How To Kick Your Thyroid’s Ass: Update to the Two-Month Liver Detox Challenge

As of today, we’re a month and a few days (give or take, depending on when you started) into the Two-Month Liver Detox Challenge.  That means about three more weeks to go.  I just want to offer a few reasons to keep at it, for those who are participating.  For those who aren’t, it’s never too late to get on the detox bandwagon.  Let’s remember why we’re doing this in the first place and why we, as thyroidians, even give two shits about the liver: it processes thyroid hormone.  A weak liver, or a liver too busy and distracted by chemicals and toxins in the body won’t be able to ensure our thyroid hormones are distributed properly.  That’s a big deal because no matter how many times Mr. Endocrinologist ups the dose, a toxic liver still won’t be able to distribute that pill’s contents.

The past month, for me, has been spent eating healthy (whole and organic) detox foods; things like avocados, onions and garlic, lettuce, celery, parsley, ginger, squash, peas, broccoli and cabbage (sparingly and/or cooked thoroughly), wild-caught fish, seeds, sea salt and herbs and spices, anti-inflammatory oils like olive and coconut and palm, and tons of purified water and lemon.  I’ve also included an herbal tea that supports liver function, as well as a supplement that contains liver-stimulating herbs and amino acids.

The first two weeks, the noticeable difference was that, apparently, detoxing makes you have to use the bathroom alot (in more ways than one).  It also ended up making me extremely thirsty.  But, once I got over those difficulties (they did go away), I actually have ended up with more energy.  Trust me, it’s not miraculous; I’m not running marathons or drafting my memoir.  But, there has been an increase in my mental and physical energy.  I have been able to concentrate more, and I don’t get tired as easily in the mornings and afternoons.  Even if the improvement has been small, it is still worth celebrating in my book.  And if I had to make a judgement about the future, I have a feeling I may even stay at this after the two-month marker, just because I will take all the mental and physical stamina I can get.  Also, since most everything in our food supply and environment and personal beauty products contain toxic chemicals (and don’t forget the untested synergies), I’m pretty convinced that one can never do enough purifying — our immune systems, organs, and brains are constantly bombarded with these toxins.  (Side note: a great book that addresses this very issue of toxins in our food, water, environment and homes, and the chemical synergies that result and damage our bodies is The Hundred Year Lie.  I would highly suggest buying it.  I own it.  It’s amazing.  It’s loaded with info on endocrine disruptors).

For those who are partaking in this challenge with me, and even for those interested in learning more, here are some great resources on detox and the liver — great incentives to keep at it.   These are taken directly from the Two-Month Detox Challenge blog:

• Probiotics May Protect Your Live
• Foods to eat and avoid on a detox diet
• Ten Alternative Plants that Cleanse the Liver, Part I
• What are Toxins in my Body? Detox 101. Facts and Myths.
• Fast Track Liver Detox: Part One

 

Until Next Week,

Love Always,

Liz

 

Have a question, comment, story, love letter, or rant/rave to send me?: Liz@DearThyroid.com

How To Kick Your Thyroid’s Ass: Another Way To Be Deliciously Gluten-Free

November marks one year for me, being completely, consciously, deliciously gluten-free.  The improvements in my health really are so marked, and isn’t it funny what a little protein found in a “healthy” grain can do to one’s entire system?  Being gluten-free goes against conventional nutrition because we have been taught that grains, especially whole grains, are essential to good health and wellbeing.  But, I don’t buy it (remember, we’re trying to be nutritionally deviant, which is über sexy!!!).  And so, in addition to being gluten-free, I am also grain-free because for me, my research and readings coupled with my personal experience (more energy, less infection, fewer migraines, weight loss and a stable weight, no digestion problems) allow a grain-free lifestyle to just make sense.  So many of you keep in contact with me either via Facebook, Twitter, the Dear Thyroid site itself, or email, and let me know that the same is proving true for you — you feel great, alive, amazing, and your levels finally seem to be balanced.  I love hearing this so much.  For those of you just starting out on your gluten-free (or grain-free) journey or for those who have been living the lifestyle for quite a while now, please keep at it!  It can seem difficult at first and all of your hard work may seem in vain, but in time, chances are, you’ll feel better!  Since I’m only one year in myself, we’re all in this together!

