If you've been following my blog for awhile, you know that I have thyroid disease. I had borderline hypothyroidism in college, then once again after having my 2nd child, and then was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease (autoimmune of the thyroid) about 2 years ago.
That means my body has been attacking itself -- in particular my thyroid.
Neither thyroid disease nor Hashimoto's is fun. And it wasn't for me.
I suffered from:
- anxiety
- hair loss
- insomnia
- leg swelling
- food sensitivities
- heart palpitations
- fatigue
and more.
I didn't feel well and needed help. So I search the internet for help, and after literally months of a trying out a few local practitioners, and interviewing several online practitioners, I chose a Functional Diagnostic Nutritionist (the author of this post), and then later hired another practitioner to help me deal with this condition -- and we're still working together.
After many diagnostic tests, consults, dietary changes, supplements, and other therapeutic methods, this week I finally got blood work back that made my heart soar.
My blood sugar is in a very healthy range.
And my thyroid antibodies are down. Way down. In fact, according to the Reference Range of the lab that I used this time, my antibody levels are completely normal. And according to the most strict lab ranges that I have seen, I am just 2 points off "normal".
Woo hoo!
I really wanted to reach out and tell you what I did. And what I wish I'd known at the beginning of my journey. It would have saved me a bunch of time, and money.
How I Turned My Blood Work Around
So as I said, I have worked with 2 practitioners since my diagnosis.
My regular physician wouldn't work with me, and sent me to an endocrinologist. I really didn't want to go that route since I figured he would put me on meds and tell me that I couldn't get better.
So I started making phone calls.
I so wish, when this all started, that I knew what I know now. I literally spent hours and hours and hours looking for a good practitioner, and researching treatments and diets.
I already knew there were foods that can hurt the thyroid, tests beyond the TSH test that your doctor might want to order, and I had a lot of questions to ask my physician and holistic practitioner, but I was still very much in the dark.
With my first practitioner, I learned a ton. I already was eating and living pretty clean, so other things needed to be addressed.
We:
- eliminated typical trigger foods -- soy, dairy, corn, and gluten (I was already off of gluten)
- worked on liver health
- found and got rid of a parasite
- worked on adrenal health with supplements and lifestyle changes
I was doing so much better after working with her, but knew I needed more work. My thyroid antibodies were still high. They had dipped some, but returned to their initial levels following this treatment (I've heard this can happen when you first work on improvements).
I really wanted my body to stop attacking my thyroid.
So I made more calls and did more research.
Recent Things I Changed
1. AIP Diet:
During my searching time, I ended up going on the AIP (Autoimmune Paleo) diet. What a difference! Symptoms quieted down, I slept like a baby for the first time in many months, and still adhere pretty much to the diet.
2. Carbohydrates:
For a long time I was eating really low carb. It's such the rage these days, that I basically found myself to be almost afraid of carbs. However, carbs appeared to be my friend.
I met Dr. Alan Christianson in September of 2014, and was introduced to his Adrenal Reset Diet. He did extensive research showing that carbohydrates eaten at midday and evening meals were supportive for the adrenals (of course, we're not talking refined carbs, but healthy ones). Up until that time I was eating pretty low carb. More low carb than I should have been, in retrospect. Additionally, if you are at all familiar with the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan, it recommends not going too low carb all the time and even encourages you to remember that carbs are important and should for sure be included in a healthy eating plan.
So I started upping my carbs. It's tempting to think that low carb is the way to go, but from what I have read, carbs are important for so many things.
3. Supplements
I added some supplements. Some I decided on on my own and some were at the advice of my new practitioner.
We added in liver support and a few other things. Liver support has been a very important part of my overall health support.
The Labs Prove It
The truth is, that when I got this blood work done, I expected to receive bad results.
We had just gone on a work / vacation and it was, while a fabulous time, incredibly stressful and I had many nights with little sleep (including several with only 4 hours).
So I was so thrilled when I opened the email and saw....
1. My Blood Sugars were more where I wanted them to be, and
2. My Thyroglobulin Antibody was basically undetectable
3. My TPO (Thyroid Peroxidase) was the lowest it had been since my diagnosis. According to this lab's reference rages, the level was normal, and according to the strictest lab reference ranges that I have seen, I am just 2 points above normal!
Like I said, when this all started, I didn't know where to turn.
