Today I want to concentrate on the most difficult part of going gluten free (for me). Honestly, going gluten free has had its challenges but none as great as the very real and in some cases, daily, risk of cross-contamination! Let me give you an example: You walk into a restaurant (especially when you are just starting this journey of gluten free) and you ask if there is gluten in certain dishes.  The waiter or waitress asks the chef and comes back to tell you “no, no gluten in this dish”.  Okay, hold it right there! You asked the wrong question or at the minimum, did not include the second important part of the question. Here’s where it can get frustrating. You need to ask them not only if the dish has gluten containing ingredients but also, you have to know if it is prepared in pans, utensils, grills, etc. that are also used for gluten containing foods.

In other words, just finding out that the food/dish itself is free of gluten is ONLY the first step. It becomes essentially important to let them know that you either need a gluten free environment for your food preparation (P.F. Changs, for example, has a gluten free kitchen section) OR they would need to take precautions to keep your food from being cross-contaminated. Now, this is where most restaurants fail the test. In fact, this is when a serious gluten free person, becomes all too familiar with one or two restaurants and that’s about it, when “out on the town”. I found this video very helpful and hopefully you will too (even though she describes the life of a Celiac, we need to see ourselves this way):

But what we need to keep in mind, is that we do this for our health and to stay out of trouble health-wise. If you haven’t seen my other post on the connection between thyroid antibodies and gluten, you will find it very informative as this subject is discussed in the interview with Dr. Thomas O’Bryan and how this link has been proven.

Gluten cross contamination could be the biggest set back we have to healing. I hope this post has been helpful for you. I know I have felt 80%-90% better going truly gluten free. I hope you will too!

All I know is that when I eliminated gluten, some major symptoms were alleviated and continue to show signs of more and more improvement. Some are completely gone like the scary symptom of my head inflammation! Now I only get that feeling if I have been accidently contaminated with gluten. It’s taken me a few months to track the symptoms because at first it is not real easy to identify all the sources of gluten. Most concerning for me, were the large amounts of sauces, canned goods, condiments, and even dry beans that can harbor unwanted traces of gluten. If you go gluten free, don’t think you can just eliminate bread— it is just not that easy!

Here’s a video that I feel helps explain many ways gluten sensitivity can present itself in our body:

But honestly, one of the most exciting things I have learned in the last couple months is that I do not gain weight if I don’t eat gluten! I have not lost weight since going back on non-gluten grains (because I was in the process of getting tested for cross-reactive grains and you must be eating them for the test to be accurate) but the shock to me is that I have been eating the “replacement products” for many of my favorite foods (by the way, I am NOT talking sugar laden processed foods – I stay away from those) including macaroni and cheese and ice cream which does not contain gluten and I have not gained a pound! Now, I must emphasize that I am not indulging in these foods in an excessive way but before, if they contained their gluten counterpart, I would gain so easily and be so inflamed, it was not fun! Now, those side effects are completely absent and although I recommend that we probably would do better off of grains completely, especially if we want to lose weight, I think this is a notable observation now on my part.

You see, some of us have to see first hand, the difference in not eating gluten before we truly believe. I have to admit, I was a skeptic and did not think just taking gluten out of my diet would do any good. Boy, was I wrong! Here is a list of symptoms that have changed dramatically since going gluten free:

• Head inflammation (it seemed like anaphylactic shock at times) which made me feel like passing out for hours after eating a meal with gluten. I did not really believe this was related until I replaced those meals with non-gluten counterparts and did not get the same reaction. I kept waiting for it but it didn’t happen!
• Weight gain – as I mentioned above – no weight gain from the biggies—ice cream and macaroni and cheese, etc. This is HUGE. Believe me – weight gain was the “given” when I ate these things. The next day I would pay for it in being bloated, heavier and altogether miserable.
• Energy level increased – just by eliminating gluten, I have had more good days than bad days. This is also an amazing testimony, especially since I am not eating yet the way I think will not only give me more energy, but allow me to drop weight and that is a diet with very little grain with high protein. A Paleo Diet seems to be the best choice as I lost 25 pounds in one month using mostly a Paleo type diet, as I detoxed when going truly gluten free! Adding grains back stunted the weight loss but at least I haven’t gained in all those 5 months afterward!
• Bloated stomach – gone!
• Asthma – significantly reduced – no longer feeling immediate asthma symptoms after eating meals!
• Anti-body test shows 172 instead of the thousands and this is where the “rubber hits the road” so I am watching these numbers carefully. I will get another test soon to see what is happening there.
• There are more but those above are the major ones.

