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  • QueenMe
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    interesting points Diane. I don’t remember what my dose was, and my endo has since retired. I will try to track them down. I do remember it being fairly small.

    Like another post said, thyroid antibodies can be controlled by exploiting the psychoneuroendocrine axis, which I have done. So I have no doubt that my TSI are low.

    I understand your point about the pancreas, but in type II diabetes, many times insulin can be avoided if the disease is caught early enough — it can be managed with diet and exercise. but after the point at which many people have totally burned their pancreases out, then they need insulin. and the more I think about it, the pancreas doesn’t have so much of a feedback mechanism as the thyroid does — i.e. what triggers a rise in insulin is glucose, not an endogenous hormone like TSH.

    like i said earlier, my basis for thinking thyroid regeneration is possible is that it regenerates after thyroiditis, in which portions of it are destroyed. there is also evidence of regeneration in 3d collagen matrices.

    i understand that I probably sound crazy, and that this wasn’t the forum to talk about my plan. But thank you all for your input.

    QueenMe
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    Post count: 9

    well, in 80 percent of people that may be the case. in the other 20% no. ( Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2004 Nov;61(5):641-8 . So why is nobody looking at the 20% and figuring out how to make more people like them?

    I have a full understanding of the risks of hypothyroidism. being hypothyroid makes me miserable anyway, so I won’t let it get to that point. I am logical enough to know if my self-healing doesn’t work, that I will need to go back on medication. But I will give my body a chance to do so.

    But the body has an incredible way of healing itself. Granted, in subacute thryoiditis there is no radioactive poison involved. However, DNA damage repair does occur, and it can be encouraged. By treating hypothyroidism with medication, you suppress TSH levels — so how are you ever giving your body a chance to naturally stimulate what might be left of the thyroid gland?

    QueenMe
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    Post count: 9

    not trying to be smart, but can you point me in the direction of some of this research? On pubmed I see a lot of research into genetics, reviews about the carcinogenic risk of RAI in stomach, kidney, and breast,(which makes me say, well DUH!), but, for example only one paper "Extracts and auto-oxidized constituents of certain plants inhibit the receptor-binding and the biological activity of Graves’ immunoglobulins." actually targeting the autoantibody as opposed to the thyroid, which is not the root cause of the disease.

    Lemon balm was found to target the autoantibody specifically. This has been known (in the journal Endocrinology), for 25 years. Why hasn’t this been followed up on? Why is the medical establishment promoting a drug known NOT to affect the root cause and TO increase cancer risk over an herb that acts against the autoantibody itself? Not to be cynical, but it seems pretty well in line with the history of western medicine.

    QueenMe
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    Post count: 9

    I have to look it up. It was 4 years ago. I have the file at home though I think.

    QueenMe
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    Post count: 9

    The sad thing about this is that there isn’t a whole lot of research done because a "best practice" (i.e. radioactive destruction) has been established. papers about natural methods (i.e. lemonbalm) are buried. the psychoneuroimmunology front is promising though.

    QueenMe
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    Post count: 9

    it’s not chemically identical. if it were, the body would digest it (as thyroxine is a peptide hormone) before it ever reached the bloodstream. hence "levo"thyroxine.

    it might not be likely that my thyroid is making enough hormone to sustain me right now but I have faith that it will regenerate. After all, there was some tissue left. There is enough there so that I’m not on 200 mcg of drug. I might have a higher than normal TSH for a while but I am going to do more research on regenerative capacity. There is still some tissue there, especially if you haven’t been treated too aggressively with RAI. If not, why would some people’s GD come back?

    I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

    QueenMe
    Participant
    Post count: 9

    here’s my beef with thyroid replacement — it’s a steady dose, which is NOTHING like what the body does naturally — there is no room for the natural fluctuations that are necessary for proper body functioning. I hate that.

    QueenMe
    Participant
    Post count: 9

    I’m banking on the fact that my thyroid wasn’t all the way destroyed with the RAI. I understand the consequences of untreated hypothyroidism. However, I want to give my body a chance to heal itself.

    also, of course it’s being on medication for the rest of your life. It’s synthetic hormone. call it replacement, or hormone, or whatever it’s still a drug. It’s still a pill to take daily for ever and ever and I’m going to exhaust every possible solution before I go back to being dependent on it.

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