A new "treatment" for Hashimoto's thyroiditis?

This is a special edition extra content vlog post. Specially directed at those “subclinical” hypothyroid hashimotos sufferers.

Today we are talking about some really cool research that has come out from the “European review for medical and pharmacological sciences. 2017; 21 (2 supplements);51-59.

So here is the big news……

They found that myo-inositol and selenium supplementation can help restore thyroid function.

Did you get that? Should I repeat it?

They found that myo-inositol and selenium supplementation can help restore thyroid function.

Inositol is used for a variety of different uses. Among them it is often used for diabetic nerve pain, panic disorder, anxiety, high cholesterol, insomnia, cancer, depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or ADD. Some people also use it for autism, promoting hair growth, psoriasis, and treating side effects of medical treatment with lithium.

That seems like some pretty good reasons to consider taking inositol. Now you make ask, but Dr. Craig, the study was done with “myo-inositol”.

Your right. While there are different types of inositol available (or what they call isomers), myo-inositol is the most common one. So if you buy a quality inositol supplement you are pretty safe in assuming that you are getting them myo-inositol version. This also happens to be the most researched version of inositol as well.

And for anyone struggling with thyroid issues or has done any research on the issue they already know that selenium is a very important supplement for thyroid function.

So here are the results of the study.

There was 168 patients in the study aged from 22 to 62 years old. The patients TSH numbers ranged from 3-6 mlU/L. They also demonstrated elevated TPO and/or thyroglobulin antibodies but they had normal FT4 and T3 levels. So they were considered subclinical.

These patients were separated into 2 groups. Group one got 83 mag of selenium, and group 2 got 600mg of inositol and 83 mag of selenium for 6 months.

Both groups noted a significant reduction in TSH levels and an increase in thyroid hormones such as FT4 and T3 (a good thing) . In addition, both groups also showed a decrease in TPO antibodies but only the group that was taking the inositol showed a decrease in thyroglobulin antibodies. Thyroglobulin antibodies are antibodies against your storage form of thyroid.

Increasing thyroid hormones and improving function can have a wide effect on your body. Some of the indirect positive effects this can have on your body include improving cardiovascular function, whether its a lower blood pressure, heart rate or more elastic blood vessels. It can also help improve digestion and increase your metabolism helping with weight loss and energy levels.

There are a lot of other factors that should be looked at when dealing with autoimmune issues. Functional medicine practitioners (or at least some) are specially trained to help you improve health by improving function.

So there you have it, a pretty exciting yet simple study that was done using supplementation to improve health without the use of drugs or medications.

I’m Dr. Craig Mortensen
Be healthy, be happy.