By Dr. Justin Marchegiani
Hashimoto's Disease, is an autoimmune disease, a disorder in which the immune system turns against the body's own tissues. In people with Hashimoto's, the immune system attacks the thyroid. This can lead to hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid does not make enough hormones for the body's needs.
While a healthy immune system resists infection, a weakened immune system welcomes it in with open arms. Infections thrive in unhealthy environments. And once a bug (parasite, bacteria, fungus, or virus) moves in, it can be difficult to exterminate.
Infections can worsen autoimmune conditions of the thyroid (such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Grave’s disease) and other parts of the body. It can also create inflammation, disrupt detoxification, and wreak havoc on the digestive system. So the bug has moved in—here’s what you need to know to minimize infection and protect your thyroid.
Our gut needs good bacteria to function and thrive. A ratio of 80% good bacteria and 20% bad is a healthy level of gut bacteria.
An imbalance in this bacteria (e.g., 80% bad and 20% good) is called dysbiosis. Overgrowths of yeast (such as Candida) or infections (such as H. pylori) can cause this imbalance.
Good bacteria consume toxins and send nutrients to the body. Bad bacteria consume nutrients and send toxins to the body. Those bad bacteria can lead to a leaky gut.
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is a condition that’s driven by bacteria that’s migrated from the large intestine into the small intestine. They’re in the wrong place. This can produce toxins in the gut and disrupt peristalsis (the wavelike contractions that move stool through our intestines).
If we have a delay in peristalsis, we can reabsorb a lot of the toxicity. This is called autointoxication.
Infections in the gut can be particularly challenging and difficult when they accompany an autoimmune condition.
When we have an autoimmune condition, this simply means the body is making antibodies that can’t tell the difference between the invader and the body itself. Antibodies are proteins that fight invaders such as bacteria and viruses. So while the antibody may fight the invader, it will also attack a specific part of the body.
In the autoimmune condition Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, the body makes antibodies to thyroid peroxidase (TPO) causing thyroid breakdown. In Grave’s disease, the body makes antibodies to thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) causing thyroid breakdown.
The bad bacteria (overgrowths of infection) in the gut pave the way to a leaky gut.
When our gut becomes leaky, undigested food particles pass through “leaks” in the gut and enter the bloodstream. The surface proteins on gluten, for example, can look very similar to the thyroid and cases of “mistaken identity”. This is known as molecular mimicry. This is true for other body tissues as well. Dairy can look like the pancreas, for example.
So the immune system starts making antibodies for the thyroid because it can’t tell the difference. And then know, the thyroid is under attack.
Infection and a leaky gut are two of the prime mechanisms that exacerbate the breakdown of the thyroid.
A few common infections that are found when dealing with leaky gut and thyroid issues follow:
Addressing infections can be stressful on the body. Being unhealthy means having an imbalance in gut bacteria, poor gut function, adrenal issues, energy issues, a bad diet, poor sleep habits, etc. When we are unhealthy and we knock out an infection, our body has to deal with the dead debris.
The infections are like soldiers fighting on a battlefield. We introduce our natural or herbal antibiotics to destroy the infections. Massive numbers of soldiers (the infections) are falling all over the battlefield.
Our immune and detoxification systems have to send out the medics to help pull the soldiers off the battlefield, but there are just too many soldiers (too much infection debris). The medics (our immune and detox systems) get backed up. And there’s a huge line of soldiers that still need help.
Once our immune and detox systems are backed up, this creates a Herxheimer reaction. In this reaction, the harmful biotoxins from the infectious debris accumulate. Then, they start creating stress on our immune, detoxification, and lymphatic systems. The medics are stressed—they can’t keep up.
Removing infections can leave the gut empty. It will even knock out some good stuff, too. And weeds (bad bacteria) tend to grow automatically in this world. Gardeners don’t go to Home Depot to pick out weeds to plant. Weeds just happen. So it’s important to reseed the gut with the good bacteria after removing infections.
Studies have shown that when certain infections are removed, we see a significant decrease in the amount of thyroid antibodies. This means that these infections are driving the immune system to destroy the thyroid faster. So if we can knock out the infections, ideally naturally, herbally, and safely, we can reduce the self-destruction of our thyroid tissue. That’s the goal.
References
Featured image from my.microbes.eu.
Benvenga S, Guarneri F, Vaccaro M, et al. Homologies between proteins of Borrelia burgdorferi and thyroid autoantigens. Thyroid, 2004 Nov; 14 (11): 964–66.
Corapçioğlu D, Tonyukuk V, Kiyan M, et al. Relationship between thyroid autoimmunity and Yersinia enterocolitica antibodies. Thyroid, 2002 Jul; 12 (7): 613–17.
Molina V, Shoenfeld Y. Infection, vaccines and other environmental triggers of autoimmunity. Autoimmunity 2005 May; 38 (3): 235–45.
Tomer Y, Davies TF. Infection, thyroid disease, and autoimmunity. Endocr Rev, 1993 Feb; 14 (1):107–20.
Wentz, Izabella. Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause. Wentz, 2013: 238–241.
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