# Iodine and Hashi's



## Cristin (Apr 7, 2014)

Has anyone tried going Iodine free to help their Hashi's? I've read that there are some people with Hashi's who gave up iodine and had their antibodies go way down.

I'm confused because I have been (yes, literally) either pregnant or breastfeeding (and sometimes both) for the last eleven and a half years, so I would think, if anything, I would be iodine deficient. I'd be willing to try going no iodine, but I don't want to make things worse if (as I've also read) sometimes Hashi's can be caused by iodine deficiency.

Help!! Is there anybody who successfully navigates through all this medical therapy vs natural therapy vs internet therapy without going crazy?!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Hi there and welcome! So....................how do you know you have Hashimoto's?

Actually, when one has thyroid disease, exogenous iodine is usually contraindicated.

When you have time; perhaps you can share your current lab results with the ranges intact and also a list of your symptoms?


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## Cristin (Apr 7, 2014)

Right now, my endo is just saying she thinks I have Hashi's (I know this is vague, I'm not really delving into it right now). I just started this whole journey about five weeks ago when my gynecologist found a nodule on my thryoid. That led to an ultrasound, bloodwork, endo, biopsy, more bloodwork...

Good news: The nodule is benign. Bad news: I'm subclinically hyperthyroid and the endo thinks I have Hashi's. I need to go back for repeat bloodwork in three months.

Right now, I'm not focusing on my numbers (honestly, I don't even want to know what they are). I feel like I'm probably nutritionally depleted and I know I'm overly stressed, so I'm trying to take some time to get myself back into balance before the next set of bloodwork. I feel good, overall, but want to take some positive steps to improve my overall health. I've started taking a multivitamin, but don't know if that's a good idea (due to the iodine). I can't imagine, though, that, with my history, the problem is that I've been getting too much iodine (or even that my thyroid has been picking up too much of the little that I've probably been keeping for myself). It's just so confusing: Some sites say iodine is bad for Hashi's, some (mostly natural) sites say what you need is more iodine...I find it frustrating and don't quite know what to believe.


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

Welcome!  Sorry to hear you are dealing with this, but I'm really glad to see you are already focused on changes to your nutrition and health! You mentioned being "sub-clinically hyperthyroid." IMHO, excess iodine is something to shy away from with thyroid issues, even more so if you are dealing with an overactive thyroid. No point throwing additional fuel on the fire. There are multivitamins out there with far less iodine, as well as those with no gluten and no soy, just to be cautious. That being said, I would *not* dive in headfirst to supplements and other vitamins without first consulting someone like a naturopath, or at least your own doctor. They can do simple blood tests for low vitamin D, low vitamin B-12, ferritin, etc. You're probably right that you are deficient in some key areas -- most of us are around here. Beware that just as you can wind up with a pile of prescription drugs, you can also wind up with a pile of supplements. Not saying it's a bad thing, but be careful of anyone promoting "cures" for this stuff. For a lot of us, our thyroid problems are the result of an autoimmune condition. So the goal should be not only treating the thyroid condition, but also addressing the underlying autoimmune issue(s) and triggers.

Ideally, you want a doc who is an outside-the-box thinker who not only runs tests, but considers your signs & symptoms. Seeing a "normal" lab value on paper doesn't necessarily translate into you feeling well. Ongoing labs should include not only TSH, but Free T3 and Free T4, also. (Some docs go strictly by TSH, which is not so great.) The fact that you already had an ultrasound, biopsy, labs, etc. tells me your docs are doing a good job of staying on top of things. Some of us have to beg for years just to get an ultrasound. I can understand not focusing on the numbers and instead going by how you feel, but definitely get & keep copies of all your labs and test results. They can be indispensable later on. If you haven't already, it can be handy to keep a daily journal or log of how things are going, that way you can spot larger trends over time.

Anyway, welcome again and keep us in the loop!


