Dear Thyroid^TM

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

I’m a little upset that my doctors have never mentioned it.  I’m a little upset I had to happen upon this information on the internet.  You’d think this sort of data would be pertinent enough to be conveyed immediately, from physician to thyroid patient. Unfortunately, things just don’t work like that.  And anyway, I didn’t even get a basic explanation of my disease itself at the time of my diagnosis.  I guess I can’t expect too much.  I guess the internet would be the only way I’d ever learn about this thyroid-helper gland.  This week, pretty much, I’m shitting a brick, and I hope by the end of this, you will be too.

Previously, I’ve mentioned how important the gut is in managing thyroid disease.  That is, if our gut is dysfunctional and is unable to absorb nutrients and our medication, we’re screwed because those essential hormones aren’t being acquired by the body.  And this still holds true.  However, apparently, there is another system at work in treating thyroid disease: the liver.  Yes, the liver.  The liver as in that thing that is supposed to detoxify the body from bacteria and pathogens and chemicals and all that alcohol we drink over the course of our lifetime.  Well, aside from being the body’s detoxification system, the liver also metabolizes thyroid hormones.  Crazy right??!  The liver? Thyroid hormones??  Basically, it’s a whole long, complicated, scientific process, which you can read about here and includes some other details that I haven’t mentioned.  But here’s what we need to know today: the liver is integral in both metabolizing those thyroid hormones that are released naturally via our bodies, and also those we ingest via medication.  The liver regulates the systemic endocrine effects of thyroid hormones.  What this means for you and I is this: if our liver is weak, our thyroid hormones are going to be unregulated and/or not absorbed or utilized.   In order for our medication (and/or our body’s natural hormones) to be effective, we need a high-functioning liver.

In addition to thyroid hormone regulation, the liver also plays a role in supporting the digestive system, blood sugar regulation, and fat storage.  Did you catch that last one?  Fat storage.  The liver is responsible for burning fat.  However, if the liver is too busy cleansing our systems from the many toxins we ingest, it cannot be effective at burning fat.  When this important organ is overwhelmed and in a constant state of filtering and toxic overload, we will have a hard time losing or maintaining weight.  But why, you ask, would our liver be in this constant and over-worked state of detoxification?  Well, for one, the liver must eliminate the chemicals we ingest via food on a daily basis.  Things like pesticides (in every non-organic product we buy), chemicals and synthetics that have been added to food, unnatural flavorings, foods that individuals may happen to be allergic to, chemicals like fluoride and chlorine in our water and soda and juice (this includes bottled water), antibiotics and hormones in non-organic animal products, and the list goes on.  Most everything in our environment is toxic at this point, so unless we’re actively and purposefully making natural choices, we’ll be unwittingly putting a toxic load on our liver and body.

Taking care of our liver can mean better thyroid hormone absorption, as well as a better chance at a steady weight.  For me, this information is convincing enough.  I don’t see a downside to trying to help my liver, so I’m making myself a guinea pig.  I’m going to go on a two-month liver detox.  And, here’s the kicker: I’m inviting you along with me!  Yes, you, my dear readers!  But before you freak out like this is gonna involve eating nothing but alfalfa sprouts and carrot juice, hear me out.  A liver detox program actually requires no deprivation or fasting and you’re not doing anything extreme.  It simply involves eating whole foods (of course, organic is always the best choice, if you can), tons of cleansing and nutrient-dense vegetables, nuts and seeds, good fats (especially those known to aide in liver function, like coconut oil), fruits (citrus especially), herbs and spices and digestive aids, and if you choose to eat animal products just try and make sure they’re organic (meat, eggs) or wild-caught (fish).  Avoid common allergens (gluten, dairy, etc.) and starches.

What to include in your liver detox:

• Lemon water. Drink lots of water in general, but lemon has great flushing and antibacterial properties.
• Supplements. I bought the Renew Life brand Critical Liver Support, which not only contains extracts and antioxidants that are known to strengthen and detoxify, but it also contains amino acids that are utilized by the liver.
• A liver detox drink, such as Caisse’s Tea, which is nothing more than some more of those extracts brewed in a liquid form.  I’ll be taking it before eating in the morning, as well as before bedtime. Today was my first day trying it, and fyi, not at all gross. Actually pretty refreshing.
• More liver-friendly spices: turmeric, onions, garlic, dill.
• Whole, unprocessed foods. Plain and simple.
• Vegetable (and fruit) juices via a juicing machine.  I’m going to be adding vegetable juices to my snack repertoire.  I’ll probably be relying mainly on green, non-starchy vegetables like celery (really yummy and refreshing as a juice) and sprouts. 

