I think it’s safe to say that many people reading this hope to achieve a state of remission…and remain in remission! Many of you know that I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, and I’ve been in remission since 2009. It wasn’t easy getting into remission, and I face the same challenge with helping my patients restore their health, but of course it beats the alternative. While achieving a state of remission isn’t easy, it can also be challenging to maintain a state of wellness. I’ll discuss both of these in this blog post.

When Is Someone Considered To Be In Remission?

In the past I’ve discussed the difference between remission and cure, and at least with regards to Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, I’m not a big fan of using the word “cure”.  And the reason for this is because genetics do play a role in the development of thyroid autoimmunity, and might even play a role in some non-autoimmune thyroid conditions. So while I would love to say that “my Graves’ disease condition has been cured”, because there is a genetic component there is always a chance that a relapse can occur.

As for when someone is considered to be in remission, here is how I knew I achieved remission when I was dealing with Graves’ disease:

1. My thyroid panel (TSH, free T3, free T4) was optimal without taking anything that influences these markers. In my situation I took the herb bugleweed, but many people with hyperthyroidism take antithyroid medication, and you can’t be in a state of remission if you’re still taking either one to maintain optimal levels. With hypothyroidism/Hashimoto’s it’s a little bit different, and I’ll further elaborate on this shortly.
2. My thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins were negative (I have always tested negative for thyroid peroxidase and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies
3. The above markers remained normal a few months after testing multiple times. In other words, you can’t rely on a single negative reading.
4. Other triggers/imbalances were corrected, such as my adrenals and depressed secretory IgA levels
5. Hyperthyroid symptoms were completely gone

So if you have Graves’ disease or Hashimoto’s, or the antibodies for both of these conditions, then in order to be in a “true” state of remission you need to at the very least have 1) a normal thyroid panel, 2) normal thyroid antibodies, 3) normal markers upon retesting. The reason why I say a “true” state of remission is because most medical doctors consider someone with thyroid autoimmunity to be in remission if their thyroid panel looks good and they are off of any thyroid medications.  As I mentioned earlier, the scenario is a little different with hypothyroidism/Hashimoto’s, and so to make it easier to understand I’d like to separately take a look at Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s:

Achieving Remission in Graves’ Disease

When is someone with Graves’ disease considered to be in remission?  I briefly discussed how I knew that I was in remission, and so I have already answered the question, but I’ll summarize it below:

1. Optimal thyroid panel (TSH, free T3, free T4)
2. Not taking any antithyroid agents (i.e. methimazole, PTU, carbimazole, bugleweed, etc.)
3. Negative thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins which aren’t a result of taking an immune-modulating agent such as low dose naltrexone (LDN). I discussed LDN in greater detail in a previous blog post entitled “5 Things To Know About LDN and Thyroid Autoimmunity”.
4. The above markers remain normal a few months after testing multiple times. In other words, you can’t rely on a single reading.
5. Other triggers/major imbalances have been corrected.
6. Hyperthyroid symptoms are completely gone

Achieving Remission in Hashimoto’s

With Hashimoto’s it’s a different situation, as while some people are able to avoid taking thyroid hormone replacement or are able to wean off of it, sometimes the damage to the thyroid gland is severe enough where the person needs to take thyroid hormone on a long term basis. So while it’s great when someone is able to reduce the dosage of their thyroid hormone medication and eventually wean off of it completely, not being able to do this doesn’t mean that the person hasn’t achieved remission.

I know this might be confusing to some people, as with Graves’ disease I mentioned how the person needs to be off of antithyroid medication and/or antithyroid herbs before concluding that they’re in remission. So what’s the difference between remission in Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s? First of all, in Graves’ disease antithyroid agents such as methimazole, PTU, and bugleweed are of course taken to lower thyroid hormone levels, but nobody has a “methimazole deficiency”, or a “bugleweed deficiency”. On the other hand, it is very possible to have a thyroid hormone deficiency, and if this is the case AND the damage to the thyroid gland can’t be reversed then the person will probably need to take thyroid hormone replacement.

So if someone has Hashimoto’s and the autoimmune response has normalized, they still might not have an optimal thyroid panel unless if they take thyroid hormone replacement.

