Hashimoto.Help

18/10/2024

Excited to share my latest post on Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) and autoimmune conditions featured on Balanced Minds! Thank you for the invitation, Chris Irons.

In this article, I dive into how CFT can promote a sense of safeness, supporting both emotional and immune health.

Check it out here: https://balancedminds.com/cft-autoimmune-conditions/

I'm eager to hear your thoughts and join the discussion!

Take a read of this interesting blog on how Compassion Focused Therapy can be useful for working with autoimmune conditions

22/12/2023

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or any other holiday, we hope it's a time of rest and happiness. May the upcoming 2024 bring you health and fulfillment.

28/11/2023

Autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) is one of the most common comorbid conditions in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) [1]. Autoimmune thyroid disease encompasses conditions like Hashimoto's thyroiditis (leading to hypothyroidism) and Graves' disease (leading to hyperthyroidism). Both rheumatoid arthritis and AITD are autoimmune conditions, where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own tissues. The co-occurrence of RA and AITD can complicate diagnosis and treatment. Symptoms of thyroid dysfunction can sometimes mimic or exacerbate RA symptoms, making accurate diagnosis difficult.
Additionally, thyroid function can affect the metabolism and efficacy of drugs used to treat RA. Due to the high comorbidity rate, it's often recommended that RA patients are regularly monitored for thyroid function, especially if they exhibit symptoms indicative of thyroid dysfunction. Early detection and management of AITD can significantly improve the quality of life for patients with RA.
In a large nationwide cohort study [2] of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, the risk of autoimmune thyroid disease was found to decrease over time following an RA diagnosis, compared to the general population. This decrease was particularly pronounced in patients treated with biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs), especially TNF inhibitors. No significant differences were noted based on s*x or RA seropositivity.
The study extends previous findings showing a gradual decrease in AITD incidence after initial RA diagnosis. It's the first to investigate how early RA treatment affects the risk of new-onset AITD. The findings align with smaller studies that reported decreased thyroid autoantibodies and altered thyroid function following bDMARD therapy, although some studies have reported mixed results.
The decreased risk of AITD in RA patients following bDMARD treatment supports the hypothesis that immunomodulatory treatment might dampen the inflammatory processes leading to overt AITD. This is consistent with shared genetic and environmental risk factors between RA and AITD. The study observed a more pronounced AITD risk decrease with TNF inhibitors compared to other bDMARDs, possibly due to the larger number of treatments with TNF inhibitors and their earlier use in treatment.
The study also considered other potential factors for the decreased AITD risk and performed robustness tests using different timescales, which did not significantly alter the results. Limitations include the lack of information on thyroid autoantibodies and hormone levels, and potential confounding factors like smoking or obesity.
Overall, the study, with its large size and long follow-up period, provides substantial evidence for the decreased risk of AITD in RA patients following bDMARD treatment, particularly with TNF inhibitors, contributing important insights into the management of RA and associated autoimmune conditions.

References:

1. Raterman, H., et al., Rheumatoid arthritis is associated with a high prevalence of hypothyroidism that amplifies its cardiovascular risk. Annals of the rheumatic diseases, 2008. 67(2): p. 229-232.
2. Waldenlind, K., et al., Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and risk of thyroxine-treated autoimmune thyroid disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Journal of Internal Medicine, (00): p. 1-9.

20/12/2022

26/07/2022

The second paper is published!
It evaluates the effect of Hashimoto.Help online program is published:
https://rdcu.be/cO6mZ
Participants observed improvements in symptoms, sleep quality, self-awareness, stress-management, and self-regulation skills. Negative affect, social/role limitations, and HT symptoms indicated a reliable change from pre- to post intervention. Reset Your Immune System showed beneficial effects on patients with HT, suggesting that including psychological care as part of the standard treatment of HT might have added value.

Special thanks to Thyroid UK Paul Gilbert and all patients!

18/07/2022

With gratitude to patient organization, , and all patients who participated in the study 'Experiences of patients with Hashimoto Thyroiditis through the lenses of Compassion'

You can read the paper here and write your feedback below: https://lidsen.com/journals/icm/icm-07-03-027

Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) is an autoimmune disease affecting mainly middle-aged women. Hormonal replacement is the most common therapy; however, it tackles only the functionality of the thyroid and not the autoimmunity components. Thus, patients experience persistent somatic and psychological symptoms, thereby affecting their quality of life. The cause of HT remains uncertain. Primary evidence suggests that adverse experiences in childhood are associated with autoimmune disease manifestation in adulthood; therefore, the effect of early adverse events on disease course needs to be explored. This paper explored patients’ early life events and everyday experiences through the lens of compassion. Analysis indicated that patients exhibited increased psychological distress and a lack of understanding from others. Common patterns of experiences and behaviors were identified, such as the lack of compassion and affiliation between significant others and themselves. Therefore, including psychological care in the therapeutic process of HT would improve patients’ well-being and quality of life. In particular, cultivating compassion could be a promising strategy for disease prevention and the healthy functioning of patients.

Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) is an autoimmune disease affecting mainly middle-aged women. Hormonal replacement is the most common therapy; however, it tackles only the functionality of the thyroid and not the autoimmunity components. Thus, patients experience persistent somatic and psychological sympt...

03/06/2022

Evidence of thyroid dysfunction was found 1 year after infection.

New research finds evidence of thyroid dysfunction in the body up to 1 year after recovery from severe COVID-19.

13/01/2022

Check out this interesting case series of after COVID19 vaccination.
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/ct.2022%3B34.38-43

One of the top-scoring abstracts from the annual meeting! Check out this interesting case series of seen after COVID19 vaccination.

http://ow.ly/YYsV50HtfEb

23/12/2021

15/10/2021

Now in Thyroid: a thyroid tissue evaluation from deceased pts from COVID-19 or other causes. SARS-CoV-2 markers were found in 36% of thyroids from COVID-19 pts w/ interferon & immune-related pathway activation.

http://ow.ly/ubBd50GrwLA

Now in Thyroid: a thyroid tissue evaluation from deceased pts from COVID-19 or other causes. SARS-CoV-2 markers found in 36% of thyroids from COVID-19 pts w/ interferon & immune-related pathway activation.

http://ow.ly/ubBd50GrwLA