Alternative Treatments for Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), Gotu kola (Centella asiatica), Oatstraw (Avena sativa) and Equisetum arvense.  What are these herbs and why do I keep finding them as “alternative treatments” for Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis?  When I researched the herbs, some of them actually stimulate the thyroid gland, which may be a bad thing, depending on the advancement of your Hashi’s.

For me, I am early in my illness.  Although I think my symptoms started about 18 months ago, it had been so gradual.  It was my heart palpitations that drove me to my doctor’s office, and I just happened to have a really great doctor.  He ordered the right tests that diagnosed my Hashi’s.  It wasn’t until the month following the initial diagnosis that I really started to have problems.  It makes sense though.  I was having major heart palpitations each and every night, so my thyroid gland was being attacked each and every night.  After about 6 weeks of this, it was reasonable that I would have moments of being very hypothyroid.  But as most Hashimoto’s patients can tell you, even when it is obvious that your body is hypothyroid, you can be having a few hyperthyroid symptoms.  How is that possible?  With Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, your body is constantly swinging between being hypo and hyper-thyroid.

This is an autoimmune disorder, so although part of the treatment is to take thyroid medicine to suppress our pituitary gland (thus suppressing our TSH, which in turn suppresses our thyroid), we aren’t really being advised to treat our immune system.  How do you treat the immune system?

As Hashi’s patients, we need to be careful.  We don’t want to over stimulate our immune system, as our immune systems are already hyperactive enough.  Gotu kola is the only herb in the above list that may help a Hashi’s patient, although I haven’t personally tried it yet.  Here is a good article that describes the uses of Gotu kola, and if you see yourself with any of the symptoms mentioned, then it might be worth a try.

Is anyone taking “Thyroid Assist” for their Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis?  If so, please leave comments as to your experiences with it.  As I read about this product, I don’t see that it helps with our autoimmune disorder, but only with hypothyroid symptoms.

I need to research the ingredients in Zrii to see which one may be having the positive effect on my Hashi’s symptoms.  The main herbal ingredients in Zrii are: Amalaki (Emblica officinalis), Ginger (Zingiber officinalis), Turmeric (Curcuma ionga), Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum), Schizandra (Schizandra chinensis), Jujube (Ziziphus zizyphus), and Haritaki (Terminalia chebula).  If you have any personal experience with any of these herbs in the treatment of your Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, please leave a comment.  I would love to hear from you.

What is Zrii?

I searched the Internet for hours trying to find something, anything, that would give me hope that my Hashi’s could be healed.  At the very least, I wanted to stop the Hashi’s from getting worse and totally destroying my thyroid gland.  There seemed to be nothing out there to help me.  Sure, I was given dessicated thyroid medicine, which helped to eliminate the hypo/hyper symptoms I was having.  But nothing stopped the antibody attack on my thyroid gland.  Every evening I would feel my heart begin to race, the PVCs would start, and I would practically feel my thyroid being dissolved.

Despite knowing that Zrii had changed my life in another area of my life, it never occurred to me that it might help my Hashi’s.  It wasn’t until my aunt challenged me to try taking Zrii, and the nutritional counterpart Nutriveda, everyday.  She said, “Just see what happens.”  So, because I was still getting the stuff every month, I decided to try it.  Up until this time, I had stopped taking Zrii everyday, mainly through laziness.  I had bottles of it stacking up in my frig.

A few weeks ago, I started consciously taking 4 oz of Zrii everyday, and taking a serving of Nutriveda everyday too.  Starting with my next post, I will document my findings from the last few weeks.  As for now, I am very happy to say that I have had no PVCs for 3 days now.  None!  I am amazed.

(Originally posted on HelpForHashis.com 10/28/2009 8:54 PM)

Welcome to Help for Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

Hi.  My name is Carolyn.  And I am a Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis patient.  I decided to write this blog to document everything that I am doing to treat my Hashi’s disease.  Not only am I taking dessicated thyroid to help me to feel better, but I started to take Zrii and Nutriveda to test whether or not it would make a difference.  After two weeks, I think I am seeing a difference.  But that is why I am writing this blog….to document everything that I am doing to see if Zrii is actually working or not.

