HASHIMOTOÕS
THYROIDITIS
by Dr.
Lawrence Wilson
©
April 2013, L.D Wilson Consultants, Inc.
All
information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment,
prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.
HashimotoÕs
thyroiditis is a very common disturbance of the thyroid gland that is present
in many adults, more so women than men.
It often causes no symptoms, but it can cause a reduction in the output
of thyroid hormone. This is called
hypothyroidism. It can also cause
a goiter, at times, which is a large, swollen, inflamed thyroid gland. According to allopathic medical
doctors, HashimotoÕs thyroiditis is an auto-immune type of condition with no
known cure, although taking selenium may slow down its progress.
Symptoms. If these occur, they are usually due to
hypothyroidism. These include
fatigue, dry and brittle hair, depression, dry skin and perhaps others.
Medical
treatment.
The medical treatment is to prescribe thyroid hormones for it and leave the
patient on thyroid hormones for the rest of his or her life. Some doctors also tell people to stay
away from iodine when this condition is present.
NUTRITIONAL
BALANCING AND HASHIMOTOÕS DISEASE
We find that
on a nutritional balancing program, HashimotoÕs thyroiditis generally goes away
completely within a few months, especially if a person does not take thyroid
hormones. If one takes hormones,
it slows deep healing of this condition.
It appears that HashimotoÕs thyroiditis is an opportunistic infection or
irritation of the thyroid gland.
This means that when the body is out of balance, this particular
condition takes hold. Other
opportunist infections include candida albicans, acute and chronic mononucleosis,
and others.
Nutritional
balancing corrects HashimotoÕs disease by a combination of mechanisms:
1.
Renourishing the body with dozens of vital minerals, vitamins and other
phytonutrients contained in massive quantities of cooked vegetables to be eaten
each day. For example, selenium,
zinc, manganese and other minerals, along with many vitamins and other
substances, are needed to produce thyroid hormones and prevent inflammation of
the thyroid. HashimotoÕs disease
always has an inflammatory component to it that doctorÕs call Òauto-immuneÓ.
2. Improving
the vitality level by renourishing the body and balancing the oxidation rate,
balancing yin and yang forces in the body, and balancing the major mineral
ratios in the hair tissue.
3. Other
means, such as removing ALL the toxic metals, removing hundreds of toxic
chemicals from the body, improving the liver and kidney activity, and much
more.
When this is
done in an integrated and coordinated fashion, most cases of HashimotoÕs
thyroiditis clear up quickly and easily without the need for any specific
intervention or drugs. In fact,
taking thyroid hormones always slows down the healing of the condition and, if
possible, the client should stop the hormones for the fastest response.
Is
iodine harmful for those with HashimotoÕs disease? Iodine in drug form such as LugolÕs
solution, Iodoral, Prolamine Iodine and others are not recommended. However, we find that iodine in the
form of kelp, in combination with an entire nutritional balancing program, is
not harmful for most people, even though it will stimulate the production of
TPO, an enzyme related to the thyroid gland.
Taking kelp,
however, rarely causes a reaction in the body because most people are toxic
with the iodine antagonists – bromine, chlorine and chlorides, and
fluorides. The reactions that
occur due to taking iodine, especially kelp, may be easily confused with a
toxic reaction, when in fact it is a cleansing or healing reaction. In these cases, it is best to reduce
the kelp or iodine for a while and slowly increase it as one can tolerate it.
OTHER
POSSIBLE HELP FOR HASHIMOTOÕS THYROIDITIS
Although
this condition tends to go away on its own, it is notable that the thyroid
gland is located at the level of the neck, which is also the location of the
fifth energy center of the body.
This center is often damaged, particularly in women, and this may
contribute to the condition.
Anything
that will help clear, balance and strengthen this energy center will assist in
clearing thyroid conditions. These
might include massage of the area, foot and hand reflexology on the large toes,
all around the neck of the large toes, in particular. Chiropractic may help in some cases, and more rest is
definitely helpful. In addition,
use of the red infrared heat lamp on the thyroid area may be very helpful.
