One of things I see most often in practice are women who report feelings of fatigue and stubborn weight gain. Many of them are in the closet about being depressed and anxious, and most women I work with feel invalidated when they’re told that all their labs have come back ‘normal’…
Is it really all in your head?
If you’re reading this and nodding your head, then you’re going to love this week’s video because I’m going to be breaking down a topic that you need to know about: Hashimoto’s.
Hashi-what?
What is Hashimoto’s?
What are the symptoms of Hashimoto’s?
Are you sure I have it?
Actually, I’m not. In fact, I can’t be sure without testing, but I can tell you this:
Most women aren’t getting their thyroid properly checked. And of the many women I see who do have hypothyroidism, most of them will have the thyroid autoimmune disease, Hashimoto’s. In fact a staggering 95% of women who have hypothyroidism in North America have Hashimoto’s.
I haven’t spoken much about thyroid issues and given it’s prevalence, I felt it was about time to start. Plus, I’ve even created a free thyroid guide that you can download below to give you a bunch of nutrition and lifestyle tools to start feeling better AND what tests to get done! This guide will give you a good outline of thyroid conditions, whether you’re hypothyroid, hyperthyroid, or even if you suspect you may have Hashimoto’s. And best part: it’s free!
So what causes Hashimoto’s anyway?
In my professional experience, it comes down to three areas that need to be investigated: digestive imbalances (leaky gut and co-infections), adrenal issues and mineral imbalances (with potential heavy metal toxicity).
With a leaky gut, food will pass through the intestines and the immune system will scream out, “INVADER!” and will thus create antibodies against it. Eventually your thyroid is affected and Hashimoto’s develops. A leaky gut results due to eating inflammatory foods (gluten, dairy, sugar, etc), stress, and even medication.
Given this is a HUGE topic, I have more info for upcoming videos, so stay tuned.
In the meantime, I will however empower you to evaluate what is actually getting tested when you go to the doctor.
Generally the ‘gold standard’ in the industry is to test your thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and at most, your T4 (your inactive thyroid hormone). This isn’t enough to evaluate what’s going on with your thyroid. In fact, even the ranges you’re tested in are so broad, that you could be in a hypothyroid state and not even know it. From a functional perspective, ranges are more narrow, to show you exactly what range you need to be in to, well, function.
Just take a look at your bloodwork. Are your thyroid antibodies being tested? I’m talking about your thyroglobulin (TGAb) or your thyroperoxidase (TPOab). These two antibodies need to be tested to evaluate whether you have Hashimoto’s.
When I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s in September 2017, all my thyroid markers tested normal (from a functional range perspective too!), yet my antibodies were elevated! Had I not have received proper testing, I would have gone undiagnosed until the condition really progressed.
If you have found out that you have Hashimoto’s, understand that there are different stages so symptoms will vary in severity.
So what can you do?
First off, get my free guide! In addition, here is a great listing of what I’d like you to get started on pronto if you’ve just discovered you have Hashimoto’s and/or hypothyroidism:
Go grain-free
An autoimmune protocol would be a great place to start which removes all grains and legumes. This will help to reduce your inflammatory response and ease any digestive strain. You may hear a lot about the AIP diet (which I will talk about in future videos, because there is a ton of misinformation about it) and why to do one.
Take seleniomethionine
Various companies will carry this form of selenium, and it’s highly bioavailable. Selenium is a mineral that is absolutely crucial to take daily at 200mcg with food. In Hashimoto’s, hydrogen peroxide can damage thyroid peroxidase (TPOab). If there is not adequate selenium available there will be insufficient glutathione peroxidase to reduce and neutralize excess hydrogen peroxide. In addition, a deficiency in selenium will result in a deficiency of iodine which will impact the thyroid!
Introduce a damn good probiotic and some gut healing support
Probiotics that you can look for are saccharomyces boulardii which is beneficial if you have H.pylori or blastocystis hominis (which are several co-infections with Hashimoto’s). This strain will also help to increase secretory IgA which is your gut’s first defence system.
I’m also really loving Just Thrive probiotics right now (which I have zero affiliation to) to help to reduce antibody levels as well. The company is continually doing clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy of their probiotics.
Stay hydrated and add sea salt to your water.
Sounds basic right? Dehydration can lead to elevated levels of cortisol which can further disrupt the thyroid gland. By adding in a pinch of sea salt to your water, you’re giving your body the nourishing minerals it needs. Plus by doing so, you’ll also help to efficiently hydrate. And just a side note, you need to be drinking HALF your bodyweight in ounces, so get drinking!
Wobenzym Plus
I love this proteolytic enzyme for Hashimoto’s because given Hashimoto’s is an inflammatory condition, this enzyme will help to eat away at systemic inflammation. It has also been shown to reduce thyroid antibodies over a 3-6 month period, at 2 tablets three times a day, one hour away from food. Please note, this isn’t a magic bullet, you need to be combining this with a holistic approach.
Alright you, that’s it for now! Stay tuned for more videos to come on this topic…because I’ve got a whole lot more to say!
In the meantime, grab that free guide below.
See ya!
xo
Melissa