Test for brain autoimmunity if you have Hashimoto’s

If you feel Hashimoto’s is causing poor brain health, you can run some tests to screen for brain autoimmunity. It’s not uncommon for Hashimoto’s patients to have secondary autoimmune conditions, including to brain and nervous tissue. Brain symptoms sometimes stem from low thyroid activity or chronic inflammation. Other times, they arise from autoimmune attacks against…

UNDERSTANDING GLUTEN TESTING

Different types of testing for gluten sensitivity exist, including genetic testing, intestinal biopsy evaluation, and antibody testing. As we have discussed, an immune reaction to gluten does not have to involve either the gut or specific genotypes, as many people develop neurological disorders instead. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform an intestinal biopsy or…

Antibodies Don’t Determine Autoimmune Severity: You must interpret levels from your baseline

While elevated antibodies are used to diagnose autoimmunity, antibody levels do not necessarily reflect the severity of autoimmune expression. If your antibodies are elevated on a lab test, but you are managing your autoimmunity and feel good, you are probably in remission. If your antibody levels are lower and your autoimmune symptoms are raging out…

Vitamin D is a powerful tool in taming autoimmunity and inflammation

Vitamin D deficiency is commonly associated with autoimmune conditions such as Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism and type 1 diabetes, as well as muscle pain, neurodegenerative disorders, osteoporosis, impaired wound healing, depression, constant fatigue, and more. Understanding the role of vitamin D and how to maintain proper testing, supplementation, and cofactors will go a long way in fostering…

When thyroid hormones don’t relieve depression

Also: Amazon reviews, recent podcast interviews, and the functional neurology conference (bottom of post) Depression is a common symptom of hypothyroidism, yet many people become frustrated when their thyroid hormone medication does not relieve depression. This is because the effects of hypothyroidism on the brain are more complicated than people realize and thyroid hormone medication…

Unraveling thyroid antibody tests

When it comes to thyroid antibodies, those definitive markers for Hashimoto’s, confusion sometimes arises. For instance, do your high antibody counts mean your Hashimoto’s is worse than your friend’s, whose counts are low? Or how come you first presented with negative antibodies, and now that you’re on your practitioner’s protocol and feeling significantly better your…