elevated thyroid antibodies?

[Coffeeandshoes]

Ok, so I have/had physical symptoms of hypothyroid.

My lab came back normal except for elevated thyroid antibodies.

 

 

 

This is after three weeks of "virgin diet" (same as whole30 but with rice and beans) and four weeks of whole30.  (wouldn't "cure" it but might improve it)

 

Now what? My doctor said it isn't "bad enough to treat" but with me feeling like crap for a YEAR and the knowledge that this is a precursor to worse if I don't' stop it. now what? continue whole30? what else?

 

gluten free for ever sounds totally sucky. 

[LadyM]

If I were in that situation, I'd look for a good functional medicine doc/naturopath willing to work with the nuances of my body. It's probably a good thing not to start on the path of synthroid/levoxyl but instead seek the deeper cause and help your body correct it. Whole30 is a wonderful part of your healing, no doubt, though yes, you'll likely need to be patient and stick with it for a while.

[Coffeeandshoes]

Problem with that is? There is ONE in the state of Arkansas and I'm not sure they take my insurance. They are a three hour drive from here. I don't need hormones it's "not bad enough yet" per the doctor, what conventional medicine does is wait til it's irreversible then sticks you on a pill.

 

 

 

I will be working to "fix it" with diet and supplements the same as always.

[handle21]

There's a lot of information at the stop the thyroid madness website, and the yahoo group, natural thyroid hormones international, which is linked from there. The group is full of people in your situation, because of the "watch and wait" approach to thyroid problems in most countries. You're not alone! 

[Marie Davis]

I have Hashimoto's, which is autoimmune hypothyroidism - and I can tell you without a doubt being militantly gluten free is the best thing I've done for my symptoms, besides switching from levothyroxine to armour thyroid.  Do I miss pasta, bread and other stuff - not as much as I prefer feeling WAY better.  At the end of the day it's your decision to eat food that makes you more healthy, or eat food that makes you less healthy.  What are your thyroid lab results?  Did they test all aspects or just TSH and antibodies?

[Coffeeandshoes]

sorry, I didn't see this until now. there were several things, the labs are at home, I got a copy for my records.

 

I went crazy, anger, denial, etc, and ate CRAP I haven't eaten in years. Pulled it together, got some supplements, one for adrenals first, then after a couple weeks, selenium, Cod Liver Oil, (vitamin d and A) Vitamins C and B group, and Thyro-gold after about a month of that. Added things in slowly, found out my temperature was around 92-95. And full circle, back to whole30 last week. My temps are now 94-96 so they are better. I predict after about a month of whole30 they will get higher. (I'm also going to add in some coconut oil after the cod liver oil is done)

 

 I'll be doing mostly whole30 for at least 90 days. And gluten free ;( it sucks. But I'm lucky really. it's not that bad. just doing that stuff I feel a million times better than last year. and hopefully with getting the gluten out of my system I'll feel better still.

[Coffeeandshoes]

I want to do the autoimmune protocol but right now I just can't. I'm going camping for two weeks and doing paleo in the car/camping without electricity is a challenge enough

[Itchy57]

My thyroid antibodies sat at over 2000, my doc had personally never seen antibodies that high. Right away she suggested gluten free, thinking I could be celiac (after all the tests, negative for celiac). Hashimotos and celiac are often related. The numbers came down, but slowly.....it takes a very long time. I have since been diagnosed with an allergy to wheat, I cannot even bake any more for the hubby just the dust sends me into a sneezing itchy pile.

I then thought removing all grains might bring them down even more (right now they sit at 300, still much higher that the less than 35 recommended) and I will go for more tests in September. A trip to Mexico and some corn tortillas had them Rise a little after Christmas...grrrrr.

I have been grain free for almost two years, minus the Mexico trip.

I LOVED, really loved bread. The thought of gluten free had me in tears a few times, how silly. After four years I am not missing it too much and know that with an allergy it cannot ever be eaten. I tell myself that at least I had the opportunity to eat it for the first 50 years go my life.

If you know something is a trigger then get rid of it. There is no food worth hurting your health for!

[praxisproject]

It's also worth noting that even a negative celiac result does not mean you're not celiac, the tests are actually quite inaccurate, even the biopsy.

 

If gluten is a problem for you, dairy may be also.

 

If blood tests are something you can get done, you may also want to test your vitamins/minerals or things like cortisol. You may also find someone who can assist with remote treatment, if you see them once face to face.

[Coffeeandshoes]

Itchy, how are you now? I didn't mind the gluten free after all. Its been since July, but I have had beer three times. so that's not 100 percent compliant. I feel better and that makes it easier.

 

My results weren't "that bad" and after adding in vitamin d and iron and no gluten, I feel a ton better. I have only been "exhausted" like twice this year as opposed to almost once a week last year. I added in a ton of herbs to help the adrenals.

