# Hereditary questions...



## shellebean (Oct 12, 2011)

Interesting, just when I've been telling the Dr.'s that there are no thyroid issues in my family, my aunt (paternal) tells me that she has been on synthetic thyroid medicatiojn after a pituitary adenoma, tumor bled in 2001. She also tested positive for Sjrogen's syndrom 2 years ago. Based on symptoms, she thinks that her mom (my gma) and her gma had thyroid (or autoimmune) issues but were scared of Dr.s and wasn't diagnosed/treated directly for the issues. They were treated for diabetes. 
Is my aunt's pituitary issues/Sjrogens related to my possible thyroid/hashi/nodules issues?? Or are these totally separate issues that are not hereditary?


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

I would emphatically say yes, hereditary issues have something to do with it. I have a parent that had Hashimoto's and had their thyroid removed years ago. Imagine my surprise when I was originally diagnosed with hypothyroidism last year, and more recently Hashi's. Then I discover another close relative with some untreated thyroid problem. Coincidence? I doubt it. Makes me wonder who else in the family may have something like this going on.


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

I don't think you can definitively say, yes, one person's thyroid issues are directly or clearly related to yours, but...at the same time, it does seem like there is a genetic link.

Funny, because after my first endo appointment, I told my endo we had no thyroid issues in our family. After doing some more asking, it turns out my aunt (paternal as well) had RAI because of Grave's.


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## shellebean (Oct 12, 2011)

I guess I just don't know much about the relation between a pituitary adenoma, Sjrogen's and thyroid. Sounded to me like different issues except she was put on synthetic thyroid meds, so there must be a link there somewhere. Guess I need to do some more research.


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## Phayah (Nov 4, 2011)

I guess I'm kind of a geek and I like reading about science and genetics in particular. They are starting to think that all autoimmune diseases are related and run in families. For example, one family member might have MS but another has hashimotos and yet another has lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.

Anyway, the problem is most people don't talk about chronic or treatable medical problems unless it disables them. A lot of others just don't go to the doctor or never question the way they feel. So, family history can be very inadequate.

Also, this: http://www.aarda.org/women_and_autoimmunity.php


> Unlike cancer, which is an umbrella category for a range of diseases (leukemia, breast cancer, prostate cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, et al.), autoimmunity has yet to be embraced by the medical community (and the public) as a category of disease. Because these diseases cross the different medical specialties, such as rheumatology, endocrinology, hematology, neurology, cardiology, gastroenterology, and dermatology, and because such specialties usually focus on singular diseases within their particular category, there has been virtually no general focus on autoimmunity as the underlying cause. It has been estimated that autoimmune diseases cost $86 billion per year


I hope I haven't freaked you out. This is all very hypothetical.

I kinda think the colon/rectal cancer in my family might have been caused by undiagnosed Celiac disease or some other food intolerance. They have found there is an increased risk for Celiac disease in families with autoimmune disorders and untreated could contribute to the development of autoimmune disorders.

It makes me think of that Hippocrates quote.


> All diseases originate in the gut.


There are some interesting articles coming out about the gut-brain connection.


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## Phayah (Nov 4, 2011)

I found a better description from the website I mentioned earlier.

http://www.aarda.org/women_and_autoimmunity.php


> Even though there is some universally accepted knowledge about autoimmunity, its victims -- mainly women -- have suffered from a lack of focus and a scattered research approach. For example, autoimmunity is known to have a genetic component and tends to cluster in families as different autoimmune diseases. In some families, a mother may have lupus; her son, juvenile diabetes; her sister, antiphospholipid syndrome; and her grandmother, rheumatoid arthritis.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Phayah, very interesting information. Thanks for sharing.

So basically, the "concept" of autoimmune disease can run in families, but it might show its ugly face in different ways, such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashi's, etc.

Verrrryyyyyy interesting!


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## shellebean (Oct 12, 2011)

Thanks Phayah, this is interesting. My sister has had a long-standing issue with intestinal like problems. As I look up Celiac disease...kinds sounds the same. I may her research this, maybe we all do have different autoimmune diseases!