In all this observation, I have come to an important conclusion that I am glad I have come to myself; I need to severely limit grains if I want to lose weight. I need to add that I was tested for cross-reactive grains and strangely enough, I have no other gluten type reactions going on, at least not on the test I took. I hope to get a test to help me find the foods I am least reactive to so I can build my diet around the least reactive foods for a while to help me heal quicker.

What an exciting journey! If you have eliminated gluten and have had some of the changes I have, feel free to comment and help others with your encouragement.

Remember, it only takes ONE instance of gluten contamination for a person to feel the effects for weeks sometimes so we need to be aware of cross-contamination issues. If it doesn’t say “gluten free”, assume it is not! (especially in restaurants and grains that are not marked specifically gluten free.)

Take inventory of stimulants and chemicals in your diet.

Hashimoto’s can be positively influenced by a healthy diet. Consider what you are currently eating. Keep a journal for a week (or even a month!) and spot the culprits that might be there. Some of the more obvious ones are caffeine, sugar and preservatives. I react strongly to all three of these. It took me many years to realize what a significant burden those “foods” were to my health. The first two abuse the adrenal glands and cause all types of imbalance. Preservatives can cause further stress to the brain (especially Aspartame!). Greatly reduce or eliminate your intake of these substances. Once this step is done, it will be easier to monitor the symptoms coming from your disease and those coming instead from food sensitivities or reactions.

Find the best treatment options for you.

Research all your options before you start any long term thyroid treatment! After you have established a better diet as determined in the step above, then begin to choose the right treatment for your body. There are combinations of herbal supplements, synthetic drugs (I would wait on this option unless you just can’t get to other solutions), and natural desiccated thyroid preparations like Nature-Throid and Armour. There are other natural paths including detoxification methods. This is such an important step. I can’t stress enough how bad I felt that I had missed this step when I was first diagnosed! I just did what the doctor told me. Reading “my story” will help you see the years of pain I went through that possibly would have been eliminated if I had only taken these first two steps!

Consider the side effects of over-the-counter medications.

Only take medications that are absolutely necessary.  Just like food, all medications have side effects on your body. It is very important to know what the side effects are and if they might be influencing your symptoms. For example, I used to suffer from excruciating migraine headaches. My doctor (who was not interested in natural causes or treatments) suggested I take an over-the-counter medication. He said it was likely sinus related. So, I took Advil Cold and Sinus. I got better when I took it but did I understand that this medication had caffeine in it? Case and point: I found out that caffeine works to relieve caffeine related headaches! Why? Because our body begins to depend on the “fix” each day when we have caffeine on a regular basis. After a few days off of caffeine, a very serious withdrawal symptom can result in the form of a headache or migraine (in addition to other symptoms that are known as “die off” symptoms). Many times it can be “relieved” by eating or drinking caffeine. I believe that’s why I had spurts of being addicted to chocolate. The only “cure” for this cycle is to get off of these roller coasters; whether from drugs or caffeine in food. Be aware of each and every drug and/or substance you are putting into your body.  Find the root problem and then work to overcome it without drugs – thereby eliminating their side effects.

Increase exercise as tolerated.

I believe the importance of exercise comes in many forms. It is a great stress reliever. Something about exercise just cleans out those negative thoughts in the brain. It can feel like a weight has been lifted off of you after exercise. Oh, of course I must bring up the “weight” thing. Here’s one big problem with this disease. Our metabolism is seriously compromised when there is a sluggish thyroid. If you combine exercise with the right diet and right treatment, well, you’ve got a chance. But that “right” combination is still not fully documented. What we do know is that a whole body approach has the most benefit. So find a fun exercise. Don’t make yourself do something you hate to do. Choose a variety of activities to alternate during the week to keep you interested and just “move” your body.

