Before diving into Hashimoto Thyroiditis, its causes, and symptoms, let’s take a look at how and why thyroid dysfunction happens.
HOW AND WHY THYROID DYSFUNCTION HAPPENS?
Your thyroid gland responds to the stimulation by TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), a hormone secreted by the pituitary gland. When stimulated, the thyroid gland produces two main hormones: thyroxine (T4), a thyroid hormone named for its four molecules of iodine, and triiodothyronine (T3), a thyroid hormone named for its three molecules of iodine.
Now you remember which of the two is more active or usable form, Yes, its T3! The thyroid gland regulates many processes in the body, including fat and carbohydrate metabolism, body temperature, heart rate, immunity, and fertility.
And Hypothyroidism is when the thyroid is underactive and the gland is not producing enough thyroid hormones (T4 and T3); often triggering the pituitary gland to produce more TSH. It can upset the normal balance of chemical reactions in the body causing a variety of symptoms. If left untreated it can lead to obesity, joint pain, infertility and heart disease. It’s estimated that 60% of people with hypothyroidism have the autoimmune condition, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis but often this goes undiagnosed.
HASHIMOTO THYROIDITIS
Hashimoto Thyroiditis is an autoimmune condition and is the most common cause of hypothyroidism, where the body produces antibodies to attack and destroy the thyroid cells, leading to a drop in T3 & T4 production. Let’s get into the details:
- Thyroid cells are damaged by triggers such as too much iodine, fluoride, metals, gluten consumption, bacterial and viral infections and not to forget too much stress.
- Dying thyroid cells send out a signal to the immune system to save the thyroid gland from the villain aka invaders but apparently the immune cells get confused and accidently attack the thyroid gland instead because of the wrong message.
- Finally, the thyroid runs out of resources to regenerate thyroid cells and is no longer able to produce enough hormones.
Note: In the beginning stage of the disease, most people have very few symptoms, so it could be difficult to diagnose this early on, hence to qualify as Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, you must check on these two levels: Thyroid peroxidase antibodies and thyroglobulin antibodies along with T3, T4, and TSH.
Remember stress can be a major cause of hormonal imbalance. So we could also consider if this is contributing to Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. How can you check that so you can also run a lab test called Reverse T3? Individuals with high levels of Reverse T3 can suppress the thyroid gland. Note that Reverse T3 by itself is not bad. Just high levels are! Here, the body is asking for more love and care to promote healing.
Certain Diagnostic Tests to rule out Hashimoto Thyroiditis:
1. TPO Antibodies
2. Thyroglobulin Antibodies
3. Thyroid Hormone levels
4. Reverse T3 levels
Now let’s see what the normal Thyroid Hormones and TSH Levels are and what levels indicate Hypothyroidism that is Hashimoto Thyroiditis:
Reference lab ranges:
- TSH levels, Reference range: 0.35-5uIU/ml, >4.0 is borderline High ideally, we want to look at below 2!
- Total T3: 80-200 ng/dl
Total T4: 4.5-11.2 mcg/dl
Free T3: 2.3-4.4pg/ml
Free T4: 0.7-2.0ng/dl
Reverse T3 :9.1-24.1ng/dl - Anti- thyroid antibody test to check for autoimmune condition (Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis):
Anti-TPO antibodies: Less than 15 mIU
Anti-TG antibodies: Less than 1 mIU
HASHIMOTO CAUSES:
Autoimmune diseases i.e Hashimoto thyroiditis seem to be related to
- Stress
- Poor diet
- Gluten intolerance
- Toxin exposure
- Infection
- Electromagnetic frequency exposure
- Leaky gut
- Blood sugar imbalances
- Vitamin D deficiency
HASHIMOTO THYROIDITIS SYMPTOMS
- Low BMR and weight gain
- Bradycardia (Low heart rate)
- Low breathing rate
- Low body temperature and
- Hypotension (Blood Pressure lower than normal)
- Fatigue
- Lower quality sleep
- sensitivity to cold
- Constipation
- Dry skin
- Hair fall
- Irregular and heavy periods
- Forget fullness
- Sore muscles
- Puffy face
- Increased frequency of miscarriages
Lifestyle interventions is a very powerful tool that can be used to heal the body. Simple things like sleep, sunshine, movement, and more can go a long way to add fuel for life.
Lifestyle Interventions to help optimize thyroid and help in managing Hashimoto thyroiditis:
- Acupuncture – work beautifully in correcting hormonal imbalances and inciting the body’s natural healing process.
- Exercise appropriately 30 minutes to an hour, 5 days a week. Cardio is great, weight training works excellent for hypothyroid and since the main concern here implying low BMR, weight training works best for increasing the BMR
- Meditation a day, can also indulge in yoga and tai chi
- Massage regularly- helps to get rid of toxins, reduces stress and lowers anxiety
- Can try dipping feet in Epsom salt water along with lavender oil drops, this helps to buffer cortisol levels and help keep the hormone balance in check
- The thyroid gland is sensitive to the exposure of electromagnetic field, hence turn of the computer and cell phones when not needed, keep electronics out of the bedroom, avoid using microwave ovens, and stay away from electronics an hour before going to bed and when it comes to phone, use ear buds, keep the phone away from the body and turn on airplane mode and turn off WIFI before sleeping
- Avoid plastics, including water bottles and food packaging, BPA-coated. Use glass or steel instead. Plastics are just not just a problem for the environment, but also, they contain chemicals as they break down or are heated up that can harm us. Chemicals like BPA or phthalates which are plasticizers. One of the things you really want to be aware of is you never want to heat plastics. Definitely you don’t want to heat plastics whether that’s in the microwave or having a bottle in your car that you leave on the seat and come back, and the water is really hot, the plastic has already leeched into it.
- Speaking your truth, practice expressing truthfully.
Struggling with Hashimoto’s symptoms? Contact now for expert advice from Karishmma Chawla on how to balance your thyroid health effectively
