u/Still_Cantaloupe2141

If Hashimoto’s is an inflammatory disease caused by the immune system attacking the body, why aren’t we seeing immunologists? I am euthyroid right now so the main focus for me is inflammation for now. Hypothyroidism and how hormones are affected is a conversation that’s coming but I am realizing it may not be the FIRST one I should be having. Wouldn’t it make more sense to see a specialist for the immune system?

I’ve noticed most of us are sent to endocrinologists REGARDLESS of the status of our thyroid’s ability to make hormones or not and this seems like the worst case scenario out the gate. Why?

And again, I don’t buy the BS of “waiting and seeing” by my endo and primary care provider, which effectively translates to waiting for the damage to my thyroid to become so great that I become hypothyroid. We should obviously be more proactive than this.

I understand what the role of an endocrinologist is, but still…that seems like a specialist for later if I am euthyroid. It also makes sense why endos have done nothing for me, because they are the WRONG specialist for now.

I was studying IL-6 as that is the interleukin cytokine that was mentioned in my needle aspiration biopsy…that was the “evidence” to diagnose me with Hashimoto’s in the first place. Then, I asked google if the immune system does a balancing act like hormones do? The answer was yes, so then I asked what could counter IL-6 and discovered up-regulating IL-10 can quiet IL-6. Since autoimmunity happens when the immune system becomes dysregulated, I asked if re-regulating the immune system could cure autoimmunity? The answer was “theoretically and functionally yes”, especially if caught early before too much tissue damage is done.

They are sending us to the wrong specialists and running out our clocks. I am not making accusations, I am just stating facts. This is unacceptable of more can be done. We should be screening earlier and seeing immunologists!

And btw, everything holistic medicine discusses fixing with dietary and lifestyle changes seems even more scientifically valid to me now. Consistent sleep cycle? More IL-10. Improved anti-inflammatory diet? More IL-10. Exercise? IL-10. Fiber and probiotics? BINGO! IL-10!

IL-10 can be inflammatory in some contexts, but the point I’m trying to make is there’s more to look at and discover! There’s more than just waiting for things to get even more bleak!

I am pretty sick and tired of hearing about all the gaslighting going on with the medical industry. Too often and generally, I hear about how almost ANY health complaint is being blown off as anxiety. This has literally people killed and they still do it too often. When it comes to Hashimoto's Disease and most other autoimmune diseases that are multifaceted since so many bodily systems are being affected, then this becomes especially frustrating. Why? Because autoimmune diseases are short of a cure and even in too many cases, people don't experience reliable treatment. Too many PEOPLE ARE MISERABLE and lost about how to approach their own health. When doctors fail to treat someone who's struggling, but also fail to ask the critical and proactive questions to seek out a solution...AND I MEAN TRULY SEEK OUT A SOLUTION then what do we have?

We end up with "authorities in medicine" that still have no solutions while also attacking and attempting to debunk alternative medicine as having credibility, which turns something very serious into a political screaming match, instead of focusing on the end goal..THE PATIENT'S WELLNESS. That's more important than who gets the damn credit and the damn pettiness/ animosity each camp has for the other! Obviously conventional medicine has been winning the political side of things because other industries are affected. Because of this, insurance doesn't cover alternative medicine, alternative medicine hardly gets a seat at the table when it comes to government policies, plus the overall culture ends up trusting the "medical authority" blindly instead of holding this same damn authority accountable to fact that they have NOT PRODUCED RESULTS. What are they doing other than consistently taking our money? Do they have deadlines so we know they are at least trying to advance things? Is there breakthrough knowledge being shared across the industry so that all doctors and patients have access and awareness about it? Short answer, no. Long answer, it's conveniently too damn complicated and needs to be simplified.

LOOK, maybe alternative medicine doesn't have all the answers and maybe even they are wrong about some things. I think it is fair to be critical. But more times that not, I see alternative medicine as the camp that seems to be TRYING TO SOLVE this with less resources. Why aren't we equally as critical of conventional medicine? They both deserve scrutiny because sick people needs cures and results from treatments.

I am just sick of being gaslit by my doctor, multiple endos, my ENT specialist, etc. in the conventional space and how they won't step up to help, but won't get out the damn way so we can help ourselves at least. I am also sick of alternative medicine not being able to easily acquire access to the resources they need, because conventional medicine is a monopoly and again wants to play their politics to maintain it. It's almost like, the system isn't meant to help us and they don't want us to get better. Why else is EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING short of being what people need? Or WHERE ARE THE SERIOUS TRANSPARENT GOODWILL ATTEMPTS TO FIX THINGS AT THE VERY LEAST?!

Every time I see a post on here complaining about neglect from their doctor, doesn't matter what corner of the country it is.....it's a systemic issue..and I'm about fed up to the point of starting a movement. If we're going to be charged up the ass for our healthcare, we should see SOME DAMN RESULTS or at least honest attempts to try.

Well, I did it. I went to Little Gay Books online 30's and 40's speed dating zoom event on the 29th. It was about an hour long in total, between the host talking and the 5 min breakout room "dates". This concept is definitely better than dating apps because you can actually feel out if someone has ANY chemistry with you, but I would say 5 min is definitely not enough time to really know if someone is still worth pursuing. So in the event that I host, it's going to be 10min that people have to test the waters.

I also think I am on the right track trying to have a conservative lesbian focused event because I would say the little gay book event suffered tremendously from being too much of a demographic catch all. There were 20 attendees but the majority of them immediately weren't an option because most were GBTQIA+, including men. Also, there were people from other countries, which would make trying to progress with someone to in person dating rather difficult. Also, there were serious age gaps because the event lumped 30 and 40 year olds together.

Alright, I'll start seriously looking at the logistics of how to get this set up. I'll start deliberating over whether zoom, discord or something else is a good better platform to get set up. I need to take a demographic poll of who is in this community so that I know who to cater the event to. So aside from this post being an update. So it would be helpful if you guys commented your age, political stance, if you're lesbian? Bi?, masc/femme? Seeking masc/femme? Honestly, any detail helps so that my efforts are actually helpful and will connect. Thanks!