Very interesting research on here.. I found this:
REVERSIBLE AUTOIMMUNE HYPOTHYROIDISM
QUOTE: Chronic autoimmune thyroiditis. Conventional wisdom has it that once hypothyroid' means always hypothyroid'. Indeed, the vast majority of patients with hypothyroidism due to chronic autoimmune thyroiditis require life-long thyroxine replacement therapy, but spontaneous recovery does occur in about 5% 1. Return to the euthyroid state is apparently more frequent in countries like Japan, where - at a high ambient iodine intake - restriction of dietary iodine alone may induce a remission 2,35.
Conditions that increase the likelihood of spontaneous recovery are the presence of a goiter, a relatively high thyroidal radioiodine uptake, and a preserved increase of T3 after the administration of TRH during thyroxine treatment 2,3,4. The spontaneous evolution from hypothyroidism back to euthyroidism has been related to the disappearance of TSH receptor blocking antibodies 5. Changes in the titers of co-existing TSH receptor blocking and stimulating antibodies explain the sometimes observed alternating course of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism in the same subject 6.
MY COMMENT:: We already knew tho that the reason we fluctuate from hypo/hyper is due to anti-body function however, this indicates that you are more likely to experience these flucuations if you have goiter, a relatively high thyroidal radioiodine uptake, and a preserved increase of T3 after the administration of TRH during thyroxine treatment....
Wow! Thanks for sharing!
:) Tamra