Am I Forced To Take Thyroid For The Rest Of My Life?

[lampofred]

I had great results a few months ago by both adhering to a Peat diet and supplementing thyroid. Since I had been eating well for 3/4 of a year (not every single meal has been perfect, but my diet has been good overall), I decided to stop supplementing thyroid two months ago. I thought a good diet, vitamins, aspirin, and bag breathing would have fixed the thyroid issues by now, but I am literally back to square one.

Is it just impossible to reverse hypothyroidism once it starts? Has anyone successfully normalized inflammation/estrogen-dominance/high cortisol without being on hormones/medicines/supplements? I notice that several people on here take various hormones/medicines/supplements. So does the Peat "diet" even work if all those pharmaceuticals are necessary?

 

[Louisa]

Hypothyroidism needs medication for life, not just until you feel better. You probably decided to stop the meds because you were feeling better, but you were feeling better because you were taking the medication. It is NOT possible to reverse hypothyroidism, I've had it for 10 years now and I take meds every day. You may need to adjust your dose every now and again.eg - I was on 75mcg and doing just fine for 6 months, but now it's too much, I'm overactive. 50 mcg is too low so I need something in between so I am going to alternate doses each day - 75mcg's one day and 50mcg's the next and so on.

Supplements have not worked for me, they seem to 'mess everything up' so to speak. So I keep it simple, thyroid meds each morning, a good diet and I try not to do too much each day.

 

[MyUsernameHere]

This is the biggest bull**** there is.

I pretty much caused my hypothyroidism through restrictive dieting. My thyroid was already burned out at 20 years old. My TSH without meds is 8. I can't function without them.
Yet physically the thyroid gland is perfectly intact. I find it hard to believe that it isn't possible to make it work properly again. Also don't bother going to doctors, they don't give a crap about finding the source of the problem ESPECIALLY with the thyroid. They're overjoyed at the idea of creating another Synthroid zombie which will have to take meds for life (more $$$ for the pharma), and that's the extent of their business.

Now I wouldn't be complaining if these meds solved all of my hypothyroid symptoms which they don't. However I also tried NDT and T3 and those had a whole other set of issues. I believe this has to be tackled differently. If the gland isn't working there's probably a very good reason for that, particularly if your thryoid isn't the only thing that stopped working at the same time.

 

[Amazoniac]

Hypothyroidism needs medication for life, not just until you feel better. You probably decided to stop the meds because you were feeling better, but you were feeling better because you were taking the medication. It is NOT possible to reverse hypothyroidism, I've had it for 10 years now and I take meds every day. You may need to adjust your dose every now and again.eg - I was on 75mcg and doing just fine for 6 months, but now it's too much, I'm overactive. 50 mcg is too low so I need something in between so I am going to alternate doses each day - 75mcg's one day and 50mcg's the next and so on.

Supplements have not worked for me, they seem to 'mess everything up' so to speak. So I keep it simple, thyroid meds each morning, a good diet and I try not to do too much each day.

@charlie, perhaps it would be nice to open a section on the forum dedicated to success stories to encourage people to share them and not crowd the forum with negativity only. I know that there are many threads about that but they are dispersed and often hard to find.
It's really discouraging to read something like that when dealing with any problem.

Louisa, take a look at your avatar, maybe it's reflecting quite well your awareness of possibilities. Sorry if I sound judmental, but it's pretty disappointing when you try to impregnate others with negativity.
I hope that you soon resolve your issues and share the story with us!

On a side note, in almost every chance, Ray relates hypothyroidism to insufficient protein; it must be something quite common when he's advising people..

 

[Velve921]

I think many people would agree that our food and lifestyles our compromised with stress. As we improve our nutrition and supplementation it generally increases our productivity so we can combat the stessors of life. I currently take a lot of supplements and have food dialed in. As a result i am more productive and can combat the stressors of life more efficiently. I no longer look at supplements as a. Burden, especially thyroid as they give fuel to push for a better me.

 

[dfspcc20]

I most cases, I think thyroid (as NDT) should be thought of as a food, not a pharmaceutical. Back when people were regularly consuming the whole animal, with things such as soups made including fish heads and intact poultry necks, and fresh liver, they were getting thyroid hormone as part of the food supply. Even Peat has brought this up in one of the interviews, though I forgot how much he estimated people got per day (something like the equivalent of 1 grain of Armour?).
I don't see any reason to be ashamed if you feel better taking thyroid, just like I wouldn't be ashamed of feeling better by including things like liver, oysters, etc in my diet.