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## Phayah (Nov 4, 2011)

My mother and I have both had chronic digestive issues our entire lives. It is said that some who are positive for Celiac have never reported digestive trouble and it manifested neurologically. Supposedly, 10% of MS patients have misdiagnosed Celiac disease and 10% of Celiac patients have misdiagnosed MS. I've seen research articles recommending Celiac screening for MS patients but the doctors never recommended it for my mother! She is supposedly seeing one of the best specialists in the region and he has never once mentioned diet, despite her lifelong "D".

TMI! Most sites will list the main symptom as diarrhea but 40% of Celiac patients actually have chronic constipation.

I do think other foods besides gluten could be a culprit behind autoimmunity but there just isn't enough research on the subject. You can't make money off elimination diets. All our scientists are busy studying new drugs for the pharmaceutical companies. I guess people have to pay bills. =(

I kinda wonder if maybe these holistic doctors might actually know what they're talking about. It seems like we really do need to integrate nutrition and medicine. I remember reading an article written by a doctor and he basically stated it wasn't his job, he leaves that up to professional nutritionists. Most of which who don't know very much about medicine. =|

Either way, I'm going to try an elimination diet and see if I feel better or at least... maybe I won't get worse, whatever this is!

By the way, my brother and grandmother (mom) have type 2 diabetes. My other grandmother (dad) had type 1 diabetes. My mother has multiple sclerosis. Pretty much all the males (mom) have heart/stroke problems. I hardly know anything about my father's family. =(

PS - Sorry about all the edits. I kept thinking of stuff to add lol.


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

Awesome info, thank you! hugs6


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Phayah said:


> I kinda wonder if maybe these holistic doctors might actually know what they're talking about. It seems like we really do need to integrate nutrition and medicine.


I couldn't agree more!

I've been thinking lately about our food supply and how bad it is, chemically-speaking. I can't help but think that if we had national healthcare in the United States, the government would pay more attention to making our food supply healthier, no?

As for integrating nutrition and medicine...while I wholeheartedly agree, I think we all need to be careful and watch out for scammers who try to sell their version of "snake oil" to us!


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## Phayah (Nov 4, 2011)

Oh, I also would like to mention something else. I was describing my symptoms to my aunt and she told me she has all the same symptoms but she has had her thyroid checked in the past. She's been diagnosed as bipolar. My mother is the same and has also been diagnosed as bipolar although she's never had her thyroid checked.

I described my problems to my psychiatrist because I'm afraid I'm going insane. He said he felt very strongly that I did not have bipolar disorder. I told him I would talk to my primary doctor about it.

For the last five years I've been on all kinds of SSRIs, SNRIs, tricyclic ADs, and benzos. While they help one set of symptoms they completely ruin another part of my life. I have been diagnosed with ADHD but my medication has become intolerable the last few months.

I may or may not be crazy but I'd really like to rule out physical cause before I start messing with my neurotransmitters again.

Enigma gave me an awesome link about the connection between bipolar and thyroid problems.
http://drknews.com/when-hashimotos-is-misdiagnosed-as-bipolar-disorder/


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## Phayah (Nov 4, 2011)

Octavia said:


> I couldn't agree more!
> 
> I've been thinking lately about our food supply and how bad it is, chemically-speaking. I can't help but think that if we had national healthcare in the United States, the government would pay more attention to making our food supply healthier, no?
> 
> As for integrating nutrition and medicine...while I wholeheartedly agree, I think we all need to be careful and watch out for scammers who try to sell their version of "snake oil" to us!


Yeah, this seems like a big problem. I try to be wary about things like that. For me, I'd rather just try an elimination diet and figure it out on my own.

You may know about it but the book "Wheat Belly" talks about how genetically modified wheat is making everyone fat. Its a New York Times bestseller right now and seems to be causing some controversy. I haven't bought it yet as I'm wary of books emphasizing diet plans but I'm considering it.

I would recommend Gary Taubes "Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It". Its the only way I've ever lost weight. He also has a book called "Good Calories Bad Calories" that is much more detailed but I haven't read it yet. I am somewhat doubtful eating huge amounts of meat/dairy is good for you but it certainly made me lose weight. It's full of interesting research and history on nutrition. You'll love it if you're a geek like me.

My personal theory is we need a good balance of certain meats and certain veggies and maybe a little bit of fruit. Scary huh? I still haven't completely figured it out yet but I don't think anyone has.


