Hashimoto's Disease – The What, Why, and How.
Channel: BioBalance Healthcast
Date: 2021-05-10

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There are several types of Hypothyroidism, and Hashimoto’s Disease is one of the types I see quite often in private practice. Hashimoto’s Disease is an autoimmune disease in which your own immune system attacks your thyroid gland.  Initially Hashimoto’s Disease causes overactive thyroid hormone production but soon the inflammation caused by the autoimmune attack on the thyroid gland results in an underactive gland as the thyroid is destroyed by white blood cells. The thyroid gland located in the neck right above the collar bone, often swells from the inflammation and causes what is called a “goiter”.

There are many symptoms associated with Hashimoto’s Disease that are listed below, and many of them are the same symptoms as seen in all forms of hypothyroidism, but several are unique to Hashimoto’s Disease.

Symptoms of Hashimoto’s Disease (Those unique to Hashimoto’s Disease are starred*)
• Weight Gain
• Hair loss
• Constipation
• Low body temperature
• Slow pulse and low blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Brittle nails
• Enlarged tongue
• Fatigue
• Muscle pain *
• Joint pain and stiffness*
• Depression
• Memory sluggishness
• Abnormal menstrual cycles
• Generalized swelling or retention of fluid
• Hoarse voice from thyroid enlargement
• Trouble swallowing

The initial cause of Hashimoto’s disease is unknown but there are several theories about why some people get this disease.  The theories include a bacterial or viral infection that triggers antibodies to kill the virus or bacteria, but the antibodies get “confused” and attack the thyroid gland as well.  This is the most popular belief about the origin of Hashimoto’s thyroid disease. There is a consensus that besides the infection that triggers the attack of antibodies, there is a genetic weakness that sets certain people up to be at risk for getting this disease. Patients who get Hashimoto’s also are frequently beset with other autoimmune diseases like Lupus or Rheumatoid Arthritis. The third risk is radiation exposure to the neck and or chest.  Lastly, trauma to the neck can cause thyroid cells to be damaged and “leak” the contents of the gland resulting in an autoimmune reaction that begins a domino effect that attacks all the thyroid cells. 

What Happens When a Person has untreated Hashimoto’s Thyroid Disease? Not all people go to the doctor when they experience symptoms of low thyroid.  Often healthcare is not available, or they are not insured or afraid of doctors. However, it is important to treat Hashimoto’s thyroid disease, or it can cause more severe disease than just hypothyroidism.  These diseases include:

• Heart disease cardiomyopathy and Heart Failure
• Depression
• Poor sexual functioning and Low Libido
• Myxedema—a severe swelling of the body that results in drowsiness, and finally in unconsciousness.

How do we Diagnose Hashimoto’s Disease?

1. Blood Tests to diagnose any hypothyroid disease, TSH   Free T3 and Free T4

2. Blood Test called TPO Antibody test, which is the enzyme that is generally contained inside the thyroid but is released from the thyroid gland when it is damaged by trauma, radiation or attacked by antibodies that are misdirected when killing a virus.  The test we do measures the level of Antibodies that attack the Thyroid Peroxidase Enzymes.

Blood tests are the way to measure the level of the antibodies that attack the thyroid gland. We test for TPO antibodies as well as the TSH Thyroid Stimulating hormone, Free T4 one of the thyroid hormones, and Free T3.  By measuring these tests as well as the antibody test, we can both diagnose and measure the success of our treatment. TPO antibodies are specific for Hashimoto’s Disease and don’t disappear with time but generally stay stable if the disease is adequately treated. 

What is the Treatment for Hashimoto’s Disease?

The treatment if Hashimoto’s Disease is to replace the missing thyroid hormone with oral thyroid medication. At BioBalance we treat Hashimoto’s Disease with Armour Thyroid (pig thyroid) the most natural form of thyroid medication. If that is not affective, we adjust the treatment to another type of thyroid medication (NP Thyroid, Levothyroxine, Synthroid or Tirosant) and adjust the dose until the symptoms of hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s Disease goes away.

It is not enough to give a Hashimoto’s patient a pill form of thyroid, but it is important to make sure the pill is absorbed in the stomach and intestine, and to ensure that it can be absorbed by cells all over the body to truly treat Hashimoto’s.  In general, we follow blood levels of Free T3 and T4, after a patient has been on thyroid for a few months, but that doesn’t always tell us if the thyroid medication is attaching to the receptors and stimulating cells to do the job of a person’s normal thyroid.