Finally, take control of your health.

Educate yourself about Hashimotos Thyroiditis. It is an autoimmune disease. It has cycles. It fluctuates depending on things like life crisis, stress, seasons (especially the cold seasons when your body temperature naturally goes down), diet, attitude, etc. What I find the most frustrating about this disease is the large amount of triggers it has. Strongly consider eliminating gluten! Consider a yearly calendar specifically noting times during the year that your symptoms flare up. This might go a long way in trouble-shooting triggers that you may be able to avoid in the future. Find a functional medicine doctor in order to aggressively participate with your own healing and treatment plan. Also visit my website forum  so we can walk through this disease together.

]]> http://myhashimotosthyroiditis.com/suggested-first-steps-after-being-diagnosed-with-hashimotos-thyroiditis/feed/ 7 http://myhashimotosthyroiditis.com/hashimotos-thyroiditis-and-cross-reactive-foods/ http://myhashimotosthyroiditis.com/hashimotos-thyroiditis-and-cross-reactive-foods/#comments Tue, 14 Jun 2011 18:25:29 +0000 maureen http://myhashimotosthyroiditis.com/hashimotos-thyroiditis-and-cross-reactive-foods/ Hello All! I have been nudged while reading your comments, to make a quick post about the possible other triggers to Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Although this info is a bit dated (not seriously dated however, but from last year), I feel it touches on an area that hasn’t got enough attention from the Hashimoto’s community and that is cross-reactive grains/foods. My daughter was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s last year and is in the process of getting a cross-reactive food test. I will be taking one in July so this will add some new info to our current diet (gluten free).

I definitely am not just true gluten free; I am also avoiding eggs (suspicious based on some asthma symptoms after eating them) and have stayed away from soy too. I always avoid ingredients you can’t pronounce, don’t know what they are or just plainly know not to eat them, such as aspartame and other fake foods. So, my success thus far could be due to some of the other foods I am avoiding in addition to the gluten free diet. It will be good to troubleshoot as I go and love getting comments from all of you. Together, we can learn faster than one at a time.

Here’s the podcast that really helped me get past the gluten free diet (meaning looking to additional food issues as a possible component). But honestly, so far, I am convinced that a Hashimoto’s sufferer should be at the minimum truly gluten free in order to help troubleshoot other food reactions as part of the puzzle.

In this Dr. Datis Kharrazian’s interview with Wellness Underground, one of the most influential podcasts leading me to my current journey, you will grasp the importance of not even having a smidgen of gluten unless you want to trigger an all out attack.  I truly thank Sean Croxton and his radio show for getting me to information that has helped me tremendously!

I have not forgotten about the full update on my symptoms, diet, and success thus far on the true gluten free diet. I hope to do this in the next few days.

Thank you to all who have contributed by commenting. It is so nice to know we are not alone in this journey and can help each other.

Here’s to better health!

Mo

Before I started my current TRUE Gluten Free Diet, my antibody count (TPO) was ranging (over 10 years) between 3,000 to over 7,000. I got my test back a couple weeks ago after being gluten free for about 6 weeks. I will be much more detailed in my next post, even on this, but this is just a quick update. The antibody test came back at 172! Yes, you are reading right….172! Now how’s that for progress! I haven’t done anything new besides a serious diet change and this is something to get excited about. My TSH has also gone from 12 (range) to 7 (range) without a change in medication. So I would say I’m on the right track, wouldn’t you? See you soon with a full update! Mo

I am now entering the very essence of the true gluten free diet and what happens next will be the real test. But before my next post and the beginning conclusion of the true gluten free diet (defined in shortened form as the GF Diet for the rest of this post), I want to talk about some interesting by-products of eliminating most known common allergens from my diet as I have in the last 20-30 days.

