When I first met Kyle I thought he was in the wrong place. He was a 19 year old man that was the first one to show up for a seminar about the thyroid. We started discussing his symptoms and he was checking off every symptom on the list of hypothyroid symptoms.
I could see that he was concerned about his health, especially since he was so young. This is what led him to the seminar in the first place. He said the brain fog was getting in the way of him functioning at work and school, he had lost a lot of motivation, and that he was physically exhausted even on thyroid medication. We discussed how that is a sign that his body is overburdened with inflammation.
He kept urging his current doctor to run a test it was discovered that he had Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, but no further answers were given and he began to feel frustrated.
Thyroid Antibody Test
After taking a thorough history and discussing his health in more detail, we were able to find some potentially important events that triggered his health decline. After he ended a stressful relationship he got sick and then went on several rounds of antibiotics. Also, he felt better when he avoided plastics (he worked in the computer field) and he was complaining of testosterone issues such as erectile dysfunction at only 19.
He was already eating an Autoimmune Paleo diet and trying to do all the right things. It was clear that Kyle really wanted to regain what he had lost.
Since his symptoms fit those of an infection we decided to run some testing. Although he was cleared of STDs, he did test positive for a virus called Epstein-Barr Virus, or EBV. We were also able to determine that exposure to certain chemicals in plastics provoked his immune system.
STD testing
Epstein-Barr Test
Chemical Sensitivity Test
Since with Hashimoto’s the thyroid is the victim of the immune system, we decided to remove what was provoking the immune system in the first place. The immune system uses chemical weapons to fight and with his infections and exposure to plastics, this was contributing to his chronic inflammatory state.
Once we evaluated how all the pieces fit we made some further dietary and lifestyle modifications. We were able to get his immune system to win the fight with the EBV and his low testosterone and hypothyroid symptoms went away after a few months of removing environmental sources of inflammation.
Of all the improvements Kyle made, he felt the lifting of the brain fog and increased motivation is what he needed the most. He has since been able to develop and maintain a new relationship as well as function better at work and is well on his way to reclaiming his health and life.
Ready for change?
If this sounds like you, we would love to find out if/how we can help you feel yourself again. Set up a free phone consultation and we will be happy to evaluate your case and steer you in the right direction.
