Recently a friend and I were talking about her low thyroid (Hashimoto's) diagnosis and her tell-tale symptoms: Tired, cold fingers, a feeling of something in her throat, dry skin, to name a few. So I asked her,
“What causes Hashimoto’s to come on in the first place?”
All she could think of was that her Dad had the same thing. I was convinced that there had to be more to it, so off I went to research. (And I decided to put up this quick post to share a few of the tidbits that I found with you…)
I went to the first place I always go for health information, the Weston A. Price site.
I found articles on hypothyroidism, metabolic disorders, and how to repair your metabolism. Be sure to read those if you're struggling with similar issues–that's a great place to start your research.
This is a book I recommend for sure:
Hashimoto's Protocol: A 90-Day Plan for Reversing Thyroid Symptoms and Getting Your Life Back
Also there were a couple other possible low thyroid causes that I found in my research: the soy in our diet, and artificial hormones in birth control.
Here's a whole article on the root causes of Hashimotos.
A big part of what that article points to is gut health, which affects everything!
***Read here for more on building up your gut health.
Be sure and let us know what else has been missed regarding how you could get low-thyroid in the first place and the best protocol in your opinion.
Update!
Now that I'm learning more about homeopathy, I'd suggest you search online for “Joette Hashimotos” and see what you find there–Joette is a homeopath I've learned a lot from.
AND here's a Facebook stream with lots of helpful information as well!
More you might like:
Bouncedancer says
Could the childhood injections be the issue (never mind the current round of damaging and experimental shots that are being used)? After all, they are a main cause of the huge rise we see in autoimmune issues.
karen says
Jenny,
Wanted to send you a link with some information about this herb.
https://store.everythingherbs.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=4THW&Category_Code=
I am familiar with this herbal tincture through my Naturopath near where I live (he’s in Indiana). I have not purchased this herb from this website, however I really liked the information they gave on their site and also the testimonies were wonderful. Hope this helps you. Blessings!
Becky says
Karen,
can you share the town/name of the ND?
Jenny says
@Karen – Thanks for the info!
Karen says
My thyroid tests had always been normal, well I guess just the one time they were checked. That is normal according to more strict levels that Mercola gives as acceptable. But upon asking my naturopath doctor why gradual hair loss over 10 years he checked me for thyroid issues and put me on a chinese herb (T-W) that was to help. I began to accidentally lose weight (which I needed to do but couldn’t seem to do no matter what I tried) and my hair started to thicken. I say find a good naturopath and seek some council there.
Thanks for the post Kelly!
Jenny says
Karen – you have piqued my curiosity…what is the chinese herb and dose your NP put you on? I would like to do some research. I had VERY thick hair in high school and when I really started battling my weight, I did start thinning, but since I started out with so much, I still have a ton and I never really considered the loss as part of my symptoms. I would like to research the herb and talk to my NP about it if I think it would be helpful. Thanks for posting!
Kerry says
Perchlorate is also found in lettuces and dairy.
Commenter via Facebook says
Interesting that in the history of the US, there were areas called “goiter belts” where people had a lot of goiters. Areas near the Great Lakes and other places in the US that we’re far from oceans were the places where the goiters were occurring. This was why iodized salt came about. The iodine was added to the salt to stop the goiters. So this video from the post said that iodine gets rid of goiters but causes hashi’s. Interesting. I am from the Great Lakes area, and my grandmother had a goiter.
Commenter via Facebook says
I have hypo but not hashi’s. My thyroid tests always came back “normal” but on the low side. I read Broda Barnes MD’s book Hypothyroidism the Unsuspected Illness, and found a good Naturopah in OR who treated me based on symptoms, and not blood tests. I’ve increased my dose over the years based on symptoms and now take natural desiccated thyroid medication (NOT synthetic junk), at a pretty high dose of 220 mg, and feel better than ever. So glad I found a doc who treats me and not a number on paper. https://www.amazon.com/Hypothyroidism-Unsuspected-Illness-Broda-Barnes/dp/069001029X. Another good resource is stopthethyroidmadness.com. One reason I’ve read over the years about why there is so much low thyroid has to do specifically with chlorine and flouride in the environment. They are both molecularly similar to iodine and make a mess of the thyroid. As for autoimmune hashi’s, why are there SO many autoimmune diseases today? Colitis, arthritis, allergies, blood disorders like ITP, those are all autoimmune. That I think, is a whole different story having to do with processed foods in the diet, vaccinations, and toxins in general.
Commenter via Facebook says
It’s interesting that he mentions that 30 to 40% of women have “rocket fuel” (perchlorate) in their bodies. What has a lot of perchlorate contamination? Lettuce. Lots of women who are dieting eat load and loads of lettuce.