To summarize, in order for someone with Hashimoto’s to be in remission the following need to occur:

1. Optimal thyroid panel (TSH, free T3, free T4) with or without thyroid hormone replacement
2. Negative thyroid peroxidase and/or anti-thyroglobulin antibodies, which aren’t a result of taking an immune-modulating agent such as low dose naltrexone (LDN).
3. The above markers remain normal for at least a few months after retesting multiple times. In other words, you can’t rely on a single negative reading.
4. Other triggers/imbalances have been corrected
5. Hypothyroid symptoms are under control

So with thyroid autoimmunity, while there are a few different things I look at before I consider whether someone is in remission, the number one thing that needs to be normal is the thyroid antibodies. With Graves’ disease, if the thyroid antibodies are negative it’s usually just a matter of time before the thyroid panel normalizes, and thus the person won’t need to take antithyroid agents. On the other hand, if the thyroid antibodies are normal with Hashimoto’s, the person still might need to take thyroid hormone replacement, depending on how much damage to the thyroid gland has taken place.

Achieving Remission in Non-Autoimmune Thyroid Conditions

With non-autoimmune thyroid conditions there of course are no thyroid antibodies, and so the primary goal is to normalize the thyroid hormone levels, while addressing the underlying imbalances responsible for the thyroid condition.  For example, if someone has toxic multinodular goiter, then the goal should be to correct the underlying imbalances responsible for the goiter and nodules, normalize the thyroid panel, etc.  Having problems with estrogen metabolism and/or insulin resistance can lead to multinodular goiter, and so if either of these problems were the cause then they would need to be addressed in order to improve the person’s thyroid health.

Does Every Imbalance Need To Be Corrected In Order To Achieve Remission?

When I was dealing with Graves’ disease I ordered an adrenal saliva test, and I had depressed cortisol levels, a depressed DHEA, a depressed 17-OH progesterone, and a depressed secretory IgA.  I worked on improving my adrenal health and retested the adrenal saliva panel, and eventually all of these markers normalized.  But you need to keep in mind that not every out of range marker necessarily relates to your thyroid or autoimmune thyroid condition.

For example, let’s say someone with Graves’ disease or Hashimoto’s gets a comprehensive stool panel, and it reveals parasites, along with some opportunistic bacteria.  While it would be great to see a perfectly normal test (if one chooses to retest), it’s not uncommon for people to have elevated opportunistic bacteria, but if this were the only positive finding then it wouldn’t mean that the person with Graves’ disease or Hashimoto’s isn’t considered to be in remission.  In other words, in this situation the opportunistic bacteria wouldn’t need to be normal in order to conclude that the person is in remission.

Another example involves Epstein-Barr.  Most people will test positive for Epstein-Barr, and while testing positive for the Epstein-Barr virus viral-capsid antigen (EBV VCA) IgM antibodies indicates that Epstein-Barr is active, having very high values of the IgG antibodies associated with Epstein-Barr (there are three of these) can also mean that Epstein-Barr is causing trouble.  If someone has very high EBV IgG levels but everything else looks great and they’re symptom-free, does this mean that they’re not in remission? If the person was feeling great, the thyroid panel and thyroid antibodies were well within range, and certain other imbalances were corrected then I would say that the person is in remission, although perhaps they still need to work on improving their immune system so that Epstein-Barr (or other infections) won’t cause problems in the future.

How I Have Maintained a State of Wellness Since 2009

Every now and then someone will ask me how I have maintained a state of wellness since achieving remission in 2009.  While I’m sure a certain amount of luck has played a role, without question I’ve also done a lot of things to maintain my health, including the following:

