Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause

Shortly after being diagnosed with Hashimoto's, I started looking for resources that addressed things I could do to manage it and found this book. Based on the title and reviews, it sounded like exactly what I was looking for. This book is packed with information, from a basic overview of Hashimoto's to in depth scientific explanations of possible causes, to lifestyle and dietary changes that may help, as well as the reasons they might be necessary, to tests you can ask for to refine your treatment, to supplements that might be helpful and so much more. Some of these parts will require a second reading to fully grasp, but overall the book is easy to follow. Some reviewers have mentioned that the book does not give "the answer" to Hashimoto's treatment. While I understand the desire to have an absolute answer, the author makes it pretty clear that there is no one answer that works for all. This book is packed full of answers, but each person will have to figure out which of those answers are for them. A book with the answer for an individual person, would be a book just for that person. This book is for all of the individuals with Hashimoto's - or at least those who are willing to put the time and energy into figuring out their individual needs using the information in the book as a guide. As someone whose Hashimoto's was subclinical at diagnosis, this book helped me to see why my doctor has made the recommendations she has, and why I am seeing the results I am seeing after implementing those recommendations. It also helped me to connect things that I hadn't previously connected with either the Hashimoto's or the changes I have made as a result. As we continue to fine tune and address issues that arise, I have no doubt I will be referring to this book for guidance and explanation of the options I have for treatment. This book also gives you lots of questions to ask yourself and your medical care provider. The author is very careful to remind her readers that any changes they make should be done working with a medical professional of some sort and not on your own. While she has a lot of suggestions, she also points out both the benefits and the risks of those suggestions. Many foods, supplements and treatments help under some conditions, but are harmful in others, so she doesn't ever say, do this, take that, eat this. She does tell her story and what helped her, as well as telling what helped others she has researched or worked with, but she does not recommend people do what she did without consulting their doctors. While some people may have found this frustrating, I appreciated the honesty and the recognition that each individual case will need different treatments and lifestyle changes. If I had any quibble with this book, it would be that while most of the time she talks about the goal being remission or management, there are a few times she uses the word "cure". My understanding is that if you have the antibodies, you have an auto immune disorder and that isn't something that can be cured. Managed, yes, treated, yes, controlled, yes, but cured, not really. To me a cure means the disease is gone, you no longer need treatment and you can go back to life as you knew it before. While that would be wonderful, and while people may not have to maintain the same level of dietary and lifestyle changes for their entire lives, if they were to revert to their previous lifestyle and diet completely, most likely the disease would fire off again. I didn't ever get the feeling that the author was promising a cure, but the usage of the word might give false hope and cause people to abandon the changes that brought about the improvement in their symptoms. Bottom line, this is a great resource and will give you things to think about and look for, questions to ask and lifestyle and dietary changes to consider as you work to manage Hashimoto's and it's possible impacts on your life.

