Before we dive into Hashimoto’s, let’s just make sure you understand the thyroid gland and what it’s all about.
Your thyroid is the master regulator of your metabolism. It is a small, butterfly-shaped organ at the base of your neck and it takes iodine from your diet and converts it into thyroid hormones: T4, T3 and calcitonin.
These hormones are then secreted into your bloodstream, where they travel to every single cell in your body. Think of theT4/T3 hormones as the "spark plugs" for your cells. They tell your heart how fast to beat, your intestines how fast to digest food, and your brain how quickly to process thoughts.
If you have been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, quite simply you are living with an autoimmune condition where your own immune system is attacking your own thyroid gland.
The next question is always……BUT WHY WOULD MY BODY DO THAT?
That’s a great question and the reason why you’re reading this - to get a better understanding of the cause of Hashimoto’s because once you know the cause, you can make changes to address that cause and RECLAIM YOUR POWER TO HEAL IT.
Let’s start here -
To understand Hashimoto’s, you have to look at your immune system NOT as a failing system, but as one that is “over-reacting."
In a standard environment, your immune system identifies and attacks external threats like viruses or bacteria in a tempered, measured manner. Think of your immune system like the U.S. Armed Forces. If there are a couple of rogue drug-running boats bringing illegal drugs and people up from South America, the Coast Guard will be called upon to deal with these couple of boats in a measured manner and…..problem solved.
But what if instead, the President of the U.S. declared war on these 2 boats, sending in the Marines, Army and Navy and then bombing these 2 boats and all boats looking like them along the shore, killing our own soldiers and US citizens at the same time?
That is an extreme over-reaction….and exactly how you should think about your Hashimoto’s!
You see, your immune system is overreacting to something else going on in the body and as a result, has misidentified your thyroid gland——as a foreign invader as well. In Hashimoto’s, because your thyroid is under constant attack from your over-reacting immune system, it begins to struggle to do its job.
This is Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.
There is a cellular battle taking place in your neck. As healthy thyroid tissue is replaced by scar tissue during this process, the gland starts losing its ability to manufacture hormones and your "fuel levels" begin to drop.
While this is happening in your neck, your brain is watching closely. Your pituitary gland senses that your hormone levels are dropping. It responds by pumping out massive amounts of TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone). When you look at your lab results and see a high TSH, you are seeing your brain "screaming" at your thyroid to work harder……and your Doctor sees a prescription for thyroid medication in your immediate future (levothyroxine, synthroid, armour thyroid, NP thyroid, etc.).
The tragedy of Hashimoto's is this -
Your Doctor (your primary or your endocrinologist) tells you that you need to get on this medication and mentions nothing (and I mean ZERO) about what’s actually causing the problem. Then for years, you might be on this medication that is “masking” the problem but not addressing it. During that time, the thyroid becomes so damaged by these unrelenting antibodies (thyroid medications do nothing to stop your immune system from attacking your own thyroid gland) that it loses its ability to every properly work again
The communication between the brain and thyroid is lost….forever.
- Sometimes this manifests as small scar tissue nodules in the thyroid.
- Sometimes this manifests as the entire thyroid gland swelling (goiter).
- Sometimes this manifests as thyroid cancer.
And in almost all of these cases, this could have been avoided.
HOW?
To do this, you must know the “WHY”......why does your immune system do this?
Remember, this all started when your immune system over-reacted to some mild problem (remember my bombing of drug boats example from earlier). Well there are multiple reasons why your immune system might over-react:
- Leaky gut due to gluten or dairy sensitivities
- Unhealthy microbiome due to several different factors including (stress, toxins, poor diet)
- Other food sensitivities to soy, coffee, alcohol and processed foods
- Consuming too many raw goitrogenic vegetables
- Nutrient deficiencies common in the U.S. including iodine, iron, ferritin, vitamin D, B12, selenium, zinc, magnesium, and thiamine (B1)
- Viral infections that the immune system has a hard time dealing with
- Hormonal imbalances leading to estrogen dominance
And that’s where I come in.
To reclaim your thyroid gland and your overall health - you’ve got to figure which of these things are causing your Hashimoto’s….
- This requires comprehensive testing that insurance doesn’t want to pay for
- This requires an understanding of the testing and how to address these imbalances from a natural, diet & lifestyle perspective
- And finally, and this is important, this requires working with a Doctor who is not interested in masking the problem with a drug (levothyroxine, synthroid, armour thyroid, NP thyroid) because that’s what the insurance company says or what they’ll pay for.
So here’s what you do:
I offer a free, 15-30 minute phone call consultation (a Discovery Call) to determine if you're a good fit for my office and to have any of your questions answered. From there we can discuss what tests you need (that your Doctor has ignored) and get some answers. Click here to take advantage of this offer - schedule that free call and start your journey to finally fixing your issue.
Don't suffer with thyroid problems / Hashimoto’s any longer. Let's find out what’s causing your Hashimoto’s, and stop masking the problem - let's finally solve it!