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## Serenia (Sep 27, 2011)

When I was diagnosed with Graves last year, I confidently told the doctor that I was not aware of any thyroid problems in the family. 
Within a month after I told my family that I was being treated for Graves, my father says, "oh yes, I have Graves too". 
He had been diagnosed with Graves back in the 1990s, taken the RAI option and had his thyroid nuked, Now he has to take Thyroxine every day.


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## Phayah (Nov 4, 2011)

Also, I really think legitimate holistic doctors (as in MD/DO) should be covered by insurance. I'm sure there are some quacks but there are also plenty of family doctor quacks too. Regular doctors don't spend enough time with patients and they don't spend time investigating. They also don't suggest diet as a factor or alternative. It seems like they just cover up our symptoms until we're old and dead or in the ER.

Besides, helping people improve their lifestyle might prevent a lot of disease and reduce healthcare cost. I would kind of like to be one but I can't. My husband is in the military and we move around too much for me to do med school. Plus, I'm old (27 :tongue0013 and feel like crap. =(


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## northernlite (Oct 28, 2010)

The tendency for autoimmune diseases runs in families but different family members often have different AI disease. My family is a classic example:

Older brother - 5 AI diseases, 1 in common with both his siblings, 1 in common with only his brother, 1 in common with only his sister (me!) and 2 unique to him

Me - 3 AI diseases, 1 in common with both siblings, 1 common with my older brother and 1 unique to me

Younger brother - 2 AI diseases, 1 in common with both siblings, 1 in common with his brother, none unique to him

The AI disease that we all share is Hashimotos.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Phayah said:


> You may know about it but the book "Wheat Belly" talks about how genetically modified wheat is making everyone fat. Its a New York Times bestseller right now and seems to be causing some controversy. I haven't bought it yet as I'm wary of books emphasizing diet plans but I'm considering it.


I tend to think that genetically modified _anything_ is not good for us. It's nice that we have the ability to genetically modify things so they'll grow faster, grow more, etc., but our bodies have evolved to be able to successfully eat and digest the things that have been around for thousands of years...not things that were just "invented" yesterday. (I'm sure you've thought about this, too!)


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## Phayah (Nov 4, 2011)

Ah, I forgot to mention that my uncle had epilepsy since childhood. They have concluded some types are autoimmune. Unfortunately, he died because he had a seizure and fell into a fire in his backyard. =(

This reminds me of something. When I was reading about low carb diets I came across several articles stating low carb diets could cut epileptic seizures in half. Celiac + low carb = very similar. Quite odd huh? :tongue0013:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...nel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080128113325.htm

I always thought he was odd because he loved to bake things. He made cakes, breads, and pies all the time.


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## peacesells560 (Aug 9, 2011)

Phayah said:


> I guess I'm kind of a geek and I like reading about science and genetics in particular. They are starting to think that all autoimmune diseases are related and run in families. For example, one family member might have MS but another has hashimotos and yet another has lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.
> 
> Anyway, the problem is most people don't talk about chronic or treatable medical problems unless it disables them. A lot of others just don't go to the doctor or never question the way they feel. So, family history can be very inadequate.
> 
> Also, this: http://www.aarda.org/women_and_autoimmunity.php


This is interesting... I know of quite a few people with thyroid issues in my mom's family, but I don't know of anyone having any other autoimmune stuff other than one case of Type 1 Diabetes on my mom's side, and 3 cases {all sisters} on my dad's side that appeared out of nowhere with no family history. I think I could have Addison's as well, since my skin tone appears to be consistent with that. Maybe there's stuff I was never told about...

Anyway, here's a link to a Wikipedia article you might want to read...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HLA-DR


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## shellebean (Oct 12, 2011)

I had sent an article to my sister about Celiac disease. She has a lot of the symptoms and they haven't been able to pinpoint what is wrong with her stomach issues. I told her that while researching my Hashi's and autoimmune diseases I came across info about different ones and them being hereditary.

She had a colonoscopy this morning and they took two biopsy samples. One was for Celiac. I asked her if she requested it and she said, no they wanted to check for it. Now, are we learning a lot or what on this board. (I am) I hope she doesn't have it, but I think knowledge really opens our eyes to link things together that we normally wouldn't have considered.


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