Thyroiditis
during a healing crisis. One of our clients developed
thyroiditis while on a nutritional balancing program. She basically had a sore throat, but her thyroid hormone
levels also decreased. I urged her
to leave it alone, but she went on thyroid hormones at the insistence of her
medical doctor. This appears to
have just slowed her healing of this condition. Most likely, the condition was present before beginning a
nutritional balancing program and she was experiencing a flare-up of the
condition as it healed. We
find that blood tests are often skewed for a while as the body rebalances
itself. This applies very
much to all the thyroid blood tests.
AN EXCELLENT MEDICAL
REVIEW OF HASHIMOTOÕS DISEASE OR AUTOIMMUNE THYROIDITIS
By Mary Shomon, from
About.com
Updated April 28, 2011
About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is
reviewed by our Medical Review Board
Hashimoto's
disease, sometimes known as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, autoimmune thyroiditis, or
chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, is an autoimmune disease. In Hashimoto's, antibodies
react against proteins in the thyroid gland, causing gradual destruction of the
gland itself, and making the gland unable to produce the thyroid hormones the
body needs.
Diagnosis
Hashimoto's disease
is typically diagnosed by clinical examination that demonstrates one or more of
the following findings:
.Enlargement of the thyroid,
known as a goiter
.High levels of antibodies
against thyroglobulin (TG) and thyroid peroxidase (TPO), detected via blood
test
.Fine needle aspiration of
the thyroid (also known as a needle biopsy), which shows lymphocytes and
macrophages
.A radioactive uptake scan,
which would show diffuse uptake in an enlarged thyroid gland
.Ultrasound, which would
show an enlarged thyroid gland
.
Symptoms
Symptoms of
Hashimoto's can vary. Some people have no symptoms whatsoever, and will have no
demonstrable symptoms of the underlying condition. For many Hashimoto's
patients, the thyroid becomes enlarged, a condition known as a goiter. The
goiter can range from slight enlargement, which may have no other symptoms, to
a substantial increase in size.
Some people
with Hashimoto's, especially those with a larger goiter, may feel discomfort in
the neck area. Scarves or neckties may feel uncomfortable. The neck may feel
swollen or uncomfortably enlarged, even sore. Sometimes the neck and/or throat
is sore or tender. Less commonly, swallowing or even breathing can become
difficult if a goiter is blocking the windpipe or esophagus.
Hashimoto's
typically involves a slow but steady destruction of the gland that eventually
results in the thyroid's inability to produce sufficient thyroid hormone -- the
condition known as hypothyroidism. Along the way, however, there can be periods
where the thyroid sputters back to life, even causing temporary
hyperthyroidism, then a return to hypothyroidism. This cycling back and forth
between hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism is characteristic of Hashimoto's
disease. So, for example, periods of anxiety/insomnia/diarrhea/weight loss may
be followed by periods of depression/fatigue/constipation/weight gain.
In some cases,
the onset of Hashimoto's and elevation of antibodies will be accompanied by a
variety of symptoms, including anxiety, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, weight
changes, depression, hair loss, muscle/joint aches and pains, and fertility
problems, among others.
Autoimmune Thyroiditis Atttacks
In some cases,
the thyroid becomes particularly inflamed, known as a thyroiditis attack. Dr.
Steven Langer, author of the book Solved:
The Riddle of Illness, refers to thyroiditis as like an "arthritis of
the thyroid." He explains that just as arthritis attacks the joints with
pain and inflammation, thyroiditis can mean pain and inflammation in the
thyroid for some sufferers. And in particular, during a thyroiditis attack,
common symptoms are anxiety, panic attacks, heart palpitations, swelling in the
thyroid area, problems swallowing, and frequently, problems sleeping.
"Thyroiditis
attacks classically happen in the middle of the night," says Dr. Langer,
which can be particularly troublesome in terms of the ability to sleep.
Dr. Langer
suggests taking some calcium/magnesium, which are nutrients that have a
sedative effect, along with a pain reliever to relieve inflammation -- buffered
aspirin or ibuprofen -- before you go to bed, this might help. He's found that
this helps about two-thirds of his patients suffering from nighttime
thyroiditis symptoms.
Reducing
swelling is a key aspect of dealing with thyroiditis attacks, according to Dr.
Langer. "Just as with arthritis, an anti-inflammatory pain reliever
doesn't cure the problem, but it temporarily ameliorates the symptoms."
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