Patient-Centered, Whole-Person, Functional Metabolic Care For Hashimoto's and Low Thyroid

Dr. Chris Heimlich DC, Scottsdale Phoenix Metro Area Doctor Shares how to know if you are autoimmune

How to know if you are autoimmune?

How do you know if you’re autoimmune?  How do you know if your immune system is attacking your body?  We run tests to see if you have an autoimmune thyroid or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.  Specifically, TPO and TGB antibodies can be tested through a blood draw.

A good clue that you have an autoimmune disease is that you have tried everything out there and still have the same symptoms.  If you are taking a ton of supplements and still feel cruddy, chances are you have an autoimmune condition.  I just had a patient come in four weeks ago with a bag of 36 supplements.   The crazy thing is, she still felt horrible.

p.s. That is way too many supplements for anyone to be on.  That is called the shotgun approach and is not used in our office.

Another way that people will know if they’re autoimmune is that their symptoms may wax and wane.  Symptoms that wax and wane are a sure sign that you are most likely suffering from an autoimmune condition.

Autoimmune conditions run in packs.   That means that if you already know you have one autoimmune condition, there is a good chance you have another.  So if you have been diagnosed with Sjorgren’s syndrome, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthriitis, ulcerative colitis, scleroderma and or lupus, and you have some of the symptoms listed below, chances are you have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.

Here are a few of the symptoms associated with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis:

  • Tired, sluggish
  • Heart palpations
  • Night sweats
  • Mental sluggishness
  • Dryness of skin and scalp
  • Outer third of eyebrow thins
  • Insomnia
  • Nervousness and emotional
  • Increased weight gain even with low-caloric diet
  • Difficult, infrequent bowel movements
  • Morning headaches
  • Thinning of hair

Another way to tell is if your life fell apart after you got sick or had a huge stress or physical trauma in your life.  You have a stack of medical records sky high from going from doctor to doctor and none of them can find out why you are having all this suffering.

Many women may develop an autoimmune condition following a pregnancy.  Usually, woman are TH2 dominant in the third trimester and TH1 dominant postpartum.  This means that your immune system is out of balance.

And finally, as I’ve mentioned, there’s positive testing via the immune panels and TPO and TGB antibodies.  You see, your immune system is designed to protect you.  When your immune system runs amuck, it starts attacking different parts of your body, and it’s important to know that once you realize you have an autoimmune condition, you need to get checked, and you need to manage that autoimmune condition with the right thyroid treatment.

I see people every day that have medical histories that scream that they have an autoimmune problem, yet they continue to suffer because no one ever looked at the whole picture.

If you suffer with a thyroid problem and you would like to become a patient in our office just click on the Schedule tab or give us a call at 480-991-9355.

Dr Chris Heimlich, Board Certified Chiropractic Physician and Board Eligible Chiropractic and Functional Neurologist