Izabella Wentz is a true hero, genius, and superb researcher. The amount of research, documentation, explanation, and everything that she details in this book is like a how to survive Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. I was diagnosed in February 2016, and after going through a pity party and depression for over a month, I got this book and began reading it. What I wish, is that I would have dropped everything and read the book straight through in 2 weeks, making extensive notes. I also wish I would have found Dr. Lee's book "What your doctor may not tell you about premenopause" right after that (instead of 4 months later) and read it too. My heart breaks for ladies going through these conditions in their 25-50 age range, and getting bad advice. This book can literally give you a wealth of information and help you understand better questions to be posing to general doctors. Natural remedies can help; but get on thyroid medication while you continue to search for answers. Buy this book, the previously mentioned book by Dr. Lee, and also buy "the Hashimoto's Cookbook and Action plan" by Karen Frazier; read these, and take your health back into your hands. I had many of the same symptoms as Wentz: Mono as a teen, developing Hashimoto's later on; the exhaustion... It is so comforting to know that you are not alone. I was also diagnosed with adrenal fatigue, which Wentz details very specifically in the book as it goes along with Hashimoto's: this is a dangerous condition that most doctors don't even acknowledge or check for. I was being stubborn and training for a half marathon, meanwhile being exhausted all the time, when I took Wentz's advice from the book and found a local doctor (holistic doctor in CharlotteNC/Florida named Channing who is awesome). The Holistic doctor advised me to get an adrenal test (saliva test), and found I was STAGE 4 Adrenal exhaustion. There are only 7 stages! You can die if you push past 7! After the test results, and finding I was half marathon training, my doctor told me no more strenuous exercise for a year; to rest, literally, all the time, so that my body could recover. If it weren't for Wentz and this book, recommending the holistic doctor, who advised a saliva test (Wentz recommended that in the book too)... I would have ran myself to the grave, meanwhile my "regular doctor" was completely oblivious and not checking for any of this. I guess the Pharmaceutical representatives don't bring catered lunches for you to actually get healed, since that doesn't fit in their dividend projections and bonus package for recommending big pharma drugs. Anyhow. If you have Hashimoto's, buy this book and the other two. Open your eyes. take your health back into your hands. And husbands: buy this and read it so you can understand and save your wife! Oh yeah--and progesterone cream. She talks about that. So many benefits.

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause by Izabella Wentz, Pharm.D., FASCP with Marta Nowosadzka, MD has a wealth of credible information on thyroid basics, symptoms, tests, and treatment. Izabella Wentz, a pharmacist and Hashimoto’s patient, has summarized three years of research in her book. I highly recommend her book, and I have attempted to summarize some of this information that I believe is crucial for every thyroid patient should know. Thyroid Symptoms As many thyroid symptoms are very non-specific they are often disregarded by the medical community in the initial stages. Patients are dismissed with having depression, stress or anxiety. Thyroid patients are prescribed anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medications without consideration of thyroid function. Medical studies have shown that up to one-third of people who fail antidepressants report feeling better once started on Cytomel (a T3 thyroid hormone). Some patients have even been hospitalized and misdiagnosed as having bipolar disorder or schizophrenia when in fact they were suffering from thyroid imbalances. People with anxiety, depression or other mood disorders should have their thyroid function checked, especially TPO antibodies. Some individuals with lifelong psychiatric diagnoses have been able to recover after receiving proper thyroid care. Thyroid Basics The thyroid produces thyroid hormones that affect the function of just about every organ system in the human body. Thyroid hormones are responsible for stimulating the metabolism of the foods we eat, extracting vitamins, and producing energy from food. They are also vital to the production of other hormones as well as the growth and development of our nervous system. The thyroid also maintains our temperature. Indirectly, thyroid function affects every reaction in the human body, as the temperature has to be just right for these reactions to take place properly. T4 (Thyroxine) and T3 (Triiodothyronine) are the two main thyroid hormones. Only T4 and T3 are considered to be biologically active in the body, and T4 is 300% less active than T3. Twenty percent of T3 comes from thyroid secretion, while the remaining 80% comes from T4 when T4 is converted to T3 through the deiodination process (which removes on iodine molecule) in peripheral organs like the liver and kidney. However, stress, nutritional deficiencies, or other issues can impair the thyroid’s ability to function. Instead of converting T4 to T3, the body conserves energy by converting T3 into an inactive form of T3 know as reverse T3 (rT3). Reverse T3 is able to bind the receptor sites on the cell that T3 normally occupies, but it does not have the ability to unlock these receptors and enter the cell, thus not allowing the necessary reactions inside the cell to take place. Total T4 includes: • T4 hormones bound to protein. When bound to protein, thyroid hormone is not available to the cells and therefore can’t do