More than 25 million Americans have some type of thyroid disease. In my case, I have been diagnosed as hypothyroid (under active thyroid) due to Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, which is an autoimmune disorder where the body attacks the thyroid gland. In this post I’d like to share with you part of my journey to (hopefully) heal my thyroid naturally.
I was diagnosed earlier this year (2008) with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. My thyroid is enlarged and has three nodules on it. Two ultrasounds about six months apart showed no growth in the nodules. They appear to be benign. I was told I did not need an ultrasound again for two years. They still want me to get my TSH checked every six months. Dr. Scott also wanted to check free T4 during the November tests.
11/12/2008 – I visited Dr. Scott to get my thyroid checked again. My TSH and free T4 levels had come back at the edge of high normal range and I had been having some symptoms commonly associated with hypothyroidism (cold hands and feet, fatigue, dry skin, some depression). I was not experiencing weight gain, but I was not losing weight, either, even though I exercise nearly every day. Dr. Scott suggested I try 25mcg Levothyroxin daily to see if this helped with the symptoms. He asked me to come back to retest TSH and free T4 in four weeks. When I specifically asked the doctor about diet or lifestyle changes I could make to treat the underlying causes of my disease, he told me there was nothing I could do. I should just get on medication and resign myself to my thyroid eventually destroying itself.
Over the next four weeks my beginning symptoms did not improve. In addition, I developed moderately severe joint pain in my right knee (this knee has bugged me occasionally but rarely this bad). During my menstrual period, I had severe cramping (much worse than normal) and felt physically ill for 2-3 days. I also felt that I had difficulty concentrating. I found myself rereading the same paragraph over and over again. I developed gastric reflux and by the third week it was starting feel as though my throat was closing up and it hurt/was difficult to swallow. This was similar to the (I believe) allergic reaction I experienced on amoxicillin and prednisone.
12/8/08 – When it came time to renew my prescription I decided not to do it. I called the doctor and canceled the blood work and notified them that I was going off the medication. We currently have no insurance and I do not know when we will have insurance again. (Note – my husband was unemployed at this time. Stress levels were way up for both of us.) I told them that I would check back in sometime in the future. The doctor was not happy and instead wanted to increase my dosage, but I declined.
I have decided to try alternative thyroid treatment. After doing some research online, I am continuing to use NatraBio Thyroid Support tablets three times per day. I have also begun taking about a teaspoon of coconut oil three times per day. I am also taking Rainbow Light Women’s One Multivitamin/Mineral, Rainbow Light Food Based Super C (1000 mg daily) and Schiff Vitamin D 2000 I.U. daily.
I corresponded via email with a lady named Darcy from California that I found on a thyroid board (she mentioned she was treating homeopathically after trying meds with similar side effects). She recommended Thyroid Assist by Native Remedies and virgin coconut oil and that she had visited a homeopathic practitioner who recommended these things to her and suggested that part of her problems might be sluggish adrenal glands, which do tend to become less active as we age. The symptoms are similar to hypothyroidism.
12/27/08 – The throat swelling went away in under a week once I stopped the Levothyroxin. I am no longer having acid reflux. My knee does not ache excessively. My hands and feet still tend to be cold and my skin is still dry, but it has been very cold this month with record breaking snowfall (over 3 feet for December alone). I have started using coconut oil as a face/body moisturizer, too. My head is clearer and I am able to read normally again. I started my period today and am not having any significant cramping/pain/fatigue, etc. Much better.
The bursitis is still present in my left hip. I found out that Mary and Lois (my two sisters) also both have pain in their left hip – Mary from her surgery and Lois probably from bursitis (she hasn’t been checked). It doesn’t bother me too much most of the time. I feel it more when I am tired or if I lay on that side when I sleep. (Note: The bursitis showed up after my second pregnancy. Dr. Scott said my hips were out of alignment from the delivery and did an adjustment in his office (he is an O.D., not an M.D.) that he said would resolve the problem. No such luck.)
I have been starting each day (before I get out of bed) with listing things that I am thankful for and asking that August find a good job, preferably in the area or at least reasonable within driving distance of mom. I am practicing counting my blessings instead of my worries.
1/22/09 – Symptoms are about the same – skin still dry, hands still cold – but, hey, it’s winter! Joint pain has decreased significantly. I am exercising every morning again.
Dec 2009 – I started dry brushing and cold rinses in the shower, and decreasing my carbs while increasing my fat intake after reading “Eat Fat, Lose Fat”. Over the month of December, I dropped ten pounds, even with the holidays. Skin is much less dry and itchy, as are eyes.
