Reversed my Hashimoto's with dietary and lifestyle changes

I was diagnosed about three years ago with Hashimoto's. All my thyroid hormone levels were normal but my anti-TPO antibodies were out of range.

I had all the usual symptoms: fatigue, weight gain and then the inability to lose weight, hair loss, dry skin, you name it. I also developed severe cold urticaria: even the slightest cold breeze could cause itchy hives on my body.

The NHS endos refused to see me because my hormone levels were normal. I didn't understand why I could only talk to one when my condition worsened. After begging my GP for three years, I was able to have a 10 minute phone call with one of them. "You may or may not develop hypothyroidism" - she said. What can I do to avoid it? - I asked. - Is there anything I could do with my diet? - No. - she answered.

Then I decided to visit a private endo. Before the visit I read How Not To Die by Dr Michael Greger who advocates a whole food plant based diet to prevent and reverse certain chronic diseases and autoimmune conditions. This way of eating excludes all animal products (meat, fish, dairy, eggs), most processed food, refined flours, added sugar and processed oils. Only whole food healthy fats like avocado flesh, nuts and seeds are allowed but not their oil form (not even olive oil and coconut fat - the latter isn't recommended because it's extremely high in saturated fats, and olive oil, just like any oil damages the endothelium of the arteries. nutritionfacts.org/2017/10/...

The endo approved the diet recommended by Dr Greger, the only thing she said was that I should exclude gluten and also millet from my diet (gluten because I have non-celiac gluten sensitivity and millet because it's goitrogen even when it's cooked). She also recommended intermittent fasting (8 hours eating window, 16 hours fasting). I took 2 Brazil nuts a day for selenium intake, 150micrograms of iodine, mostly in the form of iodized salt or 2 nori sheets a day, (I know it's controversial but for me the recommended daily amount worked), 250 mg omega 3 EPA-DHA in the form of algae oil supplement (fish don't produce omega 3, they get it from algae, and algae supplements don't come with the toxins that is in fish, because they're harvested in tanks free from ocean pollutants), 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed a day for ALA omega 3 intake, 1/2 teaspoon ground nigella seeds a day to reduce antibodies (a low sample research found that it reduced antibodies in Hashimoto's patients), 2000 UI vitamin D+K supplement and 50 microgram B12 supplement.

I followed this regime, and did regular exercise, and within two years I lost 24 kg (3.7 stones or 52 pounds), and the latest lab test last month showed that all my thyroid hormone and antibodies levels are normal. My symptoms are gone and I feel great.

[greygoose]

Glad to hear you're feeling so well.

I don't know if it's possible to reverse Hashi's. Opinions vary. But what it's not possible to do is regenerate your thyroid if it's been damaged. As you have never given blood test results of any kind, we have no way of knowing if your thyroid has been damaged by the disease or not. Just saying that results are be 'normal' - which only means somewhere in an unrealistically broad range - means very little.

I also know that Hashi's can go into remission - it did with me, for years. As was mentioned in your first post, antibodies fluctuate, and so can all the other results. So, only time can tell if the Hashi's has been reversed or not.

I say this not to discourage you, but as a reality check for anyone reading this post. It would be unwise to stop testing thyroid levels on the assumption that it's all gone away, because it can just as easily come back.

Good luck.

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

If I stick to this diet it'll keep my thyroid in balance, so I hope it'll not come back. Of course I'll have regular checkups. Here are my Thriva results from 2018 to 2021.

Thyroid profile

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

I did reply to this this morning, but my reply seems to have disappeared! Don't know where it went. But, the gist of it was that that your last TSH test, whilst in the so-called 'normal' range, was not 'normal' at all. A 'normal' TSH - euthyroid - is around 1, never over 2. So, some damage has been done to your thyroid because it needs that extra stimulation to produce a decent level of thyroid hormone, as shown by your TSH level.

Just a word of warning about iodine. Iodine is recycled in the body, which is why we need such a low daily amount. Excess iodine is supposed to be excreted, but it isn't always. Mine accumulated and just went up and up and up, just from taking thyroid hormone replacement. And, the last (only) time it was tested, it was sky high. You are taking extra iodine on top of what you get in your usual daily diet, so you really need to keep an eye on your levels of iodine, as well as hormone levels, because excess iodine in itself can do a lot of harm. Plus, it is anti-thyroid. So, one really has to be careful of it.