I spent countless hours reading, researching, and trying to figure out what I should eat, what supplements I should take, and what advice to follow.
Resources
One of the BEST resources I found at the time was Izabella Wentz's book, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause.
I had the priviledge of meeting Izabella in September 2014, and she really knows what she is talking about.
One of the best books on thyroid health in my opinion.
Do you or someone you know have thyroid disease?
What has helped you the most?
I’d really love to hear more details. Do you think what you did could help thyroid cancer?
Hi. I'm sorry but I can't give medical advice.
After some googling, I stumbled upon your site. It's so inspirational to hear about someone who has overcome or is overcoming. I've been on AIP for 11 months now, and I've definitely seen a huge improvement in my symptoms. It's been a slow recovery process, but I've been getting steadily better. And until last month, I'd been seeing a gradual decrease in TPO antibodies (from 151 down to 42) but on my last test, they had jumped up to 180. It's odd though because I'm actually feeling better than I did a few months ago. I'm fairly certain that my Hashimotos is caused by a chronic virus. Recently, I had a return of some chronic labrynthitis symptoms and then the increased antibodies. Of course I have yet to find a doctor who will willingly agree with me about the virus since it's something that they can't exactly test for. Any suggestions on how to deal with viral infections or finding a practitioner who can help? From my understanding and reading Sarah Ballantyne's Paleo Approach, I'm hoping that once my gut is fully healed, my body will no longer produce autoantibodies regardless of the recurring virus, but I might be wrong. It's so frustrating trying to figure this out alone when most doctor's just want to hand you a pill and send you on your way.
Hi there. Sorry but I can't give out medical advice.
Its hard to find a doctor that will help, so you do a lot on your own for sure. I have found so many conflicting things not only on the internet but with different doctors. My red and white blood counts are down. So don't know what to do about that. I am taking a good iron supplement which I thought would help some, doesn't seem to be helping. Am off of gluten, most sugar, eggs and dairy. Was tested for them and am sensitive to them. Have decided to quit corn which I love.
Can I ask what iron supplement you are taking?
5 years ago I was put on medication for an underactive thyroid
2 years later I started seeing a dietitian who had a series of blood tests done resulting in being told I had an autoimmune disease and that it was attacking my thyroid.
The dietitian put me on a gluten free diet and a lot of my symptoms disappeared but my doctor told me to continue on the medication.
I am 68 this year and find I sometimes forget to take my tablets. My blood tests still say my thyroid is still under-active so I am interested in hearing more about the adrenal reset diet. Is there a web site I can go to for this?
I have never been checked for parasites, it is usually just blood sugar, cholesterol and hormone levels and antibodies. Other than increasing or decreasing my medication my treatment is non existent.
I still follow a mainly gluten free diet and only use natural sweeteners like honey and maple syrup, I try to stay away from soy products with the exception of soy sauce.
Any help you can give me with information or pointing me in the right direction for help would be greatly appreciated. I am sick of being tired and overweight all the time. I want to be able to do my own housework instead of having to get someone to do it for me.
King regards
Sandy
Hi there. I think this is the adrenal reset diet that you are looking for? https://amzn.to/2umIbQw (that is an affiliate link). I hope that helps! I understand the fatigue thing. It's terrible.
Thanks for writing back. So my antibodies were 984 or so. I got them down to like 285 or so, I take NP thyroid, quit gluten, soy, most cow milk, most dairy except goat milk, went to a dietician, got off "sensitive foods" (did the MRT blood test and LEAP diet for 10 months, switched to hollistic dentist, have had most but not all amalgams that rise to a surface removed/replaced safely. I take selenium as well.
I cheated and had more gluten, allowed soy back in, and increased dairy intake. Antibodies went up to like about 350 recently. I'm doing THM diet (Trim Healthy Mama) and i have Hashimoto's. I'm getting tired again,, real gritty-eyed hashimoto's tired... I think it's the addition of more dairy... Have an increased rash on my face coming back. I think I need to switch back to all goat cheese/goat dairy products.
If you were in my situation, what tests would you wish for that are the kinds that go looking for the root cause? I feel like I'm paying a functional dr., he should look for the root cause.
Thanks again.
Sounds like you are doing well. I don't do well w/ any dairy, I don't think. Once I tried cow's milk for a puffy eye treatment and my eyes swelled up. So much for that!