January 2011 – Down about another ten pounds. Recently read “Primal Blueprint”, and other material indicating that gluten may be contributing to my Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Working to reduce/eliminate gluten/grains in the diet, but I’m not there yet. I’ve changed up my work out routine, and started including “sprints” and weightlifting again. Still under a lot of stress due to job uncertainly. Bought a TRX system, which just arrived this week, so looking forward to incorporating that into the workout routine as well. My skin is softer and smoother, and bowel movements are regular (constipation is a common symptom of an under active thyroid).
Where I’m at nutritionally:
- I’ve settled into a diet that is relatively high in fat, lower in carbs, working to eliminate grains/gluten.
- I don’t use refined salt, only sea salt, but include small amounts of kelp or other seaweed in my diet.
- I still take coconut oil before every meal.
- I do eat cruciferous vegetables, but I try to cook or ferment them before consumption.
- I eat a Brazil nut every day, as they are high in selenium.
- I consume one or more fermented foods/drinks per day, including kombucha, water kefir, milk kefir, sauerkraut, raw milk cheese, yogurt and other fruit and vegetable ferments. Kombucha’s my favorite. I believe that digestive health is critical to the health of the rest of the body.
- I’m working to get more veggies into my diet, and have started eating/drinking green smoothies.
- When the weather allows, I get plenty of sun exposure. In the winter months I supplement with vitamin D3.
- I try to include turmeric and plenty of other anti-inflammatory foods and spices into my diet.
- I avoid unfermented soy, excessive amounts of peanuts and raw cruciferous vegetables.
- Processed foods, fake fats and all the other garbage passing itself off as food is a no-no.
- Sourcing my meat and eggs locally, from people I trust. All of the critters spend time on pasture and are light on grains.
- I grow most of my own veggies, and try to source the rest organically. Working towards the same with fruits.
I haven’t been back to the doctor. I’m looking for a practitioner that’s more open minded and haven’t found one yet. I am largely asymptomatic at this point, so I am reluctant to go in to someone I don’t trust.
Do you have a thyroid disorder? If so, what have you done to help your thyroid heal? I hope other people will find my story useful in finding solutions that work for them.
I will be updating this story soon, as I just went in for a blood draw on Friday (yesterday) and an ultrasound. Still waiting for official results, and still not expecting much from conventional medicine. I’ve started a new detox protocol, which I will also be writing about, that I am hoping will help my body to continue healing.
Some folks has asked for additional resources, so I’d like to recommend the following books that I found helpful:
Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A Revolutionary Breakthrough In Understanding Hashimoto’s Disease and Hypothyroidism – If you’re only going to read one book, this is the one I’d recommend. There’s discussion about gluten, adrenal connections, liver connections, detox, gut issues – a lot about the “why” of your thyroid going on the blink. it did leave me wanting more information about the specifics of “how” to fix it, but I guess the author needs to keep his practice in business and avoid getting sued by the FDA.
Iodine: Why you need it, Why you can’t live without it by David Brownstein, M.D.
Overcoming Thyroid Disorders Second Edition by David Brownstein, M.D.
I read Dr. Brownstein’s books first, and they opened my eyes to the importance of iodine. I’ve read some mixed reviews on Dr. Brownstein’s supplement recommendations, so please do your own research before making any decision to supplement and speak with a trained healthcare provider.
A couple more related books that deal with coconut oil that may also be helpful are The Coconut Oil Miracle and Eat Fat, Lose Fat. I know saturated fats are currently demonized, but I have lost weight on coconut oil, and these books explain why.
Wow. I had no idea you were dealing with thyroid issues. Very interesting journey you're on…including the fact that going homeopathic has been healing, whereas traditional medicine would have been destructive. I really wish our area had more trustworthy, non-traditional practitioners, but I haven't found any other than our chiropractor. He does do nutritional therapy, too, though so let me know if you want his name/contact info.
It's not just me – autoimmune diseases have been skyrocketing. I'm working on a new post related to this. Still hunting for a good holistic practitioner in the area, but so far no luck. The folks from Herbalix have been an excellent resource for bringing my attention to a number of potential triggers with which I was not familiar.
Laurie, I've got goosebumps. It sounds just like me, as I read. Up to this point – I had found common denominators with Celiac Disease. And like you – my doctor told me my levels were " on the edge, but more to the 'no' side " on my blood-work done for my thyroid. Gonna save your posting. The regimen you've posted will be very helpful! Thanks for taking all the time to share this!!!
I should note, all other blood work was very "normal", and I do visit my chiropractor once in a while, who checks my blood pressure, which also looks good.
I believe the choices I have made would be helpful to almost anyone, regardless of the state thyroid and barring allergies or other complications, but please do your own research and consult a qualified health professional (if you can find one).