• Eating well most of the time. I definitely haven’t been perfect with the diet since 2009, and while I eat well most of the time, I do occasionally indulge in “bad” foods such as pizza, ice cream, cookies, etc. I’m hoping this will serve as encouragement for those who think they might need to be super-strict on a permanent basis, as this usually isn’t the case. Once again, I do eat well most of the time, usually following a modified-Paleo diet.
• Blocking out time for stress management daily. Stress was a huge factor in the development of my Graves’ disease condition, although I was in denial when I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, as I greatly overestimated my stress-handling skills.  But once I saw the state of my adrenals I started incorporating stress management on a daily basis, and I recommend for all of my patients to do the same.
• Getting sufficient sleep. I’ve always been an “early bird”, and so staying up super late wasn’t something I ever did on a regular basis.
• Being aggressive with detoxification. This is something that separates me from a lot of people, as I’m always working on reducing my toxic load.  I try to do as much as I can through diet (i.e. cruciferous vegetables, dandelion leaves, cilantro), I go in my infrared sauna at least twice per week for 25-30 minutes, and I usually follow a detoxification program on a quarterly basis. I realize that many people don’t have access to a sauna, but you can accomplish a lot through diet and supplementation, and of course you also want to do as much as you can to avoid chemicals.  So avoid drinking out of plastic water bottles, use natural cleaners and cosmetics, eat organic whenever possible, and do other things to minimize your exposure to environmental toxins.

How Can YOU Achieve Remission?

I’m sure some people are wondering how they specifically can get into remission.  It comes down to finding and removing triggers, correcting other underlying imbalances, and healing the gut.  I’ve written hundreds of articles and blog posts on this website that can help you with this, and I also have two books, one on hyperthyroidism and Graves’ disease, and another on Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.  In addition, if you haven’t yet joined my “Graves’ Disease and Hashimoto’s Natural Solutions Support Group” you can do so by clicking here.

 

Last week I conducted a free 5-Day Accelerated Thyroid Healing Challenge.  It was very successful, as over 1,400 people registered, and over 1,200 people joined my new Facebook group.  Each day I released a new lesson, and probably the most popular lesson was where I discussed some of the “thyroid healing roadblocks” that prevent people from restoring their health.  I figured I’d turn this into a blog post for those who didn’t attend the free challenge, or even for those who attended but might need some reinforcement.

So here are 7 “Thyroid Healing Roadblocks” that you’ll want to be aware of:

Thyroid Healing Roadblock #1: Not being strict enough with the diet.  Although eating well alone many times isn’t sufficient to restore one’s health, certain food allergens can trigger Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s.  Some of the common culprits include gluten, dairy, and corn. And even when gluten isn’t a trigger it’s important to eat an anti-inflammatory diet. As a result, you want to focus on eating whole, healthy foods.  I commonly recommend an autoimmune Paleo (AIP) diet for my patients with Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s, but keep in mind that this is just a starting point, and that there is no perfect diet that fits everyone perfectly.

Thyroid Healing Roadblock #2: Not Doing a Good Job of Managing Stress.  Even before 2020 chronic stress was a big factor with many people, but of course this year has been very stressful for just about everyone.  While our body was designed to handle acute stress situations, chronic stress causes dysregulation of the immune system and the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis, and it leads to an increase in proinflammatory cytokines.  In other words, chronic stress is inflammatory to the body, and while many people aren’t able to reduce stress levels, most people can do things to improve their stress handling skills.

I’ve written numerous articles and blog posts on stress management, and while most people should consider incorporating yoga, meditation, or a different type of mind body medicine, you might want to check out my recent blog post that focuses on the vagus nerve.  A healthy vagus nerve is important for a healthy parasympathetic nervous system, which is known as our “rest and digest” system.  And in the blog post I discuss a few vagus nerve exercises you can do on your own.

Thyroid Healing Roadblock #3: Not Getting Enough Sleep.  Getting sufficient sleep on a regular basis is essential to achieve a state of optimal health.  As for how much sleep you should get, I would aim for at least seven hours per night, and eight would be even better. And this doesn’t mean 7-8 hours in bed, as if it normally takes you 30 minutes to fall asleep and you’re in bed from 11pm to 6am then you’re only getting 6 1/2 hours of sleep. Of course some people struggle to get 7-8 hours of quality sleep, not because they are intentionally staying up late, but because they have difficulties falling and/or staying asleep.

Two common causes of sleep issues include adrenal imbalances (especially high cortisol) and blood sugar issues, although there can be numerous other causes as well.  And while taking nutritional supplements and herbs on a temporary basis is okay, ideally you want to address the cause of the sleep issue.  Sometimes this can be easier said than done, but for anyone with a thyroid or autoimmune thyroid condition who is looking to restore their health, getting good quality sleep on a regular basis is essential.

