Transcript updated on February 27-2020

Hi Dr Hagmeyer here and today we are exploring the connection between Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and Chronic Pain. Millions of people worldwide suffer with Chronic Pain, Fibromyalgia and often have undiagnosed Thyroid disease or Hashimotos disease.

I know it’s something that affects every Thyroid patient/Hashimoto’s patient to one degree or another. For some chronic pain or Fibromyalgia is more debilitating to others, but none the less, understanding the cause is an important piece of the puzzle to understand. In todays video, I want to review this importance of being tested for Hashimotos disease or thyroid disease if you have Chronic pain or Fibromyalgia.  I also want to share with you three tips to improving chronic pain that you might find helpful.

Well……..Very often for people who are suffering with chronic pain, years of suffering and desperation, often leads them down the road to a visit with the Rheumatologist. Very often this doctor will check for RA, they will check for Lupus, Mixed connective tissue disease, and other bone related problems, and when all the tests comes back- negative- you are sent home feeling like you’re crazy and with a label of Fibromyalgia.

Out the door you go with pain medication such as Lyrica, Gabapentin, and a 3 month supply of antidepressants in hand.

Years go by…..and eventually these pain medication lead to new problems such as GI problems, Brain fog and even more pain and fatigue. Sounds familiar Right?

While I won’t be talking about the GI problems these medications cause in this video, I did want to talk about this undiagnosed thyroid disorder called Hashimotos Disease and its connection to Thyroid Disease (and this is super important)

Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to mistakenly attack the thyroid and over time this attack kills the thyroid rendering the gland virtually useless.

Because Hashimotos is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States if you are man or a woman and you are living in Chronic pain, and you experience fatigue and weight gain, this autoimmune Thyroid problem is something you need to know more about.

In 2014 you can see the study below, the study shows that Hashimotos is the most common autoimmune disease and it also states that it is a recognized cause of Chronic Pain and Fibromyalgia.

Heres What You Need To Know About This Study.

• Chronic Pain and Fibromyalgia can be caused by a misdiagnosis namely, Hashimotos Thyroiditis.
• While that may be great news, simply taking thyroid hormones will not stop the autoimmune attack on your Thyroid gland.
• If you do have Hashimotos Thyroid disease, Attention and focus should be on the root cause of Hashimotos.

In many cases of chronic pain, there are multiple systems involved. The pain can stem from an autoimmune response to a food that the person ate that she was sensitive to, especially if she was also struggling with digestive issues like intestinal permeability (leaky gut) or an imbalance in the healthy vs. infectious bacteria in her digestive system

A Recent Patients Blood Test Revealed This

Let me show you a recent blood test on a patient who demonstrates everything we are talking about today. This patient had chronic pain, lived in a state of perpetual Fatigue and described her mental alertness and focus as if her brain was on fire.

Another doctor had already diagnosed her and was treating her for Fibromyalgia without success. Was this doctor missing something? Absolutely!- he was only focusing in on the pain rather than the Triggers behind the autoimmune disorder- he was missing some of the other pieces of the patients health puzzle. This is why I also stress to patients you need to look at the BIG picture.

If you look here, you will see that blood test for the Thyroid shows a normal TSH, yet they have antibodies against their thyroid. It’s not normal to have Thyroid antibodies.

Notice that the TSH is 2.7 so that’s good (kind of), the Free T4  is .85 which is within the Labs reference range but take a look at the top here and you will notice that the TPO antibodies are 718.

The presence of antibodies indicates the immune system is primed and is already destroying the thyroid gland or is going to start attacking the thyroid. We really don’t know if it’s coming or going. This person would probably be told that there was nothing wrong with their Thyroid. This is why A Complete thyroid testing is so important.

So we talked about the Diagnosis of Hashimotos, we looked at some of the Thyroid markers that can identify Hashimotos and I also stressed that if this is what’s happening, the focus from a treatment standpoint, needs to be redirected to the immune system rather than the Thyroid itself. This in turn can have profound impacts on chronic pain.

