Advice on diet change

Wow, what an interesting article! I hear what you say about my personality - I do tend to take things on board from other people but when my symptoms came on I'd literally just got back from holiday and was feeling pretty chilled out.....apart from the stress of having to go back to work! Virus wise - I do suffer from cold sores but haven't had one for ages and I'm not particularly susceptible to colds, I maybe get one a year.

I've noticed that I've definitely got less tolerant to dairy foods as I get older and maybe I'm becoming less tolerant of gluten as well. I also started the menopause early - I was 38 when I was diagnosed as peri-menopausal after several years of crippling mood swings - so I was wondering if there was maybe an hormonal trigger to my thyroid problems. It's amazing how complex our bodies are and how easily things can go out of sync!!

Thanks for the Info Veronica. I definitely have a problem with inflammation, have arthritis and I don't believe it is the osteo kind. When I became menopausal, my cholesterol rose to 8 and went back down again when I took bioidentical hormones. And I have a very overstimulated immune response, having had serum sickness twice, once to a bee sting and once to an antibiotic.

Linda

Karen,

Doctors in Canada don't offer a printed result of your labs unless you request them, in which case they are obliged to give them to you.

Linda

It is the same in the US, we have to ask for a printed copy of labs in order to get one, and sign for them.

I feel like I have had hypothyroid symptoms my whole life except for

1- When I was pregnant, especially with my first child,

2- nine months after the birth of my 3rd child when the doctor prescribed Medrol for a chronic nighttime cough (he asked if I was pregnant and I said no, but 9 months later my fourth child was born with infant glaucoma,)

3- when I started taking prednisone for Lupus (SLE) when I was about 52,

4- the brief time I was extremely hyperthyroid when I had a very fast heart rate,

5- between seeing Endo #1 and #2 when I went off the Methimazole (MMI) for one summer

6- and after I started using Cytomel last June until made to decrease it last November.

I sometimes think it was those symptoms of low energy, weakness, cold sensitivity, constipation, and poor appetite that caused the autoimmune attack of GD.

My thyroid was never tested before I was in my forties, and I don't think they even had the TSH test until I was around 30. When I was tested, once before I was diagnosed with SLE, and every year after the dx until my tests came out negative for SLE, my TSH test always came back as "in the normal range". Then, at age 60 I was still complaining of fatigue, low energy, etc. when I was tested again with a result of 0.01 TSH at my OB/gyn office, and the nightmare with my thyroid got a lot worse, especially after anti-thyroid treatment.

Hi All

I have been suffering from Graves for about 6 years, after initial treatment I came off medication but left myself in the dangerous position of not getting any treatment for 5 years which resulted in me becoming seriously ill last year when things came to a head.

My levels are under control at the moment but endo wants me to have either RAI or surgery. I have decided RAI is not an option at all, most people end up with underactive thyroid & need to take medication for life but have to endure sometimes 12 months of feeling unwell whilst things settle.

So whilst I decided surgery was the way to go I was never really convinced this was the right thing to do, it just seems wrong to remove such a vital body part. Plus I could never get my head round why the doctors never want to treat the underlying reason the thyroid is overactive.

I also developed rheumatoid arthritis last year and even if my thyroid is removed this does nothing to treat the arthritis.

So quite by chance I read an article about someone quitting sugar who managed to get rid of her Graves disease then I came across a film called Fat Sick & Nearly Dead which is a guy who also got rid of his auto immune disease by going on a 60 day juice fast, juicing veg 80% & fruit 20%. At the end of 60 days he had just about got rid of his health issues. This lead me to do lots more research & I am now on my own journey to try to fix my own health.

It is difficult and I am not saying this is something that everyone should try but it is just what I have decided.

For anyone else looking for information I recommend watching the following films :-

Fat Sick & Nearly Dead

Food Matters

Forks over Knives

The Gerson Miracle

The Beautiful Truth

There is also another film about to be released here is a link to the website where you can register to watch for free :-

http://www.superjuiceme.com/premiere?inf_contact_key=3c032652c57c0bb7cd07411125523257219532caaf65da70a7fae3f253b9e147

I would be interested to hear any comments you may have once watched the films.

I wish you all well & I hope we all find the right route back to good health.

Regards

Ann

I've seen a couple of these films...everyone should watch at least a few!

I've recently done a lot of research on inflammation, which many believe is the root of most, IF NOT ALL, diseases and health challenges, including cancer.

Inflammation is related to viruses and weak immune systems. It really sheds light on any health issue we have. The internet has many informative articles on these conditions.

I had a Reiki appt. yesterday with my practitioner who I've been going to for several years. We discussed my hyperthyroid condition and the symptoms I'm experiencing that are very debilitating (weak legs; heart palpitations; being out of breath; moodiness; depression).

