Hypo Thyroid and going to try Gluten Free...sucess stories welcome

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ericarae33
ericarae33 Posts: 211 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've been Hypo and on synthroid since 2002. I have an apt with an endo tomorrow. I feel horrible and have for years but they keep saying "you're in the normal range" I'm staring myself gluten free to see if that helps. Can anyone advise if you have had luck with this change?
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Replies

  • Polly1890
    Polly1890 Posts: 7 Member
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    I have celiac disease and thyroid issues (which I now know where caused by the undiagnosed celiac disese). I have resolved my gut issues but going gluten free did not change my weight. I was eating pretty healthy anyway.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    Why not get tested for Celiacs to see if going gluten free is needed? That seems much easier and faster.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    You can still be in the normal range for thyroid but not be at your optimal correction. I have Hashimoto's disease, and when I was first diagnosed, I had the good fortune of having a very good endocrinologist tell me that I would have to fight my whole life to have my disease treated based on my symptoms, not on my numbers.

    I'm passing his advice on to you. Know your numbers. And if you don't feel well on them, and still have hypothyroid symptoms even though your numbers show in the normal range, find another doctor.

    I also have celiac disease, and I can say that I've never noticed any correlation between removing gluten from my diet and my thyroid symptoms. I have another autoimmune condition as well, and that is more likely to overlap symptoms with my Hashimoto's than the celiac is.
  • NerdieMcChub
    NerdieMcChub Posts: 153 Member
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    Being hypo alone, gluten free won't benefit you. GF benefits those with Hashimoto's.
  • MaryJane_8810002
    MaryJane_8810002 Posts: 2,082 Member
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    I went Gluten free for a few weeks and it felt good but its expensive and I want quick food.
  • Missjulesdid
    Missjulesdid Posts: 1,444 Member
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    If your thyroid is already damaged NOTHING can repair it. You're sunk... BUT if your thyroid is still functioning and your issues are with how your body is processing the hormone, or if you are in the early stages, then I think it's worth a shot. I was previously taking Synthroid and since going wheat free...NOT GLUTEN FREE, I simply avoid obvious sources of wheat... I have a completely normal thyroid panel without any synthroid. Took about six months to get to this point. OMG, my TSH came back as 2.0! Even with Synthroid, it was higher than that!!! I think I'm something of a rarity and I don't want to get your hopes up that it will work, but in my case it did. I also realized 80% improvement in joint pain, complete relief from migraines, acid reflux, vertigo-ALL of my issues were autoimmune related. Whatever I was eating in the wheat was basically making my body crazy.

    And @Hornsby- I don't have celiacs but realized a great benefit from eliminating wheat from my diet. I HATE that I had to give up most of my favorite foods, but it's better than taking all those medications.. I currently take ZERO medications and loving life.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    You cannot fix a bum thyroid with your diet.

    Good luck at the endo! :)
  • Missjulesdid
    Missjulesdid Posts: 1,444 Member
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    Kalikel wrote: »
    You cannot fix a bum thyroid with your diet.

    Good luck at the endo! :)

    I agree that MOST people can't... and nothing will repair a thyroid that is already damaged.. but DIET can help in some cases. It all depends on the REASON for your wonky thyroid and how much damage your actual thyroid gland has sustained. I'm happy that I was one of the ones in the minority who DID find relief through dietary changes.

  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    According to the NIH (and my endocrinologist), there's no such thing as a thyroid diet. Eat whatever you like.

    I have Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease), and I lost slowly—so be patient! But I did it just like everyone else—by eating fewer calories than I burn. Thyroid meds (in my case, Synthroid & Cytomel) reduce the fatigue so I can be more active. But I kept gaining & gaining until I learned to log everything I eat & drink accurately & honestly. Logging is simple, but it ain't easy. Logging works.

    MFP has a hypothyroidism & hyperthyroidism group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/753-hypothyroidism-and-hyperthyroidism
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    Missjulesdid wrote: »
    Kalikel wrote: »
    You cannot fix a bum thyroid with your diet.

    Good luck at the endo! :)

    I agree that MOST people can't... and nothing will repair a thyroid that is already damaged.. but DIET can help in some cases. It all depends on the REASON for your wonky thyroid and how much damage your actual thyroid gland has sustained. I'm happy that I was one of the ones in the minority who DID find relief through dietary changes.
    OK, I'll bite. What did you fix?

    Note that I'm not asking how you fixed it, not what you ate or did.

    I am asking only what you fixed.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
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    maryjane_88 wrote: »
    I went Gluten free for a few weeks and it felt good but its expensive and I want quick food.

    How is gluten more expensive. You are no longer buying stuff like bread, cereal. When eating out gluten free is not more expensive?

    OK I can see bacon and eggs for breakfast costing more than Raisin Bran. I do a 700 calorie breakfast of a boiled egg, coffee with 4 table spoons of coconut oil added and an ounce of almonds now vs oatmeal, milk, etc. When I started the coconut oil the IBS ceased within a month.

    OK eating healthy may cost more in the short run and cost less in the long run. :)
  • cindytw
    cindytw Posts: 1,027 Member
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    YOU CAN fix your thyroid if the reason for it is from Gluten, which it can be. If you remove gluten that can reverse it. BUT most other diet things they say are a myth, in my experience. And if you love the cabbage and broccoli and such, just have your levels of them stable for your med checks and it can be accounted for. DO what you do, get your bloodwork and meds can work around it.

