I have more time this morning to type on my phone. I am so slow at typing with one finger lol. It's possible the swelling is from Hashimoto's thyroiditis. I found selenium - Brazil nuts - helped notably with symptoms (I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis). There is also LDN (low dose naltexone) which helps with immune function.
I currently have angiodema from toxic mould. I had genetic testing (HLA DR/DQ testing) and put my gene results into the HLA-DR calculator and my results showed multi-suspectible to biotoxins. My combination of genes is called the "dreaded" gene! My gene for Hashimoto's thyroiditis is HLA-DR4. HLA-DR3 and HLA-DR5 are also seen with Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
I tested positive to the VCS (Visual Contrast Sensitivity) test. You may want to try that test out online. First test is free.
Excerpt from American Family Physician - Urticaria and Angioedema: A Practical Approach Causes of Urticaria and Angioedema:
Common Causes of Urticaria and Angioedema:
Immunologic causes
Type I IgE-mediated
Foods: tree nuts, legumes, crustacea, mollusks, fish, eggs, milk, soy, wheat
Organic substances: preservatives, latex, hymenoptera venom
Medications: penicillin, cephalosporin, aspirin, NSAIDs
Aeroallergens: dust mites, pollens, molds, animal dander
Type II cytoxic antibody-mediated: transfusion reaction
Type III antigen-antibody mediated: serum sickness reaction
Type IV delayed hypersensitivity: medication, food handling, or exposure to animals
Autoimmune disease: Hashimoto's disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, vasculitis, hepatitis
Infection: viral (e.g., cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr, hepatitis), parasitic, fungal, or bacterial
Nonimmunologic causes
Physical stimuli: exposure to sun, water, or temperature extremes; delayed pressure (e.g., wearing a heavy backpack); vibration
Direct mast cell degranulation: opiates, vancomycin (Vancocin), aspirin, radiocontrast media, dextran, muscle relaxants, bile salts, NSAIDs
Foods containing high levels of histamines: strawberries, tomatoes, shrimp, lobster, cheese, spinach, eggplant"
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Excerpts from Sensible Alternative - Most Thyroid Disease Is Autoimmune...
"Thyroid patients with high thyroid antibodies report more symptoms than patients with low thyroid antibodies, even if their thyroid function test is normal. In other words, thyroid replacement is not enough to ameliorate symptoms of autoimmune thyroid disease. (5) According to Dr Emerson (editor of the prestigious journal Thyroid):
As long as thyroid antibodies remain high "... optimal doses of thyroid hormone will not completely ameliorate all symptoms"
"Treatment of thyroid disease
You need to correct immune function. See Lara's article on autoimmune disease.
Effective strategies for addressing the autoimmune aspect of Thyroid disease include:
Avoid wheat.
Selenium to reduce autoimmunity.
Correct vitamin D deficiency.
Improve gut flora.
Reduce stress.
Correct underlying adrenal issue, such as DHEA or cortisol imbalance.
Correct oestrogen dominance. Consider using Natural progesterone.
Detoxify mercury and other toxins. (Testing for mercury toxicity is available at Sensible-Alternative Clinic).
Supplement selenium to lower thyroid antibodies. Also helps with conversion of T4 to T3.
Correct an iron deficiency.
Herbal medicine Bupleurum, Turmeric, Rehmannia and others.
Other Naturopathic treatments for thyroid:
Herbal medicines Withania or Coleus to increase production of thyroid hormone. (See Best Herbs for Women article.)
Iodine (not kelp) but in LOW dose. Use with caution in Hashimoto's disease.
Amino acid tyrosine which is the building block for thyroid hormone.
N-acetyl cysteine to detoxify.
Vitamin B6 and Vitamin A to improve the function of the thyroid gland.
Selenium and zinc to ensure conversion of T4 to T3.
Coconut milk/ coconut oil provides medium chain fatty acids to normalise gut flora and stimulate metabolic rate.
Exercise.
Sleep.
Thyroid hormone supplements. See below.
Thyroid hormone supplements:
Supplementation with thyroid hormone is the standard medical treatment for underactive thyroid. Some hormone medication, however, is better than others. This is because many people to not respond well to T4 (thyroxine) alone. Thyroxine does normalise blood tests, but it cannot relieve low thyroid symptoms until is has been converted it to T3, the active hormone. Failure to make this conversion is common. (Selenium, zinc, vitamin B6 and other co-factors are required.)
Two alternative prescriptions are available:
T3 (Standard T3 or the much preferred, but more expensive, slow-release T3) used together with T4 long term or by itself for a short-term correction.
Thyroid Extract (desiccated thyroid, Armour thyroid) is popular. It can be a good choice for non-autoimmune thyroid problems, or for Hashimoto's if the antibodies are not too high. High thyroid antibodies may be aggravated by thyroid extract. Thyroid extract is available by prescription from compounding chemists. "