to the thyroid. We seem to have regulated the immune system, and I reduced thyroxine over a month to zero. I continue to be on a strict diet and take supplements. Right now, the antibodies are at 24 (slightly high) and we are attributing this to my cheating too much on the diet. So, it’s back to being strict and regular fasting to engender autophage and good new cell production. Anyway, wishing you luck! I have found the food and supplement approach incredible — am my thyroid doctor definitely does not believe in all of it — so it was my going out to find answers.

[greygoose in reply to PeeltheOnion]

Oh, much too late for me! I didn't even get a thyroid test until the thyroid was already dead, even though I'd had symptoms for over thirty years! Sounds like you're one of the lucky ones who has access to doctors who know something about it. But, that is far from the case for the majority of people.

[PeeltheOnion in reply to greygoose]

I freaked out because my mom had an autoimmune disease and then got pancreatic cancer while taking serious immune suppressants. No one will ever confirm a link — but what scares me is the immune system doing things it is not supposed to do. Maybe then it also does not do things it is supposed to do. So, my focus is more on my immune system vs the thyroid. And I also saw my mother’s autoimmune symptoms basically disappear 4 weeks after starting a raw plant based diet. So I had an example of it working! Maybe you can still look into it.

[greygoose in reply to PeeltheOnion]

Look into what? My thyroid is gone and I don't have any other autoimmune condition. I don't see there's anything to look into. But, thanks for the suggestion.

[PeeltheOnion in reply to greygoose]

Reducing your antibodies if you still have some.

[greygoose in reply to PeeltheOnion]

I don't know if I still have antibodies. But, if I do, why would I want to reduce them? They're not doing anything.

[PeeltheOnion in reply to greygoose]

It means that your immune system is not functioning normally — which means that you could get another autoimmune disease and that you have high inflammation in your system which is not good and can also trigger other diseases.

[greygoose in reply to PeeltheOnion]

I'm sorry but I don't think that's right. Of course I could get another autoimmune disease - anyone could - but I really don't think that has anything to do with the Hashi's antibodies, and reducing them won't change anything anyway. Getting rid of antibodies does not heal the immune system.

[Luna1390]

I spent about a year trying to reverse Hashimoto's with the help of a functional medical practitioner. Unfortunately, I think I was past the stage of those things being able to stop the process. I started thyroid meds & that was what ultimately helped me feel good again. Even Dr. Izabella Wentz is still on thyroid medication & she even tried lasers. So don't beat yourself up if you end up having to start them. For me, a really good diet/lifestyle & the right supplements (based on testing, so not random), plus thyroid medication really made the biggest difference. Good luck!