Maggie McKay (Host): Welcome to Say Yes to Good Health. I'm your host, Maggie McKay. Today, we're joined by Dr. Yoon Hang Kim, the Chief Wellness Officer at Memorial Hospital. With over two decades of experience, Dr. Kim has been a pioneer in integrative medicine, developing sustainable and impactful programs across various settings, including healthcare systems and private practice.

Today, we delve into a pressing question, can Hashimoto's thyroiditis be reversed? Great to have you back, Dr. Kim.

Yoon Hang Kim, MD: Well, I'm very happy to be back, Maggie.

Host: Can you explain what Hashimoto's thyroiditis is and how it affects people's health?

Yoon Hang Kim, MD: Hypothyroidism number one cause of that is Hashimoto's thyroiditis, which is an autoimmune condition that results in destruction of thyroid cells and, eventually, patients need to take medications to replace the thyroid hormones due to the autoimmune destructive process.

Host: What are the common symptoms of Hashimoto's thyroiditis that patients should be aware of?

Yoon Hang Kim, MD: Most people come with weight gain, fatigue, hair loss, and constipation may be another symptom.

Host: How is Hashimoto's diagnosed and what tests are typically involved in the diagnosis?

Yoon Hang Kim, MD: Normally, in conventional medicine, when you go to your normal doctor, they will order a TSH and then they will manage your illness by using TSH. One thing that's different about functional medicine approach is that we, of course, check the TSH, but we do much more. We check the free T3, free T4. We check for the antibodies against thyroid cells or either thyroglobulin or what we call thyroid peroxidase antibodies and reverse T3. And all of them do different things, but big picture is that we're able to see the big picture. That if there is an antibody involvement, is it an active phase? And then, we can also measure the specific forms of thyroid hormone, T3 and T4. And that allows us to better treat the patient more optimally.

Host: Dr. Kim, can it be reversed?

Yoon Hang Kim, MD: Yes. In early stages, definitely, I have had patients whose condition completely reversed and they're off taking medication. In later stages, oftentimes either symptoms get better or we are able to reduce the dose of the medication. So, the answer is definitely, not by conventional doctors, but the functional medicine doctors are able to sometimes reverse the disease or mitigate the disease or improve the condition.

Host: Well, that's encouraging. Can you talk a little bit more about how you go about that?

Yoon Hang Kim, MD: So, the main stage of the treatment, because the cause of the illness is autoimmune, we target the autoimmune system. And we use a tool known as low-dose naltrexone or LDN. And the use of LDN for autoimmune conditions, while off label, it's very popular. And that's the main course how we're able to mitigate most autoimmune diseases, including Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Host: And can lifestyle changes influence the progression or the management of Hashimoto's thyroiditis?

Yoon Hang Kim, MD: Absolutely. So, the way that we pair our treatment is, one, low-dose naltrexone, and the other part would be lifestyle changes, such as anti-inflammatory diet. The specific diet we use have some commonality in being low carbohydrate and allowing the body to go into ketosis or fat-burning state. And in that state, we found that some patients' condition responds very well, allowing for either reversal, mitigation, or improvement of symptoms.

Host: Is there anything else in closing that you'd like to add?

Yoon Hang Kim, MD: Yes, the Hashimoto's thyroiditis causes hypothyroidism, and there is an opposite kind of condition that's called Graves disease, which causes hyperthyroidism. The interesting thing is low-dose naltrexone, because both conditions are autoimmune based. Low-dose naltrexone can treat both conditions, even though one causes hyperthyroidism and the other causes hypothyroidism. And both the diet would also work for that, the ketosis diet.

Host: Well, thank you so much as always for sharing your expertise, Dr. Kim. We always appreciate you.

Yoon Hang Kim, MD: Well, thank you.

Host: Thank you for joining us with this enlightening discussion on Hashimoto's thyroiditis with Dr. Yoon Hang Kim. If you enjoyed this episode and want to dive deeper into our health and wellness initiatives, please Google Memorial Hospital's Institute of Health and Healing. Remember, saying yes to good health is the first step toward a healthier future. Until next time, take care.