(Illustration by Paolo Caravello,
for jewelery designer Kyoto Hashimoto.)
Hashimoto's Disease (just watch!) is going to be in the news a lot in the next few years. 90% of people who struggle with low-thyroid (hypothyroid) have Hashimoto's*.
Hashimoto's is not a thyroid disease, however. Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disease that attacks the thyroid. If you have low-thyroid you most likely have Hashimoto's. You can get tested to find out, but endocrinologists aren't likely the doctors who will figure it out. Keep reading.
The problem is, most patients with low-thyroid symptoms don't get tested (or treated) by their doctors for an autoimmune condition like Hashimoto's. They usually only get tested for low thyroid function. Then, they only get treated with thyroid medication...while their autoimmune condition gets worse (and they wonder why
It's the immune system that needs treating, NOT the thyroid. If you have Hashimoto's you need to support your immune system to slow down the destruction of the thyroid gland (under a doctor's supervision), instead of focusing on taking thyroid medication. It's difficult to find the right doctor who takes this approach, but we just found one.
It's been nearly eight years that I have struggled with the worst part of a chronic illness, not knowing exactly what it was. I was literally in bed or on the couch most days for seven months in 2005 with only occasional outings where it took all my energy to sit up straight, in church for example, and too weak to stay out very long. I don't want to count the number of doctors I've seen because that would make me feel sad.
Not ONE of them ran the simple test to rule out Hashimoto's. Not one. My new doctor, Dr. Flannery, finally did.
My husband and I drove to his clinic in Los Angeles (we live in Utah), because we both knew he was the doctor that had finally focused on getting to the root cause of many conditions, including the root cause of thyroid symptoms...and after he ran many lab tests on me, it was clear it was an autoimmune disease (Hashimoto's), as it may well be for many people who have low thyroid labs.
I am now treating the Hashimoto's by supporting my immune system (per Dr. Flannery's recommendations) and I'm more confident than ever that I will regain energy and strength. Autoimmune symptoms CAN be controlled and managed (not cured), just like turning down the dimmer switch on a light. It may not turn off, but it won't be very noticeable. Dr. Flannery is teaching me how to do this.
Dr. Flannery can Skype with you (phone or video Skype) so that you don't have to travel to get help. He teaches seminars to practitioners for Dr. Kharrazian around the country and is nationally and internationally recognized for his success in helping patients who suffer from Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism and other thyroid dysfunctions. Dr. Flannery is a revered colleague of Dr. Kharazzian (Dr. K wrote the classic book on Hashimoto's and hypothyroid conditions, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms?).
If you have low-thyroid (hypothyroid) symptoms, read the book and get tested. Learn about functional medicine. You will wonder what has taken all of your other doctors so long to figure out something SO SIMPLE.
*According to Dr. Datis Kharrazian