Thyroid Healing Roadblock #4: Haven’t FOUND All Of Your Triggers.  What testing have you done to find your triggers?  If you haven’t done anything other than blood testing then you might need to do more detective work.  And if you have done testing and it did help you find a potential trigger or two, since multiple triggers are common you might need additional testing.  Some examples of different tests you can do (other than blood tests) include an adrenal saliva test, dried urine testing, hair mineral analysis, comprehensive stool panel, and organic acids testing, just to name a few.  Check out my website www.UnderstandYourTests.com, as I have put together video tutorials to help people better understand their test results, and it might also help you to decide what testing you should do.

Thyroid Healing Roadblock #5: Haven’t REMOVED All Of Your Triggers.  You might think that you have removed all detected triggers because you followed a certain protocol, but sometimes it can be challenging to remove certain triggers.  For example, you might have tested positive for a gut infection (i.e. a parasite) and follow an antimicrobial protocol for a couple of months.  Perhaps the symptoms have greatly improved, and so you assume the parasite has been eradicated, but this might not be the case.  Retesting is of course yet another expense, but sometimes it is necessary to confirm that your triggers have been removed.

Other times you just need to be more strict with your diet and lifestyle.  For example, you might be attempting to go gluten free, but there is cross contamination at times.  For some people this might not be too big of a deal, but for others it can be a huge factor that prevents them from restoring their health.

Thyroid Healing Roadblock #6: Gut Hasn’t Been Healed.  According to Hippocrates, “All disease begins in the gut”. Without question having a healthy gut is important for optimal health, and for those with Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s, a leaky gut is a component of the triad of autoimmunity.  Since most of the immune cells are located in the gastrointestinal tract it makes sense that you need a healthy gut to have a healthy immune system.  While many people focus on doing things to support gut healing (i.e. taking probiotics, drinking bone broth, taking L-glutamine, etc.), just remember that you need to remove the factor that caused the leaky gut.  It’s also important to understand that the lack of symptoms doesn’t rule out gut problems.

Thyroid Healing Roadblock #7: Overlooked Roadblocks.  Some of the commonly overlooked roadblocks include electronic pollution, stealth infections, and toxic mold. These can be very difficult to detect, and many of you know about my experience with chronic Lyme disease in 2018.  While this occurred 9 years after getting into remission from my Graves’ disease condition, many people who currently have a thyroid or autoimmune thyroid condition have a stealth infection, and they don’t always cause obvious symptoms.

What Thyroid Healing Roadblocks Do YOU Need To Overcome?

I hope you enjoyed this blog post, and I’d love for you to share any thyroid healing roadblocks that you feel might be preventing you from restoring your thyroid/immune health.  Please feel free to share this in the comments below!  If you have actually overcome one or more of these roadblocks I’d also like to know!

If you’re feeling stuck with your thyroid or autoimmune thyroid condition, then you might be interested in joining our Free 5-Day Accelerated Thyroid Healing Challenge!

During this 5-day challenge you will…

• Learn how to overcome both common and overlooked “roadblocks” that are preventing your thyroid/immune system from healing
• ​Discover how to reduce your “toxic thyroid”
• ​Find out why removing the trigger doesn’t always break the chronic inflammatory cycle associated with Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s, and what you can do to stop this cycle
• ​Create your thyroid/immune healing action plan

The Free 5-day challenge will include the following…

Component #1: Daily Accelerated Thyroid Healing Video Lesson

During this daily 10-20 minute recorded lesson I will focus on a different topic that is essential to speed up the healing of your thyroid gland/immune system. There will be one pre-recorded lesson every day for 5 consecutive days, which means that you can access it at your convenience.

Component #2: Daily Accelerated Thyroid Healing Assignment

I want people to take action, which is the whole point of any challenge.  And so each day there will be a daily assignment designed to help speed up your thyroid/immune system healing.

Component #3: Access to a private members-only group

We want you to build relationships with one another and enjoy this challenge together. Although you can still watch the daily video lessons and attend the two Q & A sessions without joining the Facebook group, if you want to connect with others and be eligible for the prizes (discussed below) then you’ll want to join the Facebook group. I plan on having my nutritional health coaches moderate the groups, although I’ll also pop in every now and then.