 

[Jsaute21]

@Amazoniac extremely well said. The presence of negativity on this forum has become unfortunate. Being real is appreciated, but shooting down people's theories and success stories is bull****. In fact, it is the exact opposite of why most people joined this forum. If I want negativity I would just go to my over educated and under informed GP.

 

[Louisa]

@charlie, perhaps it would be nice to open a section on the forum dedicated to success stories to encourage people to share them and not crowd the forum with negativity only. I know that there are many threads about that but they are dispersed and often hard to find.
It's really discouraging to read something like that when dealing with any problem.

Louisa, take a look at your avatar, maybe it's reflecting quite well your awareness of possibilities. Sorry if I sound judmental, but it's pretty disappointing when you try to impregnate others with negativity.
I hope that you soon resolve your issues and share the story with us!

On a side note, in almost every chance, Ray relates hypothyroidism to insufficient protein; it must be something quite common when he's advising people..

I'm not being negative, I'm trying to be honest and realistic. Please may I ask what is wrong with my avatar ???

 

[EIRE24]

I think many people would agree that our food and lifestyles our compromised with stress. As we improve our nutrition and supplementation it generally increases our productivity so we can combat the stessors of life. I currently take a lot of supplements and have food dialed in. As a result i am more productive and can combat the stressors of life more efficiently. I no longer look at supplements as a. Burden, especially thyroid as they give fuel to push for a better me.

What supplements do you take?

 

[Mittir]

People used to get half a grain of thyroid from food.
RP also mentioned that in 1950s about 40% of the population
were hypothyroid based on earlier method of diagnosis
prior to blood tests. He thinks PUFA was the main cause for
lower thyroid function along with poor nutrient intake.
Based on our current PUFA intake and food quality
almost everyone should be hypothyroid.

Only healthy people i have seen around me have unusual diet
than average people. I believe we all have internal guidance
system that leads us to healthy food choice and habits
if we pay attention.

Age is a big factor in reversing health issues. A young lean person
can quickly change things around .I use minimal amount of
supplements and little bit of thyroid from chicken
neck soup and noticed steady improvement in health.
In summer i ate very little neck soup because i was feeling well without it.
If there is a considerable amount of stored PUFA, it is reasonable
to give yourself few years to get rid of this toxin and
then expect a supplement free life.

 

[Amazoniac]

I'm not being negative, I'm trying to be honest and realistic. Please may I ask what is wrong with my avatar ???

"Hypothyroidism needs medication for life", "It is NOT possible to reverse hypothyroidism". I didn't say there's something wrong with it..

 

[Louisa]

"Hypothyroidism needs medication for life", "It is NOT possible to reverse hypothyroidism". I didn't say there's something wrong with it..

I have always been told by Endocrinologists that thyroid problems are not reversible. I await with interest your 'Positivity Thread' Good idea.

 

[Giraffe]

@Amazoniac , @Louisa

There is the sub-forum Testimonials to post success stories. Quite a few are also in forum Meet & Greet, I can try to find those threads and move them.

 

[Elchapchapchapo]

I have seen a course by a guru named sadghuru where he has a student of his talk about the lifestyle changes he had her do and within that she mentioned she no longer had to take thyroid medicine. Personally I trust this source and also see it as a possibility.

I think with the addition of yoga focused on the thyroid gland you could get it back up in running. In yoga there are certain exercises which pinpoint the glands and I believe in these poses you literally are flooding the thyroid gland with blood. This would have to have some positive effect.

 

[Louisa]

@Amazoniac , @Louisa

There is the sub-forum Testimonials to post success stories. Quite a few are also in forum Meet & Greet, I can try to find those threads and move them.

That would be great. Big thanks Giraffe :)

 

[Louisa]

I have seen a course by a guru named sadghuru where he has a student of his talk about the lifestyle changes he had her do and within that she mentioned she no longer had to take thyroid medicine. Personally I trust this source and also see it as a possibility.

I think with the addition of yoga focused on the thyroid gland you could get it back up in running. In yoga there are certain exercises which pinpoint the glands and I believe in these poses you literally are flooding the thyroid gland with blood. This would have to have some positive effect.

Please could you direct us all to this course Elchapchapchapo ?

ps, I have just found this Elchapchapchapo, is this correct?-

http://isha.sadhguru.org/

 

[Elchapchapchapo]

Please could you direct us all to this course Elchapchapchapo ?

ps, I have just found this Elchapchapchapo, is this correct?-

http://isha.sadhguru.org/

Yes I should correct myself here it was an interview for the course*

Yup that's it I have seen 3/5 videos for his premium course and can some up what it comes down to. Yoga, meditation, and eating Ayurveda style.