On April 4, 2011, I embarked on a journey I had never taken before. I did it regularly, in part, meaning portions of this diet have been exercised over the years, but I have never done all the components at the same time. Here’s what I mean. I, through the instruction of my doctor, eliminated all common allergens from my diet including wheat, gluten, dairy, nuts, soy, all grains, preservatives, pesticides and basically ate a diet consisting of lean, pastured meats (no pork), and low glycemic fruits and vegetables with few allowed condiments. I don’t think I fully understood how this could be called a “repair diet” as it wasn’t filled with massive amounts of juicing or supplementation. (Some supplementation was taken but not in the mass amounts I would have expected.)  Below is my account as to what that diet did for me.

On April 24, 2011, Easter Day, I was able to add in other foods once more. This concluded the diet mentioned above but ushered in the true gluten free and sugar free diet. So I began to add some foods in. I won’t go into detail as to which foods I added in and when, but I can tell you something wonderful that came out of the 20 day diet which I now understand much better. My body became used to the “clean” foods it was consuming and during this time I became “even” throughout the day. I say “even” meaning I no longer had “highs” and “lows” throughout the day. Before this diet and for as long as I can remember, I have had days that remind me more of a slow cargo plane, taking off s-l-o-w-l-y and while in the air, not moving too quickly but “getting the job done” and landing just as s-l-o-w-l-y in the evenings. In other words, it took me HOURS to gain energy in the day and maybe (if I was fortunate) I found energy mid-day and if I didn’t, I grabbed some caffeine in some way to get me moving. Then in the evenings, I would “crash” right after dinner, making after dinner chores either non-existent or done with great discomfort. During the 20 day diet, and after the 4-5th days, I began to feel like a jet plane; a fast “take-off” and an efficient “landing” in the later evenings. I found I was able to clean up the dinner dishes and have energy left to plan for the next day and even enjoy some relaxing (but not “falling asleep” relaxing) time with my husband before bed. The menu was not bad at all and I felt I wasn’t hungry or suffering cravings throughout the whole diet. Now that is not bad at all! A sample of my regular meals looked a bit like the picture below and as you can tell, I was not really suffering from lack of good food!

So, adding in the foods I chose after this 20 day diet gave me a “guide” which I never had before. I never understand which foods (or other substance) “could” be causing me my symptoms – mainly because my body was saturated with them! Now, I had some exciting introductions (I didn’t seem to react to brown rice and some other properly prepared grains) but I very quickly connected sulfites to my more serious symptoms! This was something I couldn’t pin-point before! So I am now trying to eliminate sulfites (I didn’t realize how hard that would be) and see if I can detect any other culprits as time goes by. I am trying to eat closely to the Nourishing Traditions way of eating but the main point of this next 2 month period is to identify culprits, not necessarily eat perfectly. After 2 months, I will take a test (or 2) that will help me fine tune my permanent diet which hopefully will include only foods that I am not reacting to. This is the most exciting journey I have taken in my quest for healing or minimizing my Hashimoto’s Disease! To me, it is straight forward, common sense; get the culprits out and feed the body good, nourishing foods for rebuilding the system. You can’t rebuild when the culprits are being ingested daily! Sadly, these “culprits” could be common, every day foods like dairy or soy in addition to the gluten, and without proper attention, you may never know what you are reacting to and in turn, will not heal. Now, I have found some other possible culprits but the sulfites were serious! I was having problems in my brain (inflammation) that would cause me to have serious bouts of instability, to the point I really felt I would pass out. I would have to sit up for hours waiting for the “attack” to pass. It could have been (hopefully I will avoid this now) an anaphylactic response to sulfites! I always saw a connection to tomato sauce and not sure if that is in response to the possibility of naturally occurring sulfites or MSG in cooked tomatoes. This is something I will find out as I go but I am determined to get to the bottom of these reactions so I can live without them.

