Dear Thyroid^TM

(Written by Louise Sopher, Hashimoto’s Patient)

Dear Thyroid,

Prior to the last few months I was constantly occupied with either irritating, hilariously irritating (and stupid), then finally, brilliant eventful occasions. I thought it was about time that we both addressed the way in which you made me turn, point and laugh at myself time after time after hilariously stupid time. Oddly I cannot remember each and every stupid and clumsy thing which you made me do not long ago and somewhere between the summer months and the end of hilariously stupid year. Still, let us try, and laugh at what I do remember:

Stupid thing number one: I lost my brand new—literally days old—Prescription Charge Exempt card (which I do actually thank you for as it is a kind gift). Well, let’s not say lost: it fell out of my wallet as I got either in or out of my car just down the road.

Now I believe that this surely must’ve been a hint by you, Thyroid, of how unappreciated you were of having more pills thrown on your head, although you cannot be angry about that considering that they are supposed to help you. And even if it wasn’t, it certainly was some kind of a reaction by you, considering that any other card could’ve dropped out at that moment – any other card. And there were quite a few.

Now, for a minute, let’s cross stupidity with luck: arriving home I was greeted with that unwelcoming “something’s missing” feeling (as if one card less made my wallet lighter!) and, after several checks of pockets and the car floor, arrived upon the conclusion: “I’ve lost a card!” Hoping to go out for a walk anyway, I decided to switch my usual walk for the minimum hour-long walk down the road, whereupon I found myself standing on the pavement aside the spot where I had that morning parked my car. And there it was: the card I’d lost, still sitting, totally unseen by anyone, waiting for me to rescue it from the streets. Cheers.

I had thought I was lucky. I had thought I was brilliantly clever. But that was just the start of it, because, lo and behold – Stupid thing number two: I sent my paychecks back to the people who sent them to me!

Now that really was stupid. And I’m talking unbelievably stupid. Thyroid, you must of been impressed with your clever act, you evil little bugger. You left me to clear that one up on my own. We victims of bullying thyroids must always work hard to clear up their mess. It’s like a kitchen full of boys: they leave a trail of their stomach-insides.

And it didn’t stop there.

Whilst enjoying walking in my absolute favourite field I would keep dropping my water bottle. One minute it would be in my hand, the next it was on the floor and I was shaking my head, dismayed at myself. It was like my hand had forgotten that it was holding something. I mean, what hand forgets why it’s open, tight around a water-bottle? Clumsy or what!

Thyroid, you turned me into a walking, perfectly sober, drunk. I kept spilling water. On the examinations results day I first dropped papers and then flipped my phone several times over before finally dropping it, receiving the comment of “smooth” from a well-observing friend. Working at a summer camp I joined in with a sports game and couldn’t catch a single ball. What a prat! No one trusted me to be on their team again!

Thyroid, thyroid, thyroid, part of me wants to swear that if you dare fall asleep again I will make sure that nothing changes unless it’s for the good. Nothing. And part of me, if you do that again, wants to scream and shout internally at you – wanna see me when I’m angry? Oh, no, I don’t either!

Yes, thyroid, I know it wasn’t your fault and all that rubbish – it was our immune system gone ruthless; it was your lack of being able to protect yourself…but you know you have to fight sometimes, thyroid? You have to fight.

Look at me, a matter of months ago: I could barely string a sentence together…very little time ago, every now and again, and at the moment, very rarely (please, please don’t let me talk too soon!) I am stalling over my words and going “what was I saying?“. Usually though, when this is happening at the moment it’s because I am thinking so many things at once; because part of me is working faster than my body can keep up with; however when you, Thyroid, are snoozing away, everything works at a snail’s pace – everything works so slow, in fact, that sentences just don’t quite work so well. What’s that saying – that things never sound as good as they did in your head, do they? Now tell me why people choose to drink when they end up like this?

Now, almost certain that the stupidity and clumsiness was now surely over but still having to tidy up the mistakes of my previous acts (receiving a phone call that a letter I’d sent had been received without a most important document) I was half-excited at a new day and half-angry at myself, and I tried to jump over something (as I quite frequently did) and ended up falling over, dislocating my shoulder. That, I hope, was the end of that.

And good riddance too!

Hoping that you will learn a lesson from your outrageous stupidity,

Your finally perfectly un-drunk outer-casing,

Louise

(Bio): Aged 18, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and I think Hashi’s about a year and a half ago. In May 2009 I saw that the first ever International Thyroid Awareness Week, brilliant though it was, was barely publicised anywhere except on thyroid-related sites. I created my blog: Small But Mighty: A Thyroid Life with the hope of kicking up some of that awareness for the ‘Thyroid Oblivious’ bunch, as well as offering tips to people who have thyroid disease. On my blog on Everyday Health – Life With A Headless Metabolism I’ve been writing about Changes and how they spin around, this way and that way, crafty little buggers, wonderful and horrible, all at once.