I try to avoid soy as much as possible but almost everything has soy in it. I had my thyroid taken out due to can error my dr will only test TSH and T4.cant find a good dr.eating less then 600 calories exercising e ererday gaining weight. Very frustrating
Can you please tell me, what were your antibodies when first diagnosed (what were the levels?)
I'm seeing a functional doc who just doesn't test for the parasites and stuff, he thinks it's like a waste to look for root causes, he thinks the root cause is already probably passed. Any thoughts on how I can get him to start digging deeper?
Yes, sure. My antibodies were on the low end. 19, if I remember correctly, but I think they were higher than that originally - maybe about 40? Then I was taken off some supplements that my physician was suspicious of and they went down to 19. Can you get your doc to read the book in this post?
I'm doing detox things now and see real results. It's worth looking at.
How did your doctor go about finding the parasite?
We did a stool test.
So did you do THM gluten, dairy, grain and soy free? I have hashi's and am trying to decide whether or not to do AIP or THM - which worked better for you and when did you see improvements in your labs - when on AIP or THM?
I am not strict THM meaning I don't obsess over it but as it turns out I pretty much eat that way. Do you have an autoimmune disease?
Thats great news! Congratulations!
Can you please share what kind of parasite, did you get rid of?
Also it will be of great help to know lifestyle changes you made and how you supported your adrenals. I understand it may not suit all but atleast we get an idea.
Do you know if once hypothyroidism is treated, can you start consuming dairy products?
My story:
I am 30 years old and have subclinical hypothyroidism (TSH 5.39 in March 2016) . My PCP and ND didnt test for Thyroid antibodies yet.
My PCP prescribed synthroid but I didnt want to go that route. I wanted to find the root-cause and treat it. I immediately took out gluten, sugar, dairy and soy and was feeling better.
After 3 months(June 2016), I chose a Naturopathic doctor. She performed extensive GI panel and blood test. My stool test showed high number of streptococcus bovis bacteria and low pancreatic enzymes. My blood tests were not extensive, so I dont know of any nutritional deficiencies, except that my ferritin is low(though iron and TIBC is normal ). This time my TSH was 4.64 though still not in the ideal range. My Nd prescribed multivitamins, a stronger herbal supplement to get rid of the bacteria and iron supplements. However taking iron supplements caused issues like constipation and shortness of breath. So I am not taking them anymore.
Thank you for sharing your approach. I am sure it will benefit a lot of us..
Hi there. I had cryptosporidium. I have done a lot of research and it seems that almost everyone (if not everyone) has parasites and it's all about how much they take root and how much damage they do.
I am still making changes.....leaning on the AIP diet more right now and adding in carbs still yet still keeping fairly low carb.
I think dairy is an individual decision. It is one of the most inflammatory foods there is. I think goat milk is a better choice, but not perfect.
I wish that I was able to advise more, but I can't give medical advice. I am considering getting a certification that would allow me to do so but not sure what to choose and when to do it. For low ferritin personally I take Hemevite. My husband takes this: https://amzn.to/2atupDx (affiliate link)
You shouldn't get constipated from that. If you are interested in the hemevite I can share more but it's a little harder to find / obtain.
Thank you so much for your help 🙂
You are so welcome!
So are you doing Trim Healthy Mama, Dr. Christensen Adrenal diet, or AIP? I have all of the books but not sure which is best for Hashimotos .
Thank you
Hi Tiffany. I have dabbled in all of them. I swing pretty heavy low carb and also eat pretty close to AIP. I also implement a bit of Dr. Christianson's plan. So I'm not sure. I do know that Dr. C is very well versed in Hashis and that he does advocate AIP for some people so might be good to look at him and put AIP on top? Not medical advice, of course. I have to get in and see my labs to see how things are going.
Could you tell us thenames of the two practitioners who helped you? I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism after my oldest was born. It wasn't until a year later that I learned I had Hashimoto's, and my tpo antibodies were above 900. Going gluten free and making other dietary changes, along with two more pregnancies, has brought them down to about 130, but I still struggle a ton when I'm not pregnant. I'm reading Stop the Thyroid Madness right now and am constantly learning.
Yes sure - I worked w/ the author of this post: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/thyroid-disease-hypothyroid-what-causes-hypothyroidism/
and https://meghanbirt.com/ but Meghan is on maternity leave until mid April.