Component #4: Two 90 minute live Q & A sessions

There will be two separate live Q & A sessions.  These will be 90 minutes each, and I’m having two in order to accommodate those in different time zones.

Component #5: Prizes for Participation!!!

For my April thyroid/immune challenge I didn’t offer any prizes, but then I noticed that other people who hosted challenges were giving away prizes, and so I decided to test it out for my June challenge…and it was a big hit!  There will be a daily prize for those who answer the daily question, and then at the end of the 5 days there will be a grand prize!!!

You Get All of This For FREE!!!

For more information on the Free 5-day Accelerated Thyroid Healing challenge check out the link below:

www.RapidThyroidHealing.com

Before I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, and eventually Graves’ disease, I realized something was wrong one day when I measured my blood pressure and discovered that I had an elevated resting heart rate (my blood pressure was fine).  An elevation in the resting heart rate is known as tachycardia, and this is one of the classic symptoms of hyperthyroidism.  However, there can be other reasons why people can have an elevated heart rate, and so I decided to put together a blog post where I will discuss some of the common causes of tachycardia, as well as some of the different treatment options available.

You might wonder how high the resting heart rate needs to be before it’s labeled as tachycardia.  Most sources consider a resting heart rate over 100 beats per minute (BPM) as being tachycardia.  While this may be true, I definitely prefer to see the resting heart rate less than 80 BPM, and I would be concerned with a resting heart rate of 90 BPM or greater, and ideally you want a resting heart rate in the 50s or 60s, although the low 70s is still acceptable.

So while the literature considers a “normal” resting heart rate anywhere between 60-100 BPM, I consider a consistent resting heart rate of over 80 BPM to be elevated.  And by “consistent” I mean that when you measure your heart rate multiple times across a period of days or weeks it is over 80 BPM the majority of the time.  This doesn’t mean that everyone who has a consistent resting heart rate over 80 BPM has one of the conditions I’ll be mentioning in this post, as they might simply by physically unfit.  The reason for this is because a lower resting heart rate usually indicates a higher level of cardiovascular fitness.

How Do You Measure Your Resting Heart Rate?

When I had hyperthyroidism I took the herbs bugleweed and motherwort, and the way I knew these herbs were working was by monitoring my resting pulse rate (and of course eventually I did follow-up blood tests).  While I’m sure many people reading this know how to do this, others don’t, and so I figured I’d include a few videos demonstrating how to measure your resting pulse rate.  Of course you can also invest in an automated device that measures your resting heart rate.  There are some phone apps that do this too, although I don’t trust the accuracy of them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAjnlDZH9H8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHHr8qNU9QY

Different Types of Tachycardia

I’d like to briefly mention three different types of tachycardia:

1. Atrial or Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT).  This involves an irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia) that starts in the upper chambers of the heart.

2. Sinus Tachycardia.  Sinus tachycardia is a regular cardiac rhythm in which the heart beats faster than normal and results in an increase in cardiac output (1).  This is the type of tachycardia most commonly associated with hyperthyroidism.

3. Ventricular Tachycardia.  This involves an arrhythmia that starts in the lower chambers of the heart.

Causes of Tachycardia

Let’s go ahead and discuss some of the different causes of tachycardia:

Hyperthyroidism.  Although this isn’t the most common cause of tachycardia, I’m listing it first simply because this website focuses on helping people with thyroid and autoimmune thyroid conditions.  And most of my patients with hyperthyroidism have an elevated resting heart rate, although not everyone experiences a heart rate greater than 100 BPM.

Elevated cortisol levels.  This is another potential cause of an elevated resting heart rate, although once again, it’s uncommon for this to cause a heart rate greater than 100 BPM.  As a result, in the literature it’s not considered to be a common cause of tachycardia, but I put this towards the top because it’s another common reason why someone might have a resting heart rate between 80 to 100 BPM, although sometimes it can cause the resting heart rate to exceed 100 BPM.

Hypoglycemia.  I’ve written articles on hypoglycemia and thyroid health, and this can be a cause of tachycardia.

Dehydration.  I’m not sure if mild dehydration will result in tachycardia, but if someone has moderate to severe dehydration then in order to maintain cardiac output in the setting of intravascular depletion, heart rate will increase (2).