Erika says
Hi, there! I am low thyroid, and from day one of taking Lugol’s Solution of iodine/potassium iodide, I have felt great! I have done some research, and what I’ve found is that the thyroid controls blood sugar levels, and is also strongly connected to ADD/ADHD. I was a totally spaced-out kid 30 years ago in elementary school, and had no focus- my 10 yr. old son was the same way- 8 hrs. sitting in a stupor trying to get just a few math problems done (we homeschool). I put us both on J. Crow’s Lugol Solution, and within 2 days, he was zooming through his schoolwork, doing extra math lessons just to surprise me, in under an hour. I was truly astounded! But I have heard that 100 years ago, this was the #1 prescription for hyperactive kids and kids that just couldn’t focus/ were tired all of the time. Now we are both feeling great, and he is a great student.
I have also done some research into Meniere’s Syndrome, which I had severely three years ago- I fell down, literally, and couldn’t get up without assistance, for about 3 months. Had loss of hearing, ringing in ears, and severe dizziness. In my research, I have found that most people with Meniere’s have low thyroid, and also mercury poisoning. I found out that mercury in the body attaches to the thyroid receptors, so even if you take iodine, it cannot be taken up by the thyroid unless you detox from mercury. Right before I fell with Meniere’s, I had 6 (yes, SIX!!!) mercury tooth fillings removed in one day, and I always suspected it to be linked to my Meniere’s, but didn’t know for sure until I found out until doing some research on the link last summer. It is connected! Funny thing, is that all the blame gets put on mercury “silver” fillings, and no one talks about all of the high dosages of mercury in the vaccines that were given to children and adults for years! My son is the only one with thyroid/ focus/ hyperactivity issues out of our 4 children, and he was the only one vaccinated.
So mercury severely disrupts the uptake of iodine to the thyroid, which then causes blood sugar problems/ hypoglycemia, lack of focus/ extreme fatique, etc. And then there is hyperactivity when blood sugar levels swing extremely high. We have successfully corrected this in our son, as he is so leveled out now! We fixed the hyperactivity aspect of his behavior with krill oil, but will be switching to fermented cod liver oil soon. Hope this helps someone. Blessings!
Commenter via Facebook says
BTW this is the doctor I see for my thyroid & hormonal issues. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sacramento-Center-for-Health-Healing-Achieve-Optimal-Hormone-Balance/346695862010630?fref=ts
Commenter via Facebook says
I have Hashimotos and the one thing I learned after being properly diagnosed was that it really is a conversion problem! That is why I take T3 or Triiodothyronine. I also take Levothroid but without the T3 I can’t convert it into a usable form for my body. Very few doctors out there know how to treat Hashimotos appropriately! Even endocrinologists!
Commenter via Facebook says
I did!!!!! Thank you so much for sharing this! I was diagnosed last summer with an underactive thyroid…. I took away some things I did not know 🙂
Denise says
Good post. Great responses. I have Hashimoto’s. Thanks Susan, Becky and Jenny. And Kelly!
AnnMarie Deis says
I remember as a court reporter sitting in on a case about perchlorate in the water supply. It essentially comes from rocket fuel and gets into the water by runoff. I believe California was the state from which the case originated, but I don’t know if it is prevalent everywhere. Scary stuff!!! I also think that radiation fallout might be to blame for some of the cases as I’ve been hearing of more and more people just in the past few days having thyroid trouble. Just my two cents! 🙂
Angie says
It does not sound like this doctor has the full picture yet. I believe these two sources might provide a better picture:
https://www.drlwilson.com/ARTICLES/HASHIMOTO.htm
https://perfecthealthdiet.com/2011/05/iodine-and-hashimotos-thyroiditis-part-i/
Liz says
Interesting…. I am hypothyroid, not hashimoto’s, just plain ole’ low thyroid function. I have struggled for many years to feel well and to lose weight. I finally found a doctor who operates a bit “out of the box”. She put me on NatureThroid and pays more attention to how I feel than what my bloodwork says. One thing she told me when I first saw her almost a year ago is that my thyroid function was markedly low. I saw her just a few weeks after my last visit with an endocrinologist who told me I was “normal”. Through her extensive testing she found out I had plenty of T4, low T3 and high RT3. One reason for high RT3 is estrogen dominance. As I corrected the estrogen dominance, my RT3 lowered and I began to feel better. Today I feel pretty good. Better than I have in years, yet not quite like I would like to feel. I am continuing to fine tune my hormone balance and nourish my adrenals. I would still love to lose my excessive belly fat, but I’m not sure what that will take. The thing that troubles me most is that I have yet to find a doctor or medical professional that will work to HEAL my thyroid. I believe my body can heal itself if it has the right tools. So that brings me back to the question at the top of this blog — what causes low thyroid? I have no idea. I think I know some contributing factors, but I do not know the cause.
