How Crystal reduced her thyroid antibodies by healing her gut

For years, I read that autoimmune disease starts in the gut. But then I got to see it in action. My friend Crystal lowered her thyroid antibodies and reduced her thyroid medication after clearing her gut of parasites, h. pylori and avoiding foods she was sensitive to.

She also got rid of the bloating that she experienced for years, believing it was just her normal way of being.

I met Crystal after moving to Argentina and we instantly connected. We traveled through Patagonia together. She was interested in the work I did with clients.

After returning back to the U.S. she decided to take the GI Map and a food sensitivity panel to see if she could finally get a handle on the digestive symptoms she experienced daily.

What her GI Map revealed

Her GI Map revealed a leaky gut. This is common amongst people with autoimmune disease and is thought to be one of the drivers of autoimmunity.

This was likely one of the things that had been driving up her Hashimotos antibodies for years.

Autoimmune disease is when the immune system attacks a part of the body because it gets inflamed, overactive and confused.

Leaky gut lets food particles leak through small holes in the intestinal lining into the blood stream. This creates food sensitivities as immune cells tag the food as an invader and attacks. This causes inflammation in the body and can lead in some cases on an overzealous attack on your own tissue.

The three things that drive autoimmunity are leaky gut, intestinal infections and food sensitivities, with gluten being the biggest trigger for most people. Gluten is particularly bad for Hashimotos thyroiditis, which Crystal has had since she was 12.

The GI Map revealed that Crystal did have a gluten sensitivity, so she cut it out completely.

It also revealed a parasitic infection. Which we addressed with herbs.

Her food sensitivity panel revealed that she was sensitive to many of her favorite foods. She removed them for a year and then reintroduced them with little problems (no more bloating).

After finishing the parasite protocol and waiting for a month or two, we ran another GI Map to make sure the parasites were gone.

As often happens with the GI Map, it reveals gut infections in layers. This time a hidden H. pylori infection showed up. This was not something new, but rather an ongoing infection that did not show up on previous tests. H. pylori, in particular, is hard to test for because of the biofilm that protects it as well as the fact that is does not shed daily in stool.

H. pylori is a particularly common infection, and often implicated in thyroid disease. And thought to be a root cause. It is also very hard to test for. Many standard medical tests produce false negatives. The best test for it is the GI Map and it often takes two testing cycles and some gut healing to spot it.

I often see h. pylori as a root cause for bacterial overgrowth in the small and large intestine, yeast overgrowth, parasitic infections, low digestive enzymes, food poisoning and overgrowths of beneficial bacteria like clostridia.

It can cause constipation, fatigue, skin issues, weight problems and nutritional deficiencies, particularly of iron and B12.

Because I see this infection show up often with my IBS clients, I wrote the h. pylori rescue guide to teach people how to test for, natural eradicate and keep this root cause infection away permanently.

Crystals new lifestyle

After we did a natural herbal protocol to clear h. pylori, Crystal found that she could tolerate a lot more foods.

We avoided antibiotics because they can do massive damage to the biome and cause leaky gut in some people. Herbs did the job beautifully, especially since Crystal was able to keep her stress low.

The GI Map retest that found h. pylori also revealed some very good news. Crystal no longer had leaky gut!

The work that she did on her gut enabled her to reduce her thyroid hormones for the first time in her life. Her dose of levothyroxine was reduced by 25 mcg. She was able to reduce her TPO antibodies 25, which are the lowest they have ever been.

Testing, supplements and avoiding food triggers was an important part of Crystal’s recovery. But the most profound changes come from lifestyle shifts.

The few important things that she changed was giving up gluten, cooking from scratch with lots of veggies and managing her stress.

Stress is not the only driver of digestive dysfunction but it is the thing that can prevent people from healing even if they are doing everything else right.

For Crystal, managing her stress meant doing more of the things she enjoyed like walking her dog in nature and reading on the couch with her cat and dog beside her. She also advocated for herself at work to create a schedule that suited her and lowered stress.

There have been other benefits to healing her gut. With her thyroid under less attack, Crystal has more energy to go to the gym.

“This is the strongest I have ever been” she told me proudly.

Before meeting me, Crystal, who works as a nurse, never imagined that changing her diet, rebalancing her gut biome and changing her lifestyle could make such a big difference in the way she feels.

An inspiration

Hashimotos thyroiditis is one of the most common autoimmune disease, particularly for women.

A slow thyroid can also lead to digestive issues, making it a chicken and egg problem that worsens the function of both the thyroid and the gut.

It was so rewarding to work with a good friend who was so dedicated to her healing. I opened up the world of functional medicine to her and she did the hard work.

And she was kind enough to share her story to inspire and educate anyone else who may be suffering from a slow thyroid, bloating, fatigue and leaky gut.

It’s possible to take your health in your hand by looking inside the gut and rebalancing the things that are causing chaos (parasites, infections, overgrowths). As Crystal will attest, you never know what symptoms will get better by rebalancing your biome.