Can hypothyroidism be cured?

[Guest guest]

Hi all

I have had all the symptoms of hypothyroidism for ten years and due to normal

blood test results have never got a diagnosis. I have been diagnosed with

ME/CFS. I am now under one of the endo's from Sheila's list and receiving

treatment for several deficiencies. To his credit he is testing to find out why

I am so severely deficient. (Coeliac's, malabsorption etc)

I also started treating my adrenals about four months sgo.

My question is, if all my deficiencies are treated and my adrenals brought under

control, will my hypothyroidism be cured?

Sheila regularly attaches a sheet listing all the reasons you may become ill

through vitamin and mineral deficiencies. If all of these are addressed along

with adrenal fatigue, can you hope for a complete recovery.

I am feeling better than I have for years even though I am now taking very

little thyroid meds (trying to get them out of my system completely before next

blood tests) I am worried that the endo might sign me off as having no problem

only for all my symptoms to flare up again.

Thanks for reading.

Jackie

[Guest guest]

Hi Jackie,

Your asking a very big question there ...(will your hypothyroidism go away if all of your vits and minerals are in balance?) There is a possibility but then usually our body has been falling out of balance over a long period of time and then we get the symptoms and those have been with you, you say, for at least 10years. Your body and various organs may struggle to get absolutely back to normal; but it sounds like your doing really well improving it as you have;.....it may mean the thyroid problem will lstay with you, but you could be lucky and find it resolves and you have no further problems for the time being.....but no-one I dont think, can tell you yes or no, just a maybe.

Are you taking HCL supplements?...you say you have a malabsorption problem and hypothyroidism and these two do go hand in hand....if your taking supplements to improve the imbalance of nutrients then you need to take digestive enzymes to help the absorption.....HCL is stomach acid...this sounds rather extreme dont worry its not. But with hypos we produce less stomach acid and need to supplement it. There are further digestive enzymes pancreatic enzymes that will also help improve absorption.

Make sure you dont have a yeast infection too as this will prevent your thyroid from improving and even prevent your adrenals from improving too, it also will affect your gut and the absorption problem you speak of too...the HCL is important as a guard against yeast of other invaders entering your stomach/gut/body through the food we eat....so check that out for sure.

So when you see your endo IF he says we dont need to see you again tell him just that...that you are concerned about any flare ups and would he be willing to see you again if these occurred.......what is it he is doing for you that you need to keep in contact with him for the time being IF he were to tell you he didnt need to see you again?....you can be re-referred or ask him if you could contact his secretary for a new appointment rather than re-referral IF you needed to see him again.

Sally xx

Hi allI have had all the symptoms of hypothyroidism for ten years and due to normal blood test results have never got a diagnosis. I have been diagnosed with ME/CFS. I am now under one of the endo's from Sheila's list and receiving treatment for several deficiencies. To his credit he is testing to find out why I am so severely deficient. (Coeliac's, malabsorption etc)I also started treating my adrenals about four months sgo.My question is, if all my deficiencies are treated and my adrenals brought under control, will my hypothyroidism be cured?Sheila regularly attaches a sheet listing all the reasons you may become ill through vitamin and mineral deficiencies. If all of these are addressed along with adrenal fatigue, can you hope for a complete recovery.I am feeling better than I have for years even though I am now taking very little thyroid meds (trying to get them out of my system completely before next blood tests) I am

worried that the endo might sign me off as having no problem only for all my symptoms to flare up again.Thanks for reading.Jackie

[Guest guest]

Hi Jackie,

My question is, if all my deficiencies are treated and my adrenals brought under control, will my hypothyroidism be cured?Cured? – no .... - can you achieve complete recovery? – yes, that is possible.

By the nature of Hypothyroidism, it can never be `cured'. Being hypothyroid means that for various reasons the thyroid gland is no longer producing adequate (or any, in the end) thyroid hormone to keep the body working optimally.

The most common reason for the hypothyroidism is an autoimmune disease – Thyroid autoantibodies attacking and ultimately destroying the thyroid gland.... and a disabled gland will never work again....

If hypothyroidism is caused by thyroid cancer (and subsequent thyroidectomy) the answer is the same – no thyroid, no hormone....

If the thyroid gland stops working for any other reason (genetic predisposition, old age, viral infection or whatever) the answer is again the same – the gland will get destroyed due to chronic inflammation (thyroiditis) and eventually stop working altogether.

So whatever the reason for becoming hypothyroid, in time the gland will stop working. `In time', however, is the key word here. A thyroid gland does not fail over night. With the exception of thyroid cancer and subsequent thyroidectomy, it takes usually many years for the gland to fail, and during this time (if untreated) you will experience ups and downs and hypothyroid signs and symptoms. If an autoimmune disease is the cause, then repeated attacks by the antibodies will systematically destroy the gland and each attack will cause extra thyroid hormones to be pushed out into the bloodstream... so you'll experience highs and lows, caused by yo-yo-ing thyroid levels .....and – as I understand it – those "dumped" thyroid hormones explain why the TSH fluctuates so much in patients with undiagnosed and untreated Hashimoto's disease. Whenever there is a hormone "dump" as a result of an antibody attack on the thyroid, the TSH will be low, which is then misinterpreted as "normal thyroid function".

If something other than an autoimmune disease (or cancer) is causing hypothyroidism, your thyroid gland will suffer chronic thyroiditis and in time slowly but surely stop working.

From what I have read, 90% of failing thyroid glands are caused by autoimmunity.

However, whilst a `cure' is not possible, with the right treatment in most cases it is possible to completly recover your former health and with a bit of luck to get the disease into remission. In order to get there you need to achieve the following:

1) The adrenals need to heal sufficiently to resume normal function

2) Minerals & vitamin levels need to be brought up to their respective upper ref ranges

3) Any possible Candida albicans and/or any parasitic infections need to be addressed and killed off. As Sally has mentioned, a lack of stomach acid is very often present in people with yeast or parasitic problems. Ironically too little or too much stomach acid present identical symptoms.... so don't be fooled.

4) Possible food allergies need to be addressed

5) Possible sex hormone imbalances in the body need to be rectified

6) And last, but not least, you have to find the optimal thyroid replacement for your own body.... which often will be natural desiccated thyroid, but for some people a T4 only drug (Levothyroxine) or a combination of a T4 and T3 therapy – or – for some people with persistent conversion problems, rT3 problems or receptor resistance a T3-only therapy work best....

Easy, isn't it ?

I am worried that the endo might sign me off as having no problem only for all my symptoms to flare up again.

Let's hope that this won't happen, but if it did, then carry on with what you are doing anyway... Apparently thyroid hormone is helping you, isn't it?

With best wishes,