It is exciting to see so many stores and hopefully more restaurants catering to food allergies and especially gluten free needs. Trader Joes has made me happy as they now have a special labeling system for gluten free items. Over time, it will be become easier and easier to prepare gluten free meals and purchase gluten free foods from the store.  Thank you Trader Joes and the others who are working hard to serve the growing community of gluten free shoppers and diners. PF Chang also gets a great big THANK YOU for catering to the gluten free community and supplying a dedicated kitchen station to their gluten free customers along with special plates and table condiments to make sure we are not cross-contaminated! You can see their gluten free menu here and click the gluten free menu once you get there.

I am hoping that my next post gives you a specific look at what is happening in a more direct way with Hashimoto’s. I have lost around 10 pounds but weight isn’t my focus. I want to heal and I know the weight will follow as I do.

I hope this post has encouraged you to eliminate common allergens and in the process begin to find your particular culprits. Life is too precious to be sick all the time if you can help it!

Here’s to healing!

Mo

Now, before I move on, I always believe a good link to exceptional material is in order when writing a new post. So, here is the “winner” this time:

I have to whole heartedly thank Wellness Underground for faithfully interviewing doctors and nutritionist, many with ground breaking information as done here conducting an interview with Dr. Thomas O’Bryan. This interview describes gluten sensitively brilliantly and has been one of my favorite interviews in the last few months on the subject of Hashimoto’s Disease:

http://thedr.com/images/uw11011.mp3

Now, with that aside, I have some updating to do.

How can I say good-bye to this?

Well, after listening to the radio show above, you will understand. This is a favorite loaf of whole wheat sourdough bread I made last summer using wild yeast and a long fermentation method hoping to break down the gluten. What I haven’t done yet though is heal from the damage already present. Perhaps I will come back to this in the near future. I have always enjoyed baking. However, gluten has been linked very strongly with Hashimoto’s Disease as a main “trigger”. When people struggling with Hashimoto’s go on a TRUE gluten free diet, the autoimmune response shows a drastic decrease. Even more importantly, other symptoms minimize and the thyroid begins, most often to kick in. This is great news for so many sufferers.

So although I haven’t actually gone gluten free (I have waited because I am a perfectionist and I want it to be a truly gluten free situation), I cannot yet report on my own progress. However, I CAN report on something very exciting for me.

I have been taking Vit. D supplements for about 4 months, taking my monthly blood tests to check the progress and I am up from 16.8 in September 2010, to 55.2 now, in March 2011! Even more exciting is that for the first time in years, my TSH has not gone up in the spring, in fact it has gone DOWN. It has gone from 25.81 in July of 2010 to now, 12.37 in March of 2011. Let me emphasize that I have not tried to concentrate so much on my TSH this year as the real purpose of my journey has been to find a root cause for Hashimoto’s and a way to hit it there! I feel I have and hope to see that number go down further in the near future!

Now the real excitement in this statement comes from the fact that I haven’t done anything different yet in my diet! I have only changed the Vit. D supplementation and I am using a Glutathion topicial cream given to me by my doctor which I have been using since November! My meds have no changed and I even have gone a bit crazy with gluten since I know I will be off of it soon.

Very soon I will be entering the gluten free world and will be able to track my progress then. However, in the short term, I will be completing a more difficult gluten free, sugar free, grain free, soy free, dairy free and “other” free, diet which should prepare my digestive system to heal more quickly while feeding myself probiotics and other important nutrients along the way. It will consist mainly of good sources of grass fed meat sources and plenty of vegetables excluding the high starch kinds like white potatoes and beans, and eating cultured non-dairy.

This will be a good time for me to take notes and report back to the blog after I am finished with that stage of my journey. Of course, I will have my doctor monitor my TSH during this time as I am paranoid of going hyper. Let’s hope my next post has even more exciting progress.

Hope to hear from you too! Thank you to all who comment on my blog. It encourages me to continue on to provide resources and help for those benefiting by it.

