I’m a nurse and was surprised to see the accuracy in this post- not that I have any reason to doubt your credibility, but I see a lot of health/medical posts written by the misinformed.
How bout those T-cells though- I have a love hate relationship with those because I have a ton of autoimmune issues. Sure, the cells help me when they are doing their job but when they mount a full scale attack on my thyroid- my life becomes quite shitty (for lack of a better word).
Anyways, super cool post- definitely my style for sure.
My son has the same condition as you. His immune system is attacking his thyroid. Sadly there is really nothing to stop it. He inherited the autoimmune issue from me. I had my right thyroid removed 21 years ago due to large nodules... and now my left thyroid is full of cysts and nodules. 😕
Damn - that’s just terrible. Living with thyroid issues is so much harder than people think...as I’m sure you know. I have days where I feel like I haven’t slept in weeks. I was diagnosed a year or so ago and my appearance has even changed. My complexion and everything. My TSH was finally normal at my last visit but it’s usually way off- like 80s.
Anyways, I feel for you and your son. I wish the absolute best for both of you. It’s rough but you can do is take it one day at a time.
It's so sad that more and more men are having this problem. You are only 25 and my son is only 19!! What is going on??
I'm starting to think it may be something in the food we eat?
Thank you for responding and I wish the best for you too.
It really is scary. And it happened out of nowhere!!! I was healthy and then one more I woke up and had some kind of episode - hard to describe but I panicked and went to the ER. They said everything was normal except my thyroid which was completely and utterly off! I was really confused and then my doctor started my on synthroid almost immediately. Now here I am a year and a half later dealing with this crap everything. Sorry I feel like it just spews out of me life vomit when I start thinking about it. I truly wish the best for your son and you. Life is what you make it I suppose. All we can do is fight for the best. Anyways time for me to sleep for now- goodnight!
I know of something that may help your son. Thyroids can often be boosted with a concentrated form of iodine that has been detoxified. You can purchase a small bottle of "Detoxified Iodine" sometimes called "Energy Iodine". It's often iodine crystal in ethyl alcohol.
Take this and put 1 drop in 8oz of water and drink the water. The next day put 2 drops in 8oz of water and drink the water. Continue this for 5 days so you get up to 5 drops. Then, stop for 2 days and start the process over again. This should really help thyroid function.
Best of Luck,
Spencer Coffman
Thank you spencercoffman. Yes, I will tell him about this treatment. He does have an endocrinologist he sees once a year but she just monitors his thyroid and never gave him any kind of treatment. So, yes, thank you so much and I hope it works! 🙂
Please be cautious about posting potential treatments for people. There is more evidence that additive iodine is harmful to people with autoimmune disorders like Hashimoto's or autoimmune thyroiditis. It has been used to treat the hyperthyroidism in Graves disease, but should not be a recommendation for all thyroid related disorders as it can make their condition worse.
Yes, it is essential to do your research before simply taking anything. Thank you for adding this word of caution. Iodine can indeed be harmful in large doses, especially to those with thyroid problems. However, this is why it is essential to use detoxified iodine. It provides a different chemical delivery than normal iodine.
Still, read up on it before taking it. This is also why you are to start with one drop in a glass of water. That is such a minuscule amount that it is very safe.
Seriously, wtf is the deal with autoimmune disease, I feel like that's all I hear lately. Are they increasing in prevalence, or are things now being diagnosed that were not previously?
The trouble lies within all of the chemicals and preservatives in the food we eat. Sugar is one of the worst things for the immune system. Sugar beets are bathed in acid and go through a terrible chemical process to become crystalized sugar. Then you eat it and ingest all of those chemicals.
Meat is injected with antibiotics and other vaccines. When you eat the meat you are ingesting those antibiotics and vaccines in small doses. Thus, your body builds up immunity to those medicines. Thus, when you get sick your body does not respond to any treatment. Therefore, you end up with autoimmune problems because your body starts attacking itself. Really it is attacking all of the foreign medicines that you unknowingly consume in your everyday food.
no doubt that sugar isn't good for you - i think we've established that..
not sure about your claim about meat - never really heard about that one before...
but we don't know that either of those is the cause.. it has to be something specific..