In light of all that, today I’d like to introduce you to one of my newest favorite ingredients: coconut flour.  It’s a flour made from the meat of coconuts, and is therefore, gluten-free and grain-free.  Coconut is, in my opinion, a superfood of sorts.  That is, it contains the substance lauric acid.  Lauric acid is a powerful antibacterial agent and immune booster, which is also found in human breast milk.  Remember, balanced bacteria in the body equals high immunity, and lauric acid consumption can regulate the “bad” bacteria.  It also stimulates the thyroid, which stimulates metabolism, which can equal weight loss.  (PS: You’ll also be receiving the benefits of lauric acid should you use coconut oil, which I do, and is delicious and thyroid-stimulating as well — good news for us hypos, though hypers should moderate their use). 

Coconut flour is high in protein, low-carb, and contains fiber as well as other essential vitamins and minerals.  It’s low on the glycemic index which means it won’t spike blood sugar, contribute to weight gain, or leave you feeling fatigued after eating (you know, the way that, conversely, grains do).  And because coconut contains good fats, it will still give you the feeling of fullness and satiety that grains provide without the drop in energy afterward.

Since coconut flour is used as a replacement for grain flours, it’s typically utilized in baking and cooking: cakes, cookies, pancakes, scones, biscuits, crackers, crepes, muffins, brownies, and crusts, to name a few.  It’s also a great replacement for traditional white or wheat flour for breading, bread crumbs, or as a thickener in soups and stews.  A more coarse coconut flour (or even coconut flakes) can be sprinkled on yogurt, thrown into granola, made into trail mix, or blended in smoothies. Really, the possibilities are endless, as are the recipe resources on the internet.  Let us know how your recipes turn out and what you end up concocting!

Purchasing:

• Tropical Traditions is sort of considered the gold standard in coconut products.  They are what we’d consider “beyond organic” — their family-run business places the health of their consumer and the health of their employees and harvesters as top priority.  Their organic coconut oils and flours are the highest quality.  And, good news for you — they’re actually running a web special until November 1^st — buy one, get one free on bags of coconut flour.
• Dr. Mercola also offers an organic coconut flour via his website’s store.  You can also read his reasons for using the flour — the associated health benefits and the drawbacks to other gluten-filled wheat flours as well as “alternative” flours, such as soy.
• I have also found coconut flour (and flakes) at my local Whole Foods, or health food store.

Recipe Resources:

• I’m a big fan of Elana’s Pantry — a great gluten-free, grain-free, and sometimes dairy-free recipe website.  This is the first place I’d direct you in your coconut flour experiments.  Several of her recipes call for coconut flour.  They look delicious.

Until Next Week,

Love Always,

Liz

Have a question, comment, story, love letter, or rant/rave to send me?: Liz@DearThyroid.com 

How To Kick Your Thyroid’s Ass: Finding Our Place Amidst The Pink

This is not a popular opinion, but I’m a little resentful towards Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  I see it all over the news, on sidebar advertisements on the internet, and in the corners of little avatar icons on certain websites.  Every time I go to the grocery store I am reminded, and even in the most absurd and remote places with which you’d never actually equate disease and awareness: a shoe store, a candy aisle, a home goods shoppe.  Nothing says create awareness and cure this disease like a pink-handled can opener.  And maybe that’s all secondary to my point anyway, because if that can opener is bringing about dialogue and real change for the cause, then, great.  Of all the women (and men) who die each year of breast cancer and with a media saturated with pink this and pink that and ribbons in remembrance and symbolism, a pink October is good only if it encourages people to actually give a damn, get proactive, and realize how precious and fragile their health really is.

But here’s where the resentment part comes in here: the truth — the dirty-little-secret-of-a-story that isn’t being illuminated on the news this month is that autoimmune disease affects five times more people than cancer.  Fifty million Americans are living with at least one autoimmune disease, versus the 11 million with cancer.  Five times more lives are affected by autoimmune disease.  Five times and we have no one (united) autoimmune ribbon; we have no can openers, no tennis shoes, no tote bags and aprons, pens, sunglasses or cameras.  No water bottles, bracelets, step stools (yes, step stools), tweezers (yes, tweezers), blankets, scissors, blow dryers, sleeping bags, or socks.  We have no nationally-recognized walks and runs and bake sales for our cause. Five times and we have nearly no media coverage and attention.  Five times and — fuck it — we don’t even have our own doctors.  There are no autoimmune doctors.  PCPs, specialists, internists, integrative doctors, endocrinologists, ENTs, rheumatologists, even infectious disease doctors (how demoralizing is that??) know nothing about my disease.

