The 30-Day Thyroid Reset Plan
July 20, 2019
Today we're discussing The 30-Day Thyroid Reset Plan which explains (in language you’ll understand) how the thyroid functions, why it is important and what it actually does for us. If you are feeling tired, having joint pain, losing your hair, feeling cold, experiencing constipation, depression or weight gain tune in, as all are signs of a thyroid issue.
Similar Podcast Episodes:
- Low Thyroid, Slow Metabolism
- Thyroid: Fatigue, Weight Gain & Depression
- The Thyroid Gluten Connection
Transcript:
DARLENE: Well, welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition. Today's show and podcast are brought to you by Nutritional Weight and Wellness. You know, according to stats, at least 12% of you have a thyroid problem. And I bet you're out there saying: “That's me.”
BRITNI: A lot of people.
DARLENE: And over half of you don't even realize how it may be affecting you. Today we want to help you understand kind of how the thyroid functions, and why it is important, and what the thyroid actually does for us. So if you're feeling tired, having joint pain, losing your hair, feeling cold… I don't know how anyone could feel cold these days, experiencing constipation, depression, or weight gain, I think you're going to want to stay tuned with us this morning because we've got some of those answers; I think.
BRITNI: We do.
DARLENE: Yes. You know, I'm Darlene Kvist, and as a nutritionist in private practice for over 30 years (oh my gosh) I have worked with many clients who experience these symptoms, and they have a thyroid gland that just isn't working well for them. You know, because of my desire to educate people all over the world, I'm always reading and researching for information that may help you feel better. And that's amazing: the amount of information that is out there. It's unbelievable, isn't it?
BRITNI: It’s overwhelming.
Exploring Causes and Cures for Thyroid Problems
DARLENE: Uh-huh. So this morning we want to be talking about your thyroid problems, you know the symptoms and the possible solutions as we do a book review on the 30-Day Thyroid Reset Plan. And that was written by Dr. Becky Campbell. So we're just going to take her book and go through it and review what she said. And connect all the dots, we hope. So joining us today, as our co-host is Britni Vincent, who is a Licensed and Registered Dietitian. And she also, you also work with a lot of clients with thyroid problems. I do. Many, many of our clients have thyroid problems.
DARLENE: And yes, I mean I think we were talking about it before we went on the show. You know, it's amazing the number of people that come in with… they’re either on medication or they're struggling with trying to figure out their answer.
BRITNI: Yep, yep. And at Nutrition Weight and Wellness, since we do work with so many clients who have thyroid issues and symptoms, we're always looking for more information and solutions to help them. So when this book was sent to us, we thought it would be a great book for any of you to read. If you're searching for answers, wanting more information…
DARLENE: It's always things… and we always look for books that are simple enough to read but still technical so that you get some answers.
BRITNI: And I think this book does just that.
DARLENE: I do too. Yes.
BRITNI: So as Dar mentioned today, we are discussing the book: The 30-Day Thyroid Reset Plan by Dr. Campbell. So not only did she research for her book, but she has a lot of personal experience suffering from a thyroid condition. So she says in her book, “I went from being sick to finding my root cause and eventually putting all of my symptoms into remission.”
DARLENE: That's amazing.
BRTINI: It is amazing. So I hope that gives you listeners some hope.
DARLENE: Yes. And sometimes finding the answer is not easy. It takes some digging.
BRITNI: It does.
DARLENE: So some of you may be asking, “So why is there so much fuss about thyroid function?” You know, “How does poor thyroid function affect my health?” We know it can affect your metabolism. And I think everybody knows that one. But how else does it affect your, you know, look at your energy?
BRITNI: Yup.
What are some symptoms of poor thyroid function?
DARLENE: Are you walking around feeling just a little fatigued? You know, how does it help your hair? As I was fixing my hair this morning, I was thinking to myself, “You are so lucky to have all this hair.” And it just grows and grows and grows.
BRTINI: Yeah. We are lucky. And that I think for a lot of women is a very bothersome symptom.
DARLENE: It certainly is. And here's another symptom that happens is constipation. I don't think so many people would connect the thyroid to constipation.
BRTINI: No, I don't think so.
DARLENE: So all of these are possible questions that people might be having. So Britni, you've got all the answers.
BRITNI: I'll try. So one reason that many of us understand at least to some degree regarding how poor thyroid function affects their health: We know that poor thyroid function affects our metabolism because the thyroid actually releases hormones that help to control both our metabolism and our energy.
