Thyroid and detox

Hello Undeserved grace. There are many people with a Lyme infection (including myself) that suffer from thyroid dysfunction. Are you suffering from hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism? Has your doctor done an antiTPO test on you? You mentioned in earlier posts that you had low free T3. Was your free T4 tested as well? have you had your TSH and ACTH checked? Have you been checked for any thyroid nodules? are any of them present? Have you been checking you basal temperature in the mornings? Has your doctor checked you adrenal glands as well?

I would be very surprised if your doctor would recommend Armour without running a full thyroid and adrenal blood panel, specially knowing that you have Lyme.

Some people with Lyme find that as they treat their infection, their thyroid dysfunction clears up as well. It seems that Lyme bacteria impact the pituitary glands and the hypothalamus during the infection and this affects how your thyroid and adrenal system function.

One other thing that comes to mind that affects the thyroid is a gluten allergy. Many people with Lyme suffer from this. When gluten is consumed, your autoimmune system attacks your thyroid thinking that it is a foreign object.

As to your symptoms...you don't say in your post which symptoms have increased. Anxiety, depression, fatigue, weight gain/loss are all symptoms of a thyroid dysfunction (but not the only cause) and it is possible that Armour has affected the hormonal balance thus making you symptomatic.

One more thing, my Lyme tests had turned out negative, but, as you know, are unreliable. I did have rashes, bite, fever, and symptoms 18 months ago. My MD wants to get my thyroid working again before moving on to treating the Lyme. I've heard if the thyroid doesn't work properly, it won't metabolize antibiotics, supplements, etc. very well. Or her thinking is that maybe all my symptoms are from bad thyroid and it will get better.

Thank you. Actually my FT3 results say less than 1.0. I am afraid to start more than one prescription/supplement at a time since my body seems to have many reactions. I made the mistake of getting a steroid shot, bad idea!! I have lost weight the last few months, at 106 lbs and dropping so I don't know if treatments will make my appetite even worse. I don't know if I can afford to lose much more weight. I am 51 yrs. old and 5'4". I am getting worried though.

I agree. Thank you for all your help!! Decisions, decisions . . .

I am rather new to Lyme. Although, I have been doing a lot of research. I feel like some people don't believe that I have Lyme and I'm still in the experimental stage. It's been about 18 months since the bite. I was given 14 days of Doxy but told I could stop because my test was negative (I did not stop because I didn't see how it could be negative). Because I didn't have technically an "EM" rash, I was diagnosed as an "Unknown rash." I had a round red circle on my toe with black center which I think might have been the tick; it was so small. I also got rashes all over my body mostly in the joints. Then four weeks later, I got the fever. That is when I took the 14 days of Doxy. I've had symptoms on and off since but got worse since a steroid shot three months ago and really bad after I started Armour Thyroid six days ago. Anyway, I feel better today, just tired but no headache yet. My doctor is a "natural" MD and she is consulting with a lyme doctor concerning me. She's the one that requested blood tests and prescribed the Armour Thyroid along with natural progesterone (which I haven't started yet). The only problem is she's three hours away and hard to get a hold of at times. However, I am looking at an LLND that is only an hour away.

Traveler,
Were you able to find tests for your coinfections? If so, what were they?

Undeserved grace,

The physician that healed my daughter holds the presupposition that the various body (and mind) systems are interconnected by various degrees. He healed my daughter utilizing that paradigm. Its interesting that I am recently seeing more and more conventionally trained physicians come to that same conclusion. The reasons for their paradigm shift is based more on the clinical observation of cause-and-effect rather than that of "scientific" proof. However, I also see signs that the "science" is starting to catch up. Some scientific evidence is starting to emerge that the Immune System not only impacts the Thyroid, but that it actually is a reciprocal relationship. Thyroid function does impact Immune function.


http://joe.endocrinology-journals.org/content/202/1/55.full.pdf

"In summary, the current study suggests a role for thyroid
hormones, within the normal physiological range, in the
maintenance of lymphocyte subpopulations, and in mediating
the inflammatory response. This study suggests that some of
the same immune alterations observed in thyroid disorders are
also observed under normal physiological conditions, albeit
within normal reference ranges. These preliminary findings
indicate the potential benefit of maintaining optimal thyroid
hormone concentrations for the maintenance of immune
function with advancing age. Overall, the study reveals a
complex relationship between the endocrine and immune
systems that warrants further study in this vulnerable
population of individuals."


http://www.newswithviews.com/Howenstine/james5.htm


http://www.wellnessresources.com/tips/articles/thyroid_adrenals_immunity_a_clear_path_to_surviving_swine_flu/

"Relatively new science has pinpointed how the toxins coming from infections are a major challenge to your thyroid function3. This information shows that when toxic infectious particles are sensed by your hypothalamus gland, thyroid function is progressively turned down in response to the initial inflammatory gene signals4 that are needed to fight the infection. This is most likely a survival system in and of itself, as energy needs to be diverted to immune function and away from general metabolic needs. However, it appears a line can be crossed where too much toxicity can simply crash your thyroid function – creating a major problem for immune function. Additionally, infections directly inflame the thyroid gland itself."


My observation is that the patients that do the best are those who are treated from a paradigm that all things are interrelated. Those treatment paradigms that treat the pathogen in isolation are the ones that have the worst outcome in my opinion. Its great that your wheels are turning, and that you are asking these types of questions! None of us have all the answers.

I wish you well in your quest to regain your health!!! I am looking forward to your updates.

Don

Post Edited (Heathersdad) : 11/19/2013 3:36:19 PM (GMT-7)