Hyperkalemia.  This is elevated potassium levels, and can be caused by renal failure, excessive exercise, metabolic acidosis, insulin deficiency, medication-induced, and increased intake of potassium (3).

Hypomagnesemia.  Low magnesium levels can also cause tachycardia in some cases.  And many people are deficient in magnesium.

Hypocalcemia.  Low calcium levels are another potential cause of tachycardia.

Infections.  This is another common cause of an elevated heart rate.  In the literature, sepsis is listed as a potential cause of tachycardia, but the infection doesn’t need to be life-threatening to cause an elevated resting heart rate.  In fact, if your heart rate seems to be normal during the day but becomes elevated at night while you’re sleeping, it very well might be caused by a chronic infection (although there can be other causes).

Anemia.  There are different types of anemia, including microcytic, normocytic, and macrocytic.  I’m not going to get into detail about the different types here, but just keep in mind that this condition can be easily diagnosed through a complete blood count, as a low hemoglobin or hematocrit is a sign of anemia.

Caffeine.  Of course many people drink coffee, but there are other sources of caffeine (i.e. green tea, chocolate), and it’s important to keep in mind that some people are slow metabolizers of caffeine, and this might make someone more likely to have an elevated resting heart rate.

Certain medications.  Some of the medications that can potentially cause tachycardia include Albuterol, amphetamines, antihistamines, Clozapine, Dobutamine, Ephedrine, levothyroxine, Theophylline, and tricyclic antidepressants.  Since my focus is on thyroid health I should highlight levothyroxine, which is synthetic thyroid hormone taken by people with hypothyroidism.  Any type of thyroid hormone replacement can result in tachycardia if the dosage is too high.

Pregnancy.  Being pregnant will result in many physiologic changes, including an increased resting heart rate, cardiac output, and vascular volume (4).

Hypoxia.  This occurs when the tissues do not receive the necessary amount of oxygen to support their metabolic demand.

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS).  This is a potentially chronic debilitating condition involving the autonomic nervous system, and it is characterized by symptoms of lightheadedness, fatigue, palpitations, pre-syncope, sleep disturbances, cognitive impairment and brain fog in conjunction with an exaggerated increase in heart rate when upright, despite maintenance of a normal blood pressure (5).

Potential Consequences of Unmanaged Tachycardia

Unmanaged tachycardia can have numerous health consequences.  In some cases it can lead to myocardial ischemia, low blood pressure, low cardiac output, peripheral hypoperfusion (reduced amount of blood flow), tachycardia-mediated cardiomyopathy (TMC), cardiac arrest and even death (6).  The good news is that most of these conditions are partially or completely reversible, including TMC (6), although the goal should be to prevent these conditions from developing in the first place.

Management of Tachycardia:

Obviously the goal should be to address the underlying cause of the tachycardia.  But while doing this it can be important to take medication or herbs to manage the symptoms.  So for example, if someone has tachycardia caused by hyperthyroidism it’s important to do things to lower the resting heart rate while addressing the cause of the problem.  That being said, let’s look at some of the things that can be done to manage the tachycardia while the underlying cause is being addressed

1. Beta blockers.  Beta blockers work by binding to beta-adrenergic receptors, and this is how they get the name “beta” blockers.  These receptors play an important role in the regulation of heart function.  I’ve written a separate article on beta blockers that discusses how they work, the different types, and some common side effects.

2. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.  Although some of the research I did on the management of tachycardia mentioned ACE inhibitors, these are mainly used to help with high blood pressure.  Angiotensin II is a substance that causes the blood vessels to narrow and constrict, which can lead to high blood pressure.  ACE inhibitors work by preventing antiotensin I from converting into angiotensin II.

3. Antithyroid medication.  This of course is specific for those with hyperthyroidism, as it lowers the thyroid hormone levels, which in turn can result in a decrease in the resting heart rate.

4. Motherwort.  This herb is commonly used to decrease the cardiac symptoms associated with hyperthyroidism, although it can be used when someone has tachycardia due to other causes.  Although motherwort isn’t as potent as a prescription beta blocker, some sources show that this herb has a blocking effect on beta adrenergic receptors.