 

I need to get labs again and will be doing that next month.

[Tina R]

Have you tried gluten free beer? Have you checked out the paleo mom? She has a lot of info on her blog about AIP and how gluten free grains can have a cross reaction like gluten. That is why it is so important to remove all grains like the whole30 and then test them one at a time to see if anything works for you. I am having similar issues and am meeting with my natural path next month to see what we can do. My diet doesn't make me feel any better.

[HeatherFTW]

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's about a year or two ago, though my antibody numbers were on the low scale at the time. I eventually went into remission/my numbers returned to normal and in my opinion I think it was connected to having been tested for the MTHFR deficiency and taking Metanx to counteract it. Has anyone else with Hashimoto's been tested/treated/even heard of the MTHFR enzyme deficiency?

 

(I haven't done any research to see if the two are related, but I can say my diet wasn't helping my Hashimoto's while it was still active. The MTHFR treatment was the only major change.)

[arlittleton]

My advice is to go to someone who will treat you.  I had an enlarged thyroid/goiter (based on an ultrasound).  I felt like crap.  Doc said I probably had hypothyroidism.  Blood work had me at the high side of the range.  Doc didn't treat me.  For EIGHT more years I felt horrible.  Then in 2012, my numbers were through the roof.  I felt even worst and now have lesions on my thyroid.  And I went to a very high-recommended doctor.  Trust your body not the doctor.  If you aren't feeling well, make sure you go to whoever you can to find the root cause and get it fixed before it's worst.  Cause now I also have diabetes and a host of other things.  New doc said it all stemmed from my thyroid not working.  Good luck!

[walley5]

Heather, I have the mthfr defect... what is metanx?

[praxisproject]

I'm MTHFR too, two copies. My naturopath recommends no gluten, minimal grains and no dairy for me. I have the odd bit of rice or buckwheat, but rarely. Corn is almost as bad as wheat for me. I have big problems with homocysteine cleanup/recycling because of my B12 deficiency.

 

http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/111/19/e289.full

[Marie Davis]

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's about a year or two ago, though my antibody numbers were on the low scale at the time. I eventually went into remission/my numbers returned to normal and in my opinion I think it was connected to having been tested for the MTHFR deficiency and taking Metanx to counteract it. Has anyone else with Hashimoto's been tested/treated/even heard of the MTHFR enzyme deficiency?

 

(I haven't done any research to see if the two are related, but I can say my diet wasn't helping my Hashimoto's while it was still active. The MTHFR treatment was the only major change.)

Hi Heather,

 

I had MTHFR tested this spring, and low and behold I am homozygous for C677T.  My endo has me on methyl folate and methylB12, but hasn't gone any further with that

[HeatherFTW]

Heather, I have the mthfr defect... what is metanx?

So sorry I missed this question! See http://www.metanx.com/. It's a medical food product, a combination of B vitamins and folic acid that are methyl- something or other to help fill in the gaps left by the MTHFR deficiency. I have a prescription for it through my integrative medical practitioner. If your doctor is up on MTHFR ask him or her about a Metanx prescription.

[HeatherFTW]

Itchy, how are you now? I didn't mind the gluten free after all. Its been since July, but I have had beer three times. so that's not 100 percent compliant. I feel better and that makes it easier.

 

My results weren't "that bad" and after adding in vitamin d and iron and no gluten, I feel a ton better. I have only been "exhausted" like twice this year as opposed to almost once a week last year. I added in a ton of herbs to help the adrenals.

 

I need to get labs again and will be doing that next month.

Have you tried Redbridge sorghum beer? Good gluten free stuff when you're really wanting a brew.

[HeatherFTW]

Hi Heather,

 

I had MTHFR tested this spring, and low and behold I am homozygous for C677T.  My endo has me on methyl folate and methylB12, but hasn't gone any further with that

Yep, taking Metanx (which has the same ingredients) is about all my doc gave me too. Are you feeling better/different since getting treated?

[praxisproject]

I get sick from sorghum too, so I stick with kombucha

 

My B12 has improved, which is helping generally with cellular regeneration.

 

But I'm still not cleaning up homocysteine properly. 

[gobarbless]

This is a fasinating thread for me.  I had severe eczema on my hands and feet for about 15 years.  I went to many doctors and all they did was prescribe topical creams.  I finally tried eliminating dairy and the eczema immediately disappeared.  The dairy allergy could not be confirmed by testing.  This past summer I asked for gluten allergy test and it came back negative.  I am still avoiding gluten, because I suspect it may be like the dairy allergy and cannot be confirmed.  Around Thanksgiving in 2013 I developed a "sore throat" that would not go away.  My doctor suggested getting a thyroid scan and the thyroid was slightly enlarged.  I later received positive test results for elevated thyroid antibodies.  I am currently working on improving my thyroid function by eating dulse for iodine and brazil nuts for selenium.  There is also some information indicating cruciferous veggies interfere with thyroid function so I am currently avoiding these veggies.  Has anyone ever heard of or tried this approach?  Are sea veggies like dulse compliant with the Whole 30 diet?  I plan to get new lab tests in Jan.  The good news is my blood sugar levels have gone from low, pre-diabetic to "normal" and I lost 15 pounds.  So I seem to making progress.

