Episode 268: From Symptoms to Solutions: A Deep Dive into Hashimoto’s Root Causes (Part 1)
Did you know most doctors won’t test for Hashimoto’s in their hypothyroid patients because it doesn’t change their course of treatment? Regardless of why you’re hypothyroid, they’re going to do one thing and one thing only: put you on thyroid medication.
This is a massive disservice to us hypothyroid warriors given the fact that roughly 95% of hypothyroid cases are caused by hashimoto’s (if you’re unfamiliar, hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks your thyroid gland).
If we know why our thyroid is malfunctioning, we stand a good chance of slowing down, stopping, or even reversing our condition. Not to mention preventing other autoimmune diseases that could be ‘turned on’ by the same root causes as our hashimoto’s.
Many patients don’t experience full symptom relief on thyroid medication alone because the underlying mechanisms at play in their disease are still active.
As someone who has personally put Hashimoto’s into remission after years of trial and error, I know how frustrating it is to feel like you’re doing all the “right” things but still struggling with fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, and digestive issues.
So let’s dig into some surprising triggers of Hashimoto’s—because once you understand what’s driving the dysfunction, you can take real, targeted action to heal.
1. Gut Dysbiosis: How Your Microbiome Wrecks Your Thyroid
Your gut and your thyroid are inextricably linked. In fact, 70% of your immune system lives in your gut—so when things go awry there, your immune system can start misfiring, attacking your thyroid in the process.
How your gut triggers Hashimoto's:
- Leaky gut & immune confusion – When your gut lining becomes damaged (from processed foods, gluten, stress, infections, toxins, etc.), undigested food particles and bacteria leak into your bloodstream. Your immune system sees them as invaders - obviously food is not meant to be in the bloodstream - and launches an attack.
Over time, the immune system can get fatigued and start making mistakes, attacking your own tissue. This becomes particularly problematic when we consume foods like gluten and dairy; the proteins in these foods look very similar to the proteins in thyroid tissue. So when the immune system creates antibodies designed to look for and attack these food particles, the thyroid gland gets caught in the crossfire through a mechanism called molecular mimicry.
- Dysbiosis & inflammation – If you have an imbalance of gut bacteria (too many bad guys, not enough good ones), they produce endotoxins that trigger chronic inflammation. This can activate your immune system in a way that perpetuates Hashimoto’s.
- Poor thyroid hormone conversion – About 20% of your T4 (inactive thyroid hormone) converts to T3 (active hormone) in the gut. If your microbiome is out of balance, you’ll struggle to make enough T3, leading to classic thyroid symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, and brain fog.
👉 Key takeaway: Healing your gut is NON-NEGOTIABLE if you have Hashimoto’s. Consider functional testing to check for dysbiosis, leaky gut, or infections like H. pylori that could be triggering your symptoms. Click here to learn more.
2. Toxic Burden: The Invisible Thyroid Disruptors
We live in a toxic world. From pesticides in food to heavy metals in water to synthetic chemicals in personal care products, our bodies are constantly bombarded with endocrine disruptors—and your thyroid is particularly vulnerable.
How toxins trigger Hashimoto’s:
- Heavy metals like mercury and lead can trigger genotoxicity (the damage of a cell’s DNA), autoimmune reactions, and oxidative stress. Environmental factors like this are estimated to contribute more than 40% to the risk of thyroid cancers and 25% to the risk of autoimmune thyroiditis (hashimoto’s) according to PubMed.
In fact, a study found that the removal of inorganic mercury- containing dental amalgams resulted in significantly decreased levels of thyroglobulin antibody and thyroid peroxidase antibodies, marking a decrease in the autoimmune response.
- Fluoride and bromine (found in tap water and some baked goods) block iodine uptake, which is essential for thyroid hormone production.
- Pesticides and plastics (BPA, phthalates) act as xenoestrogens, which increase estrogen dominance. Excess estrogen increases levels of thyroid-binding globulin in the blood, effectively rendering the thyroid hormone we do produce unavailable for use in the body.
- Mold exposure & mycotoxins can trigger an immune response, increase inflammation, and contribute to leaky gut, all intensifying your body’s attack on itself.
👉 Key takeaway: Reduce your toxic burden by switching to filtered water, organic foods, and non-toxic household products. If you suspect heavy metal toxicity, working with a functional practitioner to test and detox may be necessary. Click here to find out more.
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Sidebar: I mentioned in the episode swapping out my plastic shaker bottles for glass, and swapping my plastic-lidded coffee thermos for a ceramic one. Here are the links to grab them for yourself:
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For root causes 3-5 you'll have to make sure you tune in next week (if want to make sure you don't miss it, subscribe here to get notified!).
In the meantime, if you're reading/listening to this and you know in your gut (no pun intended) that you need to do something more than you've been doing.
If you know there's underlying stuff going on in your body that's holding back your healing, you just don't know what.
If you are exhausted playing the guessing game - trying random supplements and diets hoping for relief that never comes...
This is the perfect time to join The Club. My 10 year business anniversary sale is bringing the price down to just $19/month and inside I walk you through exactly how to address all 5 root causes of hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's.
AND you get direct access to me to answer any questions along the way.
Click here to learn more and grab your spot before the sale ends Friday!
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