5. Hawthorn.  Like motherwort, this is another herb that can help to decrease the cardiac symptoms associated with hyperthyroidism.  According to the research, hawthorn doesn’t block the beta-adrenergic receptors (7) (8).

6. Bugleweed.  Just as is the case with antithyroid medication, bugleweed can lower the resting heart rate by lowering thyroid hormone levels.

Have You Experienced Tachycardia?

If you currently have tachycardia, or had it in the past due to hyperthyroidism or another health condition, please feel free to share your experience in the comments section below.  I’ll be happy to start, as when I was dealing with hyperthyroidism I had a resting heart rate that ranged between 90 and 110 BPM, and I used both bugleweed and motherwort to manage my symptoms while addressing the cause of my condition.

There is no shortage of books related to Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.  In fact, if you visit Amazon and do a search for “Hashimoto’s, you’ll see that there are dozens of books related to this topic.  I’ve decided to create a post listing my top 4 book recommendations for those with Hashimoto’s, and I welcome you to share your top book recommendations in the comments below.

1. All books from Dr. Izabella Wentz.  Since Dr. Wentz has written three books related to Hashimoto’s it might have made more sense to title this blog post “6 Must Read Books for Those with Hashimoto’s” and to list them individually.  But I decided to group all three together, although if I was only able to recommend one of her books it would be her first one (Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause), followed by her “Hashimoto’s Protocol” book.  Both of these are packed with valuable information, and everyone with Hashimoto’s should read these books (and based on the number of reviews she has received, it seems that most people with Hashimoto’s have read both of these books!).

2. Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms?  When My Lab Tests Are Normal by Dr. Datis Kharrazian.  This book was released in 2010, but most of the information is still relevant.  I’m sure some reading this are familiar with the relationship between Th1 and Th2-dominance and autoimmunity, and Dr. Kharrazian was the one who first taught me this.  I can’t say enough about Dr. Kharrazian’s brilliance.  I’m pretty sure he was one of the first practitioners who discussed the relationship between the brain and thyroid health, and if you want to learn even more about the brain you’ll definitely want to check out his book “Why Isn’t My Brain Working?: A Revolutionary Understanding of Brain Decline and Effective Strategies to Recover Your Brain’s Health”.   I have learned so much from Dr. Kharrazian over the last decade, and I would love to see an updated version of his thyroid-related book!

3. Hashimoto’s Triggers (by yours truly).  Obviously I’m going to be biased about my book, which I released in February of 2018.  But I want everyone to know that I didn’t want to release a book on Hashimoto’s just so I can say I had a book on the topic.  In fact, whereas in 2011 I felt like I rushed the release of the first edition of my book “Natural Treatment Solutions for Hyperthyroidism and Graves’ Disease” (I spent more time on the 2^nd edition, which was released in 2013), with my Hashimoto’s Triggers book I probably took too much time to put it together, as initially the plan was to release it in 2015, but I just kept adding to it and finally released this massive 600+ page book in 2018.  So my goal wasn’t just to release another book on Hashimoto’s, as I wanted to put together the most comprehensive book on finding and removing the triggers associated with this condition.

4. The Paleo Approach by Sarah Ballantyne.  This book doesn’t focus on Hashimoto’s, but instead discusses the science behind the autoimmune Paleo (AIP) diet.  It’s an excellent book, and since AIP is a common diet people with Hashimoto’s follow I figure I’d include it in the list.  It’s worth mentioning that Sarah Ballantyne was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, although I’m pretty sure her diagnosis came after “The Paleo Approach” was released.  If you’re not interested in learning about the science behind the autoimmune Paleo diet, but are interested in autoimmune Paleo recipes, then I would check out Sarah Ballantyne’s “The Paleo Approach Cookbook”, and another great resource is “The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook: An Allergen-Free Approach to Managing Chronic Illness” by Mickey Trescott.

What Book Would You Recommend?

I’d love to hear what book you would recommend to those with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis?  Perhaps you agree with some of my choices in this blog post, but I’m sure there will be some people who have their own favorites.  Either way please post your recommendations in the comments below, and feel free to come up with your own top 4 or 5 list.  And for anyone who has read my book (Hashimoto’s Triggers) I’d love to hear what you thought of it.