Patients often ask the question “How can I reduce my thyroid antibody levels?”  They report having elevated antibodies levels for years despite being on thyroid replacement therapy. They rarely see these levels change as compared to TSH free thyroid hormone levels.  

I address this question by focusing on an integrative approach that treats the root causes of WHY the immune system attacks the thyroid gland. There are a few factors that can potentially increase your risk for thyroid disease such as:

  • genetic pre-disposition
  • overload of toxins in the body
  • low nutrient levels such as Vitamin D
  • past infections such as Epstein Barr Virus (EBV)

When someone has all of the 4 mentioned factors, they pose a greater chance to develop an autoimmune condition such as Hashimoto’s. Some common approaches that can help lower thyroid antibodies involve testing for toxins and food intolerances. Testing for toxins allows you to see how much bioaccumulation there is in the body. Once the toxic load is determined, a detox treatment plan would be very helpful to rid them out of the body. Furthermore, testing for food intolerances to see if this plays a role in aggravating the immune system would be helpful. These are some of natural ways to lower thyroid antibody levels without having to increase your thyroid medication. Thyroid medication replaces the insufficient levels that the thyroid gland should be making, but in reality, it does not do much to lower Hashimoto’s thyroid antibodies.

In addition, there are certain botanicals that have been shown to modulate the immune system and have promising effects at lowering thyroid antibodies.  The latest research from a randomized clinical trial published in November 2016 talked about Nigella Sativa, also known as Black or Cumin Seeds. This was an 8-week study that included 40 participants with a diagnosis of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. These participants were assigned to one of two groups: intervention and placebo. The intervention group received black seed powder that was processed into capsules that contained a total of 1 gram per capsule and the placebo group received starch capsules that were similarly prepared to the Nigella Sativa. Both groups were instructed to take 1 capsule twice daily for an 8-week period. After the study period was completed, results showed that participants in the intervention group as compared to placebo showed:

  • Reduction in weight, BMI and waist circumference
  • Improvement in thyroid scores: TSH, free hormones and TPO antibody levels

This research shows exciting results and offers an opportunity to help those suffering with Hashimoto’s alternatives to modulating the immune response and being able to get their markers down across the board.

P.S If you missed my article on flora and Hashimoto’s then click here.

 

To Your Great Health,

Dr. K