What I’m not hoping for:

• A miracle cure-all
• Anything too difficult or challenging
• Hunger. I just can’t and won’t do it
• Any life-changing results in a two-month time frame

What I am hoping for:

• Greater immunity, even if only by a smidge
• My body’s ability to better fend off the infections to which I am prone
• A little more energy (perhaps due to my body’s ability to absorb my thyroid hormone a bit better)

So please, join me in this little (safe/not-too-complicated) experiment.  I’ll keep you updated over the next two months about the state of things via a special blog which you can find here.  I’ll be including pictures of what I’m eating, notes on how I feel, and any readings or research that relate.  I’m hoping to update it frequently, like, as in daily, if we’re lucky.  If you’re participating in the challenge, be sure to keep me updated how you’re doing too, either via the new blog, or here in the comment box, or via my email, Liz@DearThyroid.com.  I started my two months today, which means you can either join in now or begin at the start of this new week.  How exciting!

Resources:

• Chemicals in Our Diets Produce Fat People 
• Fast Track Liver Detox

Until Next Week,

Love Always,

Liz

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

Twitter:

@Yodat Thyroid – why would I need my armpit hair to grow at an alarming rate?

@christinah84 My TSH is good, but I still feel tired even after 10 hours of sleep. What should I do? I wish I could have my life back.

@EAWake I think I’ve ranted something similar before but I am sick of my thyroid inactivity not allowing other meds to work!

@christinah84 I’m taking my meds religiously at the same time each day. Still I’m sweating like crazy. Can’t hardly wait for winter.

@greeneyez1116 Uhm why exactly am I sweating !? I hate you for this too thyroid.

Facebook:

Cindy Nieswender Not a good day, just felt foggy, couldn’t concentrate and had no energy for anything. It was just a lost day.

Cynthia Reyes Ortega Well it’s the start of a new day for me (I live in Japan) not good either. Just weighed myself and gained 5lbs in a week! Not good! I’m waiting for a call back from the doc so he can give me my lab results! Ughh! Damn thyroid!

Liz Schau Maybe I put too much pressure on your performance. You’re perfect; great; in range. I think I’m accidentally blaming you for some other organ/gland’s failures. Sorry.

Kit Kellison Okay, you jerk! I took a hit out on you and now I’m paying the price. It’s been seven weeks since I had you bumped off and it’s taking forever to get my life going again. I will be a productive member of society, that’s my vow. I WILL win!

Susan Garman So what!!! I stayed out late two nights in a row and you have to have me dragging for an entire week. What’s up with that!!!

Natasha Kahn Keep up the good work! We’re working well together lately. See how nice it is? See how both of our dispositions have improved?? Wouldn’t you like to be like this always? We can.

Billie Jean Doty Well, I’ve finally figured out who keeps pushing me from behind every time I stop walking.  It’s my OWN ass.  Thanks for that clarification.

Rebekah McAlinden Yo Thyroid – that tight clenching I get in my throat when I’m stressed? It’s not that helpful in exams. I would truly appreciate it if you could just stop doing that now. Thanks.

Giggle G Giggle I have had more heartburn since the removal. I only really had heartburn when I was pregnant and I know that is not happening lol. So is this a common thing for other Cancer patients or ones who had removal or are on thyroid meds? It SUCKS!

Second one: getting bitched out by the EX for not getting enough done. Like he understands crap! Thanks thyroid for making things much more tiring and resulting in something the ex’s bipolar mood swings can direct his problems at.

Megan Orr Dear Thyroid, thanks for needing to be removed which caused some damage to my vocal chords. Now I can’t even scream when I’m mad.

Laura Chen It’s so annoying, so f-ing awful. No one should ever, ever need to experience this!

Lori Caprio Callahan I have LOVED butterflies all my life and I am really pissed off that this beautiful creature represents something that has been sucking the life out of me and causing such horrific pain. But, listen up “thyroid gland”, you’re a F’in good fighter but I will not lose. I will rise above and dance with the butterflies again! You watch and see!!!

Rebekah McAlinden Also thyroid, not at all happy about this new flu that I’ve picked up. Can you stop messing with my damn immune system?

Lysa Rivera I miss my hair! My flat(ter) stomach, and being able to get a full 8 hours of sleep. :=(

Kathleen Taylor I went for an occupational physical this week. The very supportive medical director asked the loaded question, “How are you doing?” My reply, “Better, since my most horrible visit with the endo”. So, he begged me to explain… which I did. His reply, “The doctor acted inappropriately with you, but more, she probably didn’t know what to do WITH you, so she blamed it ON you”. Now I ask thyroid, is this what I’m doing with you, or what you’re doing with me, too?! You make it so that I can’t figure anything out anymore. Help me out here.

Becky Adams De Luca Do I love you or do I hate you? I do not know right now, but I do owe you an apology for having you cut in half. I know it wasn’t your fault, but that golf ball had to go. I was having trouble living, washing my hair, sleeping, and breathing, and if I can’t breathe, you can’t live. I thought it was a compromise we could live with. I get rid of half of you and I can breathe again!