DARLENE: But I have one here: The thyroid helps us control our heart rate.
BRITNI: That's a big one.
DARLENE: I don’t think many people connect that one. You know, if there's too much thyroid hormone, you will probably have a racing heart. Too little thyroid hormone can actually affect your menstrual cycle. So the output level of your thyroid hormone: it can even affect your body's temperature. And we hear that all the time. People say, “I'm cold all the time.” And they're wearing like a wool jacket in the middle of the summer.
BRITNI: Yep. So listeners, if you are trying to understand your health problems, you've probably asked your doctor already for a thyroid test. And, some doctors routinely just do that, but that blood test will typically just show one number and that's usually the TSH or called our thyroid stimulating hormone. Some people might also get your T4 checked, but we want to take a few minutes to help you listeners understand the results from that TSH blood test. And what the ranges are for a normal thyroid function.
The Science of Thyroid Hormone Functions
DARLENE: So I'll try to explain this. It's a complicated topic, but keeping it as simple as possible to help you understand. First of all, we have two thyroid hormones. Well at least two. I mean we actually have more. But we have a T3 and a T4 and they need to be in balance. You know, not too high and not too low. We have two other glands that work together to produce this balance. And that's the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland. Frankly, most of us, and most of our clients, they're not really interested in how these two glands help to balance our body functions. They just want to know, “How do I make my body work better?”
BRITNI: Exactly.
DARLENE: How do I have more energy? How do I lose weight better? It's all those things.
BRITNI: And so generally those are not tested, right?
DARLENE: That’s right.
BRITNI: So that's important to note. So the majority of people, again, we want to know what that range of TSH should be or that thyroid stimulating hormone to have a good, decent metabolism. So the standard range of TSH that you'll be given at your doctor's office is a 0.5 to 4.5, however, Dr. Campbell: she talks about the functional range and this is according to the endocrine society; the functional range should be 0.5 to 2.0 for that TSH. But we always look at the individual because you know some people need a different thyroid number to feel optimal than others do.
DARLENE: Exactly.
BRITNI: So you know, we have seen it in our clinical practice that when your TSH is under one, you could be feeling hyper, anxious, have sleep problems.
DARLENE: Well, other people, like you just said, at one they feel great.
BRITNI: Yup.
DARLENE: And they, you know, they have no issues. So it is, again, you have to look at all of these on an individual basis for people.
BRITNI: Absolutely. And that means people really need to be very body aware to, to figure this out. And so we know on the flip side when these numbers are 2.5: higher than 2.5, even though that's considered normal by your doctor, you could be having fatigue, weight gain, brain fog.
DARLENE: But Britni, we see a lot of people coming in and their numbers are 3.8 or four or 4.5. You know, in fact, they're almost above the standard range and they're really complaining a lot about, you know, having trouble getting up. They have trouble with their weight. They just, they don't feel good.
BRITNI: Yep.
DARLENE: So that upper range seems to have detrimental effects for people.
BRITNI: Absolutely. Yeah.
DARLENE: But if your range is too low, you know, and again, we were talking about this before we went on the show, is that a lot of times you have to look: do they have osteoporosis? And is that causing bone thinning because that thyroid is over-functioning.
BRITNI: MmmHmm.
DARLENE: And it's depleting your bone density.
BRITNI: Yeah. I mean, the thyroid really affects us systemically. And you know, already, I think you're probably realizing, you listeners, that the thyroid affects more than you probably once thought. So to give us more information to work with, we always like our clients to ask their doctors to test their free T3 and their free T4 hormone levels. That just allows us to get the big picture of how this is all working. The TSH gives us some knowledge, but we're just going to be able to better help you having that, that full picture.
DARLENE: So, let's give people in an example of that. Some people we find they might come in and their T4 is just fine, but their T3 is very low and so they don't have any energy.
BRITNI: Yup. And that T3 is a really big driver of your metabolism. So we really need that to get checked. We also want to see the amount of antibodies or inflammation that's part of your thyroid. And this could be called, there's two tests: TPO and antithyroglobulin. Often again, this is not tested. So that would be something you would need to request. But understanding the thyroid function, getting the correct balance can be very difficult at times. So we want to get as much information as possible so we can support your thyroid; come up with the best eating plan for you.
