A very common scenario: A young woman after childbirth develops post-partum depression. Not only does her “blues” last for months, but she is also fatigued and cold all the time. Her general doctor, after taking routine blood tests, diagnosed her with hypo (sluggish) thyroid. She was prescribed Synthroid, which is a synthetic T4 drug. Her Synthroid was either increased or decreased based on balancing the blood work, especially TSH. On this regimen she went from being hypo to hyper thyroid – either cold all the time and tired, or “racy,” with a rapid and irregular heartbeat. After suffering like this for many years, an integrative doctor tested her for thyroid antibodies and diagnosed her with auto-immune Hashimoto’s disease.
What Is Hashimoto’s Disease?
Hashimoto’s disease was named after a Japanese doctor who described the disease in 1912 in a European medical publication. It was the first condition to be recognized as an auto-immune disease. Today, about 20% of Americans suffer from some form of autoimmune disorder (including Crohn’s, scleroderma, lupus, and others). The large majority of those affected are women. The most common of these disorders is Hashimoto’s. Some specialists feel that most hypothyroidism is due to Hashimoto’s. Though another major component of hypothyroidism is iodine deficiency (as discussed in previous articles), regarding Hashimoto’s there are some conflicting opinions on whether iodine is beneficial or harmful.
How Hashimoto’s Is Normally (Mis)Treated
So in Hashimoto’s, as an autoimmune disorder, the body attacks and destroys its own thyroid gland. The standard treatment for hypothyroidism, based on standard blood testing for TSH and T4, T3, is prescribing a synthetic hormone of T4 alone called Synthroid. Because this is the common treatment anyway, testing for Hashimoto’s is not often done. Other mainstream approaches include prescribing anti-depressants, adrenal gland suppressants, removal of the thyroid gland, and prednisone as an immune suppressant.
Alternative holistic doctors may approach a hypothyroid patient with steps to improve overall health, avoiding harmful foods, limiting soy and cruciferous vegetables, for example. Prescribing a T3/T4 medication such as Armour Thyroid gets patients feeling better for a while, as well.
Why the Thyroid Alone Isn’t the Whole Story
In both systems of care, the thyroid gland is focused upon, but the immune system is basically ignored. In Hashimoto’s, it is the immune response that must be addressed.
Patients take thyroid replacement hormones, and have their TSH monitored and adjusted, but they continue to feel unwell, unable to lose weight and tired all the time. The mainstream doctor is baffled, because the TSH is within normal range. The patient may actually fluctuate between hypo and hyper thyroid, as previously mentioned. These fluctuations are actually a reaction and response to triggers such as stressful situations, other hormonal fluctuations and eating foods containing gluten.
The Real Triggers Behind Hashimoto’s
So if we acknowledge Hashimoto’s and many hypothyroid cases not as a thyroid issue but as an immune function issue, the following factors, among others, are key: adrenal fatigue due to repeated stress, gluten intolerance and sensitivity, hormone imbalances such as estrogen surges, iodine deficiency and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), vitamin D deficiency, environmental toxicity, chronic infections and inflammation, and genetics.
In the follow-up article I will discuss these aforementioned situations in greater detail.
For all health related questions, or for a “second opinion,” please call me at 845 369 1310 or contact me at drbek@aol.com. Thanks!