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[punchnpie]

Just because I see so many gluten free products in my little grocery store now, I've been reading up on it to see what all the hubbub was about. Surprisingly, there seems to be a connection between gluten sensitivity and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (and diabetes, but one disease at a time).

I take levoxyl and from everything I've read, there is no way to get out of taking meds for thyroid issues. But maybe I'm wrong (and hey, it wouldn't be the first time the docs are wrong). Is anyone here doing gluten free for thyroid?  Also, while docs are getting better at thinking of celiac disease when presented with certain symptoms, they aren't so good at thinking of gluten sensitivity. Apparently the tests are different, so you could come back negative for celiac while still being gluten sensitive. Any thoughts on tests I should ask my endo to order?

Anybody doing better with their thyroid by going gluten free? Personally, I think my meds are on track, I get tested about 2 times a year and I generally feel OK. I don't have the complaints that I read from many so I don't know if I need to think about trying to 'cure' my thyroid with diet.  Thanks.

[wildwest]

I've not been diagnosed with anything, but I did have strange symptoms that sometimes resembled hashimoto's:  cold hands and feet, peripheral neuropathy, tiredness, ocassionally dropped foot.  Of course, these are symptoms of a lot of different things--some worse than others.  I had all the blood tests--B vitamins, Iron, electrolites, thyroid, hormones, etc.  I stopped short of having tests for stuff like MS.  Blood tests were fine.  I was not checked for Celiac.  Evidently you can have thyroid issues, even if the tests come back okay--I think.

A family friend begged me to go gluten-free, as neuropathic symptoms are a huge indicator of gluten sensitivity, yet they are not the ones that doctors normally identify as having to do with gluten.  I've been gluten-free for about six weeks, and a lot of the symptoms are gone.  They reappear when I have even the smallest amounts of gluten (i.e. like when I had a few crumbs of couscous that dropped into my humus at a Middle Eastern restaurant).

I'd give it a try.  There are some great gluten-free products and blogs.  Try the "Gluten-Free Girl" blog for more info.  She has a cookbook too. 

The way I understand it, if you have one auto-immune disorder, you are susceptible to others--and often Celiac disease/gluten sensitivity accompanies issues like thyroid, RA, MS, Lupus, etc.  I've heard that if you cut out gluten, it won't cure the thyroid issue, but it will improve your overall health and lessen symptoms.

I have a book waiting for me at the library called "Dangerous Grains."  You might want to check that one out.

[punchnpie]

I have a book waiting for me at the library called "Dangerous Grains."  You might want to check that one out.

Thanks, I'll have a look. I didn't have any symptoms when I was diagnosed. As a diabetic, every now and then they give me a batch of tests to try and catch stuff early and about 11 years ago they 'caught' Hashimoto's. I had no idea. My mother has taken thyroid meds for years. I wish she had been more outspoken about her health issues. I ended up with her thyroid and diabetes and she never said a word to me about symptoms, what I should look out for or anything else. I'm a lot more up front with my son so at least he can have an idea of  might be wrong should he start getting symptoms of stuff.

[totoro]

I have Hashimoto's and have never heard of this. I hope it isn't true because I love all grain products.

[cattleya]

I have a friend with both celiac and Hashimoto's.  As far as I know, she still needs meds for the Hashimoto's (not  sure), but I'd second what wildwest said--it can't hurt to look into going gluten-free.

Also, if you do have a gluten sensitivity and you try going gluten-free even for a short time, say a month, I think you'll have a good idea if it helps you feel better overall or not.

[ardea]

If you have a gluten sensitivity, you will know within a few weeks of starting a gluten-free diet. Summer is a great time to try this since there are so many gluten-free food choices easily and cheaply available. 

[groundhog]

Punchpie, there is a connection and as you know, having an autoimmune disease may predispose one to another.  Here's a PubMed article: Coeliac disease in Dutch patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and vice versa.
 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17461476

Is your diabetes Type I?

Several points to remember:
1) As you noted the blood test for celiac has a good percentage of false negatives (but very few false positives).  I'm biopsy diagnosed but concurrent blood tests were negative, so I'm an illustrative case of the blood tests' deficiencies.  
2) You must be on a gluten-ingesting diet in order for the blood tests to be accurate (and for the endoscopic biopsy results to be accurate).  Thus, you should have the tests done before going gluten-free or be satisfied with being undiagnosed.  Or you could go back on gluten if you have a positive response to the diet - but that can be painful and unproductive with a negative blood test.  
3) Going gluten free is hard (but do-able) and it takes about 3 months to master the ins and outs of where gluten hides, understand cross-contamination (like the crouton crumbs in the salad that you order at a restaurant, and they forgot but pulled out the croutons and served it to you anyway - true story).  So, a short trial (2-3 weeks) might give you an answer but more likely you'll need more time.  
4) Agreed that the Gluten-Free Girl has a good blog.  The Gluten-Free Goddess has a blog with a good primer on how to go gluten-free.  
5) Anecdotally, I know several people whose thyroid problems (hashi, graves etc) stabilized or went into "remission" after adopting a gluten-free diet.    

Good luck.  I think every person with another autoimmune disease (RA, MS, Lupus, Graves, Type I diabetes) should be tested for celiac and/or have a trial of g-f.  While going g-f will not cure everyone with those disease, it may help some and therefore is worth the trouble.  