DARLENE: You know, I think for the listeners, if you've had your thyroid tested at some time and you have your medical report there, go grab them and look at them. And so that it makes sense while we talk about this to understand what is really going on with your numbers and how you're feeling.
BRITNI: It's a great idea, Dar.
DARLENE: So you know, because nearly 80% of the population today is overweight and is always trying to lose weight, they tend to… What do they do? They up their exercise. Rather than maybe three times a week, you know, they're hitting the gym six times a week.
BRITNI: Yes.
DARLENE: But they're still gaining weight. And in the past, many of our clients would sign up for boot camp workouts. I don't know if they're still doing those boot camp things. I hope not. And that's, you know, that required people getting up early and over-exercising. So honestly they're shocked that when they do these intense workouts they continue to gain weight. And I can see that look on your eye like I bet it's break time.
BRITNI: It is.
DARLENE: Okay.
BRITNI: We’re going to come back and talk more about that over-exercising. And you are listening to Dishing Up Nutrition brought to you by Nutritional Weight and Wellness. Today we're discussing the book: The 30-Day Thyroid Reset Plan written by Dr. Becky Campbell. And the thyroid tends to be the root cause of so many health problems, especially for women. And Dr. Campbell discusses what causes these thyroid disorders and how food and nutrition can help fix these underlying…
BREAK
DARLENE: Welcome back to Dishing Up Nutrition. Well here's a question for you: If you're gaining weight, eating less and exercising more, what's the possible reason? You know, what's causing that? It might be that your thyroid is not functioning as well as it needs to. So today we're discussing food and nutrition habits to heal your thyroid. And that's a new concept for a lot of people, I think.
BRITNI: It sure is.
DARLENE: Oh, I'm sorry, go ahead.
How Exercising More Doesn't Always Help With Losing Weight
BRITNI: Well, I was just going to say before the break, Dar, you were talking about how people do just that. They’re struggling to lose weight. So they decide, “Okay, I'm going to exercise more.” And sometimes this means getting up at 4:30, 5:30 AM, which sounds terrible; to exercise before they start their day.
DARLENE: And that means some of them have gone to bed at 12.
BRITNI: Exactly, yup.
DARLENE: So, you know, so what is really happening biochemically to people? Because you know, it seems like logical from what we've heard in the past that that would be a solution to their weight gain, but it isn't.
BRITNI: It's not.
DARLENE: So let's talk about a hormone called cortisol and how excess exercise can actually make you gain weight because it affects how your thyroid is functioning. So these hormones all kind of work together.
BRITNI: Absolutely.
DARLENE: And so it's, I still, it's like, it's hard to get that put into people's brains that over-exercising, getting up early, hitting the gym is actually… and they're not even happy about doing it.
BRITNI: No, typically not.
DARLENE: They're doing it because they think that that's going to help them lose weight.
BRITNI: They’re desperate.
DARLENE: Yeah.
BRITNI: Yeah. Yeah. And I mean we see this all the time. We tell them they're probably over-exercising. And you just think about how much stress your body already has physically, emotionally. So you're going to be a lot better off sleeping more and doing something like yoga.
DARLENE: I actually, I have a perfect example about myself. I think it was 10, 12 years ago I decided, okay, I'm hiring a trainer. We're going to do this. So four days a week: up. And it was intense for maybe over an hour, hour and a half.
BRITNI: Oh wow.
DARLENE: And every week I was up a few more pounds, a few more pounds, a few more pounds. And I was getting to the point where I was just feeling terrible. And I kind of, cause obviously it was too much stress for my cortisol, for my, you know, my adrenal glands and it caused me to gain weight. So it's always great to have these personal experiences and learn from my mistakes so I can help other people not do the same mistake.
BRITNI: Absolutely.
DARLENE: So let's go ahead with, you know, more of this discussion about… because it is so hard to get people to think in a different way about this.
BRITNI: So, the thyroid, so the thyroid, it, we talked about the, your cortisol. So that's produced by our adrenal glands actually. So your adrenal glands in your thyroid: they're connected to your brain. Your thyroid is connected to your digestive system. Your thyroid is connected to how your hair grows. Your thyroid is connected to your metabolism. Your heart: we mentioned earlier. So, and the list can go on and on.
So that thyroid is connected to so many parts of our body.
DARLENE: So as we, you know, now, so now we're talking about two different hormones. We're talking about thyroid and we're talking about cortisol.