StacyR says
Liz,
You might want to look into Noelle Quero. She absolutely believes a thyroid can be healed and helps people do it. She is my next step if my current help doesn’t work.
https://www.facebook.com/NoelleQuero
Mark says
Your situation sounds very much like my own. After a great deal of research I came across some websites that outlined Hypothyroidism from elevated reverse T3. It seems that this is a natural response to physiological stress. This could be many things from starvation, long term infection, emotional stress, illness, physical stress caused by hormone problems, etc. or a combination.
While my reverse T3 is elevated my NP Doctor has chosen to address my low testosterone as the stressor. Hormone replacement has been very helpful but it seems to be only half the problem. Still a bit early in the process to draw any conclusions but the bottom line seems to require an identification of the stressor and addressing it first.
One curious thing about this condition is that taking Levothyroxine makes thing worse. Anything with T4 is like adding fuel to the fire. The extra T4 is converted to reverse T3 and not T3. Revese T3 blocks T3 at a cellular level yeilding Hypothyroidism. When my conventional MD gave me Levothyroxine things got really bad. He switched me to Liothyronine (T3) and I saw some immediate improvement. I asked for an increased dosage but he was so confused by this situation he didn’t know what to do ( he wouldn’t admit this but it was clearly the case). I kept on him about doing a reverse T3 lab but he didn’t want to go there. Simply stated, he was lost.
I was fortunate to find an NP Doctor that is familiar with these issues. What a relief
Erica says
Liz, how did you correct the estrogen dominance, if you don’t mind me asking? I do Natural Family Planning (Creighton Method) & based on my charting, it appears as if I have estrogen dominance. I have never been on birth control or any other medication that would cause hormone alterations. My OB and NFP practitioner seem stumped as to how to correct it. Besides making charting a headache, I’m concerned about the ties between excess estrogen & breast cancer. I’ve been avoiding soy like the plague, but other than that, I don’t know what to do!
Vailhem says
on the source of ‘rocket fuel’ in the diet….
Has this organic Chemical Destroyed the Meaning of Organic?
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/14/has-this-chemical-destroyed-the-meaning-of-organic.aspx
and this one
Rocket Fuel in our Food: A Little Rocket Fuel With Your Salad?
https://www.worldwatch.org/node/541
Wendy says
They have recently connected Hashimoto’s and Celiac Disease as running in families together. interesting as we have both in my own family. i have had hashimoto’s for at least 13 years.
Carol says
I take Armour Thyroid and get grief from doctors about it constantly. On Synthroid my symptoms are WORSENED. I believe my Armour dosage is still too low but getting anyone in the mainstream medical community to listen is like beating your head against the wall. After all my TSH looks fine… the rest must be in my head. It’s tempting to self medicate but so far I’ve resisted. Currently I eat at least 1 Tbsp of good quality coconut oil daily. It seems to help. But I’d give my eyeteeth to have a doctor actually listen to me and believe.
Susan H says
@Carol- Go to stopthethyroidmadness.com I believe she has links to doctors there that will dose on symptoms and not bloodwork. Plus it is filled with all sorts of good info, too. This lady has done a TON of research on this!
Amy says
I think it’s important to note that hashimotos and plain old low thyroid are separate conditions. Hashimotos is an autoimmune condition. I don’t know what causes that but vaccines, our crazy environment, etc. are definite potentials.
Low-thyroid: I think the best candidates are fluoride in the water and dieting (not just low-carb, but all diets). So many people today are starving, trying to “watch calories.” The thyroid is definitely affected. Stress hits the thyroid, too.
jenny says
While I generally appreciate all the info on the WAP site, that article about Hypothyroid is just flat out incorrect. First, it is old…written in 2001. Much has been learned since then. Second, if you have Hoshimoto’s, you need to stay away from iodine and gluten or you will get worse, not better. The attached video with Dr. David Clark is a wonderful start to understanding Hoshimoto’s. Better yet, watch the rest of his videos on YouTube. Better still, go to his website http://www.doctordavidclark.com and sign up for his Low Thyroid Report. For those of you like me, (one who has suffered thru misdiagnosis, criticism, judgments, frustrations over feeling sick, fat, cold, headachy, weak, depressed, gaining weight inexplicably, told you have an eating disorder because you can’t lose weight and fear that you will never be normal again) his report will instill a little hope and guide you on a new and hopefully better path. My regular GP was critical and condescending over my Thyroid issues. My expensive Naturopath was much more helpful and diagnosed the Hoshimoto’s portion (which my GP poo-poo’d), but she still didn’t have the whole picture. I have been watching Dr. Clark’s videos and read his report and cried thru the whole thing cause FINALLY someone understands. Kelly – thanks for the link to this Doctor…I feel confident that I will start a whole new path to healing now.
