Strange as it may seem, your body sometimes ends up attacking itself. This is called an autoimmune thyroid disorder, and it happens when your body's immune system confuses a part of your body for a foreign invader. Discover more about autoimmune thyroid disorders, and how you can take steps today to start the healing process and solve your thyroid disorder symptoms by getting to the root cause of it with this latest article from Dr. Pat Nardini, naturopathic doctor in Toronto & thyroid specialist.

1. Is Your Immune System At The Root Of Your Thyroid
Problems?
Written by: Dr. Pat Nardini, ND on June 11th
2014
Your immune system may be attacking your body right now without you knowing it!
Read more to discover how to stop it.
Are you one of the estimated 200 million people world-wide that
are affected by thyroid disease? Perhaps you are being treated
by your doctor for hypothyroidism, a condition characterized by
an underactive thyroid gland. Maybe your issue is
hyperthyroidism, where the thyroid is overactive.
Or maybe you haven’t had any diagnosis of thyroid problems even though you
experience thyroid-related symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, dry skin,
and low body temperature.
The truth is, even if you have been given a diagnosis and are being treated, the
real cause of the problem – your immune system - is probably not being
addressed.

2. What is Autoimmune Thyroid Disease?
Hypothyroidism is one of the most common issues with the thyroid system. It’s
usually treated by medical doctors with a synthetic version of the thyroid
hormone, L-thyroxine (T4).
This keeps your blood thyroid numbers within normal limits, but often doesn’t
resolve the symptoms of hypothyroidism in the first place. Part of the problem is
that the blood numbers don’t reflect how well the T4 is being utilized by the body.
I’ve covered this at length in previous articles and in this video.
The main failure of the conventional approach to treating hypothyroidism is that
the root cause of it is often ignored completely. One of the most common causes
of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, an autoimmune condition of the
thyroid. If you suffer from Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, your immune system is
actually mounting an attack against your own thyroid gland!
Hashimoto’s, like Graves’ Disease, is an increasingly common example of
immune-thyroid imbalance known as Autoimmune Thyroid Disease (AITD).
It seems strange, but your immune system usually has a reason for attacking
your body. One of the most common reasons is the weakening of one of the
most important defensive systems in your body - your gut barrier.
The root of the issue is not the thyroid gland itself; it’s the immune system and
the factors that cause its imbalance in the first place. Unfortunately, most
medical doctors, including thyroid specialists, only treat the hypo- or
hyperthyroidism. They don’t address the immune imbalance that is at the core of
the problem.
How Can We Diagnose AITD?
Many cases of ATID disorders like Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis go undiagnosed. This
is usually because either Hashimoto’s isn’t considered relevant, or because the
doctors are using the wrong tests.
One way to confirm this condition is by having an ultrasound of the thyroid to
detect unevenness in the tissue or nodules in the thyroid. Your doctor can also
test for anti-thyroid antibodies in your blood, which is a common symptom of

3. AITD. Different anti-thyroid antibodies show up in your blood depending on which
AITD condition you’re suffering from.
These tests can sometimes report a false negative though, so it’s important to
retest for the antibodies later, especially if symptoms and ultrasound results
suggest an autoimmune thyroid issue.
What Can I Do About AITD?
As I mentioned earlier, in AITD, the immune system is at the root of the thyroid
imbalance. So balancing the immune system will get rid of the cause of AITD.
Healing the gut, where 80% of the immune system resides, is critical. For some
tips on how to start this process, have a look at my previous article, here.
Additional nutrients that can help settle the immune system include: Vitamins A,
C, D, and E, selenium, zinc, and omega-3 oils, particularly those from cold water
fish. See your health professional for the dose that it is appropriate for you.
For those with AITD, your thyroid health depends on your immune system. Take
care of both of them, and your whole body will benefit.
Until next time, this is Dr. Pat Nardini, putting “Your Wellness First!”
Dr. Pat Nardini, ND is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor in Toronto, Canada. His
practice focuses on promotion of the overall health of his patients through a wide
range of naturopathic methods. He has been in private practice now for over 10
years and specializes in thyroid conditions, primarily Wilson's Temperature
Syndrome. Read and see more naturopathy health articles and videos to learn more
about Dr. Nardini, his modalities, and how naturopathy can help you.