BRITNI: Yep.
DARLENE: And they affect one another.
BRITNI: They do.
DARLENE: And stress affects both of them.
BRITNI: 100%.
DARLENE: And stress can be just eating sugar.
BRITNI: Absolutely.
DARLENE: Or it can be over-exercising.
BRITNI: Yep.
DARLENE: But we still are locked into that old belief system: calories in and calories out, which always meant: exercise long and hard to burn more calories. I mean, even I think a lot of people that have told me this; they go to their doctor and they say, “Well, just eat less and exercise more. Move more.”
BRITNI: Yep.
DARLENE: And then you'll lose weight.
BRITNI: Yep.
DARLENE: But honestly, sorry to say it doesn't work that way for most people.
BRITNI: Yeah. It's just a lot more complicated than that. Our bodies are very complicated.
DARLENE: So over-exercising or any kind of extra stress on your body often causes a release of cortisol. And that comes, like you said, from the adrenal gland, which in turn can make you gain weight.
BRITNI: Yep.
DARLENE: So, you know, stop and think about: what other ways can you put stress on your body besides over-exercising? Just being on all the time. Well, I think we see that with people that maybe like who write books and things, and they're on doing presentations all the time and their health starts to break down.
BRITNI: Yeah.
DARLENE: So really interesting connections to all this.
BRITNI: I think this is a good time for our second break.
DARLENE: Already.
BRITNI: I know.
DARLENE: All right.
BRITNI: You are listening to Dishing Up Nutrition. One risk factor for your thyroid is having high levels of toxic metals in your body, such as mercury, lead, aluminum, arsenic. So consuming certain types of fish is a common way that people are exposed to mercury, actually. So fish you may want to leave off your plate are swordfish, tuna, shark, orange roughy. And we're going to get a lot of questions about the tuna. So, you know, if you're eating it maybe once a week, that's probably fine. But it should not be a multiple time every week thing that you're eating.
DARLENE: And some people, even some experts believe that even once a week or once a month is too much. And they're talking more about canned tuna than anything else.
BRITNI: Yeah.
DARLENE: But it's, you know, so people have to be careful of canned tuna.
BRITNI: Absolutely. So some better choices would be salmon, sardines, haddock and trout. And then you get those good omega-3’s as well.
DARLENE: We have a great recipe for...
BREAK
DARLENE: Welcome back to Dishing Up Nutrition. You know, as I was cleaning out some files, and I've got lots of them; overwhelming sometimes. You know, I came across an article that I've been saving and it was called Giving Triglycerides Their Due. You know the article goes on to say that a high triglyceride level is a well-established risk factor for heart disease or cardiovascular health. This article quotes a study that says with each increased level of triglycerides, there's a 37% greater risk for women to develop heart disease. Wow, that's, that's amazing. So honestly, diet is key to the link between triglycerides and cardiovascular disease. And I know what people are thinking right away. That means fat. Well, no, that's not true. It means sugar. Sugar and processed carbs usually increase your triglyceride level. So honestly, when we are helping people reduce their triglycerides, we recommend reducing or even eliminating sugar and processed carbs. You know, of course sometimes people come in and their triglyceride level, I mean I think we've seen anything from 1200, 1300 down to 400 down to what is normal. Well, a good triglyceride number to shoot for is below 75. So if you know someone that has a triglyceride level that is 1200: that's highly risky.
BRITNI: Yes.
DARLENE: So honestly, and I love this because when we see what our clients have and they're following the Weight and Wellness plan, their range is in the fifties. And so their risk factor is very low. So just an interesting…
BRITNI: The power of food.
DARLENE: So that's why I've been saving that article for all these years.
BRITNI: So we are here talking all about the thyroid today. And so we're talking about all the different areas that the thyroid does affect in our body. So I hope that you're getting the picture that your thyroid function is very important. Too little thyroid hormone is a concern and too much thyroid hormone is also a big concern. So now we want to discuss the autoimmune disease of Hashimoto's because that is really common in the clients that we see.
DARLENE: So how common, I mean, people come in and they have low thyroid function. What's the relationship between this autoimmune disease of Hashimoto's and low thyroid function?
BRITNI: That's a good question. So in Dr. Campbell’s book, she says that 95% of individuals that have hypothyroidism have Hashimoto's. 95%.