Mo

However, before you watch the video, I want to assure you that it is not common for me to post videos or information that I do not have some personal experience with. My blog is more about “my journey” than populating it with “hearsay”.  I can tell you that this Doctor is for real. How do I know? Well, I had a consultation in person with him today. When he says he goes through your case with a fine tooth comb, he is not joking! That is a breath of fresh air. If you’ve been on top of the newest breakthroughs with Hashimoto’s Disease, largely publicized through the book by Dr. Datis Kharrazian “Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms When My Lab Tests Are Normal? A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Hashimoto’s Disease and Hypothyroidism”, you may be very interested in doctors who use a similar protocol.

Although Dr. Robert Boydston of The Boyston Institute has his own special protocol, it is very similar to the that in Dr. Kharrazian’s book. In fact, I think Dr. Boydston’s protocol is a bit friendlier towards my leanings for a healing process. In the end, get to a doctor that looks at your whole body, your symptoms, takes the time to listen to you and get the necessary tests in order to determine the best course of treatment for YOUR particular needs. Everyone is different and that is what makes this approach so promising. It is defined by a “whole body approach” as determined through the needed lab tests AND how you progress through treatment.

Now, some of you might be saying, “thanks but he is too far away from me”. Well, I have great news. Although it would be best if you could make it to his office, Dr. Boydston is now accepting phone consultations and long distance treatment options. Just sign up for his newsletter and take the time to decide if his approach is right for you! I can’t tell you how excited I am to be working with someone that really cares. Don’t miss this great opportunity to get help even if it needs to be over the phone. If you’re like me, you have been waiting YEARS for this opportunity (I’ve been waiting for over 15 years!). I am so excited to be sharing this information with you. Just let him know you heard about this through myhashimotosthyroiditis.com It is just one way of thanking him for his desire to help those of us who have never had this type of opportunity before. I assure you, I am not getting paid for this blog post. He doesn’t even know I am doing it.

Here’s to new horizons!

I will be sharing this journey with you on my blog and forum so if you haven’t signed up for my forum, we’d like to have you on board!

Mo

Okay, that is no surprise to most of us. But one thing which is making a popular comeback is the idea that we might just be preparing our foods wrong. Huh? Many people I talk to cannot figure out what I could be suggesting. It is still a “foreign subject” to many Americans. Everyone knows that white flour is inferior to whole wheat but why would preparation be an issue? Isn’t it just that whole wheat is “better” for you. But why can’t we digest it properly? Just 100 years ago, it was common to do such things as soaking your oatmeal the night before in preparation for breakfast in the morning. And sourdough was much more the norm for our bread, using a “starter” which was nothing more than soaked grain that pulled in beneficial bacteria from it’s environment and fermented while sitting on the counter of the kitchen while waiting for it’s daily use. Gone are the days we toiled for our food.…. well, maybe not! We just might be coming “full circle”, especially for those of us who want to avoid traditional medicine for the rest of our lives.

With all the disease prevalent in our modern culture, one thing remains constant; our food preparations have become faster and faster. We have faster everything and food is on the top of that list.

So although this post is short today, I want to direct you to some exciting ideas by Sallon Fallon, author of Nourishing Traditions, The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats.

In this book, you will find the fascinating reasons and benefits behind traditional food preparation and how foods prepared in our rush lifestyle are stealing the nutrients from our body. One example is that as a Hashimoto’s sufferer, I was made aware early on that most (if not all) of us with Hashimoto’s Disease can claim a B Vitamin deficiency. Okay, and we usually have some form of gluten/wheat sensitivity. This is where it gets interesting to me. Guess what vitamin is bound up in wheat? You guessed it; B vitamins! Okay, now we can’t have the food that we need because we react, in some cases, violently to it. Does anyone else find this strange? Well, until I began to understand why we weren’t able to get those wonderful vitamins in the wheat, I was so frustrated! Now I understand that by soaking this same wheat, it releases the enzyme inhibitors which in turn, releases these precious vitamins into our body! Finally an answer!

Now, is it easy to eat this way in modern society? Not really. But let me ask you a more important question. Is it easy to have this disease? I’ll take the diet over the disease any day and I’m sure you are agreeing with me right about now. So, I am taking an online course teaching me how to better incorporate this food preparation into my lifestyle. After about 5 months, I will report to you on how that goes (it’s a 5 month eCourse) and at that point, I will advertise the next session so you will have the chance to take the eCourse yourself. Classes are closed for this session but I will be sure to alert you when they come back around so stay tuned.