its job in the body. • FreeT4, which are T4 hormones that are free or unbound to protein. Total T3 includes: • T3 hormones that are bound to protein, and are not available to the cells and therefore can’t do its job in the body. • Free T3, which are T3 hormones that are free or unbound to protein. Free T3 Includes reverse T3 (rT3) hormones that cannot enter the cells and therefore can’t do its job in the body. So, the only T3 that is beneficial to the body for thyroid function is Free T3 minus rT3. Recommended Thyroid Functions Tests • TSH Test: Low levels of T4 and T3 circulating in the blood signal the release of TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone), while high levels of circulating T4 and T3 stop the release of TSH. The problem with using the TSH test to diagnose and treat thyroid function is that the amount of T3 and T4 circulating in the bloodstream does not address the issue of how much Free T4 and Free T3 is actually available in the cells to ensure proper thyroid function required to produce hormones, enzymes, neurotransmitter, and muscle tissue, and have a healthy metabolism. • Free T4 • Free T3 • rT3: TSH, Free T3, and Free T4 tests may be normal, but without factoring in the amount of rT3, patients may be suffering with thyroid symptoms. Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and Recommended Tests Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is an autoimmune condition that results in destruction of the thyroid gland. Hashimoto’s is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States, and accounts for 90% of cases of hypothyroidism. In most cases of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, blood tests will reveal one or two types of anti-thyroid antibodies. Thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOab) is the most common antibody present, and often antibodies against thyroglobulin (TGab) are found as well. These antibodies may appear decades before a change in TSH is detected. For this reason, TPO antibody screening is always crucial in suspected thyroid disease. Recommended tests are: • TPOab: Antibodies above 500 kU/L are considered aggressive, while antibodies of less than 100 kU/L are associated with a reduced risk of progressing to hypothyroidism. • Thyroglobulin Antibodies Why Are So Many Thyroid Patients Suffering with Thyroid Symptoms? Izabella Wentz’s research completely discredits the research currently used by traditional medicine. Traditional medicine’s diagnosis and treatment of thyroid function determines that any suppression of TSH, in spite of all other thyroid test results, indicates that the patient is hyperthyroid. This misuse of the TSH test results in a false diagnosis of hyperthyroidism; therefore, all the health risks they attribute to this erroneous diagnosis of hyperthyroidism are not valid. And could they defend their preference for T4 only medication if the patient’s medication was based on the results of all the lab work required to determine healthy thyroid function instead of basing it on their flawed research? Some of traditional medicines research is as follows: • Overreplacement – Overreplacement with T4 should be discouraged. Overreplacement causes subclinical hyperthyroidism (normal serum T4 and T3 and low serum TSH concentrations), or even overt hyperthyroidism. The main risk of subclinical hyperthyroidism is atrial fibrillation, which occurs three time more often in older patients with serum TSH concentration < 0.1 mU/L than in normal subjects. Patents with subclinical hyperthyroidism, particularly postmenopausal women, may also have accelerated bone loss. It is therefore important to educate patients about the potential adverse effects of overtreatment with T4. • Combination T4 and T3 therapy – Some hypothyroid patients remain symptomatic in spite of T4 replacement and normal serum TSH concentrations. As an example, in a large community-based questionnaire study of patients taking T4 who had normal serum TSH concentrations, 9 to 13 percent hypothyroid patients might benefit from substitution of some T3 for T4, an idea that has now been evaluated in multiple randomized trial, almost all of which showed that combination T4-T3 therapy does not appear to be superior to T4 monotherapy for the management of hypothyroid symptoms. In some trials, patients preferred combined therapy to T4 monotherapy; however, in one of those studies, patients were given overzealous doses of thyroid hormone resulting in mild hyperthyroidism. In general, clinical trials of combination T4-T3 therapy have not successfully replicated physiologic T4-T3 production. The Future for Thyroid Patients The truth about the current diagnosis and treatment based on the TSH test is that it has caused thyroid patients years, if not a lifetime, of suffering. By treating many thyroid symptoms, such as depression, fibromyalgia, CFS, stress and anxiety, etc. as separate illnesses, the medical profession and the pharmaceutical industry are the only ones who benefit. And the scary thing that I am now noticing is that as older doctors retire, the younger doctors taking their place have been trained to diagnose and treat thyroid function based on traditional medicine’s research as if it is sacred scripture. The only hope that thyroid patients have now are alternative medicine doctors who understand thyroid function and know and use the correct lab tests. I was informed this year (2017) that the lab tests ordered by my Naturopathic doctor are no longer covered by Medicare and Medicaid insurance. Are these doctors being targeted to be phased out? What does the future hold for thyroid patients? For additional information on why the medical profession should reassess the validity of using the TSH test and their preference for T4 only medications, read my review on Living Well with Hypothyroidism by Mary Shomon.