I have to write this down. I'm on 137 mcg of levoxyl, which I believe is high, higher than the girl I work with that has no thyroid! I started out much lower but gradually increased over the years. I had been feeling about 90 yrs old, couldn't concentrate, constipated, and sore. I do have arthritis but every joint had been sore, really it still is. I have to be careful with everything. I feel better now but still not right. My nails are very ridged, noticeably so. I tend to cut them very, very short- interferes with the keyboard at work anyway. My ob gyn said I do better on a low fiber diet even though my doctor says I need high fiber for the diverticulitis (which was probably caused by the thyroid constipation). I have felt gluten is a problem, I crave it, and form what I understand, that is a symptom. I'll have to try some of the things you are discussing. Thanks.
Kathy – did you read the bowel movement post? (Now there's a sentence I never thought I would type…) I wonder if any of those suggestions would help. More fiber, which is commonly recommended for many conditions, may or may not be the best choice for you, as every person is unique. Do try and work with your doctor to keep your digestive system moving well, as that is a common area for toxin build up.
It's very interesting that you crave gluten, and could well be a symptom. As come folks have pointed out, many sources recommend eliminating gluten entirely from your diet if you have autoimmune thyroiditis. Reducing (as I have) is not likely to resolve the issue if you are gluten sensitive. I don't crave gluten, per se, as much as I crave carbohydrates, but even those cravings have been significantly reduced. Stress and less daylight are my big carbohydrate triggers.
I'm going to add links in the post to a couple of books that I have read that I found helpful. While they don't have all the answers, I do think that they are at least asking some of the right questions, which is a good place to start.
A few quick comments:
Synthroid is synthetic T4. T4 is only one of several thyroid hormones – the storage form that has to be converted before being able to be used by our bodies. Some hypothyroids have difficulty making this conversion so T4 only meds are ineffective in treating their hypothyroid.
Natural desiccated thyroid is a product that has been used for over a hundred years. The currently preferred brand for many people is NatureThroid (it used to be Armour until Armour Thyroid reformulated and became troublesome to many, many people). The problem is that most mainstream docs worship Synthroid and the TSH test.
To get a complete picture of thyroid function, TSH is inadequate. Free T4, Free T3 and the antibody tests give a much better view of what's happening with one's thyroid. Again, getting a mainstream doc to order these tests can be difficult.
Many people have found that iodine supplementation (in adequate amounts that are usually MUCH higher than those recognized as safe and necessary by mainstream docs) helps with thyroid issues. Good clean sources are important since much iodine is found in seafood that can be tainted by mercury. Iodoral and Lugol's Iodine are two good sources of iodine.
Another supplement that helps is Selenium. In addition, hypothyroids are often deficient in many vitamins and minerals beyond Selenium and Iodine. B12 is often low and needs to be supplemented with methylcobalamin form that is available to the human body. The cyanocobalamin form that is common in supplements is inexpensive and attractive to supplement manufacturers but it is ineffective in the human body.
Pamela – thanks again for your thoughtful comments. Much of the information you posted is in the three thyroid books I recommended, but you certainly won't get it from most main stream physicians (at least I didn't). I asked about using natural dessicated thyroid supplement for just the reasons you mentioned, and my doctor flat out refused and said he would not prescribe it.
When I went in this past week to get an ultrasound and blood work, the only blood test the doctor ordered was a TSH check. I was so frustrated! And of course you can't get additional blood work done unless they approve it. I think I might finally have a lead on a physician who is more open to treating the underlying causes instead of just handing out more pills. I'll keep working on all of it until I find a better solution.
Thank you for posting this! I was recently almost not diagnosed with Hashimoto's. My TSH level was 4.5, and since we're trying to conceive, my fertility specialist put me on 50mg Levothyroxine. My herbalist/acupuncturist asked me if I'd been diagnosed with Hashimoto's, and I realized I didn't know WHY my level was high. A week later my dad called to tell me that my aunt had Hashimoto's and that I should get a test done. I called the office, and the nurse I spoke with told me that there was no way I had it, my levels weren't high enough. I didn't believe her, and later when I met with the doctor, he confirmed that it was, in fact, Hashimoto's, but only after I asked him specifically about the issue.
I've not had the negative effects that you have on Levothyroxine. In fact, as soon as I started taking the medicine I began to feel like I came out of a cocoon. I'm no longer as tired anymore, and not nearly as down. Someday, hopefully after we actually do manage to have children, I would like to move to a more natural method of treatment. It creeps me out that I would possibly need a man-made drug to survive in the future.
I don't know what kind of alternative medicine doctors you have in your area, but my herbalist/acupuncturist is super. I pretty much treat her like my primary care physician now and go into the "regular" doctor only when I know I need to. If my western primary care physician (who I really like actually) comes up with something to watch out for I make sure my herbalist is aware of the issue and she compliments my other treatment.