I hope this blog helps you to find the right road to good health for you as continue on this journey.

Mo

Here’s my wake-up call to women everywhere: Thyroid disease is NOT your fault. Thyroid disease results when heredity and genetics, autoimmunity, environmental exposures, viral infections, and hormonal shifts come together in a perfect storm to trigger a dysfunction. And while emotional and physical stress, as well as nutrition and lifestyle, can play a role creating a climate receptive for — or fighting against — most diseases including thyroid conditions, these factors are only part of a larger, complicated puzzle.

Women are more susceptible to thyroid disease, as well as most of the more than 80 autoimmune diseases, for a variety of reasons, including the balance of our hormones. Times of hormonal change — i.e., pregnancy, post-partum, perimenopause and menopause — are key trigger points for the development of thyroid disease.

Another factor that can affect your thyroid is overconsumption of soy. In an official letter of protest to the FDA, Drs. Daniel Doerge and Daniel Sheehan, formerly the FDA’s two key experts on soy, contradicted soy’s health claims — which were approved by the FDA — saying:

“…there is abundant evidence that some of the isoflavones found in soy, including genistein and equol, a metabolize of daidzen, demonstrate toxicity in estrogen sensitive tissues and in the thyroid….Additionally, isoflavones are inhibitors of the thyroid peroxidase which makes T3 and T4. Inhibition can be expected to generate thyroid abnormalities, including goiter and autoimmune thyroiditis. There exists a significant body of animal data that demonstrates goitrogenic and even carcinogenic effects of soy products. Moreover, there are significant reports of goitrogenic effects from soy consumption in human infants and adults.”

Dr. Northrup, however, dismisses the opinions of these experts, as well as the many journal articles on the issue, and instead points to the soy industry’s own studies as evidence of soy’s safety for women.

Also from another article from Mary Shomon:

I can’t make it any clearer: Thyroid disease is NOT your fault. It is a result of autoimmunity, environmental exposures, genetics/heredity, and hormone shifts. Yes, stress and diet can play a part in disease– in fact, thyroid problems are, as noted, sometimes triggered by overconsumption of soy. (italics and bold mine)

In order to give her fair representation, I have quoted her full thoughts on what she believes causes thyroid dysfunction. In summary, she maximizes the environmental, hormonal and things “out of our control” and minimizes our own emotional and physical choices. Notice how she minimizes stress and diet – kind of just floats through the statement as though it isn’t there? Is it wise of her to use such a bold statement as “Thyroid Disease is NOT Your Fault” given her admittance that “emotional and physical
stress, as well as nutrition and lifestyle, can play a role”? Doesn’t the bold title convey we absolutely have NO control over this disease? I beg to differ. Here’s an excerpt from her OWN book “Living Well With Hypothyroidism” (2000), suggesting her OWN thyroid problem could have been jumpstarted by none other than a severe pushing of her body to the max during a certain time of her life:

Looking back, I’m fairly sure the onset of my thyroid problem occurred in early 1993, when I was thirty-two… I had about a ten pound weight gain from age thirty to thirty-two, I grew from a size 6/8, to a size 8/10, but didn’t worry much about it. Then in the winter of 1993, I published my first book. I was working an intense fulltime job, then coming home and working late into the night on the new book. I had a new boyfriend. It was a period of several months of intense work/book/life excitement and stress, coupled with too little sleep, poor eating habits, and lot of cigarettes and caffeine… (bold and italics mine)
Page 6

Does this sound like someone who had NO fault in her own body’s decline? Hmmm… does this not sound strangely familiar to what Oprah was saying might be related to her thyroid condition? Then she writes at the end of this article:

P.S. And Oprah, if you’re reading — my wish for you is that someday, you realize that your thyroid condition is truly not your fault. And please reconsider all that soy!