FIRST, I want to say BUY THIS BOOK!! Possible 2 copies, one for you and one for your doctor!!!! Really!! This is probably one of the best books I have read on the Hashimoto's Disease! Kept it in my bag for the longest time to read every chance I got and when something came to mind! It fully explains the complexity of this illness! Isabella Wentz, wrote this book after her own diagnosis. There is a lot of research that was used as well as her own trial and error to dig at what was her root causes to feel better. I have followed all her advice! I have changed the way I eat which was necessary in order to regain my health back. When I started the book after I recovered my diagnose ... I literally felt like I was dying. I actually had dreams about myself dying. I could barely get outta bed in the morning... I was that achy everything hurt and I always felt tired, no memory, depressed and faster than I have ever been in my whole entire life ( yet on a diet all the time and really thinking I was eating healthy... Which by Weight Watchers I was but it wasn't the right foods for my disease) I had gone to doctors for over 8 years and I was told eat less and exercise more. I felt like I failure! Why wasn't the exercise that I did enough?! I was running for at least 3 hours a day! Broke my foot I ran so much and lifted weights too, switched to rowing on an ERG, while I was trying to heal my foot. Did marathons on it! Rowed for 5 hours too and guess what.... I LOST ZERO WEIGHT! I was restrictive with my food as well! I never drank or smoked and every outing I would literally watch other skinner people eat and drink while I picked at the veggie and fruit trays. I started to question if God even likes me... Because no Mayer how hard I tried I got nowhere! I was beyond sad. So while I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism I wasn't diagnosed with Hashimoto's... I dove into research ( formerly an RN) I found Izabella's book... Highly recommended and I followed all her tips! This was last year, where my journey started and a year later I have turned my health around in the right direction. I have lost 30 pounds, my hair is finally beginning to grown again after much loss, I don't ache in the morning, I am clear headed in though, my skin looks great, and I feel like MEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!! I am still working on a few areas that need tweaking but I happy with where and in what direction I am moving! I also need to mention that I am getting there without the help of doctors. So you can too! It's a little tough but I have had not one doctor who would listen to me, that my insurance would pay for. I have even had to try and teach a few of them nicely I may add. I had doctors misread my lab work and tell me I was perfectly healthy ... Even with clumps of hair falling out and heart palpitations!! HEAL THYSELF and Go GRAB THIS BOOK!!! I also need to mention that I believe this author is the BEST! She is continually doing more research on this disease, she shares her knowledge as she obtains it! She cares about people and this disease, it's like it's her mission in life. I consider her the truest of BLESSINGSin my life, because without her book, I am not sure I would have had much more of one. I ❤️the Thyroid Pharmacist CHICK!! She ROCKS!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻❤️❤️❤️❤️👏🏻👏🏻❤️👏🏻❤️❤️👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻👍🏻

I've heard great things about this book and Isabella wentz has great info period on the thyroid. Have just started reading so can't really give a full review but I know it's going to be worth my read.

