Natural Remedies for Hashimoto’s Disease

[Below is my transcript of my video about natural remedies for hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s disease, along with supplemental information on the topic.]

Today I’m going to share with you the three steps you need to follow to overcome hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s disease, and I’ll go through the top hypothyroidism diet, supplements, as well as natural treatments to treat the disease.

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Hashimoto’s Disease Causes

The first thing you have to do is find out what causes hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s disease. About 90 percent of hypothyroidism is an autoimmune form of Hashimoto’s disease, which means the body is attacking itself and is causing issues with the thyroid.

Hippocrates is famous for saying, “All disease begins in the gut.” If you have a thyroid problem, a big part of that starts in your gut, and it can be caused by a condition called leaky gut. So, if you’re going to fix your thyroid, you’ve first got to fix and heal leaky gut syndrome. You can do that with your diet, supplements and then removing toxins from your body.

When you have leaky gut, what can happen is the holes in your intestines become larger, and particles like gluten can get through. This is why a lot of people with thyroid issues, if they go on a gluten-free diet, they will notice immediate results with their thyroid. So diet-wise, the first thing you’ve got to do is remove those things that cause inflammation of your gut and the things that cause more autoimmune responses within your body.

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Hashimoto’s Disease Natural Remedies

I recommend going gluten-free and overall grain-free for a period of time — a total of 90 days — and just follow a gluten-free diet long term, period. Gluten is one of the biggest culprits.

1. Diet 

If you have hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s disease, go gluten-free to start — it’s so important. Also, look for other foods that can act like gluten in your body or cause gut inflammation. Regular grains are one of them, especially if they’re not sprouted or fermented, like ancient grains were. Also avoid fast foods and too much sugar. Excess sugar in your diet will undoubtedly cause inflammation of the gut, which then, in turn, will cause some of those thyroid issues.

The best diet to follow if you have hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s disease is a healing diet that’s high in vegetables, fruits, as well as things like bone broth and organic meats. These are the things that are easiest for your body to digest. That’s what you want to focus on — letting your system rest and doing things that are easy on your gut and your entire body — if you want to heal the thyroid.

So the type of diet you should follow is something very similar to the GAPS diet plan and protocol. This is an ancient diet that’s full of fruits, vegetables and organic meats. So eating things like bone broth soup is fantastic, as well as eating probiotic-rich foods, like a yogurt that’s been fermented for 24 to 29 hours, as well as ancient, fermented dairy products like kefir. Those probiotic-rich foods can really help support the healing of the gut.

2. Supplements

Now, the second step in helping heal and repair your thyroid is getting specific nutrients and supplements, and there are three main supplements you should consider taking.

The first one is selenium. Selenium benefits the thyroid because it’s been shown to regulate the hormones T3 and T4 in your body. So selenium is an essential mineral for really supporting thyroid function and for balancing out thyroid hormones. So selenium is the first one you should take.

Selenium helps balance hormones, which can lower the risk for thyroiditis during pregnancy (postpartum thyroiditis) and after (1). It also has been shown to reduce thyroid issues through selenium supplementation. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that patients who treated selenium deficiency through supplementation experienced a 40 percent reduction in thyroid antibodies on average compared to a 10 percent increase in the placebo group. (2)

The second supplement is ashwagandha. Ashwagandha is proven to heal thyroid and adrenal issues. It’s an adaptogenic herb that’s been used in Asia for thousands of years, and it’s known for its ability to help reduce stress.

Medical research shows that it also helps balance out your thyroid hormone T4, which is critical if you’re going to overcome hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s disease. (3) So again, taking a good ashwagandha supplement is the second most important supplement.

And the third most important supplement step is making sure you get your B vitamins, especially benefit-rich vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is also known as your energy vitamin and the vitamin that supports cellular function. In order for your thyroid to be healthy, your cells must be healthy and functioning and working properly.

In one clinical study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, the majority of patients with Hashimoto’s given 600 milligrams per day of thiamine experienced complete regression of fatigue within a few hours or days. (4)

You can add one more supplement in the mix: probiotics. The reason is probiotics help support repairing your digestive lining, which, in turn, helps your thyroid as well.

3. Detox

Last but not least in terms of natural remedies for thyroid issues, you have to detox your body. Cleansing on a regular basis is beneficial for your thyroid. This includes doing a heavy metal detox — and that may even mean removing tooth fillings.

If you have silver fillings in your mouth, look at getting those removed by a DAMS-certified dentist that’s mercury-safe. Also, look at your personal care products and your cleaning products at home — get rid of those chemical cleaners and switch over to natural cleaning products and personal care products that contain ingredients like essential oils. Those can definitely help your thyroid.