(Watch a Past Video that explains more about Natural Treatments for Hashimoto’s)

I hope you enjoyed todays video, I hope this video unravels one more piece of your Health Mystery as it related to the connection between Chronic Pain, Fibromyalgia, and autoimmune Thyroid disease.

When I look back to all the patients over the years I have worked with, I think regaining health can be summed up in just a few words. You have to look at The Big Picture. You have to be a good investigator who can look at the complexity of the body and try to bring the pieces together.

If you have chronic pain, Here are Three Tips To start Getting to The Root Cause. 

1. Understand that pain is only a symptom. It is a fire alarm that is going off. In order to address the root cause of the symptom (pain), you need to know where the smoke and fire is coming from.  With patients suffering with Chronic pain, the root cause can vary from person to person. Inflammatory foods, Oxidative Stress and low Glutathione levels, Leaky Gut, Food sensitivities, Hormones (Thyroid) and even the balance of neurotransmitters like serotonin can increase sensitivity to pain. Start tracking your pain in a weekly journal. When does you pain flare up? Does stress make it worse? These will all be clues for your Functional Medicine Doctor.

2. Neck, Shoulder, Lumbar and Pelvic pain can respond very well to chiropractic and acupuncture and exercises designed to support surrounding structures. I often recommend these services as they compliment Functional Medicine. Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain often have a chemical component that can be addressed with Functional Medicine and mechanic component that can be addressed with Chiropractic/Physical medicine.

3. If you know that you have an autoimmune thyroid condition or that your endocrine system is otherwise being taxed as in the case of adrenal fatigue, blood sugar imbalances, etc then supporting your stress hormones will help with inflammation. An anti-inflammatory diet will also provide the environment to help heal the inflammation. Several research studies have shown antioxidants like Glutathione, Resveratrol, Turmeric and Selenium can significant impact and disrupt the pain pathways.

Here Are Just a Few Of My Favorite Supplements To Help Patients with Chronic Pain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ResveraPlex Plus is designed with potent resveratrol that has been linked to many health benefits. Preliminary studies have indicated that this compound found in the skins of grapes, for example, has anti-inflammatory effects. Inflammation is associated with disease. By warding it off along with the free radicals that cause it, you can more effectively protect your overall health.

Inflamma-bLOX is a comprehensive formula designed to address immune challenges and help maintain normal inflammatory balance.

Inflamma-bLOX is a comprehensive formula designed to address immune challenges and maintain normal inflammatory balance.

Inflamma-bLOX provides a blend of phytonutrients including skullcap, bee propolis, turmeric and graminex pollen extract for full-spectrum support.

 

NuMedica Liposomal Glutathione provides 500 mg of pure glutathione delivered in phosphatidylcholine liposomes for optimal absorption and bioavailability. These liposomes transport the glutathione through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream where it can reach the intended target.

Glutathione is the most important antioxidant produced in the body and is found in every cell. Research has shown that glutathione plays an important role in immune system support and the detoxification of body systems.

 

Selenium is a cofactor to about 10 selenoproteins in the body; the most important of these appears to be glutathione peroxidase (GPX).

GPX uses glutathione to reduce hydrogen peroxide and thus protect cells and plasma against free radical injury. Patients with Fibromyalgia often have low antioxidant status due to chronic inflammation.

GPX activity depends on an adequate supply of dietary selenium.

Recently, selenium as selenocysteine has been identified in the active center of type 1 and 3 iodothyronine deiodinases, two important enzymes regulating the formation and degradation of the active thyroid hormone, triiodothyronine (T3).

I hope you will check out my website, Our Patients Testimonials, and  watch some of the other videos and become encouraged about what you learned today. Until next time Take Care.

People Who Watched Today’s Video Also Recommend.

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3. Normal Thyroid Lab Tests? 6 Thyroid Patterns that Wont Show up on Standard Lab Testing
4. Change Your Diet, Control Hashimoto’s Disease|Dr Hagmeyer
5. Women with PCOS Often Have Hidden Hashimoto’s Autoimmune Thyroiditis

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