If you have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism—or if you have low thyroid symptoms—it’s important to know that more than 90 percent of hypothyroidism cases are caused by Hashimoto’s disease.
Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune thyroid condition. This means the immune system has begun erroneously attacking and damaging the thyroid gland. This is why you need thyroid hormone medication.
Hashimoto’s is an incurable condition. However, it is possible to drive it into remission. This means the autoimmune attack against your thyroid gland stops and symptoms improve or disappear.
Taking thyroid hormone medication alone rarely drives Hashimoto’s into remission. Instead, you must learn what the triggers of your autoimmunity are and how to customize a diet and lifestyle plan unique to you.
Understand your health and hashimoto’s
If you have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism—or if you have low thyroid symptoms—it’s important to know that more than 90 percent of hypothyroidism cases are caused by Hashimoto’s disease.
Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune thyroid condition. This means the immune system has begun erroneously attacking and damaging the thyroid gland. This is why you need thyroid hormone medication.
Hashimoto’s is an incurable condition. However, it is possible to drive it into remission. This means the autoimmune attack against your thyroid gland stops and symptoms improve or disappear.
Taking thyroid hormone medication alone rarely drives Hashimoto’s into remission. Instead, you must learn what the triggers of your autoimmunity are and how to customize a diet and lifestyle plan unique to you.
Understand your health and hashimoto’s
1. Could Hashimoto’s be causing your low thyroid symptoms?
Do you take thyroid hormone medication for your thyroid problems but still suffer fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, constipation, depression, cold hands and feet, or other symptoms?
Has your doctor told you your lab tests are normal and there isn’t anything more to do?
Or do you have all the textbook symptoms of low thyroid yet doctors continually tell you your lab tests are normal?
Hypothyroidism, or low thyroid function, affects millions of Americans, most of them women. It’s common for people with thyroid problems to go undiagnosed for years. Those who are diagnosed still experience low thyroid symptoms and a gradual worsening of their symptoms despite taking medication. This is because they are not getting the autoimmune disease treatment they need.
Do any of these low thyroid and Hashimoto’s symptoms apply to you?
- Always tired or sluggish
- Cold all the time; cold hands and feet
- Require excessive amounts of sleep
- Gain weight very easily
- Constipation
- Depression and lack of motivation
- Morning headaches
- Outer third of eyebrow thins
- Thinning of hair on scalp, face, or genitals
- Hair loss
- Dry skin and/or scalp
- Mental sluggishness
- Brain fog
- Sometimes have heart palpitations
- Bouts of increased pulse rate and inward trembling
- Periods of feeling nervous and emotional
- Periods of insomnia and night sweats
What is causing your Hashimoto’s?
Ten different people with autoimmune Hashimoto’s can have the disease for 10 different reasons.
The trick is to find out what your unique triggers are and address those.
However, a core set of autoimmune foundation strategies apply to most patients. These include modifying your diet to be anti-inflammatory, stabilizing blood sugar, and adopting lifestyle strategies that best support your immune system.
Within these strategies, each person will fine tune their approach to relieve symptoms and optimize thyroid function.
1. Could Hashimoto’s be causing your low thyroid symptoms?
Do you take thyroid hormone medication for your thyroid problems but still suffer fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, constipation, depression, cold hands and feet, or other symptoms?
Has your doctor told you your lab tests are normal and there isn’t anything more to do?
Or do you have all the textbook symptoms of low thyroid yet doctors continually tell you your lab tests are normal?
Hypothyroidism, or low thyroid function, affects millions of Americans, most of them women. It’s common for people with thyroid problems to go undiagnosed for years. Those who are diagnosed still experience low thyroid symptoms and a gradual worsening of their symptoms despite taking medication. This is because they are not getting the autoimmune disease treatment they need.
Do any of these low thyroid and Hashimoto’s symptoms apply to you?
- Always tired or sluggish
- Cold all the time; cold hands and feet
- Require excessive amounts of sleep
- Gain weight very easily
- Constipation
- Depression and lack of motivation
- Morning headaches
- Outer third of eyebrow thins
- Thinning of hair on scalp, face, or genitals
- Hair loss
- Dry skin and/or scalp
- Mental sluggishness
- Brain fog
- Sometimes have heart palpitations
- Bouts of increased pulse rate and inward trembling
- Periods of feeling nervous and emotional
- Periods of insomnia and night sweats
What is causing your Hashimoto’s?
