PBDEs have an extraordinary affinity for polydimethylsiloxane, a non-absorbable lipid. PBDEs and other lipophilic toxins are subject to entero-hepatic recirculation, they are excreted from the liver into the gut and reabsorbed. A non-absorbable lipid can be used to eliminate these toxins by binding to them and preventing reabsorption.
Simeticone is a mixture of polydimethylsiloxane and silica gel. I found it drastically lowered my thyroid hormone requirement and eliminated symptoms. This takes time, many months as PBDEs are slowly but surely eliminated. I kept to the recommended dosage. Note that formulations of simeticone are designed to treat IBS and usually contain other ingredients such as sorbitol which is a mild laxative.
I recommend patients with IBS or symptomatic hypothyroidism undertake a three to six-month trial of simeticone. In the UK the cost would be about £4 per week, so a 25-week trial would cost £100. PBDE levels in the USA, especially California, are very high so I don’t know how effective simeticone will be in these locations.
Finally, answers to some cruical questions.