Over the past several months, I’ve had conversations with six different friends and family members quite concerned about their health. They weren’t aware of the conversations I had with the others. But they all complained about very similar symptoms.
They mentioned weight gain, weakness and fatigue, joint and muscle pain, anxiety and depression, dry skin, intolerance to cold, constipation and other digestive troubles.
And while they couldn’t put their finger on it, they all knew they just “didn’t feel right.” It was making their lives miserable. They didn’t know what to do. And apparently, neither did their doctors.
I must point out that while I have a strong educational and career background in nutritional biochemistry, I am not a doctor. And I don’t play one in conversations with my friends.
But at one time I did experience many of the same symptoms. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition, known as Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.
So, I encouraged the people I spoke with to learn more about this condition. I advised them to seek the counsel of physicians and naturopaths who are literate on the subject of Hashimoto’s. And I suggested they request tests to determine with certainty whether it was to blame for their compromised health.
All six of these people were subsequently diagnosed with Hashimoto’s.
Of course, I’m not suggesting I’m some sort of medical intuitive. Nor am I suggesting that all of these encounters were a divine coincidence.
What I am suggesting is that…
Hashimoto’s (and Other Thyroid Disorders) Have Become Epidemic
It is estimated that nearly 60 million Americans (mostly women) have some type of thyroid problem. The medication Synthroid is the number one most prescribed drug in the United States.
And perhaps most troubling is that more than 60 percent of those suffering from a thyroid disorder are completely unaware of their condition!
That means millions of people (perhaps even you) are living with the symptoms of a thyroid disorder and either have no idea what’s wrong… or they’ve learned to live with fatigue, aches and digestive issues as if they are “normal”.
How Does the Thyroid Affect Your Health?
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland at the base of your neck. It is responsible for secreting hormones that regulate growth and development.
That means this small gland can affect almost every system and cell in your body. It helps regulate your metabolism and balance your energy levels. And it also dictates how fast (or slowly) your brain, heart, muscles and liver work.
If your thyroid isn’t functioning properly, YOU will not function properly.
What is Hashimoto’s?
Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is a thyroid disorder. But it is much more important to understand that it is also a progressive autoimmune condition.
For any number of reasons, your own immune system may begin to attack the thyroid gland. Unfortunately, the tests that conventional doctors usually rely on do not show abnormalities until the advanced stages of the illness.
According to Dr. Izabella Wentz, Pharm.D., a thyroid disease expert (and sufferer herself), “It takes an average of 10 years to be diagnosed with Hashimoto’s.”
By this time, severe damage to the thyroid may have already occurred. In some cases, so much tissue is lost the thyroid will never produce and secrete hormones naturally.
Unfortunately, the advice of most conventional doctors in the early stages of a thyroid disorder is to, “Watch and wait.” Because this disease is progressive, that is the worst thing you can do!
It is critical to detect and treat the root cause as soon as possible.
If you’re interested in a better understanding of the root causes of Hashimoto’s and other thyroid disorders, the best diagnostic tests, and specific treatment protocols, I highly recommend Dr. Wentz’s books, The Root Cause and Hashimoto’s Protocol.
In the meantime, it is important to know that impaired gut wall function (leaky gut) is very often the root cause of most autoimmune conditions. So, anything you can do to help restore the integrity of your gut is critical.
And one of the best ways you can heal your gut and support your thyroid is with an ancestral-based diet.
The Thyroid Diet: An Ancestral Diet to Optimize Thyroid Health
The advantage of a thyroid diet (also called the Hashimoto’s diet) is that it can be helpful for any type of thyroid disorder.
No matter what type of thyroid condition you have, the thyroid diet helps to normalize your entire system, thus eliminating not only the symptoms but also getting to the root cause of disease!
A Hashimoto’s diet (thyroid diet) is filled with grain-free, nutrient-dense foods that help your body heal.
On the thyroid diet, you should avoid:
- Gluten
- Grains
- Dairy
- Food Additives
- Legumes
- Starchy Vegetables
On the thyroid diet, you are encouraged to consume:
- Organic non-starchy vegetables and fruit (limited)
- Grass-fed beef, pastured poultry and pork, and eggs*
- Wild seafood – including nutrient-dense shellfish
- Nuts and seeds*
- Healthy Fats including grass-fed tallow and lard, virgin coconut oil, grass-fed ghee and butter* (if tolerated) and olive oil
It’s important to note that your ideal thyroid diet will be built around your own personal needs. For example, nuts and seeds can be problematic for many people with autoimmune conditions, as can butter, ghee and eggs.
Hashimoto’s and other thyroid illnesses are a serious medical issue. It should not be taken lightly. And you should not wait to seek treatment.
Read more articles from Kelley!
ED NOTE: Kelley Herring is the co-founder of Wellness Bakeries, makers of grain-free, gluten-free, low-glycemic baking mixes for cakes, cookies, breads, pizza and much more.
Kelley’s academic background is in biology and chemistry and for the last 15+ years, she has focused on the study of nutritional biochemistry…and the proven powers of compounds in foods to heal the body.
REFERENCES
The 5 Stages of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (April, 2017) Dr. Izabella Wentz, Pharm D https://thyroidpharmacist.com/articles/5-stages-hashimotos-thyroiditis/
Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (Lymphocytic Thyroiditis), American Thyroid Association (2017)
Identification of susceptibility loci for autoimmune thyroid disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Sakai K, Shirasawa S, Ishikawa N, Ito K, Tamai H, Kuma K, Akamizu T, Tanimura M, Furugaki K, Yamamoto K, Sasazuki T Hum Mol Genet. 2001 Jun 15; 10(13):1379-86.
The protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 22 C1858T polymorphism is a joint susceptibility locus for immunthyroiditis and autoimmune diabetes. Dultz G, Matheis N, Dittmar M, Röhrig B, Bender K, Kahaly GJ Thyroid. 2009 Feb; 19(2):143-8.
Common and unique susceptibility loci in Graves and Hashimoto diseases: results of whole-genome screening in a data set of 102 multiplex families.
Tomer Y, Ban Y, Concepcion E, Barbesino G, Villanueva R, Greenberg DA, Davies TF, Am J Hum Genet. 2003 Oct; 73(4):736-47.