What’s more, 90% of the general public don’t even know the name of one single autoimmune disease; they can’t conjure up the name of even one condition.  Crohn’s, Lupus, Celiac, Type 1 diabetes, Psoriasis, Juvenile Arthritis:  90% of people can’t name those?  What does this tell us about autoimmune disease coverage in the media?  Or better yet, what does this tell us about the numbers of people who are silently enduring an undiagnosed autoimmune disease all because they haven’t been made aware that their symptoms are real and there is a name for them? 

The scary reality is that, just like cancer, people are dying at the hands of these diseases.  Autoimmunity is the eighth leading cause of death among women in the United States (the diseases affect women 75% more of the time than they do men).  This amounts to a staggering $120 billion burden on the nation’s health care system, versus cancer’s $70 billion dollars.  And still we have no ribbons.  And still we have no doctors. 

So this week, how to kick your thyroid’s ass involves nothing more than these few short thoughts in honor of this month, all in an effort to get us thinking, questioning, and speaking.  This week, the path toward greater wellness is really rather clear: autoimmune disease needs a whole hell of alot of voice; from you.  Even if your thyroid disease isn’t autoimmune, remember that you still (sadly) have a chance of developing it in your lifetime, so, for that reason, this is important for all of us.  Autoimmunity is eclipsed by other (highly-marketable) diseases, even though autoimmune disease affects more people and does cause death.  Let’s face it: boobs — even if they are sick — are marketable. 

If we want more chances at being well, we need to keep speaking up.  Maybe one day all this fight and voice (thyrants, Dear Thyroid letters, comments, blogs, books, conversations with friends and family, etc.) will secure us something — such as doctors who specialize only in our specific diseases and don’t follow a five-bullet list of generic symptoms; or, proper mainstream treatment options that are effective and don’t cause a whole host of other problems (cancer included); or, the big one for me — an elimination of endocrine disruptors and immune aggravators (and carcinogens) in our food and water supply and environment.  And if nothing else, maybe one day, autoimmune diseases will end up with their very own ribbon or step stool or can opener.

Until Next Week,

Love Always,

Liz

Also, please do yourself a favor and read this: “The Autoimmune Epidemic: Bodies Gone Haywire In A World Out Of Balance”

Have a question, comment, story, love letter, or rant/rave to send me?: Liz@DearThyroid.com

How To Kick Your Thyroid’s Ass: A Little Heart To Heart

 

I’m starting this installment with a dedication.  I’m dedicating these words to our good friend and thyroid sister, Mrs. Anita Roberts.  She wrote a little note this week that, once read, prompted me to remember why it is I care about all this food stuff to begin with.  I start getting that excited-with-a-whole-lot-of-sadness-and-heavy-knotting in my stomach when I read things like that.  It’s the kind of emotion where you only feel so excited and ready to live and confront life because you just realized how many absurdities and how much perversion really exist (and how much needs to be fixed).  She says she relied heavily on Dr. Mercola in her note, of whom I am a fan and who is really a health pioneer and actually believes in people like you and I — the chronically-ill.  As Anita says, “I’m a bit new to doing it right; had massive illness kick my head into proper gear. But at the same time, I think I can be a testament to the efficacy of doing it right. It takes work. It takes effort, determination and thought. And it’s worth it in ways I can’t even articulate.”  I agree, and so, Anita, thank you. 

This week, I want to have a little heart to heart with you all; well, maybe more like “straight talk”.  There are a few things I think we should talk about.  You’re well aware — I’m constantly immersed in food:  thinking about food, reading about food, planning what I’d like to eat and shopping for such food (which, yes, usually turns out to be rather delicious).  It’s really always been this way — even long before thyroid disease and long before I’d ever heard the word “autoimmunity” or, as a writer, understood its sickly implications and all-too-sad metaphor.  Food was and is so much of me.

For the last two-and-a-half years, food has become something much more meaningful than what is a chinois?, or, quinoa is actually a fruit, or, “orecchiette” means “little ears” and “farfalle” means “butterfly”, or that you never press things down — pancakes (wait until you can see the bubbles), steaks, burgers — you let them cook and you let the heat from the griddle or grill do its job and you never press them down.