My Story:

In July of this year I was diagnosed over the phone by my cardiologist.  You see, I had been having heart palpitations or premature ventricular contractions (AKA: PVCs).  With my family history of heart disease, I wasted no time in getting myself to the doctor.  Fortunately, I have a great family doctor.  He referred me to a cardiologist, and ordered complete blood tests.  These tests included a full work-up for my thyroid gland.  However, the cardiologist neglected to look at the lab results until after she did several costly tests.

Anyway, this cardiologist called me and said that she had just looked at my lab results and noticed that I had thyroid antibodies.  She told me that because I had these antibodies, I had Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and that I needed to see an endocrinologist, but that I would be better in a few months.

Wow.  Was she wrong or what?!

So, after several months now, I am taking 2 grains of Nature Thyroid (NT).  I still have days that I feel a little strange (tired, sluggish, etc). However, nothing had treated by PVCs except for Propranolol, which is a beta-blocker.  Despite the NT, I would still get the antibody attack every evening.  Every evening it felt like my heart would beat right out of my chest.  Sometimes it beat so hard that it hurt.  Now, I was having chest pains!

Why try Zrii?

Since I now have to make dinner for my family, I’ll answer that question with my next post.

(Originally posted at HelpForHashis.com 10/26/2009 12:59 PM)

Zrii vs. beta-blocker

Well, it has been a month now since I started taking 3-4oz Zrii daily for my Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.  During the first week, I took my beta-blocker every evening when the heart palpitations started.  Incidentally, my cardiologist diagnosed the palpitations as being ‘premature ventricular contractions’, otherwise known as PVCs.  By the 5th day, I was beginning to think that my PVCs were lessening.  In the last three weeks, I have only taken 1 beta-blocker.  Why?  Because I have had NO PVCs!

About a week ago, I was thinking that maybe, just maybe, I could be healed of my Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.  My theory is that if I am not having any antibody attacks, and if I could cut back on the Nature Thyroid without the antibody attacks starting again, then I could call myself healed.

Over the last week or so, I noticed that if I only took 1-2 oz of Zrii, then I would have a few PVCs.  Granted, they weren’t bad enough or lasted long enough to warrant taking a beta-blocker….but I still had a few PVCs, which meant that I was having an antibody attack.  So, this thought occurred to me:

If I have to take something for the rest of my life, or for several years, then I would rather take Zrii than beta-blockers.

Maybe Zrii won’t heal me, but, for me, it is better to take a natural supplement than to take heart-altering medications.

I need to continue documenting though, and I plan to share the information with my doctor next month.  In every forum or every Facebook group, people are talking about feeling terrible.  People are posting that they have never felt as good as they did before they were diagnosed.  Isn’t that depressing?  Here I am, diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis a little over 4 months ago, and everywhere I look on the Internet it is hopeless.  Maybe it is my attitude…maybe it is my faith…maybe it is my strength of mind – I don’t know.  I have never liked being sick, and I refuse to be sick.  Sure, I have had some days (especially over the summer), when I felt lousy – tired, listless, unmotivated, foggy, etc.  But even then, I had a choice.  Do I stay lying on that couch, or do I get up and be a wife and mother?  I chose to get up.  Since I felt lousy regardless if I was on the couch or making dinner…I might as well make dinner and enjoy the life I have with my family.

 

(Originally posted on HelpForHashis.com 11/7/2009 6:41:42 PM)

Hope for Hashimoto’s!

When I was first diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, I searched the Internet for hours trying to learn about this disease.  In the process, I joined a few thyroid forums to learn from other patients.  Occasionally, I would see some posts that address Hashi’s, but never with any hope.  In fact, regardless of the thyroid problem, all I saw from these forums was a place for people to help each other manage their disease….or complain about their various health problems!

Maybe that is all that we can do, manage our Hashimoto’s, or our Grave’s Disease, or other hypothyroid or hyperthyroid condition.  I don’t know.  But I am discouraged by the absolutely lack of hope that is being offered.  Thyroid patients are uniting to demand desiccated thyroid.  That is great, and that is needed.  But where is the united effort to demand research for a cure?  I want hope that maybe, just maybe, there will be a cure sometime in my lifetime.  That maybe, just maybe, I won’t have to take pills every day.

