Hashimoto's and Autoimmune Disease

I am new to this forum, I usually hang out on the IBD forums because my daughter has

Crohn's disease.  However I have Hashimoto's and have started reading the comments here and

would like to share some of the things that I have discovered.

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's several years ago and have been to several doctors and naturopaths.

It has been difficult to find a correct dosage of thyroid meds because my labs fluctuate wildly and

not one of the doctors treats this disease the same way. So I have been doing my own research and

wanted to give you some sources if you are also in search of some better answers.

I have just finished reading Hope for Hashimoto's by Alexander Haskell, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid

Symptoms? When My Lab Tests are Normal by Datis Kharrazian and am in the middle of Solved: The

Riddle of Illness by Stephen Langer. These books focus on the autoimmune aspect of Hashimoto's

and provide so much helpful information. They all discuss the connection between gluten sensitivity

and Hashi's and also discuss the causes and why traditional hypothyroid treatment doesn't often

alleviate symptoms for Hashi's.

My favorite of the three books is Hope for Hashimoto's. It is kind of expensive but you can get a lot

of information without buying the book by going to his website :   http://hopeforhashimotos.com/

He has a video series that is an excellent source of information about Hashimoto's. Datis

Kharrazian also has a web site: http://www.thyroidbook.com/  with good information but in

his book he gives you a lot of information but when he talks about helpful suppplements he doesn't

give any dosages but tells you to consult with a practitioner. The problem is finding a practitioner

who believes this treatment is helpful and is really informed about this disease. I do believe so

much of what they have written because as I'm reading, I will go "That's right! That is just what

I'm going through."

I saw a post about hypoglycemia and hypothyroidism and see a chapter in Langer's book: Medical

Look-alikes: Hypoglycemia and Hypothyroidism but I haven't read that chapter yet. He wrote this

book in 2000 and updated it in 2006 to include information about Hashimoto's. He has a lot of

information describing how hypothyroidism affects or contributes to so many other health

problems such as arthritis, cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, fibromyalgia, etc.

Sorry if this information has already been discussed. I did a search but didn't see any references.

I hope it can help someone out there. I know I've been having a heck of a time trying to get

this disease under control. Good luck.

I read Dr Kharazian's book two years ago. He mentions several doctors in the book and I contacted one name Dr. Peterson, who works at Wellness Alternatives in St. Louis, although I think they are moving to California. He took me as a patient, although I live out of state from his practice. He worked with me over the phone. It is important to have a practitioner because they look at your blood tests in order to determine what you need. I had the blood tests done locally with my primary care doctor and sent the results to Dr. Peterson. It was the best thing I ever did. It changed my life. I completely stopped eating gluten and dairy, and iodized salt. I had many herbs that assisted in my recovery. I never took hormone replacement, we worked to get my thyroid to function as best it could. I followed his advise with faithful conviction. Over time my lab tests became more and more normal. I recently moved and had to start over with a new primary care doctor and based on my most recent blood tests she thought I was so healthy that I never had Hashimotos and it was a misdiagnoses! lol ! My gut feels much better, my health has improved, and I lost 60 pounds without ANY effort. Please do not let it put you off that Dr. Kharazian recommends a practitioner. There are many different variations that depend on your blood tests. I am TH-1 dominant but it would have been different if I were TH-2 dominant. My practitioner was able to advise exactly what I needed and the right dosage for me based on the blood tests. It really changed my life and I hear so many reporting that they never feel better, and I want you to know you CAN recover. I know there is no cure for Hashimotos but it can be managed and the immune system can be lulled into a state of "sleep" for lack of a better description. I don't let my immune system get triggered, and I get to have a normal life. In my humble opinion, lifestyle change is the ONLY way to treat Hashimotos. IF you have Hashimotos and you are eating gluten or dairy you need to STOP and you need to do that RIGHT NOW. There are so many things you can do to support your thyroid and help improve it's function. You can find a practitioner at Dr. Kharazian's web site, it does not matter if they are geographically close to you. I wish you the best.