If you didn’t have an opportunity to read last week’s article, you could find it at the irsfeldpharmacy.com website under the blog tab. It was a review of the thyroid conditions relating to low thyroid and treatment options. As promised, this is a follow-up to that article focusing on Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (HT) and supplements to support the thyroid.

HT is an auto-immune (AI) thyroid condition, affects up to 2% of the population. As with all (AI) states, the body is attacking itself through an inflammatory process out of control. In HT, if the inflammatory process goes un-addressed, the thyroid gland will eventually quit working, leading to hypothyroidism.

Keep in mind that 25% of patients with an auto-immune condition have a second AI condition. There is also the possibility of multiple auto-immune diseases characterized by patients having three or more AI conditions. As you can see by these statistics, stopping the inflammation in its tracks should be the primary goal. How does this happen?

When searching for treatment options for Hashimoto’s in conventional medicine, you won’t find information on how to treat this condition differently than hypothyroidism. HT is currently treated with levothyroxine, the standard of care that I discussed last week.

If we look at other auto-immune conditions, they all seem to have a treatment option, but not with HT. I find this to be rather intriguing, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they come up with a drug soon that is the cure for HT but carries a huge price-tag.

If you suspect you have a thyroid condition based on how you feel, with symptoms like low energy, dry skin, cold hands and feet, and hair loss, taking a simple questionnaire to see if a person should have thyroid levels tested can be taken at no cost. The standard test is TSH, and testing can also include Free T3 and Free T4. When screening for HT, testing thyroid peroxidase anti-body or TPO Antibody gives you an idea if your body is mounting an inflammatory response to the thyroid gland.

The easiest and most common test to check and track inflammation is C-reactive Protein, an inflammatory marker that is tested in your blood and monitored. If this is something you haven’t had done and you are being treated for a chronic condition, I would request it at your next office visit. You can have this done for as little as $60 with a fingerstick test if you are curious about your level.

Another test you could look at will be an IgG food sensitivity test to see if you have some foods that may be causing inflammation in your system. If you do this and you have

You have done your testing and have been diagnosed with HT, now what do you do? Start with simple lifestyle modifications, which include cleaning up your diet. Consider a gluten-free diet that may sound like a mountain too big to climb, but today vs. ten years ago, it is a small hill. Consumer demand has driven choices in this area. Other dietary considerations include; eliminate sugar, quit processed foods, and avoid eating fast food.

The second thing would be to work on healing the gut. This healing can be accomplished by eating a gut-healthy diet and incorporating supplements to help the healing process. The following are gut-healthy supplements; glutamine, zinc carnosine, aloe vera, and other gummy type nutrients. Dynamic GI Integrity at one scoop per day has all these ingredients in one formula that is peach tea flavored.

Along with dietary modifications and gut healing, several supplements can be helpful to take. Omega 3 fatty acid, also known as fish oil, can help reduce inflammation and are essential building blocks for cell structure and gut healing. Taking 2000mg of EPA + DHA is a good starting dose.

Selenium in the form of seleniomethionine at 200mcg per day is a necessary nutrient for the conversion of T4 to T3. This conversion is facilitated by the de-iodinase enzyme, which requires selenium to make this conversion happen.

Vitamin B12 and all of the B vitamins are important for energy production as well as cellular and metabolic functions. Taking a quality multivitamin with high amounts of B vitamins is essential.

The last nutrient is a part of foundational nutrition, Vitamin D. It is an essential nutrient to support your immune system and should not only be taken, but the level should be optimized at 50-80. Getting this level is not difficult in the summer as Vitamin D is synthesized in the skin with UV light. As little as 15-20 minutes in the sun without sunscreen between the hours 10 am and 2 pm is all it takes. Winter is the opposite, and supplementing with 1000-5000IU’s is necessary to maintain these optimal levels. I recommend D3 5000IU + K2 , one capsule daily

Many of our practitioners who work with HT utilize low dose naltrexone (LDN) to help with this condition. There is no indication for its use in HT but LDN works on the immune system to lower inflammation. The mechanism of action that increases endorphins seems to be beneficial to improve overall energy in patients, a symptom that plagues patients with HT.

It is crucial to keep in mind that AI conditions, like HT, are not healed in a short time, and it is often necessary to continue following a healing regimen throughout your life. The benefit of decreasing inflammation in the hope of disease prevention and a better quality of life.

My staff and I would like to help you with questions regarding thyroid issues that you might be having, so call or stop in to schedule a consultation. Until next time, be vigilant about your health!!