18 months ago, I experienced a gallbladder
attack while on vacation. The doctors thought it was due to a meal I had for dinner that night and I was thankful
at least for the high powered pain drugs. That gallbladder attack put childbirth pain to shame! Then six months
later, I had another gallbladder attack in the middle of the night which again sent me into the ER. After my visit
I saw an internist who recommended removing my gallbladder. I got a second opinion with another doctor at a prominent
hospital and he recommended the same thing. I asked him about a correlation with my hypothyroidism that was recently diagnosed a month earlier. He had never heard of such a thing and told me that
it really didn't matter because you can live without your gallbladder and having it removed was really “no big
deal.” Plus, he said I would certainly have more attacks in the upcoming months. I went home and did some research
and came across your website in the process. It was largely from the research I gathered at your website which
caused me to look into it further and cancel the operation. I have since gone on Armour thyroid for my autoimmune hashimoto’s-it has been over
one year and I haven’t had a single gallbladder attack or symptom since! (and I am feeling the best I have in a
long time!)
I just wanted to tell you how thankful I am for your website. The information on your website made a tremendous
difference in the quality of my life and for months, I have been meaning to send you this email.
HASHIMOTO'S
18 months ago, I experienced a gallbladder attack while on vacation. The doctors thought it was due to a meal I
had for dinner that night and I was thankful at least for the high powered pain drugs. That gallbladder attack
put childbirth pain to shame! Then six months later, I had another gallbladder attack in the middle of the night
which again sent me into the ER. After my visit I saw an internist who recommended removing my gallbladder. I got
a second opinion with another doctor at a prominent hospital and he recommended the same thing. I asked him about
a correlation with my hypothyroidism that was recently diagnosed a month earlier. He had never heard of such a
thing and told me that it really didn't matter because you can live without your gallbladder and having it removed
was really “no big deal.” Plus, he said I would certainly have more attacks in the upcoming months. I went home
and did some research and came across your website in the process. It was largely from the research I gathered
at your website which caused me to look into it further and cancel the operation. I have since gone on Armour thyroid
for my autoimmune hashimoto’s-it has been over one year and I haven’t had a single gallbladder attack or symptom
since! (and I am feeling the best I have in a long time!)
Thank you for helping me save my gallbladder! Truly, if it wasn’t for your website, I probably would have never
came across the connection. I would have followed that Doctor’s advise and had my gallbladder removed unnecessarily
(and would have to deal with poor food digestion consequences for the rest of my life). This is the first time
that I have ever emailed someone from a health website, but I believe it is appropriate and I just wanted you to
know what a positive impact you’ve had on my health. S.S.
Hypothyroidism and Gallbladder Disease
It's pretty obvious where your
gallbladder disease came from if you are a couch potato and eat fast food regularly. But if you're vegetarian,
eating whole, organic foods, work out 5 times a week, have a non-stressful job, no financial worries and a happy
family life then you really may wonder: "Where did these gallbladder symptoms come from?"
Perhaps the issue is an underlying thyroid problem. And just maybe the above couch potato syndrome stems from a
slow thyroid as well! Research studies show that there is evidence linking hypothyroidism to gallstones, to delayed
emptying i.e. biliary dyskinesia or low-functioning gallbladder, sluggish and reduced bile flow,5
People with gallbladder dysfunction also tend to have other co-existing symptoms with the gut, be it constipation,
diarrhea, leaky gut, food allergies or parasites. Since 20% of the thyroid hormone, thyroxine or T4 is converted
into its usable counterpart, T3 in the gut, you can see that getting our digestive disorders healed and the good
gut flora flourishing is paramount to optimal thyroid function.
A thyroid which is not working properly can
lead to:
Hypothyroidism Symptoms
Fatigue
Dry skin and hair
Hair thinning/hair loss
Depression
Morning headaches that get better throughout
the day
Foggy brain
Loss of memory
Hoarse voice
Difficulty concentrating
Intolerance to cold
Low body temperature
Poor circulation/numbness in hands and feet
Muscle cramps with no exertion
Weight gain and difficulty losing it
Decreased appetite
Constipation
Gallbladder diseases such as gallstones
Chronic digestive problems such as low stomach
acid
If you add some of the following symptoms
to the above list, consider the autoimmune disease attacking the thyroid called Hashimoto's Disease:
Symptoms of Hashimoto's
Heart palpations
Increased pulse without exertion
Anxiety, nervousness
Insomnia
Night sweats
Weight loss and difficulty gaining weight
Muscle and joint pain
Then add some of the symptoms from below
as well since Hashimoto's can have mixed symptoms of both either simultaneously or alternating. Note that you can
have difficulty loosing weight or difficulty gaining weight with Hashimoto's. If you have normal weight with symptoms
of hypothyroid, it is very likely that your immune system is causing the problem. If you sometimes have symptoms
of hyperthyroid, followed by periods with symptoms of hypothyroid, chances are that it is Hashimoto's and it is
the immune system that's at fault.
Hyperthroidism is the overacting of the thyroid gland resulting in an overproduction of the thyroid hormone, thyroxin
or T4.
Hyperthyroidism Symptoms
Insomnia
Weight loss
Increased energy
Palpitations
Intolerance of heat
Anxiety
Nervousness
Tremors of hands
Hair loss
Missed or light menstrual cycles
Shortness of breath
Approximately 50-80% of people with symptoms
of hypothyroidism have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. So if you have been diagnosed with thyroid disease, either hypo
or hyper, read about Hashimoto's.
