Some thyroid resources to keep you busy

Greetings one and all. It has been too long since I last managed to tap out some thyroid information and it share with everyone. Hardly a day goes by without something in the news or world events providing inspiration to write about but I just have not made time to sit down and formulate these thoughts into blog posts (yet).

So today I made time. 

I want to share with you some links I have found very useful in my pursuit of good thyroid health. I am sure, having found your way here, you are aware that thyroid disease does not respond well to a one size fits all treatment and so the more information you can gather for yourself, the greater your chances of finding something that works for you. Personally I follow advice from several sources, though not rigidly. Life (and disease) is fluid, ever changing, and while it is important to live well for good health it is also important to enjoy life. Let’s not get bogged down trying to be prescriptive about everything.

Go forth and multiply your thoughts and ideas on how to life well with your thyroid.

www.raypeat.com – Ray Peat understands thyroid disease, metabolism and womens health. Some people may find his work hard to swallow but I think he is right on, man.

http://hypothyroidmom.com/hypothyroid-mom-top-resources/ - Dana Trenti is hypothyroid mom and was one of the first resources I came across in my own search for information. Importantly she campaigns for thryroid testing in pregnancy to prevent unneccesary miscarriage. Although she advicates a Paleo style diet (and I do not) she has some great blog posts so have a look round this site. I am listing her top resources post here which includes Scottish Thyroid Petition, Lorraine Cleavers #thyroidnews and thyroiduk. All great resources.

http://180degreehealth.com/ - sign up to receive some colourful information on how to raise your body temperature. Its not all thyroid related and these guys say its ok to eat MacDonalds, or even worse WHEAT but they are dealing with people who have been at the extreme end of the dieting cycle for too long and are suffering the ill effects which include low body temperature and slow body functions which are of course the same as having low thyroid function. I have found their concept useful. 

www.dannyroddy.com – Danny Roddy explores a lot of Ray Peat ideas and looks at raising body temperature – albeit to regrow hair. It’s all good thyroid health really J

That’s kind of all I have time to give just now but I hope to be back with more soon. Remember, as with all these sites, feel free to ignore content and get back to what you were doing. It is YOUR body, YOUR health and YOUR journey after all. Stay well.

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A happy and healthy 2014 to you all!

I always find I am very reflective around the New Year and resolve to live better, be better, try harder etc etc. This year I have been reminding myself how far I have come on my recovery. I look at how tired I used to be, the constant fatigue I would feel from morning through to night. Waking up exhausted was part of normal life for me and I am incredibly relieved that I have moved on from there. 

I ponder where I might be had I not taken charge of my healthcare. Being in a position that I know many are currently in, where the levothyroxine was not working and the doctors were assuring me that my symptoms were not related to my thyroid I felt hopeless and lost in a life I no longer recognised as my own. When a dear friend talked to me about alternative treatments and methods of dealing with hypothyroidism I felt like I had been given a golden opportunity to recapture my life and I grabbed it with both hands. 

I am only too aware that it is very likely I may have experienced difficulties maintaining a pregnancy yet here I am, well into my second trimester and feeling as good as I can expect to with a 2 year old to run around after :). 

My point here is this: I was once unwell and now I am a lot better. Things are happening in my life that I could never have expected had I remained on my previous trajectory. It is true I have followed non mainstream diet and lifestyle advice but it has succeeded in turning my life around, contrary to the advice from my doctors but this has allowed me to take control of my illness and my life, I now trust my body and learn from its reactions daily. 

My wish for the New Year is that I am able to continue sharing my story and hope that it may help some of you on your road to good health. I believe it is possible – I hope you do too.

Grain grain go away...be prepared for another day

I thought it was about time I posted an update on what I've been eating because I always seem to be talking about it.

As I have mentioned before, the biggest change in my diet has been the elimination of wheat and for the most part gluten (gluten can be found in barley, rye and oats as well as wheat) which some think might be restrictive but really it is just about making little changes here and there until you get to where you want or need to be with it.

The reason I took wheat and gluten out of my diet was to stop my body attacking my thyroid gland as part of an autoimmune response. (For an excellent video explaining how this works please click HERE and watch to the end, I got lost a few times but persevere with it - it's worth it). Now, I have to say I believe that  even if you do not suffer with an autoimmune (AI) condition you would benefit from cutting out the wheat and gluten you consume but this is especially important for those who suffer from an AI condition....indeed any AI condition. Simply because gluten is seen as 'the enemy' by the immune system and it will trigger an attack.

As for the other grains that are still kicking around in my pantry like rice, oats and barley - well, I seem to be in a continuous cycle with them. I go from cutting them out of my diet altogether, to adding them in here and there, to them being in our weekly menu plan on a regular basis and then back to the beginning where I am cutting them all out again. BUT, I have been doing myself some learnin' and while I still go through this cycle, I no longer feel the guilt over eating the occasional grain.

