Re: TPO - thyroid anti-bodies

[Guest guest]

Hi Dean

Taken from stopthethyroidmadness.com website

Hashimotos–the autoimmune attack on your thyroid!

Did you get a diagnosis of Hashimoto's Disease, or someone has

suggested you might have it?? It's a very common form of thyroid

disease, and can also be called Hashi's or Thyroiditis.

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis is an autoimmune thyroid disease in which your

thyroid is being attacked by your own immune system via antibodies,

attempting to destroy your gland as if it's some vile enemy. The

attack causes an inflammation and gradual destruction of your thyroid

gland. It may be the most common thyroid disease, especially with women.

Hashi's is confirmed by two antibodies labs: anti-TPO and TgAb. The

first antibody, anti-TPO, attacks an enzyme normally found in your

thyroid gland, called the Thyroid Peroxidase, which is important in

the production of thyroid hormones. The second antibody, TgAb, attacks

the key protein in the thyroid gland, the thyroglobulin, which is

essential in the production of the T4 and T3 thyroid hormones. Note

that it's important to have BOTH tests, since you can be normal in one

and high in another! We have also noted that saliva does not always

accurately detect Hashi's as well as blood tests do.

You can start out with Hashi's and have no symptoms. But eventually,

you start to notice the same symptoms of hypothyroid, including poor

stamina, easy fatigue, feeling cold, gaining weight, dry hair and

skin, constipation, etc. Additionally, since the cells of your thyroid

become inefficient in converting iodine into thyroid hormones, your

thyroid compensates by swelling or enlarging, and you can have a

feeling of tightness around your throat or a sore throat as a result.

The swelling can be called a goiter.

As the attack increases, you will tend to swing between hypo and

hyper, making dosing by labs alone impossible. Your labs will be high

one time, and low the next…back and forth. The hyper is caused by the

release of thyroid hormones into your blood due to the destruction.

So how do you treat it? We have seen those on thyroxine T4-only

medications have some success in stopping the attack, but patients who

switched to Armour noticed even better results, especially if they

dosed by symptoms rather than labs. Some doctors have unwisely

recommended non-treatment until labwork " stabilizes " , but that could

take months and years, and you continue to suffer.

The attack can happen over a few weeks or extend into years. It has

been stated that antibodies can be present for years even after you

counter the attack with thyroid hormones like Armour. But patients on

Armour have noted that antibodies greatly fall if they dose high enough.

Pregnancy can be a strong precursor to developing Hashi's, since the

increased activity of your immune system can either worsen an

autoimmune disease you already have, such as thyroiditis, or cause it

to appear.

***There is some evidence that taking Selenium can help reduce the TPO

antibodies, but it's not recommended as a replacement for Armour.

Interesting side note: Both Hashi's and Hyperthyroid folks can have

elevated anti-TPO. " The frequency of elevated anti-TPO levels in

patients with active autoimmune thyroiditis was 90% (clinical

diagnosis Hashimoto thyroiditis) compared to 64% in patients with

overt hyperthyroidism (clinical diagnosis Graves' disease). " Pub Med

article here.

>

> Hi All,

>

> When TPO (thyroid anti-bodies) is present on thyroid testing Diagnos

labs suggests that Desiccated Glandulars are not advised.

> I am assuming this is because if you introduce more thyroid proteins

into the body via the glandulars the body will attack them with the

same autoimmune response.

>

> They recommended using PABA 500mg twice a day for the positive TPO.

>

> But she is still hypothyroid, so what now? And what does the PABA

do? I can't find reference to it in Andy's books.

>

> What can she use to boost her thyroid while her TPO is negative? She

still has amalgams is 78 and hesitant to remove them, but has deranged

mineral transport on hair test.

> She is Hair test 44

http://www.livingnetwork.co.za/healingnetwork/hairtest.html

> I know the only way for her to heal the thyroid is to chelate...

>

> Anybody has a similar experience?

>

> Thanks,

> Dean

>

>

[Guest guest]

> When TPO (thyroid anti-bodies) is present on thyroid testing Diagnos

labs suggests that Desiccated Glandulars are not advised.

I haven't heard this before. I've got Hashi's, and tried Synthroid

which did nothing for me. Didn't try it with Cytomel though. I've been

on Armour for 2 years. I know the saliva antibody test isn't supposed

to be that sensitive, but mine was negative. fwiw.

Nell