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For those who haven’t been following this column and my health journey from the beginning, I’d like to ask you to head on over to The Nourished Life blog and read a piece I wrote for the site this week.  But before you do that, let me give you a little background.

I based this column, How To Kick Your Thyroid’s Ass, on a Dear Thyroid letter I wrote, in which I mentioned I was working on kicking my thyroid’s ass, meaning, it wouldn’t get the best of me and I would find some way to get it working better.  That one line prompted this entire column, whose focus is on natural lifestyle choices, and food and the many ways it can help or hurt the body.

In short, food is science too, and I think that often gets overlooked.  Dietary choices aren’t only a means to lose weight or a caloric equation, they are scientific reactions within the body that can prevent, or contribute to disease.  And it’s funny to me that dietary solutions to symptoms and illness get marked as “alternative” because, since when is science an “alternative” approach?  In my opinion, dietary solutions aren’t in the financial interest of a doctor or pharmaceutical company, which is why they have been branded as “fringe”, “alternative”, “unsafe”, and “ineffective”.  The reality is, however, some doctors and researchers dedicate their entire lives to the discipline of food science.  Take the Rudd Center at Yale for example.  These people spend their waking lives studying food, it’s scientific components, and the effect of those on the body.  So how does this get lost in the doctor’s office?

You can hate me (in the comments section, wink wink), but I believe that our current medication-only approach in much of Western medicine (for the chronically-ill) is inevitably flawed because it does not address root problems of sickness.  Addressing root problems are considered alternative and controversial, and actually support financial interests that have nothing to do with the patient.  Patients who are on medication for years and never truly feel good or normal (even with balanced numbers) know this all too well.  My post for The Nourished Life blog goes in to this.

If we start looking at food as scientific reactions within the body, we can start relying on it more for better wellness and be less scared of its “alertnative-ness”.  Goitrogens, food allergies, inflammation, hormones, genetically-modified foods, vili damage, iodine deficiency or overload, enzymes, antinutrients, bacteria, lectins, amino acids, fatty acids, chemicals in industrial food, food contamination (mercury in fish, ammonia in beef, aflatoxins on nuts and seeds), irradiation, and the list goes on — all science.

My story of food and health and my Hashimoto’s in un-medicated remission started with food science.  Over the months, I’ve recommended a ton of great books, the ones I used in my journey, in hopes you’ll also benefit from it.  Another book I’d like to suggest today is “Win The War Within” by Floyd Chilton, Ph.D.  This book explores the epidemic of inflammation in our country, and how so many diseases are actually related, though they may not seem like it, via inflammation: diabetes, asthma, lupus, eczema, inflammatory bowel disease, allergies, cancer, obesity, arthritis, dementia, atherosclerosis, psoriasis, and so many others.  Because autoimmune diseases, by nature, are inflammatory diseases, I’d suggest this book to anyone with autoimmune thyroid disease, or any inflammatory condition.  Along with extensive science and research, Chilton also provides a food plan that has been proven to reduce inflammation and inflammatory disease.  Let’s use this science to our advantage.

Until Next Week

Love Always,

Liz

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I was speaking to another Dear Thyroid lady this week about candida (that is, my immune system that is slowly recovering from being over-run by the stuff), and the most effective treatments in combating it. I do take several probiotics every day to help with this (I will be posting a resource list for HTKYTA in weeks to come, so you can see just which products, probiotics too, I find most effective and helpful). But, I know, intellectually, that a probiotic is not the best source of beneficial bacteria that I could potentially be ingesting. Naturally fermented foods are actually the best source for this immune-boosting, gut-healing bacteria. This means I have to get over my mental barrier with fermented foods. I may be a very adventurous eater, but I have a real problem with some fermented foods. It’s just a mental block, and it’s keeping me immobilized by candida.

Recently, I started trying (yet again) to incorporate real, healthful fermented foods into my diet — the same foods and the same way traditional cultures have eaten for thousands of years (kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt, pickles, etc.). But keep in mind that fermented foods vary and some are pasteurized, heated, or force-fermented and devoid of good bacteria. So today, I’ve compiled a list of probiotics we can acquire from untraditional sources — those other than a pill supplement; that is, from real foods with live cultures.

Zukay sells a line of salsas, salad dressings, and relishes, all full of probiotics and live cultures: carrot ginger, cucumber mint, red pepper cilantro, sweet basil onion, and others. All products are raw and contain no soy. This would be a simple way to introduce fermented foods into your diet — simply add to salads, atop proteins, or dip with chips.

The Body Ecology Diet website (based on the book by author Donna Gates) offers a line of probiotic drinks that are fermented and contain the good bacteria we need, while still being tasty and refreshing. It is interesting to note that many of these drinks are grain-fermented, some from sources of gluten. However, the website claims that due to fermenting, no detectable gluten has been found in the products. Flavors include passion fruit, coconut, dong quai, whole grain, and innergy.

