Case study: Under active thyroid gland

Carol arrived at our clinic overweight and exhausted. She was so tired that she actually had to put her elbows on the table and rest her head in her hands as she spoke to me for an hour. Carol weighed 80 kilos and her healthy weight range is between 65 and 70 kilos.

Carol has hypothyroidism caused by Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. This was diagnosed at the age of 19 and Carol is now 35 years old. Since that time she has been overweight and has suffered some degree of fatigue, aching muscles and fluid retention. In the last year those symptoms had intensified, plus Carol had developed new health problems:

--She felt stiff and sore when she got out of bed each morning. Carol dreaded having to face each day.
--Carol had a constantly blocked nose, mucus in her throat and she had frequent colds and flu.
--She had just recently recovered from a bout of thrush, which she suffered with regularly.
--Carol had a bloated abdomen, felt nauseous much of the time and had occasional bouts of diarrhea for no reason.

Carol had been taking Oroxine/Synthroid (thyroxine) at an alternating dose of 100mcg one day and 150mcg the next day. She also took B vitamins to help with stress.

I assessed Carol’s blood test results and discovered that her TSH was 4.0 mIU/L, indicating that she was not taking enough thyroxine. I sent Carol for a urinary iodine test and her result showed extreme deficiency. Her urinary iodine level was 18 ug/L and a normal level should be above 100.

I asked Carol to increase her thyroxine to 150mcg each day. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune condition where the immune system produces antibodies that attack and destroy the thyroid gland. Most patients will continue to experience some symptoms of an under active thyroid gland unless they work on improving their immune system.

In order to achieve this I placed Carol on a gluten and dairy free diet and put her on a bowel detox. 80 percent of the immune cells in our body are found in our digestive tract, therefore the digestive function must be addressed in order to improve the immune system. As Carol was severely iodine deficient, I also gave her a supplement containing iodine, combined with other nutrients essential for healthy thyroid gland function.

After eight weeks Carol returned a different person. She had a big smile on her face and had regained her enthusiasm for life. Carol was thrilled to have lost seven kilos. She did not exercise during that eight weeks but said she now had the energy to, and starting an exercise program was her goal.

Carol’s muscles no longer ached and she was no longer puffy. She was able to fall asleep quickly and sleep solidly through the night. Therefore she woke with energy and looked forward to each new day. Carol’s digestion improved dramatically and she no longer suffered with nausea, bloating or diarrhea.

Carol will continue with a gluten and dairy free diet for another couple of months, when she will be reassessed again. She has not found the diet difficult to stick to, and the dramatic improvement in her health has provided ample motivation to continue it. In the majority of cases we recommend people with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis follow a gluten free diet for life.