Ok.  It has been far too many months since I tended this blog.  When I started this blog last year, I vowed to keep it going every few weeks.  Nothing is more frustrating than reading a blog, finding it interesting, then hearing nothing new from the author for months.  For those who read my blog several months ago and didn’t hear anything back…I am sorry.  But, onto be the subject at hand.

Is there any help for Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis?

It has been a year since my diagnosis.   I have tried lots if different stuff, even having my blood analyzed.  The guy who analyzed my blood told me to put iodine in my belly button until my body stopped absorbing it.  Once my skin stained, then I would know that my iodine levels are restored and I would be healed of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.  I immediately went out and bought iodine.  And lo and behold, my skin did not stain at all.  I was shocked.  I was amazed.  Every other time that I had medical necessity cleaning done with iodine, my skin was vapid yellow.  Not this time.  However, it did ruin my belly button ring, so use caution if you have one.

Now, before I tell you the results, I must tell you that I had done lots of research online for Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.  I had read everything I could find, both conventional medical wisdom, and alternative medicine.  There are so many articles and blogs out there selling you something, that I was very skeptical.  I certainly don’t want this blog to become one of ‘those’ blogs.  My goal is to provide information that I have found to be helpful.  One thing I did learn was that iodine is not good for a Hashi’s patient.  Just enough time had passed that I couldn’t exactly remember why it was bad, other than it wasn’t recommended.  So, when this guy told me that my low iodine levels were causing my body to attack itself with this autoimmune response, it made sense to me. It still makes sense.  For a few years leading up to my diagnosis, I had switched to sea salt for my regular salt use.  I never even checked the iodine content.  My mother had taught me to always buy salt supplemented with iodine, but I let taste get in the way of common sense.  So, I knew that my iodine levels were low because I wasn’t getting very much in my diet.

However, please use caution.  My doctor told me that an untreated Hashimoto’s patient will have a bad response to iodine.  In an initial Hashimoto’s response, the body is attacking the thyroid causing higher than normal thyroid levels.  If iodine is introduced at this point, there will be more iodine than normal causing even more thyroid hormone to be produced.  It could prove to be very bad for the new Hashi’s patient.  I will assume that my readers will research this fact on their own.

However, I had already been using Nature’s Thyroid for several months, and my thyroid was fully suppressed.  Therefore, putting iodine in my belly button would not hurt me. I even started taking iodine pills to increase my levels more quickly.  (I tend to be very impatient about these things.)  Did my skin start to stain yellow?  A little, yes.  When my doctor re-tested my antibody levels, were they back to normal?  No.

According to my medical records, I still have an autoimmune disorder.  I am still a Hashimoto’s patient.  Did the iodine help me?  I think it did.  My symptoms became more stable once I increased my iodine levels.  If fact, I did have to drop my Nature Thyroid dose from 2 grains to ½ grain because I was feeling too hyper-thyroid.  So, I would definitely recommend trying the iodine in the belly button, or oral iodine pills, to increase your iodine levels. Do this especially if you have been using sea salt without added iodine for your regular table salt.  However, do NOT try the iodine treatment unless your thyroid is fully suppressed having been on thyroid medication for at least 2 months.