Recently I came across Coconut Aminos (essentially, a condiment that is used as a substitute for soy sauce), at Whole Foods. Besides being raw and naturally fermented, other health benefits include the fact that this product is soy-free and gluten-free (great for thyroid peeps who haven’t found a replacement for soy sauce or other soy- and gluten-derived condiments). The product is also rich in minerals, and essential amino acids that the body requires for muscle rebuilding and nervous system function.

And lastly — Rejuvenate Foods.  I’m a fan of the company and have been eating more of their raw sauerkraut recently, as well as on and off in the past. It’s good; yummy in fact, and I can actually feel a difference within minutes of eating — I feel better, and lighter (physically and mentally). Though, they also offer entire lines of other items, including salsas, kimchi, fermented salads and veggies, and various nut and seed butters. I buy their products at my local health food store.

Which fermented products do you use? Do you have a mental barrier with fermented foods too? Would you consider trying any of these, or other products that are fermented and contain good bacteria?

Until Next Week,

Love Always,

Liz

Also, Quin and Ericka, please email me your shipping info — you were announced as last week’s Shakeology winners, but we haven’t heard from you! Email me your addresses to claim your goodies!

I’ve been reading a bunch of 2010 top food trend predictions this past week and they got me thinking. I decided to make a list too. While everyone else may be predicting the most popular conventional and consumer-driven food choices for this upcoming year, I’d like to make some health and food predictions that I hope will become popular — especially in our lovely little (or, not-so-little!) thyroid community.

1. Superfoods are trendy these days, and usually happen to be exotic, inaccessible foods that most people have never heard of, let alone are willing to track down at the health food store and shell out the money to purchase. But we’re all familiar with coconut, and I truly consider it to be a superfood. Healthy variations of coconut (preferably organic, minimally-processed, unsweetened) are widely available on the internet and in grocery stores. Though coconut products are not recommended for hyperthyroidism patients, as coconut is known to speed the thyroid, those with hypo symptoms can use it liberally in their diets. I use coconut shreds in my salad for lunch everyday, and coconut oil in my cooking at night. Because it’s full of fat (good, plant-based fat), it satiates and leaves me feeling full and satisfied, and stabilizes my blood sugar so I’m not hungry an hour later and also don’t get the shakes. It’s good at speeding up the thyroid, aiding in weight loss, and treating underlying infection, all while strengthening the immune system.

2. Let’s kill “everything in moderation” this year. A little endocrine disruptor here, and a few bites of soy there — we may put it out of our minds, but it still does affect our bodies. Instead of believing everything in moderation is okay (ie: “a little can’t hurt you”), let’s remember that our bodies are already sick. Anything we can do to lighten their load is worth the effort.

Though, I also don’t think we need to get down on ourselves (or get neurotic). What I’m talking about here are the conscious choices we make that we know aren’t good for us. We simply cannot possibly avoid every chemical in the air, water, food, food packaging, etc. around us. It is so pervasive. But, when we can choose — when we have the conscious choice — let’s choose a lower toxic load for our bodies.

3. More and more of us have decided to go gluten-free, and also identify and eliminate other food allergies. For most of us, these choices have equaled big health gains. My hope for the New Year is that we’ll keep spreading the good word, providing our fellow thyroid patients with sound gluten-free (and food-allergy) resources for them to determine if adopting a GF lifestyle is for them. And hey, gluten-free eating is becoming very mainstream. Even those who aren’t “sick” are finding they feel better when eliminating wheat and other grains from their diet.

4. And finally, this year, I’d like to see the creation of a patient-centered symptom list. I’ve mentioned it over and over — the “acceptable symptoms” list for thyroid patients and the various incantations of thyroid disease is limiting, misleading, and exclusive. I’d like to propose that we create our own list. Meaning, share your symptoms with us — all of them. Whether you just have thyroid disease, or you have two or three or four other diseases and conditions to contend with… what are your symptoms? Because many of the symptoms we experience can be things we don’t want to talk about openly, I propose we keep it anonymous. I’m going to be ironing out the details in weeks to come, but for now, if you feel comfortable, email, Twitter, Facebook, or comment some of your symptoms — whether they’re on the “acceptable list” or not; whether you think they’re thyroid-related or not. Make sure to mention that it’s a symptom you want to add to our list. I’d like to display this somewhere for those pre-diagnosis, or those new to thyroid disease to learn from, and use as a legitimate resource, versus the ten-bullet symptom list they’ll find at their doctor’s office. It can also be used as a resource when their doctor tells them their symptom is “simply not related to thyroid disease”.

What are your health resolutions for the New Year? What trends do you hope catch on? What symptoms do you experience that you think need added to the list?

Until Next Week,

Love Always,

Liz

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