Some people might think that it is no big deal to take a pill.  And sure, given all the other diseases out there, I am blessed to have one that can be fixed (relatively speaking) by taking a few pills every day.  But for me personally, I have never taken pills regularly.  I could never even remember to take my multi-vitamin!  Now, I need to remember to take a pill by a certain time each day, or I feel like a zombie.  I can’t tell you how many times I have forgotten to take my morning dose of Nature Thyroid.  By noon, I start to feel tired…then I remember, and the rest of my day is off.

Anyway, that is why I am personally seeking a cure for my Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.  I have only posted one time on a thyroid forum, only to have someone reply back that nothing I put in my body will stop the antibody attack.  Well, you know what?  You are not me!  This is my experience, and no one can tell me that my Hashi’s is being controlled only by the Nature Thyroid.  I took 2 grains of NT for a few months with no effect on the antibody attack every night.  None!  During that time, I was so discouraged.  My heart would start to bump in my chest every single day, and I would feel like I was sitting there feeling my body destroy itself.  It felt so wrong to not do something about it.  Yet, I was already doing everything doctors were telling me to do.  I was already doing everything these thyroid forums were telling me to do.

I wanted the power to change my body.

So, I am endeavoring to change my body, to reverse an otherwise incurable autoimmune disease that medical doctor’s, and chronically ill patients, tell me is impossible.  Will Zrii help me change my body?  Will Ayurvedic medicine be the answer?  I don’t know.  But I refuse to lose hope.

 

(Originally posted on HelpForHashis.com 11/5/2009 9:03:00 AM)

Initial Documentation of Zrii’s Effect on My Hashi’s Symptoms

I need to start documenting what Zrii has done for me since I started taking it again.  Please note that I am currently taking 2 grains of NatureThyroid while testing the effects of Zrii on my Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis:

 

October 7, 2009 – 1st day taking a full 3-4 oz Zrii

October 12th – 5th day with Zrii; starting to notice that my PVCs have diminished in strength and frequency.

October 13th – forgot Zrii; started having PVCs by 10:30pm.

October 14th – some PVCs in the afternoon,but didn’t take beta-blocker; made sure to take Zrii

October 15th – still some PVCs in the afternoon, but not enough to take a beta-blocker; took my dose of Zrii

October 17th – No PVCs at all; still taking 3-4 oz of Zrii daily

October 26th – Still No PVCs at all; still taking 3-4oz Zrii

October 28th – November 3rd: I cut back on the Zrii, just not intentionally. Instead of drinking straight from the 3oz bottle (which actually holds 4oz), I was sipping 1-2 oz from the big 25 oz bottle.  By November 3rd, I was having a few PVCs again.

November 3rd – had enough PVCs in the evening that I took a beta-blocker.

November 4th – drank 3-4oz Zrii and have had no PVCs today.

 

(Originally posted on HelpForHashis.com 11/4/2009 10:20:00 PM)

Is There Help for Hashimoto’s?

I am so tired of reading blogs and articles that tell me there is no hope for Hashi’s patients.  Time and time again, I have read that Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is an autoimmune disorder with no cure.  I am tired of hearing that all we can do is sit by and wait for our Thyroid gland to destroy itself.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I do realize that these statements are true.  But isn’t there hope somewhere?!  Is there only hope in that we can continue to find dessicated thyroid medicine to treat ourselves after we become hypothyroid?

My goal is to find what is wrong with my immune system, treat it, wait for confirmation that the antibodies are NOT doing anything harmful to my thyroid gland, then wean myself off dessicated thyroid medicine.  You see, we all have antibodies to various things.  Every common cold that we have had since our childhood has given us antibodies to that particular virus.  Every flu we have experiences, our bodies have made antibodies for that flu virus.  With every vaccine, we are arming our bodies with antibodies to fight sickness.  Antibodies to our own thyroid gland can’t hurt us if they are sitting dormant.  I don’t care what my lab report says, I care if my antibodies are hurting my own body.

That is why my goal is to stop the antibody attack!  Many of you may have read Stop the Thyroid Madness by Janie A. Bowthorpe, M.Ed. Although this book helped me tremendously and dedicates a whole chapter to Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, it didn’t offer much hope to stop the antibody attack against our own bodies.  I am hopeful that through careful documentation of the effects of Zrii on my body, that it will be proven effective in the treatment of autoimmune disorders.

(Originally posted on HelpForHashis.com 10/29/2009 5:21 PM)