[britmom]

I've just finished reading this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Still-Thyroid-Symptoms-Normal-ebook/dp/B003LSTAJA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1310292662&sr=8-1. It argues that, as Hashimoto's is an auto-immune disease, you need to work to stabilise your immune system. It recommends going gluten-free, stopping all coffee and eating a diet to stabilise your blood sugar. It argues that there's a strong correlation between Hashimoto's and gluten intolerance. (Apparently gluten molecules and thyroid tissue are very similar; the immune system can become 'confused' and attack gluten molecules.)

[knitknat]

as I have noted on other threads, I have been on thyroid meds for about a year, and just officially got diagnosed with Hashi's last week. Since my spouse is already on a gluten-free diet, I joined in as of Sunday. Will post in a few weeks as to my results.

and I am with totoro....this is going to kill me because I love baked goods so much. But I'll second wildwest's recommendation of the Gluten-Free Girl blog - she's got some great recipes that I've been testing out with knitspouse.

[punchnpie]

knitknat - how were you on meds but only recently diagnosed? Did they think y ou had some other throid issue? It's just that I can't see taking a med that you have to take everyday forever without knowing why I was taking it.

Thanks everyone for the comments. Though I am Type II, all my readings so far lead me to think there is some issue with gluten/Hashimoto's/diabetes whichever type you have.  I'm going to try reducing the gluten; I'm sure reducing all those carbs will be better for my diabetes anyway.

[knitknat]

punchpie- hypothyroid runs in my family, and no one has ever thought to ask why, and my docs never bothered to order the antibody tests. I see a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner who suggested the antibody tests, at which point I finally did the research and asked for them.

Part of the problem for me was that I initially had trouble even getting a doc to diagnose Hypothyroidism  because my TSH was on the high end of normal and my symptoms were comparatively moderate, so our small town docs and the local endocrinologist kept telling me I was fine. I probably would not have pursued the issue at all and found a new doc (2 hrs away in the big city) except that I am convinced my thyroid problems are contributing to my fertility problems (see ttc thread).

[alleyoxenfree]

Going gluten-free or drastically gluten-reduced is not that hard - you can still eat baked goods made with other flours.  I'm currently enjoying corn flakes and cinnamon-raisin bread made with a potato flour, and there are very good gluten-free frozen brownies.  Everything g-free I've tried has been good, although I live near very good "health food" stores - but still, I've been pleasantly surprised.

What I like is that eating gluten-free seems to curb my cravings.  I eat less, and I don't crave stuff like baked goods, although you can also buy g-free donuts, etc.

I tested neg for celiac a decade ago when put on thyroid meds, even though there were lots of symptoms.  Recently, after a lot of gut pain, I experimented with eliminating gluten; I found a lot more stable energy levels, much less gut discomfort and pain, fewer cravings.  

In fact, it's the only eating plan I can say I've really enjoyed because I can have BOTH carbs and proteins, plus chocolate and sugar if I want them.  It seems to make me more thoughtful about my eating and more conscious about how the food is feeling in my gut and my brain, as opposed to in my taste buds only.

[wildwest]

knitknat (and all):

Okay, I'll let you in on the secret of my husband's gf brownies:

Take a box of Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free Brownie Mix.  Follow the instructions on the box, but add:  1 stick of butter (instead of oil), 1 package of cream cheese, 1 package of gf chocolate chips (make sure they are real chocolate, not the fake stuff).  Also, put in an egg or two.

These are to die for.  I don't know about the UK, but the "Arrowhead Mills" brand can be found in any health food store, Whole Foods, or sometimes just the regular supermarket in the US.  Pamela's also makes a good mix, but I prefer Arrowhead Mills.

Also--there is a GF bakery near my house with stuff that is to die for.  I don't even miss wheat bread.  Of course, your grocery store will most likely have brands like Udi's, but you might check the internet for "real" bakeries in your vicinity or nearby that can ship gf breads, pizza crusts, etc.

Also--at least where I live, quite a few restaurants are catering to gf customers.  Many pizza places will offer gf crusts (of course, for a little more money), and some Italian restaurants will offer gf pasta.

Again, I don't know where in the world you happen to live.  Most of the US is pretty good about catering to customers--especially the west coast, southwest, parts of the east coast.  Don't know about the south.  Midwest not so much.  But if you stick with protein, veg, and fruit, then you only have to make sure that you buy gf bread and cereals.  For carbs, there is always beans, rice, and some of the "new" grains like quinoa.  It's only tricky if you eat out a lot and eat processed foods.
 

[britmom]

I was just wondering whether those who've gone gluten-free have experienced weight gain? Having had a quick look around the web, it seems to be a problem. (That's the last thing I need!)

[wildwest]

I've actually lost weight.  Friends say I have lost a "puffiness" in my body (don't know what that means, as my weight was fine before going gf).

The key is to stay away from sugary gf snacks.  A lot of the pre-packaged gf foods contain a lot of sugar.  Be sure to look at labels and buy "whole grain" gf foods.  Better yet, add more protein, veg, fruit, and beans.

If you do the reading on gluten-sensitivity, you will find that gluten is highly addictive and acts like morophine on the brain.  So you may find yourself craving sugary carbs and snacks.  I think the tendency is to load up things like carbs and cheese to satisfy the addiction.  It takes a few weeks for your body to adjust and for your blood sugar to even out.

I'm not a scientist, but I think the gluten--blood sugar connection is key.