This book has literally saved me MONTHS of research on my own. Dr. Wentz has created a wonderful resource not only for those suffering from Thyroidism, but frankly from ANY auto-immune disease. She has clear to follow explanations of how the thyroid functions, followed by chapter after chapter on how to heal. The best part of the book is her supplement guide, which includes not only what to take, but how it works, what is does, and what dosages are best. I don't know if my personal story will be helpful, but let me start by explaining what I learned on my own versus what I learned from this book. I was diagnosed with Hashimotos, but normal thyroid hormone levels, despite having *all* of the symptoms of hypothyroidism. I saw three endocrinologists, three GPs, two neurologists, numerous chiropractors and massage therapists, two acupuncturists, and even a life coach and hypnotist (pretty much any health related professional whose bio suggested they might be able to help). I tried *everything*, and I mean everything, to get back on track but it just wasn't working until I found this book. This book introduced me to two concepts that were critical: Functional medicine, and Hashimoto's Gluten sensitivity This led to several significant changes. I *fully* committed to being gluten free. No bread, no soy sauce, no tempura sushi, not even cookie dough ice cream. I scoured labels, googled everything I ate, and was generally an intolerable friend to go eat out with ;) But it worked. That was the first huge leap forward. The second came when I started looking for functional medicine doctors in Austin, TX and following the supplementation suggestions put forward in this book. I found Dr. Ben Anderson in Austin, TX who has been a life saver for me, and even for one of my friends now dealing with similar issues. I'd already been taking a mix of supplements, but he helped me find even better supplements that were attuned to my body. And he did hormone testing, which showed major adrenal fatigue. So, with a few tweaks, here's the final list of supplements I'm on (but I'm not a doctor so consult yours first!) Empty Stomach (AM): - Licorice drops - Probiotic - Saccharomyces Boulardii Lunch: - Glutamine - Methyl B12 (my Dr suspects a MTHFR gene mutation; regular B12 wasn't helping but this works great) - NAC - Zinc (this was huge for me; gave me lots more energy) - Selenium Bedtime: - Magnesium - CoQ10 - Probiotic - Fish Oil w/vitamin D Many of these don't have to be taken with food and the order could be switched up. This was just what worked for me based on balancing the load of how many things I was taking each time of day. I'd recommend chatting with your doctor about lab work for vitamin deficiencies and reading Dr. Wentz's supplement guide. Also, keep hunting for a functional medicine doctor in your area who charges reasonable prices. The first one I found got great reviews but their "autoimmune cure" package was $4k. Crazy! Several others weren't much better at $750 for a one hour consult. I found my doctor through a case study in the book "Why isn't my Brain Working." That book had lots of case studies with doctors from across the country, so you might start there if you are looking for a local functional medicine specialist. Good luck everyone!

If you struggle with autoimmune issues and have been told that the best you can hope for is to just "manage your symptoms", dont' buy it!! DO, however, BUY THIS BOOK!!! I suffer from Hashimotos Syndrome and Sjogrens Syndrome, both of which have made me miserable for years!! Ive tried multiple supplement programs and other "alternative" therapies as well as prescription therapies, to no avail. Synthroid did help but I never got back the stamina (or weight loss ability) I once had. Believing that science would, one day, find an answer, I continued to check various websites from time to time, hoping for new updates. It was during one of these random Google searches that I stumbled upon and, ultimately, purchased Dr. Wentz's book. What an educational, eye-opening and inspiring read! Long story short, gut health is key to so many conditions and infirmities as well as the correct function of the immune system and Dr Wentz explains this in exhaustive detail so that, you not only have knowledge but understanding. If more people had a better understanding of what really goes on in their gut (hint - its a lot more than elimination), they'd take their eating habits far more seriously, I believe. I found the book relatively easy to read and implement. In less than a week's time, I do feel different, better, stronger and more alert during the day, ALL DAY, and I also sleep better at night. I guess the best word to describe how Im starting to feel is "balanced". I was a former professional athlete who slowly disintegrated over a matter of years - weight gain, fatigue, random aches and pains, depression, frequent illness, muscle weakness, sloppy gait and physical balance issues, brain fog, difficulty focusing, memory issues and, ultimately, a sense of overall defeat. At first, I wrote it off to the aging process but I, later, learned it was an autoimmune process, likely triggered by a long, severe bout with Mononucleosis in my early 30s. Like so many, I was told that the best I could hope for was symptom management. I never really believed that, though, which is why I kept searching for answers. I truly believe that the information in this book is turning that autoimmune "malfunction" in my body around. Im so convinced, that Im considering starting a blog or FB page to track my process for my own accountability, as well as to, hopefully, inspire others. Again, Ive been into this a little more than a week so, its hardly enough time to make a determination, BUT, I can say that I already feel better, so something is changing (and I dont recall even Synthroid making me feel better that fast). If youve been down the autoimmune road, like me, youve probably tried anything and everything for relief, wasting time and money on huckster websites that promised results but, instead, delivered snake oil, at best. Dr. Wentz delivers science, knowledge, personal experience and real hope! Buy this book, its well worth it, and so are you!!