This is all because fairly recently I attended a dedicated foodie/health type course - a first for me but I sincerely hope it's not the last. It's called NEWtritious Delicious and has the very accurate strapline; ‘Bridging the gap between food and medicine’. Now, I am lucky enough  to know some of the people involved in the course and we are all very much on the same page with regards to health and such things so I was really excited to go and find out more information on the things I already had an idea on and to get a heads up on other new and exciting health principles. And that I did....

For the duration of the course we were treated to samples of their amazingly tasty meals, cups of gorgeous green and white teas, rounded off  perfectly with some sumptuous desserts. And all the while being taught the health properties of each food, pointers on how to prepare dishes and guidance on what to absolutely avoid at all costs. All the recipes are in the handouts so you can get cooking as soon as you get home. The food was all carefully thought out and all very PRO THYROID!! There cannot be many, if any, food and nutrition courses who can lay that claim. It was pretty special.

So back to my grain guilt, one of the things we were taught about, is that proper preparation of food goes a long way in health terms. This is especially important when it comes to grains like that rice and those oats I have kicking about my pantry. And the reason I no longer feel bad about eating these on occasion is that I now know how prepare them properly before I eat them. I soak them. It helps break down the anti nutrients and phytic acid that lurks within them and therefore they are not quite such a burden for my healing body to process. So as a special treat, and as any good highlander should, I will share with you the best porridge recipe in the world (well, certainly in my world anyway) adapted, with very kind permission from the NEWtritious Delicious team.

Soak your oats (a good handful should do a serving) overnight in some milk (a little squeeze of lemon juice will help the 'breaking down of bad stuff' process)
In the morning heat the oats and bubble them for at least 3 minutes, up to 7 minutes but do not let it stick to the bottom of the pan..
Once cooked add a big lump of butter and/or coconut oil
Drizzle some raw honey and sprinkle cinnamon to serve.
Get stuck in.

So to conclude – I no longer feel so guilty about having a hearty bowl of porridge now and again or tucking into rice when the recipe calls for it because I have learned that preparation is the key to eating these foods. And preparation means a few minutes the night before breakfast to soak your oats or the morning before your evening meal to soak your rice.

P.S
If you ever have an opportunity to go on this course then take it, live in the Kent area? Book one! If you are planning a trip to London, try and squeeze this day course in.I'm not just saying that because I know the girls, I am saying it because it truly is a fabulous course. It takes healthcare and healthy eating to a whole new level. And so could you. Email  Admin@newtritiousdelicious.com

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Have you taken the test?

Wowsers, it's been a long time coming - this post I mean. The busy weekends and looking after a toddler makes such demands on my time that I simply cannot always get around to doing the things I want to do, like writing my blog. Such is life, I don’t like to complain (too much). But today I decided to ignore the ironing pile to allow me time to type out a few lines. I say am ignoring the ironing, truth is I am hiding in another room because it is so large  it is practically dominating the skyline through there. So here we are.

And how are you all? Absorbing as much information on the thyroid as you possibly can? Taking on board all of the things I do to help my little gland out and maybe even trying a few things yourself? I really hope so. Because over the past month or two I have spoken to so many people who are affected by their thyroid gland and do not know what to do about it, especially when it comes with a blood test to verify the fact that they are 'fine'. So today I want to give everyone a bit of a heads up on what I suspect is going on here...

"The doctor took blood to test my thyroid but said it is fine."

First off, we will just run through that blood test since it is the ‘proof’ that you do not have low thyroid function. Here comes the science:

It is most likely that your doc would have requested a test on how much Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) is in your blood, possibly a check on your t4 and antibody levels too. The amount of these hormones in your blood is what your doc intends to use to diagnose you as hypo or send you on your way (or check for other things like M.E, fibromyalgia and other things that I believe are actually symptoms of low thyroid).

It would be useful if I explained that TSH is a hormone released by the pituitary gland when it receives hormonal messages that there is not enough thyroid hormone going round the body. The TSH sends a message to the thyroid gland telling it to secrete more t4, t3, t2 etc. If all is working well, your thyroid will respond to these signals and release more hormone into the blood stream. This will in turn send signals back to the pituitary to confirm all is fine and then the pituitary cuts back on the TSH – this goes on in a continuous cycle and is known as a feedback loop - this is how it rolls. Except for when your thyroid stops working properly. What happens then is that the pituitary gland is getting the messages that there is not enough thyroid hormones in circulation, so it releases more TSH to try and encourage the thyroid to release more of the good stuff. Unfortunately the dang thyroid ain't working like it should and those life giving hormones are not being sent out in the numbers needed. The TSH levels in your blood are going to creep up and up now and if your bloods are taken at this stage….well you could still be classed as normal.