DARLENE: So when I have a client that comes in, and I think you too, you see these numbers and they're obviously having thyroid issues. And I say, well, do you have Hashimoto's disease? And they say, what's that?
BRITNI: Most people have never even heard of it.
DARLENE: Yes. And I say, well, have you been tested? They have no clue. So what we want to do is first, Hashimoto's syndrome is an autoimmune disease. And there's currently over 80 different autoimmune diseases and Hashimoto's is just one of them. You know what is an autoimmune disease? It's when your immune system starts attacking healthy cells within your own body. And as a result it creates inflammation. So I think a lot of people think of maybe rheumatoid arthritis. That's a common autoimmune disease. But Hashimoto's is too. With Hashimoto's syndrome, the thyroid actually becomes inflamed and it just no longer works correctly, which is kind of interesting because I see sometimes it overproduces and sometimes it under produces. And it flips back and forth. It's a tricky one.
BRITNI: It is very tricky.
DARLENE: So to determine if you have Hashimoto's disease, it is necessary to have your antibodies tested.
BRITNI: Yep.
DARLENE: So what does that mean, Britni?
BRITNI: So that means, we mentioned those a little bit earlier. That means you want to ask for your TPO and your thyroglobulin, antithyroglobulin. And then hopefully we'll get, we'll get an idea if you have Hashimoto's or not.
DARLENE: So to try to keep it simple, maybe just say, ask the doctor to test for your antibodies.
BRITNI: Yep, yep.
DARLENE: And they know which ones to order, you know.
BRITNI: Hopefully.
DARLENE: Yeah.
BRITNI: Yeah. So you might be wondering, “What are the symptoms of this Hashimoto's thyroiditis?” Well, there's a lot of them. But to name a few: weight gain, hair loss, fatigue, constipation, depression, infertility, joint and muscle pain, feeling cold, irregular or heavy menstrual cycles.
DARLENE: Wow.
BRITNI: That's a lot. And yeah, our clients that have Hashimoto's, generally they feel really, really poorly. So if you have any of these symptoms, ask your doctor to have your thyroid antibodies tested because we know there's a connection also between your antibodies and eating gluten. So, it's important to know that number because then we’re just going to be able to come up with a better way of eating for you. So during the individual appointment with one of our dietitians or nutritionists, we discuss all of this and more; and you walk away with an action plan so you know exactly what to be doing.
DARLENE: Exactly. So in her book, The 30-Day Thyroid Reset Plan, Dr. Campbell addresses several common triggers or reasons for a faulty thyroid function. You know, as nutritionists and dietitians, we always focus on food first for rebalancing the thyroid and other autoimmune problems. In Dr. Campbell's book, there is a substantial amount of information regarding the importance of food and there are really some great recipes. I was just blown away with some of the recipes.
BRITNI: And beautiful pictures, which I always appreciate.
DARLENE: Yes. So you know, for our long-term listeners, at Nutritional Weight and Wellness, you know, we realize that recipes have to be simple with not a lot of food prep because a lot of the people that we work with have low-functioning thyroid and they're so tired. Or for some reason they're so tired and it's like they're just putting one foot in front of the other to get through the day. So the recipes have to be simple.
BRITNI: Yup, quick.
DARLENE: Otherwise they're not going make them.
BRITNI: Yup.
DARLENE: You know, we always hear; here's one we always hear: you know, we'll say, have you made a protein shake yet? And what do people say?
BRITNI: Some people say, “No, it, it takes too much time” or “It's too much work.”
DARLENE: Or “I don't like to wash the blender.”
BRITNI: Yes, yes, yes. I hear that one a lot.
DARLENE: But that all goes back to they are feeling so tired and they have such a high level of fatigue that they just can't face that one thing.
BRITNI: Yeah, that's true. So here's something many people may not be aware of that we really want to address. And that's how food sensitivities can actually cause a breakdown of the intestinal tract and how small particles of food can leak through the gut, causing the immune system to overreact. And that creates a lot of inflammation. So this is all called leaky gut. I think a lot of people have heard that term, but don't really have any idea what it means.
DARLENE: Right?
BRITNI: So we want to paint a picture for you listeners as to how eating gluten products is often connected to a thyroid problem.