I'm so glad that you feel better. Everyone is different, so it's important that each individual find out what works best for them.
Alternative health resources in my area are almost non-existent, but I have finally tracked down a doctor who is at least willing to talk about my history and symptoms and consider alternative treatments. I am sensitive to a number of different substances, so I suspect that had something to do with my mad reaction. As I said in the post, I don't believe are bodies are designed to fail, so I figure it's up to me to figure out what's causing the problem.
Very interesting blog full of encouragement and help…just what I need right now…this is not foreign information for me…I have been sick on and off for several years and have healed myself several times over only to "return" to old ways and have symptoms re-appear…I am one of those people who need support and encouragement to be able to make it…
I am 43 with hyperthyroidism yet I am very over weighed…any time I have ended up in hospital they look at me and think I am hypo…but I always need to make a joke out of it and say no I AM hyperthyroidism without being thin. I fact everytime I got blood work done I was always extremely over the top…this was affecting my heart and that was the main reason for several 911 calls…surgeons want to remove my nodule and my right side of my thyroid promissing to leave the left side alone…in this last year I was able to totally get my blood levels to normal…my nodule is still there but I rub it with Myrh oil every single day…
One day at a time towards better health…oh…the surgeon was shocked with my blood results and said as long as I was "stable" he would leave me alone…ya right….too funny…
Nadine
Nadine – strength to you on your journey.
It's so frustrating to have one's symptoms and concerns dismissed by the mainstream medical community. They never want to admit that they can't heal you – ONLY YOUR BODY CAN HEAL ITSELF. At best, they can help your body heal, at worst…well, prescription drug deaths now outnumber traffic fatalities in the US – http://articles.latimes.com/2011/sep/17/local/la-me-drugs-epidemic-20110918
We have to be our own advocates, and find what works best for each of us.
This was VERY interesting to me! I stopped taking Levothyroxine about a year and a half ago, and aside from a bit of weight gain(which with watching what I eat DOES respond rather well), I have not noticed a worsening of the initial symptoms. I too have begun using coconut oil.
It is so frustrating to try to find a doctor that will work WITH you–it was a red flag to be told “You’ll just reach a happy place with the medicine and be on it the rest of your life.” I’m sorry, sir, but that does NOT sound like a “happy place” to me!
Your blog is so informative and helpful; thanks for putting the time into sharing your experiences for others’ benefit!
~april
Thanks for your comments, April. I found a doctor I liked better, and then she retired, so now I’m trying another doctor in February. Hopefully this one will be more helpful! I did get on natural thyroid recently, and it helped me to drop more weight. Feeling pretty good overall.
I have no choice but to take a thyroid supplement. I started out with Graves’ Disease, which causes an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism). I didn’t not respond to medications to slow it down. Because my heart was also racing at a resting rate of 124 bpm, something HAD to be done to slow it and my thyroid activity. Like you, I was told there was nothing that could be done naturally, and that since I wasn’t responding to medication, I needed to have either surgery to remove the gland or a radioactive iodine ablation to put it out of commission. I chose ablation because that’s what my doctors said I should choose.
As out of control as my thyroid seemed to be, I am not sure if I could have controlled it with diet, but I didn’t have the knowledge then to even try. If I had it to do over again, I would at least try.
The worst of it all was the transition from hyperthyroidism to hypothyroidism. It happened over the course of a few months, but when you’re going from one extreme to the other, that’s very quick. I was miserable once I quit producing the thyroid hormone on my own but before the correct dosage of Synthroid was found for me.
I went through 3 endocrinologists and 3 family physicians before I found my current doctor, a female doctor of osteopathic medicine, who “gets it” that just because a TSH test is normal, that doesn’t mean all is ok, and just because all the thyroid results are normal, that doesn’t mean I’m right where I need to be. I bet you won’t be surprised to know that she has hypothyroidism herself.
All I can say is that if I knew then what I know now, things might be a lot different. Or not. Who’s to say? But I feel like I wasn’t given much of an option and that I was mislead into thinking the transition from one thyroid state to the other would be “no big deal”.
Hope you continue to have good luck on the natural path.
Annie – I really need to update this post. After hunting and hunting, I finally found a doctor who was willing to prescribe natural thyroid, and I responded better to that. Then, she retired, so I had to hunt down a new doctor. Luckily, a friend recommended a local osteopath, who was also willing to prescribe the natural thyroid. I just met with her last week and am back on my low dose. Right now I’m waiting for my levels to normalize again, because I ran out when I was hunting for a new doctor. In a couple of months I’ll get new bloodwork and see where I’m at. Thankfully, this doctor was willing to discuss free T3 and T4 levels and antibodies, not just TSH, so I am hopeful.
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