Updated on April 23rd 2014 - Recommended read : Dr. Julia Ross's Diet cure - interesting to find about adrenal depletion being the culprit behind Hashi. Am I convinced - yes, absolutely! Also no wheat, no that, no this, didn't help a one bit where as correcting vitamin mineral deficiencies (mainly Iron, Iodine, Se, Mg) and amino acids (used true focus and mood support base don mood cure book). Usually for a Hashimoto patient, Iodine/ Iodide is not a good thing - for me that was the missing link, go figure! Low adrenals due to stress as well as "deconditioning" can lead to POTS (orthostatic issues). Please do not ignore good exercise regimen its a must. Fast forward my life style now after Hashi diagnosis & using Dr. Ross's protocol of what is do-able for me- True focus, True balance and Mood support all half serving. Vitamin D3-k2, Se, Iodide liquid, Ferrochel, Magnesium at night Finding energy to get up before 7 :-) walking 2 dogs separately for an hour each with just a half hour break plus 3 day low weight training and core exercises (I suck at this but improving very slowly) Active stretching Finding out the cause of my hip, back pain which was because of leg length discrepancy. Pain minimized with a good tennis shoe and heel lift. (this is by far the best thing I have done; helps all the other aspects) Good sleep Eating well ( no calorie counting and no this and that) Able to focus and study and work Moderate gardening ~ Finally feeling alive! ------- Love this book - wholehearted thanks to the authors who brought in awareness of hashimoto's (freq. labeled as low thyroid). I am one of the unfortunate ones who have been plagued with multiple autoimmune issues (so along with it is the food restriction) and the recent one being Hashimoto's. although the doctors kept saying borderline thyroid symptoms. Now I understand why I felt miserable after being on even natural thyroid hormones. It is not just an overstressed adrenal, it is also the "type" of thyroid issue which is greatly explained in this book. I am 40 next year and I feel like I am already giving up on living life to the maximum potential, and this book (just finished today) is giving me great hope that with proper supplements at proper times, I can be ok.. My naturopath follows exactly the same supplement protocol - have been on it for a month. So I am hoping for the best.. Now if there is a solution for my issue addressed anywhere: 1. I can only tolerate vegetarian. Allergic to pork, Beef and fish...so animal protein is a big issue. I can, may be include eggs (but according to Dr.K eggs can be an issue for hashimoto) 2. Gluten sensitivity - off wheat, spelt, oats, barley, rye and also corn, quinoa. 3. No to soy and goitrogenic veg and nuts - so no cabbage, spinach, and all that... 4. No nightshades due to another inflammatory autoimmune disorder. 5. Thinking of stopping dairy for a while..as I see in many books and websites that dairy is a major trigger for Hashimoto if taken repeatedly. I am left with rice, lentils, legumes, almonds, coconuts, olives, and some veg. It scares me to even think my range of food choices has become so limited all of a sudden due to this awareness. While I am all geared with this knowledge to make my life better, it is overwhelming indeed. This book is the best I have read so far related to Hashimoto's. Many sites and books, with all good intentions, do confuse a lot with typical hypo and adrenal issues that the focus is less on what actually is going on in a Hashimoto case. I am very very grateful to the author(s) for giving me hope.