Natural treatment for Hashimoto’s

Did you know Hashimoto’s is the main cause for underactive thyroids in Australia, with approximately 10x more women developing the condition compared to men? 

Often we see women with a recent diagnosis of Hashimoto’s feeling confused about how to manage the condition and seeking a natural approach. In this blog I will teach you all about Hashimoto’s, what it is, how to test for it, common symptoms and natural treatment including nutrients and herbs to  to help you thrive

What is Hashimoto’s?

Hashimotos is an autoimmune condition, whereby the body’s internal immune system is creating inflammation at the site of the thyroid gland. Due to this inflammation, the function of the thyroid becomes affected and slows down, becoming hypothyroid.

The difference between Hashimotos and a general underactive (hypothyroid) is that the immune system is involved.

The reason why someone develops Hashimotosis is unfortunately not completely understood, however, we do know that there are certain risk factors associated.

Risk factors for Hashimoto’s

• Approximately 80% of people with autoimmune conditions are female. 
• Having other autoimmune conditions such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Coeliac Disease or Lupus increases your chance of developing another autoimmune condition.
• Genetics susceptibility means that if you have a direct relative with an autoimmune condition your risk increases.
• Certain infections such as Epstein Barr Virus or Strep throat are thought to potentially trigger autoimmune reactions in the body.
• Exposure to radiation or toxins from the environment such as BPA, radiation and asbestos.
• Gut dysbiosis from frequent antibiotic use, poor diet or long-term digestive issues. 

What is the thyroid?

The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland that sits in the front of the throat. This gland is often referred to as the “master gland” because it governs and controls so many functions in the body. One of the main roles of the thyroid is our metabolism and the speed at which the body’s internal systems function.

The way that the thyroid does this is by releasing hormones: T3 and T4. These hormones fluctuate according to what the body needs at that moment in time. When the thyroid makes a lot of hormones the metabolism and bodily functions speed up and when the thyroid makes less hormones things slow down. While slight changes are normal as we go about our lives, we do want these hormones to remain somewhat stable.

A hypothyroid is when the thyroid hormones are consistently produced in low numbers, therefore making the thyroid underactive. When there are less hormones available for the body to use, it must slow down some of its functions.

Hormones act like messengers in the body, bringing signals from the brain into our organs.

Less messengers means less signals which means less tasks getting done.

If you think of the body as a workplace, each organ works in a team that looks after a different job for the wellbeing of the collective. When one of the teams lags behind, it interrupts the productivity of the whole. This is why having an underactive thyroid for a prolonged amount of time can affect the whole body much more than just the momentary decrease in hormones we see from day to day.

Common symptoms of Hashimotos

In Hashimotos, many of the typical hypothyroid symptoms are exacerbated and may not respond as well to typical medical interventions. Thyroid hormones control the speed of many functions throughout the body and when the production of these hormones slows down we tend to see:

• Energy slows down creating an intense feeling of fatigue regardless of sleep quality
• Digestive function slows down and can result in constipation or reduced appetite
• Metabolism slows down increasing weight or making it hard to lose weight
• Cell turnover slows down leading to dry skin, shedding hair and eyebrow thinning
• Brain function slows down and is often described as brain fog or mental haze
• Connective tissue decline resulting in joint pain and muscle weakness
• Low mood, depression and ‘not feeling quite right’
• Feeling cold and/or reduced tolerance to cooler weather
• Heavy menstrual bleeding

How to know if you have Hashimotos? 

If you have been experiencing these symptoms or if you have been diagnosed with a hypothyroid, perhaps it is worth investigating if you have Hashimotos. This can be done through a simple blood test looking at both the thyroid hormone markers and the autoantibodies:  

• Thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO)
• Thyroglobulin antibody (TGAb)
• TSH receptor antibodies (TRAB)
• TSH, T3, T4

Example test

The TSH in these blood results has come back normal and this person was dismissed for years, told that her thyroid was normal. It wasn’t until her T3, T4 and thyroid antibodies were tested that we could see she has Hashimotos. This is why having a full thyroid panel tested is so important.