1.0 What to do to heal your thyroid

1.0 What to do to heal your thyroid

So you have developed a Goiter.  What is a Goiter, well a Goiter is swelling of the neck or enlargement of the thyroid gland.  Perhaps you are just tired without reason.  Or maybe your skin is not healing the way it is supposed to.  My journey was largely ignored, or maybe better described as denied... by both medicine and myself.

I went through a lot of self discovery before I developed a dietary protocol to treat my thyroid condition.  To be more specific, my thyroid and adrenal condition.  Of course, like most people, I added things to my lifestyle before I decided to subtract.  How could what I have been taught my entire life be wrong.  Well, through a lot of research I found that the fundamental beliefs that I had were entirely wrong.

What were my symptoms

• Enlarged Neck
• Constipation
• Hemorrhoids
• Weight Gain
• Coughing
• Difficulty Breathing
• Tight Muscles
• Legs loosing hair and looking unhealthy
• Burning Bowel Movement
• Skin not healing

They did not start all at once, the symptoms progressed one by one, from age 19 to 37.  They were easy to ignore at first but as the years went on, the management methods became less and less effective.  The doctor and I denied the issue up until Age 37.  At 37, even though my blood work was normal and I did not look like I had a Goiter (to my Doctor anyway), when my doctor touched my thyroid, it was too stiff.  I got sent for an ultrasound.  The ultrasound confirmed that there was a Goiter with mobile nodules that showed signs of calcification.

This started the process of getting referred to an Endocrinologist.  I hoped for so much more, but the Doctor saw that my blood work was normal and did not see a reason for surgery or medication.  I was surprised that those were the only two options.  I was fortunate in a way that the doctor was teaching a new intern at that time.  When the doctor spoke to the intern in the other room, I overheard him say signs of pre-hashimoto's or pre-graves disease.  Unfortunately, when they spoke with me, they only said no cause for surgery or medication; just to have blood work done every 6 months and to have an annual ultrasound.

I went home disappointed.  I did not want to develop Hashimoto's.  I started researching what is Hashimoto's disease, what are the symptoms, what do I already have.  I kept tracing the symptoms back to the cause.  Over the next two year, I implemented the following.  Each one of these life style changes made a difference, I am almost symptom free.  They can be done independently, but this is the order I did them in.

1.1 Why exercise is the wrong approach for weight management

• Exercise

1.2 Bone Broth and Fermented Foods & The Gut

• Consumer 2 ounces of bone broth daily
• Eat Fermented food once a day

1.3 Gluten, Grains, Brazil Nuts, Cast Iron & The Thyroid

• Go Gluten free
• Go Grain free
• Eat Brazil Nuts
• Cook with cast iron cookware
• Vitamins

1.4 Sleep, Caffeine & The Adrenal

• Sleep at a consistent time of day
• Remove Caffeine from the diet

1.5 Why fasting is the right approach for weight management

• Avoid Grains, Potatoes and Sugars
• Fast to reduce insulin levels
• Fast for at least 12 hours a day
• Eating during the day, not at night
• Workout in the morning (optional)
• Carbohydrates are a good fuel source in moderation, especially complex carbs

Seems really simple, eat right, get plenty of rest and work out your body.  You know, everyone will do well with this, not just people with Thyroid conditions.  That is the point, everyone should do this!  If you are suffering, I hope this helps.  -- The Analytical Tortoise