Hope you get more relief! I have more blood work to do this week....
I see you wrote about Candida. Did you have the candida before the diagnosis of Hashimoto"s?
My daughter, has an itchy rash she has had since 6 mos. (she is 12 now). Many doctors later, many wrong diagnosis-es,(?)
Finally found a decent MD. and we are back to working on candida, then found out. she also has Hashimoto's!
It's all so crazy.
Well, your immune system is in the gut and candida affects the gut so these things can all be connected. I had candida before. Of course, not sure when the Hashimoto's started.
Hello Adrienne,
This is interesting! I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's years ago and was told my thyroid had been attacked for so long that it's no longer working. I swithched to Armour/Nature-Throid about 6 years ago and it seems to be working okay according to my Endocrinologist. Are you saying the thyroid can be regenerated? I too am gluten free & have followed the Phase One Diet to be sure I have no abundance of fungus. I haven't been tested for parasites but maybe I should be! Thank you for your information & I'm happy for you. Also, I went on Amazon and checked out the AID diet and found a recipe book with 20 smoothie recipes. I use an Omega juicer and a VitaMix to get my fruits & veggies in but lately I cook my cruciferous veggies since I recently read that juicing or eating them raw can hinder the thyroid, geez that includes kale, have you heard this?
Hi there. I don't know about regeneration, but I do think healing can happen. I would be happy to introduce you to the 2 practitioners whom I worked with. They both do free consults. I have heard many thing about cruciferous but this is a very interesting post I just read: https://wellnessmama.com/37222/thyroid-problems-cruciferous-vegetables/ I do know that I have felt bad eating cruciferous at every meal for a week or so, but it might have been something else. I guess I should do more research!
I would prefer the Vitamix for juicing since the Omega pulls out all the fiber and such. I have also heard that you need to make sure you are getting enough fat in your diet when juicing to assimilate the nutrients. Hope that helps!
So what is a regimen for cogenital htpo thyrpidism for a 7 year old boy had since birth, on medicine daily for it. Any help on a regimen supplements, types of foods to eat and foods too avoid. Anything that can help Thanks so much.
Hi Teresa. I am sorry but I can't medically advise. I mentioned the AIP diet in this post - did you see that? I could share what I personally did, but it isn't medical advice. I have done a lot, though. If that interests you, you can contact me or respond here. Thanks.
Am I missing something? When I follow the link for the bundle it says $97 not $37.
Hi there. Yes, the sale price was only good for a short time and it's $97 now. I hope they offer something like this again sometime so stay tuned. Though it's still a great value.
That is such great news! I am so happy to hear it. I love your blog. It has been very informative as I struggle with similar issues.
Thanks so much, Kathy! I hope it's helpful for you and that you continue to heal!
It would be awesome if you did a Q and A or some other event for your readers on the topic of thyroid to share your experience, I personally would love an opportunity to hear from you, one of the healthiest bloggers I follow on the internet, what you discovered during your journey.
Nice idea. Are you thinking written in questions or a teleseminar? Thanks for commenting :).
Either or even both! I'd attend both.
I am going to think on this - thanks!! Feel free to bug me about it if you don't hear anything. I have never set anything like this up by my lonesome :).
Congratulations, Adrienne! I just picked up the bundle from Dr. Wentz's site last night, because I misunderstood. I thought the deal was up last night at midnight and I didn't want to miss out! If I had realized, I would have bought it from you! But I got it, and maybe it will help me along my pathway to healing. Thanks so much for everything you do! You're the best! And I am sharing!
Thanks, Betty! Wow - trying to plow through old comments. Sorry about that!! I hope this was all helpful to you!
THANK YOU!! I have been working to heal my thyroid, and it's so wonderful to know that it's possible!!
You are so welcome! So hoping it goes well for you. I have more work to do but I was / am thrilled!!
I'm so happy for you Adrienne, great news! Thanks for also sharing what you did.
Thank you so much, Cherie!
How high did your TPO's get? I've heard that anything over 500 is considered aggressive Hashimoto's. At one point, mine were about 3500. Currently, they seem to toggle between 100 and 150. I know that my liver/gut/adrenals are a big key, so I've been working on that. Congrats to you! I hope you are feeling much better as a result! It sounds as though you should be! 😉
Mine only were around 19, but I felt horrible!! You are doing great to have reduced them that much!!! I am feeling better - but am working on more things - like iron and mold detox and then heavy metals. Good for you!!!
