Bottom Line/Health: People talk about Hashimoto’s and they talk about underactive thyroid or hypothyroidism. What’s the difference?

Dr. Brooke Kalanick, ND: Hashimoto’s is one type of hypothyroidism. Your hypothyroid condition can be caused by multiple things, various hormone imbalances, medications, but Hashimoto’s is by and large the most common cause in the Western world of underactive thyroid. It’s caused by an autoimmune attack on your thyroid gland, and over time it can’t produce as much hormone as it used to be able to, so that’s how you get the hypothyroid condition that’s an immune-based problem.

Bottom Line: Gotcha. So then clearly, the treatment would be different for Hashimoto’s versus hypothyroidism?

Dr. Kalanick: Yeah. Once you’re hypothyroid, if it’s not an easily removed mechanism – like we sort out your hormones, thyroid perks up, we’re good – and you need medication, that’s going to be true whether you have Hashimoto’s or run-of-the-mill hypothyroidism. When you need the medication, you take the medication.

But we can do so much more for the immune reaction that’s going on in Hashimoto’s. There’s a lot in our diet and lifestyle we can do to quiet the immune system, prevent future autoimmune diseases, and protect your thyroid as best we can as long as we can.

Bottom Line: Great. Thank you, Dr. Brooke Kalanick.