iThei mdcdaelcinfd o c elllllrllll cf tthfe“Healing is a matter of time,
but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.”
—Hippocrates14: Triggers
A variety of environmental triggers has been implicated in causing the
development of Hashimoto’s. We have already discussed how nutrient
depletions, iodine excess, infections, adrenal dysfunction, and toxins can
cause the initial thyroid inflammation that sets off a vicious cycle when
the immune system is imbalanced. The immune system becomes imbal-
anced in the presence of increased intestinal permeability, which seems to
be the common thread between most autoimmune conditions.
Additional triggers that may contribute to Hashimoto’s are hormonal
imbalances, periodontitis, and viral triggers.
Hormone Imbalances
Pregnancy
Pregnancy stimulates a shift from Th1 to Th2 dominance. This may ex-
plain why certain autoimmune conditions go into remission during preg-
nancy and why others are triggered by pregnancy.
As environmental/seasonal allergies are associated with Th2 dominance,
this explains why many women report having increased allergies to pol-
lens and other environmental allergies during pregnancy.
T regulatory cells also increase during pregnancy to keep the immune
system from attacking the developing fetus.
TPO and Tg antibodies decrease in pregnant women, reaching their low-
est levels during the third trimester. There is, however, a rapid decrease in
Tregs postpartum, resulting in a rebound of antibodies following deliv-
ery. Additionally, TPOAb have been observed to increase six weeks post-
partum, reaching previous levels at twelve weeks and maximum levels
twenty weeks post-delivery.
Pregnancy has also been identified as a trigger for autoimmune de-
struction of the thyroid. Some women have a transient postpartum