Now, food is much more about the science behind it (micronutrition it’s called) — what it’s comprised of and how it will either help or hurt my body to function.  What nutrients do bodies need to perform at their peak and am I getting those everyday?  What are the best nutritional strategies for easing inflammation and repairing my gut?  How do I feed my brain and which foods will help me avoid the infections to which I am prone?  In trying to sort of these kinds of questions, I’ve also gotten a rude awakening.  The food we eat in this country isn’t really food.  It’s been altered, coated, made artificial, concocted, sterilized, killed and implanted without our consent, and largely, without our knowledge.  It’s all so foreign at this point and no longer travels that straight and sacred path from ground to table.

I don’t write these things to scare you or to be all debbie downerish, which we all already know I’m very good at.  I write these things because they affect our health and have the ability to make us more well or make us more sick.  And because this information is being suppressed so that consumers like you and I continue buying our food all under the illusion that we are protected from disease-promoting foods, let’s be clear: we simply are not.  Food will either fuel our bodies, or it will cause our bodies to violently react or go into deficits.  Our food choices and our food purchases are that important and they are the very basis for any wellness at all.  These words are all in an effort to prompt you to see how our food system is corrupt and how this corruption affects our bodies.  But (and this is a big, huge, life-changing “but”) — we have the power to give a damn and do something the fuck about it.

As people with chronic illnesses, we have to be very in tune with our bodies.  After all, we’re scrutinizing every doctor’s appointment, every blood work and lab results, our medication level and the appropriate ways to take it (first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach and with a full glass of water).  We examine and scrutinize everything.  We like to pick apart test results and ask the physician why, if our numbers are in range, do we still feel like dog shit.  Or, if our numbers are out of range, why can’t he reduce/increase the dosage appropriately?  Or, the best of them all — why the hell wouldn’t our weight loss/weight gain/fatigue/depression/insomnia be related to our thyroid disease — just how can this be so???

In light of all of that, below is an abbreviated list of other things we need to scrutinize… things we have to scrutinize.  They’re current food-related issues that I think it’s important you know about.  This is what is happening to our food supply without our consent and while our bodies are acting out in rebellion. We have so many reasons to actually give a damn about this list:  125 million Americans with (diagnosed) chronic illness, 50 million with (diagnosed) autoimmune disease, and 27 million with (diagnosed) thyroid disease. No longer can each case and every incidence be solely genetically justified.  