DARLENE: So in Dr. Campbell's book, The 30-Day Thyroid Reset Plan, she recommends removing all grains from your diet, especially gluten grains. It seems that in all of our shows and podcasts, it's a recommendation for most of these chronic conditions. I know Cassie talked…Joann and Cassie talked about it last week. So gluten grains are so harsh on people's intestinal track. Think about that. It's actually harsh. They break down and damage the lining. You know, I kind of think of it, they're like little picks creating holes in your intestinal lining, which then allows undigested foods and sometimes bacteria or viruses to leak through, get into the bloodstream and land in a weaker part of your body. So for some people that is the thyroid. For other people that is the knee joint.
BRITNI: Yep.
DARLENE: It just depends on where your weaker part is. Thinking back about how that is: gluten actually is that harsh, that strong, that it can actually break down that lining in your intestinal track.
BRITNI: I think that'll motivate a lot of people to eliminate gluten.
DARLENE: Okay, good. I tried.
BRITNI: So well let's take our third break right now. You are listening to Dishing Up Nutrition. Next week starting July 23rd we start our summer Nutrition for Weight Loss programs at our seven locations around the twin cities metro area. And of course you can start our online version of Nutrition for Weight Loss at any time that works for you. The Nutrition for Weight Loss program is so much more than just a plan to lose weight. If you have a thyroid problem, our Nutrition for Weight Loss program is a good place to start. They'll help you eliminate the damaging foods you may have in your kitchen and you're eating a regular places. And then in your two one-hour individual nutrition consultations, your nutritionist or dietitian will develop an eating plan that specifically addresses your personal challenges and health conditions.
DARLENE: Those are not set, you know, kind of like everybody does. We look at people's unique needs.
BRITNI: Absolutely. So, rather than thinking food restriction, we believe in food support for our wellness. So call the office at 651-699-3438 to save your space. If you have questions about this, you can also go to our website: weightandwellness.com. And there's tons of great information on there. So it's important to know that what's good for weight loss is also going to be good…
BREAK
DARLENE: Well, welcome back to Dishing Up Nutrition. At Nutritional Weight and Wellness we're all about nutrition education. So coming up, we have our summer 12-week Nutrition for Weight Loss series starting. But kind of back by popular demand our $10 classes are starting August 1st. And what does that mean? You know, we have a variety of classes with different titles such as Building a Better Working Memory or Getting a Good Night of Sleep. So, many other titles than that. So you can go to our website: weight andwellness.com and look and find out the dates and the locations that are convenient for you. Honestly, these classes fill up fast. You know, and some of our classrooms are not that big. So I would say if you've got any questions, call (651) 699-3438 because you're going to want to sign up because the spaces go quickly. So next Saturday, join Carolyn and Melanie as they discuss weight loss problem: high estrogen; interesting topic.
BRITNI: It is.
DARLENE: So it’s a show that you're not going to want to miss because it's a problem for a lot of people.
BRITNI: It is. And we really hope this show so far and podcast has answered some of your questions about your thyroid function, and we believe that Dr. Campbell’s book, The 30-Day Thyroid Reset Planis a great book to help you answer some of your personal questions. It even has a shopping list to make food prep easier. It’s just a lot of practical things.
DARLENE: Yes.
BRITNI: So it's an easy read; has great recipes for you to try. So you may want to pick up a copy for yourself at your local bookstore or on amazon.com.
DARLENE: So, getting back to our topic of the thyroid: what else do we have to say today?
BRITNI: Well, we were talking about gluten and how that can destroy the lining of our gut. But you know, when clients are eating too much sugar, too many bagels, bowls of cereal, too many baked goods, or maybe just drinking too much wine.
DARLENE: That's a problem these days.
BRITNI: One thing I've noticed is they seem to develop ongoing immune problems. So they're always getting the latest virus or they're getting some sort of infection. Then they're often prescribed one or sometimes two rounds of antibiotics that destroy the bad stuff, but also all that beneficial bacteria in their gut. That can lead to cravings, constipation, diarrhea, sometimes a urinary tract infection. Ultimately this results in a slow breakdown of their health. They don't seem to realize that what you put in your gut determines what you get out of it.
DARLENE: And that means one thing that I think of is how much energy you have.
BRITNI: Yeah, absolutely.
DARLENE: How you're using your food.
BRITNI: So in her book, Dr. Campbell recommends an eating plan that eliminates gluten grains, dairy, soy and sugar.
DARLENE: A big elimination.
BRITNI: It is.