So let me get this straight – I have NO control over my thyroid disease BUT stop using all that soy? Doesn’t that imply I have some control? I hope Mary Shomon considers revising her strong statements about having no control yet publishing many books and articles about how we can actually control our Hashimoto’s Disease! Her statements are confusing in that they give the impression that there’s nothing you can do for your thyroid disease, and yet gives testimony to the positive effects of avoiding soy.

I understand the role I played in the disease that eventually was diagnosed in my body. I was even warned by someone early on that if I didn’t control my stress, I would make myself sick. Even though the event was beyond my control, my emotional response could have been much better. Referring to her sudden weight gain, Ms. Shomon stated, “I didn’t worry much about it”. I reacted the same way when I was warned about my stress. Is it possible that the body was warning her earlier about some stress it was going through but she did not connect the symptoms to change her lifestyle? I think so. But of course, this is just my opinion.

Regarding the other culprits she mentions, environmental, soy, etc., I have no doubt they are likely contributors to some people’s thyroid problems and I am not here to blame all cases of thyroid disease on the person. I am mostly concerned with the bold statement that there is NO fault to be contributed to any thyroid patients in any way!

I am not trying to write a technical story – those of you that have read my articles know I am writing from a patient’s viewpoint and steer away from the technical. However, having lived many years in a body that shows response to my “moods” and my lifestyle choices, I can tell you FOR SURE that we do have some control over the body and it’s function. I have kept journals on how my choice of foods and lifestyle effects my thyroid condition. It always does! That tells me there is control there. Having that information may not solve the problem at this time, but it indicates to me that there may eventually be a way to use this information to help reverse this condition. The body seems to react to stress and asks for changes by alerting us to it in ways that manifest as unusual symptoms. If we don’t “listen” to the body when the symptoms are small, I suspect disease is the outcome.

In my own life, I am aware of traumatic events that came prior to my diagnoses. I am aware of my decision to take medications that are now known to suppress thyroid function, like steroids for my asthma, birth control pills which could have easily made me estrogen dominate, eating high amounts of soy products (buying into the soy hype) and although difficult to control, many stressful events that I hadn’t any idea how to handle. Maybe I wasn’t aware of the damaging effects they might have but I need to admit that I made these choices. I might have been a victim in some ways but nevertheless, I am the one that chose the course. Could it also be that I can also help turn that around? Why wouldn’t that be a positive goal? What would I be losing if I was to make positive changes to my lifestyle that might alleviate or possibly reverse my condition? When should a person “give up”? Or should they?

I am very encouraged by the stress management programs popping up presently which would have been a very important asset to my life years ago – perhaps teaching me how to release pent up emotions for years. I am confident this act alone is a major contributor to thyroid disease. So, in that statement alone, I emphatically disagree with Mary Shomon’s strong statement that there is no blame to be found in the patient. The sooner we admit to any misuse of our body, the sooner we will be in position for healing. It goes both ways. It’s admitted that we can be predisposed to illness (when extra stress is given to the body). Could it be that we are also predisposed to healing (given the right support to the body)? I encourage you to think about the implications of such a possibility.

In an effort to ease your mind however, I want to make it clear that I am NOT trying to dismiss legitimate factors beyond our control (environmental, viral, etc.) that can result in disease, but to recognize ways you might be contributing to the problem yourself (ie. intense work or demands on the body, too little sleep, poor eating habits, cigarettes, caffeine, etc.) as Mary Shomon has previously admitted. Why would we NOT try to figure out what fault we might have in our own health? That is a troubling thought to me.

Let’s join together and admit any contributions we have made and support each other on correcting them. None of us are “perfect”. It also concerns me to read that Mary Shomon actually said that you can do everything “perfectly” and still have a thyroid problem. Have you ever met a perfect person? I haven’t and that helps me admit my contributions to this disease. It does not make me feel guilty. It makes me feel empowered. I hope you’ll join me and take responsibility for your health.

None of
the information or personal testimonies on this blog are designed to take the
place of being under the care of a qualified medical doctor. Please make sure
you find a caring doctor to treat you for all your health concerns.

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