 

I am so confused by what to eat these days.  One decade canola oil (actually from a crucifer) is proclaimed a great oil to use and now is considered detrimental to your health.  

 

P.S. I do occasionally enjoy a Red Bridge beer.  It does not seem to affect me like the gluten beers.  

[missmary]

There is also some information indicating cruciferous veggies interfere with thyroid function so I am currently avoiding these veggies.  Has anyone ever heard of or tried this approach?  Are sea veggies like dulse compliant with the Whole 30 diet?

 

I am so confused by what to eat these days.  One decade canola oil (actually from a crucifer) is proclaimed a great oil to use and now is considered detrimental to your health.  

 

Cruciferous veggies contain goitrogens, which can suppress thyroid function. My understanding is that this effect is primarily an issue with raw or fermented goitrogens. Cooking these veggies eliminates most issues, and I think the health benefits of including them offsets the risk in this case. Personally I do avoid the raw and fermented goitrogens, just stick with cooked.

 

Both dulse and brazil nuts are permitted on the whole30.

 

Canola oil is not healthy (it never was healthy). This was a marketing hoax, essentially, to convince people they should consume a very fragile oil that has to be chemically processed and deodorized so you can not tell it is rancid. This stuff is terrible. The best fats for cooking are naturally saturated (so they do not become damaged at high heat): animal fat, coconut oil and ghee are the three key choices. For cold preparations (salad dressing, mayo, etc) go for olive oil, avocado or macadamia nut oil.

 

EDIT: one more note. I would get a full thyroid panel and, ideally, a saliva test for iodine, before doing a ton of supplementation. Using a food source is less risky than pills, but still, I would be cautious because while some people find iodine supplementation helps (I do) others find it increases thyroid trouble--especially if it is autoimmune in nature. Yes, selenium from the Brazil nut should counteract that somewhat, but it would be good to get more testing to be sure this is the right therapeutic approach.

[praxisproject]

gobarbless - One thing I learned is that the gluten tests are not very reliable, whether they are antibodies or biopsy. Reintroduction gives a much clearer picture. Dairy for me seems to make my gut leaky, so I avoid it except for ghee. My gut is healing now and dairy seems to take me a few steps back at best, never makes me go forward. Awesome work on the blood sugar! If you're looking at any further tests, you might want to consider being screened for Hashimoto's (not sure what the tests are).

[missmary]

gobarbless - One thing I learned is that the gluten tests are not very reliable, whether they are antibodies or biopsy. Reintroduction gives a much clearer picture.

 Praxis- totally agree with you here.

 

For some reason I was assuming Gobarbless was talking about Thyroid testing, which can give you some useful information, IMO--as long as you look at the data with a critical eye (not using "reference range" as your primary data point) and making sure to test Reverse T3, TSH, Thyroid Antibodies (TPO), free T3 and free T4 to get the full picture. My doctor (she is a regular MD but with an integrative medicine specialty) does not trust the serum iodine test. That's why I recommended saliva above.

[gobarbless]

Thank-you all for your responses and concerns.  I am working with a very good doctor, who actually recommended the Whole 30 approach, the dulse and the brazil nuts.  I am confident she will do all the thyroid tests again in Jan when I go for my wellness exam.  I feel I have finally gotten to the root of the problem knowing my thyroid antibodies are elevated.  I just received my book, ISWF, today and will start reading it.  I need a lot more information before I commit to doing a Whole 30.  I will not eat dairy, because it gives me eczema on my hands and feet.  I plan remain gluten free, because I read "Grain Brain" and find the scientific evidence is compelling.  I eat some foods that do not show up on the food shopping lists and hope to find more information in the book.  Some of my staples include nutritional yeast, huckleberries, and wild rice.  I also grow various sprouts, especially during the winter.  I take vitamin D and Ibuprofen (prescribed by one of my doctors for a torn ligament in my ankle due to an accident).  At this time, I am not ready to commit to a Whole 30.  I will look into the iodine tests...I was under the impression there was not a good test for iodine.  I plan to research about the genetic issues mentioned by Heather and praxisproject in this thread, because my daughter has many of the same problems, especially with the thyroid issues.  Thanks again for the suggestions...it is awesome to have some other input.  A question for ya'all.  The thyroid issues seem to becoming more prominent in medicine and the news.  Do you think there may be an environmental cause or just more awareness?