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

Thanks for your comment. Since I'm on a plant-based diet, I don't have to worry about excess iodine. I don't consume dairy, fish, eggs, I rarely eat prunes or nori leaves and I use iodised salt very sparingly.

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

But you will get some iodine from plants: green beans, kale, potatoes, strawberries, and many others. Plus you're are taking 150 mcg extra iodine your said, when the total recommended daily intake is 140 mcg. So, yes, you do need to worry about excess iodine - especially if, like me, you don't excrete excess.

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

150 microgram is the recommended daily amount, not 140. I'm not taking more than that, and I take it in the form of food, not supplement. So I don't need to worry about excess iodine.

[StitchFairy in reply to Hidden]

Ok I'm confused. How can you be so precise about the amount of iodine you're taking if it's not a supplement? Surely it's impossible to know exactly how much iodine you're consuming if it's coming from food sources.

[greygoose in reply to StitchFairy]

Exactly.

[tattybogle in reply to Hidden]

I realise the OP has gone now , but going to write this anyway for others reading later. I was just looking at the table of results from 2018 -2021. If this claim of reversal of hashimoto's is based on the evidence that the TPOab have normalised, then it bears a closer look at the TPOab levels.

They were 113 [0 -34] in 2018.

in 2019 they had fallen significantly to 40 [0 -34] but note...The OP dose not claim this reduction as a reversal of hashi's

in 2019 the OP get's hives and goes to see the private endo and THEN goes on the diet.

in 2020 they were 37.8 [0 -34]

in 2021 they were 29.6 [0 -34] so ...a very slight reduction which just happens to take them back into the range... and the OP seems to be saying that the diet is responsible for the 'reversal' of the TPOab .....

Seems to me that TPOab was raised in 2019 , which then went down by itself to just over normal levels , BEFORE THE DIET WAS STARTED.

Since the diet was introduced, TPOab have continued to fall (slightly).... and she feels very well and the hives have gone,, so that's all very good news,, but it seems unreasonable to claim the diet has caused a reversal of hashimoto's based on TPOab reduction from 40 to 29.6 IU/ml.... when the previous reduction from 113 to 40 IU/ml (which happened all by itself) was not remarked upon.

[helvella in reply to tattybogle]

There is a tendency to assume that a positive TPOab test is definitive proof of Hashimoto's (and/or Ord's?).

There are reasons that someone can have a positive test and then see a later negative test without having been diagnosed with Hashimoto's. Including struma ovarii, peadiatric acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, cancers, post-surgery or other physical damage, etc.

[tattybogle in reply to helvella]

plus some more things with long names .. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl... (Hashimoto encephalopathy: A study of the clinical profile, radiological and electrophysiological correlation ) "The exact role of thyroid autoimmunity in the pathogenesis of HE(Hashimoto's Encephalopathy) is complicated by the fact that serum TPO levels are elevated in approximately 10% of healthy adults, and the prevalence of individuals with elevated TPO levels increases with increasing age.[22] Thyroid autoantibodies are also commonly found in patients with other autoimmune neurologic disorders, including paraneoplastic and nonparaneoplastic limbic encephalitis.[23] It, therefore, seems unlikely that thyroid antibodies are the direct cause of the encephalopathy."

I have no idea whether that is the same thing as the kind of 'encephalomyelitis' you mention .

[Hidden in reply to tattybogle]

Perhaps we could also note that OP's FT4 and FT3 were slowly but steadily falling too...

[tattybogle in reply to Hidden]

yes, and the TSH remains higher at 2.6 than it was in 2018 (1.5)

[Lalatoot]

I was diagnosed about three years ago with Hashimoto's.

In a post you put up 1 year ago you said you had never been diagnosed with Hashimotos but suspected you had it.I think I have Hashimoto, but I was never formally diagnosed with it.

