Some Rights Reserved
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0
United States License.
Autoimmune Hypothyroidism
Written by Dr. Kevin Conners
“I have hypothyroidism,” states a patient in a tone suggesting that she has discovered the answer to her problems. “What’s the cause?” I retorted, leaving her a bit stunned and at a loss for words. “I don’t know,” she continued after a long pause, “he just said that it was the reason for my symptoms.” Now I’m not one to burst anyone’s bubble, but there is a cause for every disorder, including Hypothyroidism, and if you don’t dig a little deeper than a superficial desire for a named diagnosis, you’ll simply be left with a label and NO solution. There are actually six main reasons for hypothyroidism; the most common is autoimmune hypothyroid, called Hashimoto’s Disease.
In my latest book, “Help, My Body is Killing Me, Solving the Connections of Autoimmune Disease to Thyroid Problems, Fibromyalgia, Infertility, Anxiety, Depression, ADD/ADHD and more,” I explore the response of the immune system in chronic diseases. It is really the practice of Functional Medicine, a mix of the traditional and alternative to ‘dig to find the reason WHY.’
There is no need for confusion regarding autoimmune disorders. It is important to understand that an autoimmune disease is a ‘state’ that the immune system is in. It is NOT a disease of an organ; and even though it is given a multitude of names depending on the tissue currently affected, it is a STATE of the immune system attacking the tissue it was meant to protect. ‘Google’ Hashimoto’s Disease and you’ll learn that it is an autoimmune attack on the thyroid. The bigger challenge is to find the answer to ‘why is my immune system attacking the thyroid?’ Once you really understand the mechanism of autoimmune disorders, you’ll understand the possible reasons ‘why’.
The autoimmune response is an inflammatory response, which produces chemicals called cytokines, which are part of the body’s natural defense system against outside invaders. The body’s immune system may be separated into a Th1 and a Th2 response which must be in balance. A person with an autoimmune disease has this process stuck in the ‘on’ position, either hyper-Th1 or hyper-Th2, which if prolong, destroys the tissue where the antigen is recognized. This is an inflammatory, destructive response and causes the symptoms that the patient expresses.
We will be uncovering this mysterious disorder over the next six weeks to help you deal with your thyroid problem in a more intelligent manner. There IS a reason for your symptoms. If you are fed-up with simply suppressing them with medications and desire to explore the root cause, continue to follow my articles on this blog. I have been graciously invited to share my insight with you for the next few months.
Read all about this and similar information on Dr. Conners website and even download a FREE COPY of his book at www.upperroomwellness.com.
Bio: Doctor of Chiropractic, Northwestern Health Sciences University; Fellowship in Health Research Outcomes, National Institutes of Health; currently studying for Diplomate Status in Neurology, Carrick Institute; Fellowship in Anti-Aging, Regenerative and Functional Medicine; Fellowship in Integrative Cancer Therapy; and Master Degree through South Florida School of Medicine; over 100 hours postgraduate study in Autism Spectrum Disorders; practicing Applied Kinesiologist
Contact Info:
Tags: Autoimmune hypothyroidism, autoimmune response, Dr. Kevin Conners, functional medicine, Hashimotos, hypothyroid, inflammatory response, Upper Room Wellness
Follow Dear Thyroid on Twitter/@DearThyroid | See our Facebook Page | Become a Fan on Facebook | Join our Facebook Group
You Can Create a Dear Thyroid Profile and share with friends!
Reader Feedback
12 Responses to “Autoimmune Hypothyroidism”
Leave a Reply to Lisa
Comments are moderated in an effort to control spam. If you have a previously approved Comment, this one should go right through. Thanks for your patience!
Looking forward to your posts, thank you.
Very much looking forward to your posts suffering from hashimotos and the resulting hypothyroidism I now have.
very good ,i have decovered on my own tht mda also runs hand -hand with thyroid disorder ,i am not a sciencest but ,ive had 8 primary family members with mda-thyroid disorders wacked!now send tht to a clinic for research!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,cuz i dont have …,or any letters after my last name .this is an artical tht a i can and do relate to as my life spun out of control for years!teresa!
I can’t wait for the rest. I’m desperate to figure this out. I feel like poo-poo even on my medication
Oh yes….the question I have been asking for years…why?
Looking forward to reading the posts…thank you very much for looking into the “why” and not just the “result”.
Maybe my children or grandchildren will not have to go through what I have been through on this ridiculous journey if their immune system decides one day to attack!!
Such great information! I love what you have shared, and downloaded the pdf book to read! I look forward to your future articles, maybe some insight on Graves Disease?
Amanda
I so agree Dr. Conners! I know the “what”; titles & names of my diseases but trying to get the answers as to “why” has been grueling. I look forward to your next posts with excitement and great interest.
Lisa
I can only say that many have the idea to calm the immune system and not just one idea works. But a combination of herbs and medication can certainly seem to help. Would thing to be true is that it is frustrating to go from ones idea to someone else idea on how this could all work. Wishing there was one fixed solution–wishing.
Great post! I too cannot wait to see what you have to say in upcoming articles. I would LOVE to know the why and find a way to fight the autoimmune disease instead of trying to stem the tide and finding that it isn’t working at all. Thanks.
Thank you for this topic. I look forward to learning more. psm
Gratitude for another profound post. I am pretty sure this article has helped me save many hours of evaluation other similar posts just near uncover what I was wanting for
““I have hypothyroidism,” states a patient in a tone suggesting that she has discovered the answer to her problems. “What’s the cause?” I retorted, leaving her a bit stunned and at a loss for words. “I don’t know,” she continued after a long pause, “he just said that it was the reason for my symptoms.” ”
If a doctor spoke with me in this manner, I’d immediately lose respect and consequently mistrust anything he or she would have to say. Of course your patient is not likely going to know the cause; she is probably not an expert. She has come to you, the professional, for help, and you, in the poorest example of professionalism that I can imagine a doctor choosing to display, thump your chest at her like the proverbial frat-boy at a bar.
I sincerely hope that the information that you intend to deliver to your patients is genuinely useful to them, and that your attitude toward them isn’t as condescending and unnecessarily dominant as it appears in this article.