The current guidelines for doctors state that if TSH levels are between 0.5 and 5 then thyroid function is classed as normal. And would you believe it, I am going to suggest that these levels are too high a range (in the US I think the upper level is 3 – still too high for me but let’s not go there today). Everyone is different and for some people TSH at 1 might be too high! So to clarify, you may be tested for TSH hormone and be told it is fine when in fact the TSH level may be too high for you but within the set 'normal' range.

The other problem that we have is the fact that your TSH might be fine, your T4 levels may also show fine. You are likely to be told your thyroid function is fine. But what happens if ytour body is not doing a great job at converting the T4 hormone into the very valuable and active form – T3, this will not be picked up by only testing for how much T4 and TSH there is in the blood.You would still have symptoms but your blood work is....fine. Fine. Fine!

So, people, there you have it. A little insight into some of the reasons I think the TSH test your doctor uses to ‘prove’ you are feeling fine is a load of codswallop. And just one of the reasons I think you should lead your life in a pro thyroid way – regardless of your test results. More later......Why not keep in touch via facebook!

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Talking about a revolution...

As I research other posts about more intense thyroid stuff I want to take this opportunity to kick off our next revolution. Yes, you heard that right – I want to start a revolution….. in the kitchen. And I want you all to do the same. I promise it will change your life forever. We will start with the meat on your bones.

I began making my own stock regularly a few months ago and the main purpose of such an undertaking was to get more gelatin into our diet. “Gelatin?” I hear you ask. Yes, gelatin.

Gelatin has a funny reputation, certainly I thought it was bad for you at one point, well it is used to make jelly and anything as tasty as jelly has to be bad for you right? But before that was the sheer horror that it had come from cows feet or pigs trotters (groooooosssssss – my younger self would have said).  But for my baby boys first birthday last year I made jelly using gelatin leaf from the shops and that all turned out fine, not gross at all! Especially the fizzy wine adult jellies…..but that’s a tale for another day. My point being, I had not yet started my healing journey and was not aware of the wonder stuff that is gelatin. And broth.

(Before I go any further I just want to clarify - gelatin is what makes the broth set and go jelly-like when cooled). 

Anyway, perhaps it’s because I am a highlander but simply hearing the word ‘broth’ is healing to me. It is such a soft and soothing word. Thinking of broth conjures an image of a deep, steaming bowl of tasty scotch broth with veggies, barley, peas, lentils and a piece of meat somewhere tucked away in there. Hot, sweet, soupy goodness. (I have to stop and get a pan on soon before I salivate over my keyboard I think…)

So you get the picture. I already think broth is good.

The revolution comes when I make my pan of broth with actual bones. Stock that I have prepared myself by simmering the animal bones in the slow cooker for around 24 hours. Forget your stock cubes or your boullion. Get the bones from your butcher and fire them in the slow cooker for a day. Real food and real tasty too – you will not taste anything as good EVER, I can assure you.

Now the added bonus – what it does for your health. 

Well for a start…bone broth heals your insides (remember I talked about them – your insides – in my Food for thought post – it got pretty technical). The broth will start to mend your gut lining and that of your intestines. This could lead to an easing of food allergies or intolerance's.

Broth provides you with the basic building blocks for your body – boiling down the bones releases all those minerals that built them up so strong. And you get to consume that – nourishing your own body.

Suffer with sore joints? Consuming bone broths is shown to be anti-inflammatory so as well as healing your stomach, it will heal the other areas of your body where inflammation can occur like your joints. 

Specifically for thyroidians like myself, bone broths will aid liver function and boost your metabolism. Need I say more? No, but I will.

Bone broth, or more specifically as in all these cases - the gelatin in broth, is full of protein so you can cut down the amount of meat in these dishes if you need to keep costs down.

And at the end of the day, I find it very therapeutic. There is something deeply satisfying about creating such a nourishing and wholesome food for your family. From scratch, just like your parents, grandparents and/or great grandparents would have done (though perhaps they didn’t use a digital version with two heat settings, a timer and a warming function)

So that’s the latest – get your bones on. Start the revolution!

If you are interested in reading more I have listed a few articles here on the subject. Bone broth is a huge subject and everyone has their own methods - tell us how you make yours! www.facebook.com/MyThyroidTherapy

Some great articles on broth:

www.westonaprice.org/food-features/broth-is-beautiful

undergroundwellness.com/top-5-reasons-why-bone-broth-is-the-bomb/

www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/the-crucial-reason-you-need-more-gelatin-in-your-diet/