The Affects of Thyroid

I saw the wonderful doctor today!  Over the past few months I have kind of been through a whirl wind of energy and depletion.  Before I went on the Primal Diet I was completely wiped of energy.  After beginning it my energy level improved immensely and I began losing weight!  YAY!!!  When I went to see an allergist and immunologist we spoke about my past medical history and he decided we should probably look at autoimmune disorders as a cause for the incredible weight gain and speed I had.  He found that I have hypothyroidism.  It looked pretty mild at first and we treated it with a relatively low dose of Cytomel. 

I began to lose weight even more rapidly, I had energy, I was able to think more clearly and was no longer misplacing myself, and best of all I no longer felt at all depressed.  (Had I not gone to some pretty progressive physicians, I may have never gotten treatment though.)  After being on Cytomel for awhile, I was switched over to Armour thyroid; and within a very short period of time I lost the energy I had built up, got foggy and disoriented, gained a whopping 12 pounds in one week, and I definitely was beginning to feel overwhelmed and depressed again.  Thankfully, today it was decided I most probably have Hashimoto's disease (the most prevalent cause of hypothyroidism), and we are increasing the dose.  It always makes me feel better to know that there is an improvement coming :)

My suggestion is that if you have these symptoms and have not had a lot of luck with physicians or felt a little bit discriminated against due to weight with physicians you have seen, you should search around town for a few very progressive physicians and/or an immunologist or low-carb physician.  Being obese is not always caused by overeating; however, finding a doctor that will look beyond saying eat less and exercise more can be difficult.   


Common symptoms

• Hair loss
• Fatigue/sluggishness
• Cold intolerence
• Confusion/mental fog
• Depression
• Weight gain
• Dry skin
• Puffy face
• Hoarse voice
• Elevated cholesterol
• Muscle aches, tenderness, stiffness, primarily in your shoulders and hips
• Pain and stiffness in your joints
• Swelling in your joints
• Muscle weakness, especially in your lower extremities
• Excessive or prolonged menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia)

So what exactly is Hashimoto's disease?  It is an autoimmunity to thyroid.  Your body will actually kill off its thyroid production by producing antibodies that attack the thyroid.  This process also causes inflammation much like how the body responds when fighting off any infection.

The good news is that after going primal there is a good chance that your thyroid will begin to regulate itself a little bit better :) 


For more information - Mayo Clinic

Breakfast - Smoothies

Being Primal threw the toast and cereal out the window!  Because we are allergic to eggs we needed to come up with an alternative idea.  Now we make green smoothies everyday.  I have found (with the various blenders I have used over the years) that the Blendtec blenders are the best choice. I use mine several times a day.  They do not have to be green (generally they are still pink in color); however you want to keep the carbs as low as possible. Generally, we use about 60% spinach (to increase our iron) and 40% fruits - mainly berries. 


Today's Smoothie
I filled my Blendtec with:

• Approximately 60% full of spinach (you won't taste it).
• About 30% full of strawberries.
• About 10% full of mango.

Then I added these around it:

• 1 Tbsp of Lemon Cod Liver Oil/per person (you will only taste the lemon flavor
• 1 Tbsp of cinnamon (to decrease insulin response)
• Flax seed approximately 1/10 of the smoothie size
• About 1 cup of water ( or milk, coconut milk, juice, etc.)

Blend and you're done. 


Cod liver oil can lower blood pressure, lower anti-inflammatory status, improve brain function, and improve cholesterol.  That is why we commonly use it.  Flax seed does a lot of the same and has protein and fiber.

If you want to add protein, add some protein-packed nuts!


Ratings on a scale 1-10, ten being best:
Kids rating: 10
Adults rating: 9


Have a blessed day!