In the four days since the procedure, I am feeling fine. I feel the void where the lump used to be, but cannot say I am sad. I need now to wait and see if you will love or hate me.  Love, Becky

I’m really no good at setting up a scene. A scene as in, you know, literarily, on a page or screen to detail a certain time and space.  Sure I went to school for this stuff, and have written enough 15-to-20-page personal essays that have been marked and inked-up with reminders to “show, not tell” and “set the scene” to have better technique by now.  But somehow I always seem to have a problem getting the certain specifics in place, like the wallpaper shade and pattern, or which fruit was in the bowl on the dining room table, or if the coffee cup was on a saucer or actually in my hand.  And maybe those details don’t matter anyway. 

Take for example, yesterday: a nothing-special kind of afternoon with a whole bunch of peace and quiet and an appointment for a haircut.  A haircut. Simple right?  Easy enough.  No reason it shouldn’t be something other than relaxing.  I can’t say I’ll be able to set up the whole scene, but I’ll tell you the important parts: me, a helpless me, at the mercy of a crazed, thyroid-hating, spiky-haired, purple-highlighted Debbie Downer.  The entire 45-minute session, she wasn’t able to conjure up one nice thing to say about the state of my hair, or even a measly bit of obligatory chitchat:  “Wow. Your hair is so dry”, “It’s very thin at the ends”, “What kind of shampoo do you use, again?”, “Your hair is drying up on me… and I just wet it!”, “You dye your hair at home, don’t you? I can guess from the color. Oh you don’t? Oh, well, the color is just beautiful! Very pretty.”

I left the chair feeling violated.  This woman has effectively rubbed my disease right in my face without even realizing.  Sure, maybe she just wanted to sell me some conditioning cream.  However, for me, it seems inexcusable and it left me with too many questions. Should I have spoken up and defended my disease?  Do I even want to defend this ugly disease?  Should I have said to her (in the politest, syrupy sweet manner of course), “Excuse me, surely you have no possible way to know this, only because we’ve never met and the few words we have exchanged have been rather impersonal and demoralizing, but you see, I have this thing called hypothyroidism (specifically the autoimmune kind where your own body attacks itself. Yeah for a writer, it’s a pretty sad scene; a bit too much metaphor for my taste).  In fact, my whole life has been spent with really dry hair and dry skin. You’re not the first hairdresser who’s noticed it.   Anyway, the point is, I have a DISEASE and so, I’d prefer if you not judge my hair management skills because, trust me, I eat a shit load of good fats (you know, oils, nuts and seeds, fish — things that are supposed to be really good for hair, and also let it air-dry 9 out of 10 times).  The unfortunate and annoying thing about this disease is that I am constantly dehydrated. Like, thirsty all the time. But not just “thirsty” — thirsty as in 2.5 gallons a day. Yeah, talk about potential kidney failure. Oh also, my thyroid gave my hair this bright orangey glow… you never know what’ll happen when your hormones are going all crazy.  You can’t make that shit up. So maybe, instead of telling me what a shame it is that I really let myself go, and that I need to buy some of your endocrine-disrupting products that are probably chock-full of parabens and gluten that will only exasperate my condition, have a little empathy. Or, at least, think before you fucking speak”?

If you’re a weekly follower of this here column, you probably read last week’s “How To Kick Your Thyroid’s Ass: When In Rome??, Part II” (I’d love you if you did).  If so, you get that this is a running theme: people unwittingly rubbing my disease in my face, if you will.  Last week it was people asking why I was so uptight and wouldn’t have a beer, or why I wasn’t interested in the wheaty/buttery deliciousness of the hors d’oeuvres at my cousin’s wedding.  This week, it’s hair.  A few months ago it was, “Why don’t you ever remember anything I tell you?” So here’s my question: speak when spoken to?  Is part of the healing process explaining our disease to people (possibly, strangers) who are, clearly, very ignorant and insulting? (“Healing process” as in, whatever that may be for each individual, since “healing” can mean many different things on this path to being more well despite illness).  Or is it better to not fight back?  What do you do when people insult your disease?

In the end, I said nothing and still tipped her twenty percent.  I don’t know if part of me was scared to divulge the details of my disease because it seemed inappropriate and out of place in the middle of a salon, or if part of me felt she wasn’t privileged enough to hear something so personal.  Part of it was also that I felt for her because she had no clue and no way of guessing just from looking at me that yes, my body is sick and doing a whole bunch of shit I can’t control.  I couldn’t return the insult with an insult.  But maybe that’s just my cowardice showing.  Just like this particular hairstylist, other people generally mean well but have no fucking clue that what’s coming out of their mouth in situations like these is so insulting.  Is it okay to speak when spoken to?  Is it necessary?  Is it a rite of passage in this club we call disease? And if we do speak, is it healing?

Until Next Week,

Love Always,

Liz

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