Ten different people with autoimmune Hashimoto’s can have the disease for 10 different reasons.
The trick is to find out what your unique triggers are and address those.
However, a core set of autoimmune foundation strategies apply to most patients. These include modifying your diet to be anti-inflammatory, stabilizing blood sugar, and adopting lifestyle strategies that best support your immune system.
Within these strategies, each person will fine tune their approach to relieve symptoms and optimize thyroid function.
I use functional medicine strategies to treat Hashimoto’s patients that were developed by autoimmune pioneer Dr. Datis Kharrazian. Dr. Kharrazian is the one who first introduced the concept of autoimmune hypothyroidism to the popular consciousness.
Why functional medicine? Simply put, because it works. Consider the following foundations of a functional medicine approach to managing Hashimoto’s:
- Addresses the underlying cause
- Relies on published, peer-reviewed science
- Recognizes all systems of the body are related
- Works to stop progression of chronic disease
- Uses advanced testing
- Reverses problems before they become diseases if it’s not too late
Functional medicine does not:
- Mask symptoms with drugs or surgery first
- Attempt to correct physiologic function first with drugs or surgery
- Specialize in one single organ or system
How I use functional medicine to help you when you have Hashimoto’s
When you visit your primary care doctor with symptoms of low thyroid, your TSH will be tested. If it’s high, you will be placed on thyroid hormone medication and re-evaluated annually.
While it’s important to use thyroid meds if you need them, this model does not screen for nor treat the autoimmune Hashimoto’s component of your low thyroid symptoms. That’s because it is not taught in medical schools and insurance does not cover it.
However, unless you address the autoimmunity, your immune system will continue to destroy your thyroid gland.
Scientific studies point to a number of nutritional and lifestyle strategies can help put your autoimmune Hashimoto’s into remission. And these strategies need to be customized to each person.
For instance, chronic stress, varying food sensitivities, chemical sensitivities, gut health problems, undiagnosed chronic infections, blood sugar imbalances, and hormonal imbalances are examples of factors that can promote autoimmune Hashimoto’s low thyroid symptoms.
To help you identify the cause of your symptoms, I use a variety of science-based lab tests, assessments, detailed patient history, and in-office exams to determine where the major areas of dysfunction lie.
2. Why a functional medicine approach works best for Hashimoto’s
I use functional medicine strategies to treat Hashimoto’s patients that were developed by autoimmune pioneer Dr. Datis Kharrazian. Dr. Kharrazian is the one who first introduced the concept of autoimmune hypothyroidism to the popular consciousness.
Why functional medicine? Simply put, because it works. Consider the following foundations of a functional medicine approach to managing Hashimoto’s:
- Addresses the underlying cause
- Relies on published, peer-reviewed science
- Recognizes all systems of the body are related
- Works to stop progression of chronic disease
- Uses advanced testing
- Reverses problems before they become diseases if it’s not too late
Functional medicine does not:
- Mask symptoms with drugs or surgery first
- Attempt to correct physiologic function first with drugs or surgery
- Specialize in one single organ or system
How I use functional medicine to help you when you have Hashimoto’s
When you visit your primary care doctor with symptoms of low thyroid, your TSH will be tested. If it’s high, you will be placed on thyroid hormone medication and re-evaluated annually.
While it’s important to use thyroid meds if you need them, this model does not screen for nor treat the autoimmune Hashimoto’s component of your low thyroid symptoms. That’s because it is not taught in medical schools and insurance does not cover it.
However, unless you address the autoimmunity, your immune system will continue to destroy your thyroid gland.
Scientific studies point to a number of nutritional and lifestyle strategies can help put your autoimmune Hashimoto’s into remission. And these strategies need to be customized to each person.
For instance, chronic stress, varying food sensitivities, chemical sensitivities, gut health problems, undiagnosed chronic infections, blood sugar imbalances, and hormonal imbalances are examples of factors that can promote autoimmune Hashimoto’s low thyroid symptoms.
To help you identify the cause of your symptoms, I use a variety of science-based lab tests, assessments, detailed patient history, and in-office exams to determine where the major areas of dysfunction lie.