Petra says
At the 2012 WAP conference, I heard Dr Tennant speak and have also read his book, Healing is Voltage. He states fluoride in our water supply as a major culprit for low thyroid. TSH tests along with T3 and T4 dont tell the whole picture because the’normal range’ is so inaccuate as are the tests. Our body creates a’fake’T3 when we dont have enough and the tests make it look like we are in normal ranges.
Mark says
Absolutley correct! Fluoride in drinking water is crazy. Along with Chloride, Bromide and Iodide (the salt form of Iodine) these are grouped as Halogens. The only one other than Iodine that your body uses is Chloride. Fluoride and Bromide (such as in Brominated vegetable oil) displace Iodine which is necessary for proper Thyroid function.
When I first started taking dietary Iodine (Elemental Iodine plus Potasium Iodide) I developed a lump in my throat the first day. My NP Doctor said this was a clear sign I was Iodine deficient. This gradually disappeared. I also developed Cherry Angiomas on my legs. Doctor said this was Bromide being cleared. Went through some ups and downs for a couple weeks but after that it was only up.
I don’t have Hashimoto’s so the Iodine presented no problems. With Hashimoto’s you may have problems with Iodine. Probably not recommended.
Becky says
I have found “Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests are Normal” by Dr. Datis Kharrazian to be a wonderful resource.
https://www.thyroidbook.com/
Also, “Stop the Thyroid Madness” by Janie A. Bowthorpe, M.Ed.
https://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/
I am currently following Dr. Kharrazian’s protocol to reverse insulin resistance as that is a precursor to thyroid issues. I read again and again, if your blood sugar is too high or too low, the thyroid Cannot function correctly.
Angie says
I completely agree with Rhonda above! I’ve been following Matt Stone’s 180 Degree blog for quite some time, and based on my own experiences and the tons of people he’s worked with, I believe low carb can definitely be a cause of low thyroid.
Rhonda says
I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about 14 years ago and have been taking Armour for most of that time. Recently I came across Matt Stone’s 180 Degree Health. As mentioned above, he believes the cause of thyroid and adrenal problems is due to the great amounts of protein that we eat. Ironically, I started Atkins probably 17 years ago and have transitioned into Paleo these past few years. I’m going to be studying this connection further to see if I can possibly improve my health by adding *gasp* carbs!
Mark says
One other thing that should be considered in low Thyroid is the ratio between free T3 and reverse T3. You can ask your doctor about it but the response will probably be “What are you talking about” or some other form of denial that this can be an issue.
In my own situation I was found to have low T3, low normal T4, a very acceptable TSH and severe hypothyroid symptoms.
Kimberly says
Dr. Aziz wrote The Perfect 10 Diet where he blames insulin and hormone imbalances on low fat diets. He also says low carb diets, like Atkins, can mess with the thyroid. I guess I have all of those years on Atkins and Weight Watchers to thank for all of imbalances! At least I finally got smart, right?
Kimberly says
I should clarify…
It’s too much protein that can mess up the thyroid. So when he discusses fad diets, Atkins gets the blame.
Lori says
We have found iodine helps repair a poor working thyroid. My oldest daughter has not had much energy her whole life and recently started taking iodine and is feeling SO much better!
Mark says
I agree that dietary iodine in proper amounts is essential. I’m do not endorse the huge doses that many alternative practioners suggest. It was enormousely helpful for me in overcoming some of the terrible hypothyroid symptoms I experienced. It was not the solution to my problem but proved extremely beneficial. Just need to start out easy and not go overboard on the dosage. There are many variations but for me 500mcg per day was my saviour.
jmr says
Yes, iodine is a tricky one. It is a miracle savior for some and just makes everything much, much worse for others. You don’t know which category you fall into until you try it.
Mark says
I believe the “rocket fuel” he is referring to is a chemical called Perchlorate. It is found in drinking water and is a known endocrine disruptor.
Jo-Lynne {Musings of a Housewife} says
I have low thyroid and I am currently non-compliant (not on meds) b/c I felt they didn’t help and I don’t like the potential side effects. I really wish I knew how to treat it naturally. It is so prevalent in our society, it has to be something we’re doing to ourselves, but I can’t seem to find clear answers. I will check out all your links.
kaymer says
My natural doctor gave me a natural thyroid pill called nature-throid that seems to work well.
enniegibs says
is it safe for kids?
Aimee says
Another avenue worth looking at would be info by Paul Chek and disease/ilness caused by poor gut health? Just an idea!