iThei mdcdaelcinfd o c elllllrlllll tThe hlcinfd olsbdkpvouvStudies show once the autoimmune attack ceases, the damaged thyroid
has the ability to regenerate. Thyroid ultrasounds show normal thyroid
tissue that has regenerated, and the person no longer tests positive for
thyroid antibodies.^12
This regeneration is often missed in adult patients because they are as-
sumed to have hypothyroidism for life, so antibody tests and ultrasounds
are not usually repeated after the initial diagnosis.
In addition to ultrasound and TPO antibodies, a test can be performed
by administering TRH (thyroid releasing hormone), which causes an in-
crease in T3 and T4 if the thyroid has recovered. This test helps deter-
mine whether the person can be weaned off thyroid medications.^8
While this information is readily available in the scientific literature,
most physicians do not attempt to administer TRH in an effort to see if
patients could be weaned off their thyroid medications.
Conventional medicine has yet to recognize the impact of lifestyle modi-
fications that can slow down, halt, or reverse disease progression. These
lifestyle interventions will be the focus of the rest of this book.