Ideas about treating hypothyroidism

I was hypothyroid for years, but managed to slowly reverse it, and at this stage I no longer need the meds (although I may well need them again at some stage).

If you're facing this too, here are few tidbits that might help:

• Your thyroid gland adjusts its output of thyroid hormone in response to how much hormone it senses in your blood. That can make you feel terrible after starting on a big dose of Synthroid all at once. It's better to add a little at a time, and work your way up over one or even two months.


• Increased fatigue when you first start with hormone supplements isn't unusual. It normally goes away in a month or two.

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• Synthroid is synthetic T4. It has the advantage of providing a very exact dose compared to other brands such as Levoxyl, which some people claim is helpful. I found it wasn't that helpful for me, and I much preferred Armour Thyroid, which comes from an animal source. Armour also includes some T3, which is the active form of the hormone. Some people have a hard time making T3 from T4. There are specific lab tests that can help narrow this down (Free T3, Free T4, etc), but many docs don't seem to understand them.


• Try monitoring your body temperature before you get out of bed. It can be a good indicator of your body's response to the hormone supplements. A temperature of less than 97.6 to 98.0 generally means you should increase your dose slightly.


• Iodine supplements can be very helpful, since thyroid hormone is composed primarily of iodine.


• You might also want to look into the Wilson program, which involves adjusting T3 dose only, in a cyclical way. It has cured hypothyroidism in some people (I went through it myself; it helped, but didn't cure me).


• Check your environment at home and at work for toxic chemicals. Some chemicals can compete with thyroid hormone for hormone receptors, which decreases its effectiveness in your body. They can also impair the thryoid gland's ability to produce. Even small amounts of things like formaldehyde, paint fumes, bug sprays, etc, can be damaging.


• The thyroid gland is known to be very sensitive to toxins.  I suspect that as people lose weight on a Paleo-type diet, and as the toxins the body naturally sequesters in fat are released into the blood (a well-documented phenomenon), that it might eventually be thyro-toxic or suppressive in some people.  If so, it suggests possible treatment or nutritional support (increasing glutathione, etc) while you’re losing weight could be a good idea.