I think the main focus is on the yoga / Ayurveda diet.

 

[Orion]

I got off 3 grains of NDT daily, have my oral temp never below 98.2 and pulse never below 80 now. It is not a life sentence.

The root issue is PUFA. Keto, low carb, SAD, older persons with PUFA stores, going RP with low PUFA is not enough, even after 4yrs I believe. There are lots of post about insulin resistance after starting RP approach and experimentation. Or general issues with adding in supplements like aspirin, B3, methylene blue, biotin, NDT, T3/T4, pregnenolone...

PUFA cleanse is needed in these situations. Youth could rebound faster or probably just following low PUFA diet.

Studies posted on this forum say there is potential to deplete PUFA stores after 30 days, this is not orthorexia or a life long approach. Something to experiment with, maybe a week, maybe a month.



You can quickly test this in a few days by dropping supplements and going zero starch - zero fat diet, but maintaining very high calories, track temps and pulse.

Daily example
2quart milk, 2cups sugar, 1Tbsp instant coffee, 3Tbsp gelatin, salt. heat in pot and mix, one cup every 2hrs, take to work in thermos
1quart apple juice or pack of apple concentrate, use 1tsp baking soda if too tart
%0 fat greek yogurt or quark cheese
well cooked fruit or dried fruit - apples, peach, mango, dates...
piece of liver
carrot salad

This can provide up to 3000 calories or whatever matches your maintenance TDEE, and 100g of protein, but 0g starch and 0g fat. With RP approved food.

And should give you warm hands and feet, high temps, high pulse, skin/acne will improve, sleep will improve, mood will improve, stable blood sugar, endotoxin should be minimal.

Do 30days then transition back to low PUFA, with butter, coconut oil, whole milk, starch life style without NDT and experiment with all the other recommended supplements.

Maybe once a year, do the 30 day PUFA cleanse challenge!! PUFA is the root evil, so purge it out and start RP clean.

 

[Velve921]

What supplements do you take?

I take the following regularly:

NDT
Aspirin
Niacinamide
Andosterone
Cyproheptadine
Theanine
Vitamin K2
Epsom Salt Baths
Blu Blocker Sunglasses

I have Pregnenolone, DHEA, Taurine, Cascara Sagrada, T3, Vitamin A, Charcoal, Tetracycline on call for certain scenarios.

 

[tara]

Is it just impossible to reverse hypothyroidism once it starts?

I imagine there is not a single answer that applies to everyone. Some people have restored their endogenous thyroid function. But maybe not everyone can. Maybe it depends on what the cause of the hypothyroid state is - whether there is irreversible structural damage to the thyroid gland, or downregulation related to energy deficiency or a specific nutrient deficiency, or downstream blocking by PUFAs, or excessive estrogenic influences, or living in a dark cave, etc etc, and whether each of these can be rectified.

So does the Peat "diet" even work if all those pharmaceuticals are necessary?

Dunno. What do you mean by 'the Peat "diet"'?
A really good diet should be able to supply necessary nutrition for most people. But food quality is generally not that flash, and availability is limited for many of us, and some of us have intolerances or digestive issues or varying needs, or specific deficiencies or imbalances. Some damage is hard to repair. Low thyroid function tends to make some minerals harder to hold onto. Eg when thyroid function is good, one may be able to get enough Mg from food. When it's low, supplement may be useful.
I expect to keep supplementing calcium indefinitely unless/until I am able to drink milk with good effect again. Possibly some others too. I'd like to develop independence from pharmaceutical chemicals. (Not claiming I have an ideal diet.)

Since I had been eating well for 3/4 of a year (not every single meal has been perfect, but my diet has been good overall), I decided to stop supplementing thyroid two months ago. I thought a good diet, vitamins, aspirin, and bag breathing would have fixed the thyroid issues by now, but I am literally back to square one.

By eating well, do you mean like last month's very restricted low calorie liquid vegetarian diet, no time to cook, and frequent hunger stress?
How To Get 3000 Calories Daily As Opposed To 1500-2000?
If so, then low thyroid function may be a natural down-regulation for self-preservation during famine. Forcing that up with thyroid supplements in the absence of adequate food could have some catabolic structural effects. No data yet as to whether you can restore it with an adequate diet, since that has not yet been tried for a relevant length of time. May or may not be possible for you personally.