Six months after giving birth to my daughter and after have previously received blood tests that indicated a possible weakness in my thyroid, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease in March 2018. By May, my TSH levels were at 25, and my anti-thyroglobulin at 150 and anti-thyroperoxidase antibodies at 35.

My GP was confident he could handle the case, so I never saw an endocrinologist and took up to 150mg of thyroxine, which seemed to alleviate my symptoms, ie. inability to lose any weight in my post-pregnancy case, tiredness, tingly limbs, swollen ankles and face, pains in legs, feeling cold, loss of hair, brittle nails and very dry skin. Most people will be happy with this situation, because they have not seen what diet and supplements can do to reverse conditions. My mother suffered for years from lichen planus (another autoimmune disease) and was given immune-suppressant drugs, but all of her symptoms disappeared after 4 weeks when she adopted a raw plant-based diet while also stopping her medication. I may add that she also was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and would never assume to know enough about this disease, but having an auto-immune disease can’t be a good prognosis for any future illnesses. I had a 6-month-old baby and wanted to normalize my immune system and looked for guidance from doctors who could set up a protocol and get to the root cause of my illness. Luckily, I had a few friends who were working with alternative doctors, who gave me recommendations.

One was Dr. Bernard Willis, who is a GP and holistic doctor with a focus on functional medicine. The other was Dr. Shideh Pouria, who practices nutritional and environmental medicine and prescribes to the concept of cause and effect. Both base all recommendations on sound scientific and clinical research and evidence.

My purpose for sharing our work is that most people are not aware of possible tests and protocols. I hope you will take inspiration from my story and ask you own doctor new questions or seek someone out who will be able to assist you.

We determined general factors that could have trigger my Hashimoto’s:

1. Genetics
2. My pregnancy, hormonal factors and IVF residual effect
3. Metal in my teeth and from a broken foot that contribute toxicity
4. My Hemochromatosis, a disease in which too much iron builds up in your body and can cause high inflammation.

Specific clinical test provided a more detailed view into potential causes of my overactive immune system.

• Saliva to check adrenal functions
• Blood to check vitamin, mineral, metal and fatty acid levels
• Stool to check bacteria and autoimmune triggers
• Urine to check fluoride levels

Results

1. Suboptimal vitamin levels that contribute to nutrient deficiencies and hypothyroidism.
2. Dysbiosis of bacteria and viruses in my gut — including Epstein-Baar, Hand & Foot disease, steptococcus, Herpes simplex — that might make an immune system go into overdrive.
3. Low lipid content and structural fats — this does not promote the building of solid cell membranes.
4. Too much Omega 3 — usually its anti-inflamatory, but in this case it was causing a dysfunctional immune response that could affect the body’s ability to fight microbial pathogens.
5. Too little Omega 6 – this needs to be in the right ratio to Omega 3 and is essential for all vital life functions.
6. Weak immune response as measured by low secretory IgA antibodies that can be caused by stress and viruses.

I was put on a rigid protocol that included the following:

• Supplements
  • Vitamins important for thyroid function, i.e. iodine, zinc and selenium
  • Other vitamins such as B12 and D.
  • Supplements that address my bacterial issue, i.e. Saccharomyces Boulardii and Candibactin AR and BR
  • Supplements that made me extract sufficient nutrients, i.e. ox bile, hydrochloric acid and digestive pancreatic enzymes
  • Supplements that repaired the lipids of my cell membrane
  • Safflower and primrose oil that contributed the balance of my omegas
• Food
  • An anti-fungal diet that includes no sugars including limited fruit (these are the lifeline to any bacteria or viruses), no grains (the carbs in them also turn into sugar, and gluten can mimic the thyroid chemically), no dairy (these cause inflammation).
    • After a while, I was able to add back starchy vegetables, whole grains and non-bovine unprocessed cheese.
  • Eggs were ok and my saving grace for breakfast!
  • Coconut product also saved me … milk, tortillas, kefir and yoghurts.
  • Ghee and coconut oil for cooking
  • Fresh green juice without goitrous raw foods.
  • Nourishing stews and bone broths
• Other
  • Non fluoride toothpaste — High fluoride levels reduce iodine levels and therein thyroid function

In November 2018, my thyroid results were totally normal again including antibodies, and I leveled off the thyroxine completely. In the meantime, I have tried to retain the diet as much as possible and continue with the supplement regime under the guidance of my doctor. We are still working on improving some values in order to continue to strengthen my system and improve values.

I hope that this account has given you some insights. Please share your stories so that we can collectively learn. Protocols must always be personalized, but we can still learn from each other.