Triggers for Hashimoto's Thyroid Disease
DARLENE: But it's worth it. So also in Dr. Campbell's book, she lists seven common triggers or reasons for Hashimoto's thyroid disease. She points out that we need a healthy intestinal track to actually convert T4 into T3. And you know, we mentioned the T3 is one that helps you with your metabolism and your energy. You know, and both of these are important hormones produced by the thyroid. So if you have an unhealthy gut, the conversion slows down. So you may be wondering, so why is T3 so important? You know, the first thing I would say is T3 is important for energy.
BRITNI: Yep.
DARLENE: Then focus. And it's also good for your memory. So we need, really need a good steady supply of T3 hormones.
BRITNI: We do.
DARLENE: I mean, and people, a lot of times they've never been tested for it. They don't know much about it.
BRITNI: And you know, you just mentioned the importance of the gut health, the healthy gut to make the T3. So another piece of all of this that could be affecting your gut is proton pump inhibitors. They can interfere with good thyroid function. So first of all, let's explain what proton pump inhibitors are and why people even take them. So there are many misunderstandings of the cause of acid reflux. And PPIs or proton pump inhibitors are a class of medication designed to reduce the amount of acid that our stomach produces.
DARLENE: So people that have acid reflux.
BRITNI: Yup, or GERD.
DARLENE: Yeah, people that get prescribed proton pump inhibitors.
BRITNI: So we know that long-term use, even over two or three weeks, has been linked to some really serious side effects, such as osteoporosis, a B12 deficiency or developing certain bacterial infections. I've had clients that have been on these for over 10 years.
DARLENE: Oh my gosh.
BRITNI: So you can imagine how much their digestive tract has really been destroyed.
DARLENE: And I bet if they have their bone density taken: not good.
BRITNI: So many people aren't aware that acid reflux often comes from gluten or dairy sensitivities. It's usually a food problem, not an over abundance of stomach acid. And contrary to what we always hear, acid reflux really happens when there's an insufficient amount of stomach acid being produced.
DARLENE: But you know, I figured it's a bigger problem than most people realize. And it takes some detective work sometimes.
BRITNI: It does.
DARLENE: …to figure out, okay, what's causing that imbalance?
BRITNI: Absolutely. And I think you probably see this a lot. I have many clients that don't produce enough stomach acid, but they don't necessarily have reflux.
DARLENE: Oh yes.
BRITNI: But it's still a really big issue.
DARLENE: Exactly. So on page 45 in Dr Campbell's book, The 30-Day Thyroid Reset Plan: We've said that a lot this morning because people wonder, “What book was that?” You know, she lists some basic questions that you can, anyone can answer to determine their cortisol level. We talked about cortisol before. Your answers to these questions will give you an indication of how stress is affecting your cortisol level in your health. So grab a pen and some paper to answer some of these simple questions. Question number one: you have difficulty falling asleep; yes or no? Because you know, usually people should be asleep in 20 minutes.
BRITNI: Yep.
DARLENE: So is that a yes or no?
BRITNI: Question number two: you sweat easily.
DARLENE: Is that a yes or a no? You are under a huge amount of stress, ongoing. I think of someone that is a caregiver; very stressful. So is that a yes or no?
BRITNI: So you gain weight when you are stressed: yes or no on that one?
DARLENE: That one: I think a lot of people do.
BRITNI: Yes.
DARLENE: You're tired even after a good night of sleep: yes or no.
BRITNI: You sweat even without activity.
DARLENE: Hmm. Very interesting.
Dietary Changes for a Healthy Thyroid
BRITNI: Yeah it is. So I'm quite certain our listeners know that at Nutritional Weight and Wellness, we believe that what people eat makes a difference in the health of their thyroid. So we as well as Dr. Campbell recommend no grains, no factory fats, so that's like soybean oil, cottonseed oil, canola oil; no high fructose corn syrup. And in addition, Dr. Campbell recommends eating some super foods. And an important one on her list was organ meats.
DARLENE: Now people just turned off the radio.
BRTINI: I know, right? Liver is at the top of her list. So on page 168 of her book, she has a recipe called Coconut-Coated Fried Liver with Onions and Bacon. She points out that liver is one of the foods with many nutrients that our body needs, but unfortunately those nutrients are difficult to find in other sources. So if you grew up eating liver and onions once or twice a month, your mother or your grandmother was really looking out for you.