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## Cristin (Apr 7, 2014)

Okay, so maybe the multi with iodine is a bad idea. Is iodized salt a bad idea, too. That I've been using my whole life, and I wonder about what effect (if any) it would have on my kids and husband to stop using it--I don't want to "cure" myself (I wish!) only to have them wind up with deficiency problems. Do you guys use iodized salt? What about iodine-rich foods (cranberries, seafood, sea vegetables, etc.). Do I need to stay away from them, too?

So much to learn.


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## Cristin (Apr 7, 2014)

I don't know if this is bunk or not, but this is the first article I've found that actually makes sense to me. I'm going to the store to get some iodine free vitamins. 

And, yeah, I'll try going gluten free...

http://www.youralternativedoctor.com/hashimotos-thyroid-auto-immune/


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

Thanks -- I checked out the link and briefly read over it, looks like it mirrors a lot of what I've read & seen elsewhere. I will say beware the modern-day snake oil salesman with some websites, supplements, so-called "experts", etc. I honestly don't think things like Hashimoto's can be "cured", but rather controlled / reduced / minimized.

We still have iodized salt floating around the house somewhere, but primarily it winds up being used for baking or else brining meat. Probably won't buy any more when it runs out. In its place, we use either sea salt or else red/pink salt (sometimes called Himalayan or Hawaiian salt). I hate naming names online, since you can usually find a lot of this stuff all over the place -- but Costco's house brand makes sea salt grinders (and peppercorn grinders), and also sells larger containers of sea salt. Of course, they have about a zillion other spices, too. Relatively inexpensive but seems like good quality.

As far as your family, I don't think removing iodized salt from the dining room table will hurt anybody. More than likely you guys are getting enough iodine through other foods. The iodized salt was something, IIRC, brought out due to people having low iodine many years ago in certain areas of the country. Stuff like seaweed has a very high iodine concentration, so just be careful. I will still eat sushi every now and then, but everything in moderation.

If you rolled back the clock a couple of years, you'd see that we were not exactly pictures of health. Lots of eating out, lots of processed foods, soda, wannabe butter spread, pies, cakes, donuts, and so on. We've slowly tried to change our ways, and it has taken some time. But I don't think we would go back to the old lifestyle even if we could (well... unless you have a really good sourdough bread around... LOL). So in addition to switching up the salt, we use other spices, try to eat brown rice instead of white rice, lots of veggies, whole milk instead of skim, good fats, proteins, etc. Sure, I still have my coffee and am a sucker for gluten-free muffins, but that's okay. Not going to give up all my vices! 

FYI - you probably already know this, but watch out for soy sauce. It totally slipped my mind that it has wheat in it, and I was still glutening myself for a while by accident. Instead they have a GF soy sauce, sometimes it's referred to as tamari sauce.


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## Cristin (Apr 7, 2014)

So, this is my second day iodine free (by which I mean no multi, no iodized salt, no seaweed, no cranberries--no other real dietary changes--except the dreaded gluten restriction, which I'm still kind of bitterly skeptical about) and my heart rate seems to be doing better!! I'm a little confused about dairy, though. Some people say it has iodine and should be avoided, but, I can honestly say, it seems to quiet my racing heart. I find it strangely...calming. So, unless someone (who knows a whole lot more than me--which is pretty much...all of you  ), thinks I should try eliminating it, for now I think I'm sticking with the dairy.

Opinions?


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

Excellent, that is good to hear! hugs6

So much of this stuff is simply trial and error. Some folks can react to dairy products, as well as many other food and environmental triggers, allergies, or sensitivities. My ND did some labs to check for common sensitivities a while back, and dairy was one of them that popped up. As a result, I scaled back on my wild dairy binge (yogurt, cheese, ice cream, etc.) that I was using to replace the missing breads, pastas, and other gluten-y goodness. So now I'm down to some cheese here and there (Swiss is supposedly better, or at least the stuff we get is lactose free), a tiny bit of milk in my coffee, and occasionally some ice cream.


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## Keba (Aug 11, 2012)

This is very interesting as I feel like I am low salt/sodium and would have a lot of problems if I cut it from my diet.


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