Sometimes this is where I get confused, based on what different practitioners say. To me, 19 is in the range (0-34), so I thought that was the remission range for which to shoot. I didn't know that having 19 would be considered having Hashimoto's; I'd love to have that number! 😉 My thyroid meds. control my symptoms for now, but I believe that I can eventually get off of them. When my liver isn't as congested, I only need a very low dose, even with my higher antibodies! So, I know it is possible. I'm sure you mainly felt horrible as a result of all the other issues. That's great that you are feeling better!!
Well, my initial lab said they wanted them lower than 9. So that was my original framework. In talking w/ my current practitioner, she said that we are going for even lower. Who wants your body attacking your thyroid at all, right? Have you tried liver support supplements or castor oil? It sounds like you are doing so much. When this all started, I had nodules and a sore thyroid so something was off there for sure. I don't know why they have different reference ranges. But my mainstream physician took 1 look at the initial labs and said I had autoimmune issues.
Hmmm...okay...below 9. The other confusing thing is that there are some doctors who say that some Hashimoto's patients do not have TPO's show up on a blood test, and yet they still have it. Well, mine sure do show up! 😉 Yes, I have done quite a few things, including the things you mentioned. I'm also doing HTMA, and I just started on a Sequential Heilkunst Homeopathy protocol designed for my body and its issues. Getting rid of SIBO earlier this year was a boost, too. There are so many "side roads" to this, and it gets pretty individual. My mom had a test showing TPO's as a negative 1, and she has silver fillings!
Interesting. I have never heard that about TPOs not showing up but I don't know everything - where did you hear that? I did HTMA and personally didn't get much from it. I spent thousands. Literally. Hard for me to wrap my mind around it but I see others have apparent results. I think the real issue appears to be finding out what is causing the autoimmunity, you know? I really think the current generations are more and more sick - for these reasons: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/do-you-believe-this-myth-about-gut-health-plus-the-perfect-storm-for-gut-imbalance-and-illness/
I find HTMA very interesting; minerals and mineral balances are so important. It actually seems to be a less expensive way compared to other practitioners, but it can vary. Yes, I totally agree with the problem of issues being passed on to different generations, which is one reason why I find Sequential Heilkunst Homeopathy interesting. It deals with those issues--miasms they are called. And yes, getting to what is causing the autoimmunity is important. As far as TPO's not showing up, I believe I heard that in one of Dr. David Clark's videos, but I would have to look for it.
I completely agree about minerals, however to me, this is where I get "hung up". The hair is "old news" - so everything you are testing is up to at least 1 month old. Also how do we know the "ideal" measurements? I know about Paul Eck, but how do we know how what is in the hair reflects what is going on in the body and cells and in what ratio? I have worked w/ 2 practitioners who use it, my son worked w/ 2 and both of us have worked w/ 2 who have no confidence in it. I don't say this to say HTMA is wrong, but I never felt I made much, if any, progress from HTMA. I am not opposed to being wrong, however :).
I would love to know if you find that. That is very interesting indeed - thanks much!
Yes, I do understand your questions! My prescribing doctor doesn't really "believe" in HTMA's, either, so I just agree to disagree. 🙂 I'm still learning more about it via FB groups and reading. One book that I started reading is Dr. Rick Malter's "Strands of Health." He is also part of a couple of the groups and occasionally answers questions. Those like him who have done hundreds of HTMA's know more of the intricacies and patterns to balancing. Good HTMA practitioners will also use targeted blood tests, which are snapshots of the moment and can change the next day. Together, they give good clues as to what is going on in the body.
I know who Rick is. I could check his book out - thanks. 🙂 One other thing I found is that those doing HTMAs seem to have much longer "healing" times than others, but that might not be an accurate opinion. Thanks, Adrienne
Hi,
I have been doing Aip for 3 months and my antibodies went up from 1700 to 2385. I don’t know what to think! They had been steady around 1700 for a long time. I got rid of a parasite and don’t know where to go from here. Any advice?
Thanks,
Michelle
Hi there. Gosh, I'm sorry - could something else be going on? I have seen that other things can influence TPO levels like hormone changes, vitamin D, etc.