I was reading a while back about the balance of gut bacteria and how it's affected by diet, though that doesn't seem to really be an issue in non western countries.
I think also the prevalence of gluten intolerance is related... .i was reading yesterday about some of the chemicals they use to process and regulate the properties of flour, and who knows whether it goes even further up the chain with the insecticides they use on wheat etc.
Yes, all of the flour and gluten people it causes major problems to the body. Look at the epidemic we have of diabetes.
Regarding gut bacteria. That is a major problem nowadays. People are no longer eating fermented foods filled with probiotics like they did in days past. Years ago, people would can all kinds of food and store it in the cellar. As the food aged it grew certain bacteria. Thousands of different strains of probiotics. They consumed these probiotics and they helped make people healthy enough to fight off all kinds of health problems. Now, without all of those antibodies, our immune systems are much weaker.
what kind of foods are you talking about?
Foods that people canned themselves and then they fermented or aged. Things like sauerkraut, pickles, canned fruits that may have became a little tangy, canned vegetables.
They can't be things that the stores can because those are pasteurized, boiled, pressured, or whatever to make sure they last a long time without changing.
Years ago, canned foods grew bacteria. Obviously, if they got too bad then eating them would cause negative effects. However, prior to that, they were great for the bacteria in the gut.
that would make a lot of sense, because to a degree they still do a lot of that in the middle east (and probably other regions i'm sure)
And that might suggest why middle eastern people might be susceptible to RA etc when they move to western cultures, because their gut is used to these bacterias that all of a sudden stop being supplied to them...
Yes, I would agree with that.
To everyone in this line of commenting—
Gluten is certainly a culprit in some of these issues- I myself have been gluten free for over a year now and it has helped me in many areas
Secondly and VERY IMPORTANTLY
(This is not medical advice, I’m only expressing my opinion)
Iodine is a necessary nutrient for thyroid function however those with any thyroid disfunction may have severe adverse effects from taking iodine in larger than daily recommended values. This is especially true in those with Hashimotos/ autoimmune thyroid issues. It can cause an auto immune attack and or cause t4 levels to rise significantly. I do not mean to discredit you @spencercoffman - this is just something that you should absolute speak to a doctor about before starting.
It’s even recommended that those with hashimotos, completely avoid iodine rich foods like seaweed because of the adversity of having too much iodine.
Just wanted to throw that out there.
Yes, thank you. Don't worry, you are not offending me. I am speaking from years of health experience obtained through both myself and others.
Iodine can indeed be harmful if you have an existing thyroid problem. However, it can also help. It will only help if you have a pure form of iodine. The toxins have to be removed. This is why "detoxified iodine" should be used. In addition, when you only place one drop in a glass of water that is a pretty safe dosage.
Still, you should always consult a medical professional (preferably your doctor) before doing any kind of treatment. Your doctor knows you and what you are on. If you add anything they will know how it will effect everything else you are doing.
Therefore, before doing anything you read online, check with someone who knows and understands your specific condition.
When it comes down to it- a lot is unknown about thyroid function and dysfunction for that matter. It’s hard to determine what is truly helpful and what’s is harmful ... research in general is often limited to big pharmaceutical companies and supportive drugs rather than curative. It’s a shame.
Honestly, I’m not sure. I think that we use the term more often to describe things we cannot place in any other category - or something that has not outside cause.
I have been healthy my entire life - I’m 25 years old for Christ sake. And then 1 year ago I get diagnosed with these thyroid issues and my life starts changing. Oddly enough, nobody else in my family has it and it’s more predominantly seen in females. I don’t really fit the bill at all ...but I digress
ha to be honest when i first replied to your post off my phone and i didn't see your display pic i kind of assumed you were female - because you're right it definitely hits females more.
i've read about people going on paleo diets and that kind of thing to improve their health...
I don't really have anything like that myself, but my wife does, and it's made me take a lot more notice when i hear people complaining of autoimmune diseases... it can be really debilitating.