Case Study: Two Thyroid Conditions

Mary is an interesting patient who came to my clinic suffering with both Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves’ disease. The first can cause an under active thyroid gland, while the second may make it over active. Mary experienced symptoms of both conditions.

Her own doctor had diagnosed these two thyroid problems in Mary approximately three months ago. The following symptoms caused Mary to visit her doctor:

• Fatigue
• Puffiness in her face and swollen ankles at the end of the day
• Depression and anxiety
• Occasional difficulty falling asleep due to a racing heart
• Feeling unrefreshed upon waking
• Changes in bowel habits. Sometimes Mary was constipated and other days she experienced diarrhea

Mary’s most recent blood test showed a TSH level of 2.85, which is in the normal range. However, a history showed that her TSH fluctuated often. The lowest it got was 0.13 and the highest it got was 5.11. At 0.13 I would expect she’d suffer symptoms of an over active thyroid gland, and at 5.11 her thyroid was under active. The blood test results also showed thyroid antibodies indicative of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves’ disease. This is why Mary’s TSH reading and her symptoms varied so much. Mary’s doctor also discovered she was vitamin D deficient, and Mary recently started taking a supplement. This is good because being low in vitamin D can worsen all thyroid conditions. There wasn’t any medication or other supplements that Mary’s doctor recommended to her. He suggested regular monitoring and treatment if or when her condition deteriorated. Mary’s friend loaned her our book called Your Thyroid Problems Solved and suggested she visit my clinic.

The first thing I explained to Mary was that her primary problem was autoimmune disease and if we can control that, we can probably prevent her developing a permanent thyroid condition. Autoimmune disease is at epidemic proportions and it’s far more common in women than men due to the influence of the female hormone estrogen. The thyroid gland is a frequent victim of autoimmune attack.

These were my recommendations for my patient:

• Mary needed a higher level of vitamin D than was in the supplement she had begun taking. Therefore, I asked her to take 2 Thyroid Health capsules in addition. These capsules contain vitamin D, plus iodine, selenium and zinc. They all help reduce autoantibody levels in autoimmune disease, and are required for the production of thyroid hormones.
• I put Mary on a grain free, gluten free and dairy free diet. This is critical in order to heal leaky gut syndrome, which is present in all autoimmune disease. This is necessary whether the patient experiences any digestive problems or not. I also gave her digestive enzymes and ox bile capsules, to enhance absorption of nutrients and help normalize her bowel habits. There is detailed information in the book Healing Autoimmune Disease: A plan to help your immune system and reduce inflammation.
• I gave Mary a glutamine supplement to heal and soothe the gut lining, thus heal her leaky gut faster than just diet changes alone.
• Magnesium will be very helpful for calming Mary down, help her to sleep more deeply, and calm her racing heart. I asked her to take one teaspoon of Magnesium powder with her evening meal each night.

I look forward to catching up with Mary in 4 weeks.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.

}