[Hidden in reply to Lalatoot]

Yes, the GP never formally diagnosed it, but my private lab test done at Thriva was evaluated by their doctor and they wrote in the report that I might have Hashimotos. When I showed that to my GP they did the NHS test and came to the same conclusion. The hives started in May 2019 so my other post must be more than one year old.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Hidden]

Ft3 is on low side so you need to monitor regularly

Important to regularly retest vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Recommend you do FULL thyroid and vitamin testing at least annually or twice year

Always test as early as possible in morning before eating or drinking anything other than water

Stop any supplements that contain biotin a week before ALL BLOOD TESTS as biotin can falsely affect test results

What vitamin supplements are you currently taking

[Hidden in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks. I did full tests but only posted the thyroid results here. All these tests were done in the morning, after fasting. I take vitamin D, B12 supplements (both levels are in the normal range and so are folate and ferritin, and yes, I stopped taking B12 ten days before the test) and also take omega 3 supplements and 2 Brazil nuts for selenium as described in my post. According to Thriva, my T3 level is in the "Optimal" range.

[Hidden]

Thanks. I did full tests but only posted the thyroid results here. All these tests were done in the morning, after fasting. I take vitamin D, B12 supplements (both levels are in the normal range and so are folate and ferritin, and yes, I stopped taking B12 ten days before the test) and also take omega 3 supplements and 2 Brazil nuts for selenium as described in my post. According to Thriva, my T3 level is in the "Optimal" range.

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

Don't know who this reply was to, but they're unlikely to see it because you didn't click on the blue reply button under their post, so they won't get notified.

Having vit D and B12 results just somewhere in the 'normal' range is not always good enough. Those ranges are huge! So, it's where the result falls in within the range that is important. Vit B12 should be over 550 if it's a serum test and at least 80 is it's an active test. But, I would want mine higher than that.

It's not B12 you have to stop before a test, that doesn't affect results, it's biotin, which is found in a B complex - which you should also be taking if you take B12 because the Bs all work together and should be kept balanced.

As for Thriva's 'optimal' FT3 range, forget it! It's laughable. Optimal is not a number, it's how you feel. And no-one knows that except you - certainly not Thriva!

Are your Brazil nuts grown in selenium-rich soils? Because not all Brazil nuts are created equal. And some of them contain next to no selenium, so won't do you much good.

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

I feel great, so I can say I'm in my optimal range. I'm not taking biotin. My latest active B12 result was 150 pmol/L. Vitamin D was 152 nmol/L. Yes, my Brazil nuts are coming from selenium rich soil. One serving (30g) contains 74.7µg which is higher than the RDA for women in the UK (60 µg). They're more bioavailable than supplements which have questionable reliability.

researchgate.net/publicatio...

which.co.uk/news/2019/03/re...

[shaws]

Well done and am happy you have resolved your symptoms

[Lizzo30]

Congrats

May I suggest that your hashimotos is in remission because your progesterone levels are restored ?

Many autoimmune disorders including hashimotos and dermatitis are due to estrogen dominance / low progesterone

I am guessing you are youngish and your ovaries are producing good amounts of progesterone with the help from the flaxseed and algae oil you are taking , be careful with vegan ism though

[Hidden in reply to Lizzo30]

I am whole food plant-based, not vegan. There's lots of ultraprocessed vegan food out there which I don't eat. Whole food plant-based is the best possible diet for autoimmune and chronic disease because it's anti-inflammatory. 'Well, I don't know what youngish is, but I'm 55, so I'm post-menopausal.

[Lizzo30 in reply to Hidden]

I did think you were post menopausal , well done, hope your good health continues

[StitchFairy in reply to Hidden]

It's great that you're feeling so good, and you're obviously convinced that you've reversed your apparent autoimmune problem. Only time will tell on that. And even then, there's no guarantee you would ever have actually lost thyroid function to the extent of having to take thyroid hormone replacement. Your antibody counts weren't vey high in the first place, and your thyroid hormone levels weren't too bad either, so there's little to suggest that you would ever have developed full blown thyroid disease.

The important thing here is that you are currently healthy and happy with your life!

[Ediciute]

Hello, I'm so impressed with your atcheavement. Could you tell me please where did you find this amaizing private endo? I would love to have apoitment with him as I have similar problem. And GPs I don't know are they not trained enough or the NHS funds Re so cur that we are not getting far.