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Hey guys...

I posted this under "Ask a Star McDougaller", but have not had a responce yet... so thought I'd ask here.

I've been on 0.1 mg of eltroxin since I was 16 years old... I'm now 37. The reason I found out about my problem is that I was exhausted all day at school and coming home to sleep until supper, then back to bed until it was time to get up for school and do it all again. I was diagnosed and put on the meds. My level has never changed. I recently found out about hashimotos, and had my doctor test for that. My Anti-TPO level was 600+ and a good level acording to the report is less than 23 (or something similar to that).

I have been tired ever since and the meds don't make me feel better, except that I can stay awake during work and the early evening hours.

I have several of Mr. DcDougall's books already and just got the starch solution yesterday, which I'm reading.

I'm wondering if I need to make any special alterations to a starch based diet due to my condition? I noticed some of the recipes called for soy... should I avoid it?

I've been vegan now for just about 1 year and trying to do high raw (with some cooked foods at night and a large salad), high fruit 80-10-10 style since mid april... and if anything I've put a few lbs on... and I'm not feeling any more energetic. Is there any problem with fruit for those with hypothyroid? I would love to shed some extra fat (about 20 lbs) and feel some energy for once in my life.

Thanks,
Sandra

Not to the diet but possibly to your medication. Hashimoto's can be more complex to treat than simple hypothyriod. It may be you need someone more of a specialist in endocrine disorders. I have seen people experience remarkable changes once they got their medication adjusted properly. With thyroid, sometimes too much can have similar symptoms as too little and it really takes a knowledgeable expert to sort it out. Also, other hormones can be involved.

The McDougall diet will help you be healthier overall and even lose weight regardless of thyroid, but if you don't feel well, that needs to be addressed.

Thank you for the reply Geoffrey. I seem to have lucked out b/c since I got the lab tech to add the test for TPO to my thyroid test, and ultimately found out about having hashimotos my doctor has now said that she will refer me to the endocronologist. I never even knew that there was a specialist for this... so hopefully he will be able to help me with my issues!!

Take care,
Sandra

That is excellent news. One example, often if the thyroid is way off for quite awhile, the adrenals can get very stressed and take a long time to come back. And mild adrenal insufficiency can look exactly like hypothyroid. Also, estrogen/progestrogen/testosterone/DHEA balance (imbalance) can have a big impact on the exact same symptoms. Unfortunately, sometimes I have seen people who should know (endocrinologists for example) be relatively clueless about these issues. Hopefully this one will be "heads up" on it but just to keep in back of your mind, if you don't get relief in a reasonable amount of time, maybe shopping for another practitioner would be the call. (I have seen some excellent and very knowledgeable Naturopaths in this area, though of course they are mostly not covered by insurance)