She had a similar thyroid issue a few years ago but then found that after her thyroid was "back to normal" that it was really adrenal fatigue that was causing many of her symptoms.

I've been told several times that my adrenals were "shot." I think because of some very stressful circumstances in my life, the Epstein-Barr virus was triggered and eventually attacked my thyroid. The stress would also affect the adrenals. My bloodwork showed I'm in the normal range now, but still feel awful. My doctor just basically said, "Wait...continue to take your meds and supplements." There's much more going on.

I now have the names of some homeopathic herbs and supplements that have helped my Reiki practitioner with HER adrenals.

The lesson in this story is that just because your thyroid is out of whack, don't assume that nothing else is wrong or needs balancing, correcting, or healing. It's a complex thing...and it's up to US to work on figuring it out. The doctors are often very narrow-minded in their specialty fields and are very conventional. We need to take a HOLISTIC approach to healing our health issues. EVERYTHING is interrelated.

So I'm going to get the holistic remedies that my Reiki practitioner recommended. It's a lot of trial-and-error, but it's your life and your health. You need to take control of it! Anyone we consult with is only a guide.

I haven't watched the films yet, but I just wanted to comment about the Autoimmune effect. Generally, Doctors don't know how to cure it, so they just try to treat the effect or the symptoms. In the case of the thyroid, if you have Graves' antibodies that make you hyperthyroid they try to lower the hormones with medication or by killing the thyroid. If they use RAI or surgery, they need to replace the thyroid hormones. If they use medications and your body suddenly stops producing the stimulating antibodies you will also go hypothyroid, but the doctors may not realize it. Even if the doctor realizes you are hypo (if your TSH is very high) it may take some time for him to treat you and may not ever really treat you adequately.

I started suspecting that my body doesn't produce enough TSH to accurately predict where my hormone levels are, when I was diagnosed with GD. It took falling on my face in the street (not deliberately, of course), before my Endo (#2 of 4) let me lower my dose of Methimazole (MMI). Lowering the dose by only 1 tablet (5 mg) or a half of a tablet once per week, seemed to help the autoimmune attack to relax. I went from a TSH of 0.01 to 2.5 in 3 months, was lowered again by the same amount and my TSH shot up to over 5.0 in the next 2 months.

The doctor lowered my dose immediately then, and again when I saw him a week later. After that, I began deliberately lowering my own dose very carefully and never within a month of the next labs, then on my Endo visits I would inform him what I had done. He never objected because my TSH stayed in the normal range when I controlled my own doses that way. When I went off the MMI altogether, I had been aware of all the hypo symptoms for a while, but just waited for the blood test before going off. That was when the Endo said I had done the right thing. He wouldn't provide supplements afterwards though, giving reasons like: "It takes at least two months for the effects of MMI to leave the body;" "Of course your free T3 is low, that's what we were trying to do with the MMI;" "We could retest you, if you want;" and, "Your TSH test shows you are in the normal range."

Thanks Veronica. I think I will try it.

Story at-a-glance --

According to a new study, medical experts have implemented 146 “reversals” in the past decade, meaning course changes on specific medical practices; reversals are common across all medical specialties

Between 40 and 78 percent of the testing, treatments and procedures you receive today are of no benefit, and many have already been deemed harmful by clinical studies

The US earned a failing grade on nearly every benchmark in a survey comparing the opinions and experiences of people from seven different countries about their respective health care systems

America spends more on health care than the next 10 biggest spenders combined, yet ranks last in health and mortality among 17 developed nations; we hold the top rating in one category, however: medical waste

America’s health care system compares unfavorably in coordination of care, prevention of chronic disease, medical errors, accessibility and affordability, and patients’ satisfaction with their doctors and care

We just had a Canadian doctor testify at a Senate Hearing about Canada's universal health care system and she put a senator in his place with her answers.

Sure our system isn't perfect but I think it is a lot better than the American system. That said, if we could teach medical students integrative medicine, that is combining traditional medical knowledge with naturopathic knowledge we would have an outstanding system. However, as I have said before, doctors "follow the herd" and it takes a very strong individual to oppose that system and be a leader, not a follower.

Yes, Linda! I agree...

It's ALL about the money and what each person/organization can get by manipulating and controlling the people using fear and intimidation, among other things.

We're planning our move to Ecuador this Fall. We've done lots of research and continue to do more. One thing we learned about is the healthcare system there. The mindset is totally different. There are high-quality doctors and hospitals there -- the doctors have been trained all over the world, and on-going learning is a priority. However, they do not make a ton of money like in the States. They get into the medical profession because they genuinely want to help people...it's not about the money.