1. Genetically-Modified Organisms (GMOs)  are those foods that are not indigenous to our planet.  The main purveyor of GMOs is the Monsanto Corporation.  They create seeds that have been implanted with bacteria or other foreign entities (such as proteins, for example) that either extend the shelf life of a crop, or make them resistant to pests, herbicides, etc.  Unlike many European nations, the American food industry is not required to label a food as genetically-modified.  If you eat processed foods, you will almost certainly be consuming a genetically-modified corn or soy ingredient/derivative. No one knows the health risks associated with eating foods that are foreign to our bodies and the earth’s ecosystem, though many diseases and side effects have been implicated.  And wouldn’t it make sense that, after time, the body reacts against these foreign entities?  Autoimmune disease, anyone?
2. 1 in 100 people (that number grows every year) are gluten intolerant. Period.  We are being exposed to gluten in epic proportions with every bite of processed food because gluten is used as a filler and flavoring agent. Standard blood work often does not identify a gluten allergy/intolerance.  Both blood work and intestinal biopsy can result in false negatives.  Most recently, cutting-edge research has shown that one need not have gluten antibodies in their bloodstream or damaged villi in their gut to be intolerant.  One study found gluten antibodies on the thyroid itself, in a patient with Thyroiditis!  An inflammatory protein on an inflamed gland — how revolutionary! Our understanding of this gluten protein is so minute compared with the damage it can be doing to our systems while we’re awaiting outdated and flawed tests to determine what action we will take.  Start listening to your own body versus a possible false negative.
3. An acronym you need to know: C.A.F.O, or Confined Animal Feeding Operation.  C.A.F.O.s are horrific close-quartered animal production “farms” (read: death warehouses) where cows (dairy and otherwise), pigs, chickens, etc. are contained in such close quarters and in such inhumane ways that they end up acquiring various illnesses and conditions.  Animals are forced to live in pools of their own feces, chickens are forced to sit upon ammonia-laced newspaper shreds which end up literally burning right through their feathers and skin, causing scarring.  Animals are given a sickly cocktail of hormones and antibiotics due to the tight space and communicable ailments, as well as have their beaks or tails cut so that they cannot bite each other in the tiny spaces in which they are forced to live.  Animals are not even fed a diet they would naturally eat in the wild, which means they are given grains and soy (both almost always genetically-modified).  This unnatural diet causes bacterial infection, which prompts antibiotic use as well.  This doesn’t just refer to the meat our country is eating, but also eggs and dairy, and it is toxic.
4. Pesticides used in growing our food contain endocrine disruptors and carcinogens.  Plain and simple.  Buy organic. (Also, don’t forget that these chemicals are damaging to the liver and the liver is vital in thyroid function and overall health). 
5. Our fruits, vegetables, some grains, and now, meat products are irradiated, if not purchased as organic.  Irradiation is a process used to kill bacteria and viruses from food products.  However, it does not kill all bacteria, which renders some “irradiation-resistant” (super bug, anyone?).  Also, of course, there are other major drawbacks that include reduced vitamin and mineral content in the food (as much as 5-80%!), creation of free radicals and new toxic chemicals, and the reduction or death of enzymes.  Killing enzymes is a big deal folks.  Our bodies require enzymes to digest food.  The enzymes naturally found in foods are what our body uses to process the food without putting strain on our organs and system.  According to the Organic Consumer’s Association (a great organization): “If unlabeled, raw foods that have been irradiated look like fresh foods, but nutritionally they are like cooked foods, with decreased vitamins and enzymes. The FDA allows these foods to be labeled ‘fresh.”  Each time we take a bite of a non-organic food that has been irradiated, we’re putting huge amounts of stress on our bodies and we aren’t even certain of the long-term side effects. 
6. The façade of pureness emanating from the bottled water industry is, quite frankly, a load of bullshit, as the industry is self-regulated (read: nearly no accountability whatsoever).  Most bottled water is not even filtered, but instead, sourced from municipal tap water supplies and, then bottled and sold under the guise of purity.  Both tap water and bottled water contain all sorts of pharmaceuticals, as well as chlorine and fluoride.  Chlorine will give you a yeast infection (systemic, intestinal, or otherwise localized) before you can say Diflucan, please.  Fluoride will slow thyroid function and has been linked to everything from spotting on the teeth (ironic, right?) to neurological damage.  Bottled water is not clean and is not pure and it is lacing our insides with chemicals. 
7. The breeds of cows from which we derive our dairy, called A1 cows, contains a genetic mutation which contains the small protein peptide called BCM 7.  What you need to know about BCM 7 is that it causes undesirable side effects in human beings and is linked to a variety of illnesses.  The milk we buy in the grocery store comes from A1 cows.  BCM 7 is not only an opiate, but is linked to everything from autism to schizophrenia, as well as interference with immune system response, type 1 diabetes, heart disease, mucus secretion, and inflammation.  In addition, according to some researchers, casein is “the most relevant cancer promoter ever discovered”.
8. I saved the most important for last: Codex Alimentarius.  If nothing else, please pay attention to this one.  Codex Alimentarius is a set of rules and regulations that are being imposed worldwide, which promote ideas of “consumer safety” in the food industry, which sounds like a good thing, right?  But in reality, its aim is to limit the scope of the natural health community, all in the interest of big pharmaceutical companies.  Things like organics and herbal supplements and vitamins are all in jeopardy.  The head of this committee, Dr. Rolf Grossklaus has announced that there is no room for nutrition in the realm of health and that nutrients are, in fact, toxic entities that are dangerous to the public health.  You realize this gives me a panic attack every time I think about it, right?  Hearing someone tell me that all my hard work — all these nutrients and vitamins and minerals, pesticide-free foods, omega 3s, probiotics, herbs and supplements that I have been putting into my body for the last year and a half have nothing at all to do with my no need for medication, with my antibodies in range, with my — hello!! — remission from an autoimmune disease!?! (how is this even possible??), infuriates me more than anything because food does and can bring about wellness.  My goal isn’t to preach a miracle cure-all, but my story has to elicit hope.  And the idea that hope is being taken from people like you and I — those with an official diagnosis — is simply vile, especially considering it’s all in the name of profit.  Please read more into Codex and spread the word and take action against it.  

On a lighter note — some people/organizations/websites that I like, maybe you will like, and whom I trust (though always with a discerning eye because we can’t and don’t always agree on everything):

1. Dr. Mercola
2. Organic Consumer’s Association
3. Michael Pollan
4. Civileats
5. Marion Nestle 
6. Food Renegade

Think about it.

Until Next Week,

Love Always,

Liz

Have a question, comment, story, love letter, or rant/rave to send me?: Liz@DearThyroid.com