HASHIMOTO'S DISEASE
Hashimoto's was discovered in 1912 by a Japanese
physician named Hakaru Hashimoto and is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly recognizes
the thyroid tissue cells as foreign and begins attacking and destryoing them. It produces antibodies to the thyroid.
And as you may recall, once you have antibodies towards a specific "invader" you have it for life. Even
though thyroid tissue is not a foreign invader, the immune system sees it as so. For a better understanding of
why this might happen, ready Datis Kharrizian's book "Why Do I STill Have Thyroid Symptoms When My Lab Tests
are Normal?" (See right.) The why is important to understand in the management of your thyroid, your gallbladder
disease and many other symptoms you may be experiencing. It is quite common to get tested for Hashimoto's and have
it be negative, only to test again later and have it come back positive. There are several reasons for this. I'll
mention two. One is that, as in any autoimmune disease, it comes and goes in expressing itself. That is, it may
be more active or less active at different times. On the other hand, if the immune system is struggling, fighting
infection or inflammation in other parts of the body, it may not be even healthy enough to make the antibodies
towards the "invaders" that it normally would.
How do I know for sure what I have?
So if you have all the symptoms of Hashimoto's, just assume you do have it and start treating it with diet. And get under the care of someone who knows how to work with this both medically
and nutritionally. You may need two practitioners here, an M.D. and a natural practitioner or one who does both.
If your practitioner does not take you off gluten and off iodine, look for one who does. And he or she can run
the blood test for you.
You want more than a simple TSH and T4 and
even more than T3 lab test to assess the many possibilities of thyroid imbalance. You also want a test for thyroid
antibodies. With gallbladder problems the possibility of excess hormones and of gut inflammation leading to underconversion
of T4 to the active T3 are just two complications that are possible. More indepth thyroid testing is necessary.
To look for Hashimoto's you also want a test for thyroid antibodies.
All of these laboratory tests can be ordered
by our practitioners now no matter what state you live in. Please visit our consultation page for more details
and call our office with any questions you may have.
Call 769-632-8089 to make an appointment.
Please be advised that this consultation in no way replaces a medical examination or testing procedures you would
receive from your medical doctor. However, I'm sure you will find our knowledge, experience and recommendations
helpful.
"...there is a gender-specific relation
between hypothyroidism and cholelithiasis.[gallstones]
Especially males with gallstones should be further examined for thyroid
disorders.1
1Henry Völzke, Daniel M Robinson, Ulrich John,Association between thyroid function
and gallstone disease,World J Gastroenterol
Hypothyroidism and Biliary Dyskinesia
There is "...a delayed emptying of the
biliary tract in hypothyroidism, explained partly by the missing prorelaxing effect of thyroxine
on the sphincter of Oddi contractility".2.
2.Is bile flow reduced in patients with hypothyroidism? Surgery
2003 Mar; 133():288-93.
Common Bile Duct Stones
and Subclinical Hypothyroidism Connected
"Subclinical hypothyroidism is more
common in the CBD stone patients compared to non-gallstone controls, supporting our hypothesis that hypothyroidism
might play a role in the forming of CBD stones. At least women over 60 with CBD stones should be screened for borderline
or overt subclinical hypothyroidism."2
2Johanna Laukkarinen M.D., Ph.D.*, Gediminas
Kiudelis M.D., Ph.D., Marko Lempinen M.D., Ph.D., Sari Räty M.D., Ph.D., Hanna Pelli M.D., Juhani Sand M.D.,
Ph.D., Esko Kemppainen M.D., Ph.D., Caj Haglund M.D., Ph.D., and Isto Nordback M.D., Ph.D., Increased Prevalence
of Subclinical Hypothyroidism in Common Bile Duct Stone Patients, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
, doi:10.1210/jc.2007-1316
There is "...a delayed emptying of the
biliary tract in hypothyroidism, explained partly by the missing prorelaxing effect of thyroxine
on the sphincter of Oddi contractility".2.
A must read for anyone with thyroid disease
of any kind but especially Hashimotos. Those with sugar cravings, hypglycemia and insulin resistance as well as
food allergies could all benefit from the information and latest studies contained in this thyroid book.
WHO WAS HASHIMOTO?
Hakaru Hashimoto was a Japanese physician
working in Berlin, Germany in 1912. He discovered this disease which was named after him. It is also sometimes
called Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. The flucuation of hypo and hyper symptoms can sometimes mimic bipolar disease.
No! No attacks since I started on the supplements.
I had the beginning of one about 6 weeks ago, but immediately took some phosphoric acid and it went right away!
(That was absolutely miraculous to me.) I will be ordering some more supplements soon, but still have some left.
I've only been taking the pills at night, so the "attack kit" has lasted me a longer time. I have changed
my diet completely though - mostly organic vegetables, fruit and whole grains - very little meat, and no processed
foods, white flour products or sugar to speak of. I can't thank you enough for all the help - I feel so much better.
The Dr. said I needed emergency surgery because of many gall stones - that was 3 months ago! So far I still have
my gallbladder! I love all the newsletters from Debbie - all the information has been SO helpful, and must appreciated.
Again, thank you so much.
Disclaimer: The statements in this website have NOT been evaluated by or sanctioned by the FDA. Only your doctor
can properly diagnose and treat any disease or disorder. The supplements discussed herein are not meant to treat
any disease but are for nutritional support of the body only. The user understands that the information in this
website is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician or a pharmacist.
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