It's common to be seen within 10 minutes upon arriving at a doctor's appt. or getting seen in the emergency room. The doctor sees you -- personally! -- and he talks to you for up to 45 minutes! In the states you hardly ever see the doctor anymore...just nurses and other so-called professionals.

It's common for a doctor to even make house calls to check up on a patient AND to give out his cell phone number in case his patient has any questions or concerns.

I saw a video of an expat who moved to Ecuador (by the way, their system welcomes residents and non-residents alike) and had been sick for a few weeks. She was really dehydrated so went to the emergency room. Although you can get FULL medical coverage for $70/month (NO DEDUCTIBLES!), the costs are so low that many expats just pay out-of-pocket and don't get health insurance.

This woman got seen by the doctor within 10 minutes...had premium care with the latest equipment in a comfortable, modern hospital room...and was told she needed to have an overnight stay so she could be on an I.V. and observation.

She was released the following day...

Total charge -- for EVERYTHING --- $350!

In the U.S. we would probably get a bill for $10,000!

When you realize the reality of what's going on, the anger just grows! That's one reason we're moving out of the U.S. One pays and pays and pays astronomical prices for EVERYTHING. People work so hard for their money...and even if you make a decent salary, the costs of EVERYTHING still leaves you feeling poor and like you'll never get ahead!

That causes a lot of stress...which makes you sick...and the negative cycle continues...

I am very fortunate. I have had a General Practitioner for the last 20 years who runs a very good practice. I don't wait in the office more than 5-10 minutes to be seen. Now I don't spend a lot of time with him, he takes as long as he needs but most of his work is in referrals to specialists, but I get prescription renewals, lab tests done and examination and referral very quickly. He asks you to tell the receptionist if you need a longer appointment time or if you are asking about more than one thing so you would wait longer to see him if you need more time but for usual things or emergencies I see him very quickly often the same or next day. I pay him $100 a year for "extras" like phone renewals of prescriptions or letters required for work, etc but he is well worth it and even if you don't pay the extra, he still offers the same good service to everyone. I have often thought he should teach medical students about how to run an efficient family practice.

We pay for universal health care through our taxes and that depends on how much you earn. I think I paid $900 last year through my taxes. Even if you are a homeless person paying nothing, you would get free medical care, especially in Emergency Departments. So compared to what I have heard about the American System, ours is very good.

Yes! There are a handful of genuinely good docs out there...you ARE fortunate to have found one!

Just a quick update on this thread. I visited my endocrinologist this week and she was happy with all my levels so couldn't explain why I am actually feeling worse than when I last saw her. She tried to tell me that I was possibly fighting a virus as "there's a lot of stuff going around at the moment" which really doesn't help me any! She wants me to carry on decreasing my dose of Carbimazole, which I'm more than happy to do, but I don't know if this will improve my energy levels.

I've ordered some Acetyl L-Carnitine which has been recommended on this forum so I'm hoping that will help. I'm also still looking into making dietary changes. I had about a week where I avoided wheat, sugar and dairy and I did feel much better. Not loads of energy but certainly less bloated and tired. Unfortunately I then had a busy week and it pretty much fell by the wayside so now I'm back to square one! I was looking online for more advice though and came across an article about what foods to eat/avoid when you have thyroid issues. There was one point which I found really interesting about gluten which I've posted below.

"Recent research into autoimmune diseases and autoimmune thyroid disease in particular indicates that there’s a strong connection between celiac disease and thyroid disease. Indeed, study published in Digestive Diseases & Science indicates that sufferers of autoimmune thyroid disease have roughly a 400% greater chance of also suffering from celiac disease than control groups. Moreover, some research indicates that after 3-6 months on a gluten-free diet, those pesky anti-thyroid antibodies virtually disappear. That’s a poweful case to remove wheat, barley and other gluten-containing grains from your diet if you suffer from any form of autoimmune thyroid disease."

I've always been sceptical of wheat intolerances as many people I know that have claimed to be intolerant seem to eat lots of processed food and I always thought that it was probably the processed nature of the food rather than the gluten content that didn't agree with them. I've never had a problem with bread etc as long as I've eaten it in moderation and it's come from a good bakery rather than what I call "plastic bread" which lasts for weeks without going off! Since I've had this thyroid issue though I do seem to be less tolerant so it looks like I'll have to grin and bear a gluten free diet in the future!!

Thanks to everyone who has posted on this thread, I've got some really great information from it and it's nice to know I'm not alone with these health issues.

Thanks for the great info, Karen!

If you research "inflammation" you'll find that most, if not all, diseases are a result of inflammation -- and gluten can contribute to inflammation.

You can find "anti-inflammatory diet" online, too.

So many things are inter-related! It makes each of our issues a mystery that must be solved! I think we all are doctors/scholars with all the research we do! I'm sure we know more than many doctors!