    BUT, if you are JUST finding a thyroid problem, it would be in your best interest to try and follow the "myths" and see. See if you don't need to be on meds the rest of your life. Google it..natural thyroid support or remedies. Try going off gluten. See what seems reasonable and TRY! For at least a month. Then go back and re-test. If still bad, go on the meds, its not something that will be OK to ignore. Thyroid problems are pervasive and not something to take lightly.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    cindytw wrote: »
    YOU CAN fix your thyroid if the reason for it is from Gluten, which it can be. If you remove gluten that can reverse it.

    No. Just no.

    From http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hypothyroidism/expert-answers/hypothyroidism-diet/faq-20058554

    "Although claims about hypothyroidism diets abound, there's no evidence that eating or avoiding certain foods will improve thyroid function in people with hypothyroidism."
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
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    cindytw wrote: »
    YOU CAN fix your thyroid if the reason for it is from Gluten, which it can be. If you remove gluten that can reverse it. BUT most other diet things they say are a myth, in my experience. And if you love the cabbage and broccoli and such, just have your levels of them stable for your med checks and it can be accounted for. DO what you do, get your bloodwork and meds can work around it.

    BUT, if you are JUST finding a thyroid problem, it would be in your best interest to try and follow the "myths" and see. See if you don't need to be on meds the rest of your life. Google it..natural thyroid support or remedies. Try going off gluten. See what seems reasonable and TRY! For at least a month. Then go back and re-test. If still bad, go on the meds, its not something that will be OK to ignore. Thyroid problems are pervasive and not something to take lightly.

    Now that's responsible. Don't follow evidence based scientific approaches, follow the myths... <eyeroll>
  • goddessofawesome
    goddessofawesome Posts: 563 Member
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    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    maryjane_88 wrote: »
    I went Gluten free for a few weeks and it felt good but its expensive and I want quick food.

    How is gluten more expensive. You are no longer buying stuff like bread, cereal. When eating out gluten free is not more expensive?

    OK I can see bacon and eggs for breakfast costing more than Raisin Bran. I do a 700 calorie breakfast of a boiled egg, coffee with 4 table spoons of coconut oil added and an ounce of almonds now vs oatmeal, milk, etc. When I started the coconut oil the IBS ceased within a month.

    OK eating healthy may cost more in the short run and cost less in the long run. :)

    Because anything that states "gluten free" at the grocery store is more expensive.
  • goddessofawesome
    goddessofawesome Posts: 563 Member
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    How about getting all of your hormones tested and fixing that which can in turn fix your thyroid problem without having to take meds for the rest of your life?
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    goddessofawesome wrote: »
    How about getting all of your hormones tested and fixing that which can in turn fix your thyroid problem without having to take meds for the rest of your life?

    Seriously?! Would you tell a Type 1 diabetic to stop taking insulin?!

    Everyone, please get your medical advice from credible sources (your doctor, the NIH and Mayo Clinic) not strangers on the internet.
  • goddessofawesome
    goddessofawesome Posts: 563 Member
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    editorgrrl wrote: »
    goddessofawesome wrote: »
    How about getting all of your hormones tested and fixing that which can in turn fix your thyroid problem without having to take meds for the rest of your life?

    Seriously?! Would you tell a Type 1 diabetic to stop taking insulin?!

    Everyone, please get your medical advice from credible sources (your doctor, the NIH and Mayo Clinic) not strangers on the internet.

    Considering most thyroid issues are the result of an imbalance in hormones and diabetes isn't your comment is like comparing bowling balls and pineapples.

  • Azurite27
    Azurite27 Posts: 554 Member
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    I would suggest trying different medications to fix the symptoms. I switched from the generic synthroid to name brand with the same dosage and most of my symptoms went away. If your doctor won't try other medications, find a new doctor. I still eat wheat all the time (although I try to stick to whole wheat) and don't have any problems and am currently working on maintaining a healthy weight for the first time in my life.

    If you think you have a sensitivity to wheat I would agree with others who suggested to get tested for celiacs.

    And as to the argument about the comparison with diabetes, it applies 100% since hypothyroidism is often caused by a malfunctioning thyroid just as diabetes is caused by a malfunctioning pancreas.
  • KarenB927
    KarenB927 Posts: 94 Member
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    I had Radioactive Iodine treatment because I had thyroid nodules which were causing out-of-control hyperthyroidism. Of course, because along with shrinking the nodules, the thyroid shrinks and ceases to work, I developed the expected hypothyroidism. Within two months of the RAI treatment I was severely hypothyroid. Months after reaching and maintaining the proper dose of Synthroid I felt even worse than I did when I first developed the hypothyroidism. I had muscles aches and cramps, joint pain, extreme fatigue (I literally had to crawl up the stairs or I couldn't make it), brain fog, night vision problems, thinning hair and a bald spot at the neckline, intolerance to heat and cold and depression. I asked my endocrinologist at my one year post-treatment checkup why did I feel so bad? She suggested the possibility of celiac disease. I had never heard of it and thought she was crazy. That following weekend my husband and I went out of state for a three day weekend because my uncle was throwing my aunt a surprise birthday party. At an Italian restaurant, where EVERYTHING was made of some type of flour, from the appetizers, the main course the bread on the table,the birthday cake, the entire weekend was just one big gluten fest. I came home feeling like I had been run over by a Mack truck multiple times. So, I researched the correlation between thyroid disease and celiac disease, and not only did I discover that many people who have thyroid disease also develop problems with gluten, I found that I was suffering from 99% of the symptoms. That was 3 years ago and haven't had gluten since then. Within a couple of weeks of cutting out gluten I felt like a whole new person. I finally had energy again and could go back to working out, which I couldn't do for over a year, I lost 32 pounds, and it took a while, but my hair finally grew back in the bald spot and is no longer thin and wispy. Cutting out gluten literally changed my life.

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