The Paleo Thyroid Solution: Stop Feeling Fat, Foggy, And Fatigued At The Hands Of Uninformed Doctors - Reclaim Your Health!

320 Pages·2016·5.14 MB·English

by  Elle Russ

THE PALEO THYROID SOLUTION
ELLE RUSS
With in-depth commentary from integrative physician
Gary E. Foresman, MD
Copyright © 2016 by Elle Russ. All rights reserved.
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Mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities in this book does
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2016932163
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher
Russ, Elle 1973—
Paleo Thyroid Solution/Elle Russ
ISBN: 978-1-939563-24-8
1. Thyroid Health 2. Diet 3. Weight loss
Design and Layout: Caroline De Vita Illustrations: Caroline De Vita Cover
Design: Janee Meadows Cover Photography and Professional Photo of Elle:
Jonathan Moeller Editor: Penelope Jackson Consultant: Dr. Gary Forsman
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DISCLAIMER: The ideas, concepts, and opinions expressed in this book are
intended to be used for educational purposes only. This book is sold with the
understanding that the author and publisher are not rendering medical advice of
any kind, nor is this book intended to replace medical advice, nor to diagnose,
prescribe, or treat any disease, condition, illness, or injury. It is imperative that
before beginning any diet, exercise, or lifestyle program, including any aspect of
the methodologies mentioned in The Paleo Thyroid Solution, you receive full
medical clearance from a licensed physician. The author and publisher claim no
responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or damage caused or
alleged to be caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or
interpretation of the material in this book. If you object to this disclaimer, you
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1 The Thyroid—Your Master Gland
(Thyroid education for science dummies and math haters.)
2 Symptoms, Causes, and Diagnosis of Hypothyroidism
(What the heck is happening to my body, and how do I get to the bottom of it?)
3 Fixing Thyroid Issues: Medications and Supplements
(Kick hypothyroidism to the curb!)
4 Delving Deeper into T3 and Reverse T3
(The forgotten stepchildren of thyroid health.)
5 Paleo/Primal Eating and Exercise
(2.5 million years of right.)
6 Paleo Lifestyle and Stress Management
(It’s all about cortisol and glucose.)
7 Implementing the Paleo Thyroid Solution
(Moving onward and upward.)
8 Thyroid Success Stories
(Winner at the finish line.)
Conclusion
Appendix I: In-Depth Commentary from Gary E. Foresman, MD
Appendix II: Paleo/Primal Resources
Index
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am filled with the utmost gratitude for the man responsible for helping me
change my life and saving me from a future riddled with weight issues, food
addictions, adrenal problems, suboptimal thyroid hormone metabolism, and
declining health.
Mark Sisson, you are my hero!
INTRODUCTION
I suffered for a total of five years of my life due to undiagnosed hypothyroidism
and Reverse T3 hypothyroidism. Unfortunately, my story is not unique, because
like millions of thyroid patients, I was unable to find a doctor or an
endocrinologist who was informed enough to fix my hypothyroidism. After two
miserable years of being undiagnosed, I finally took my health into my own
hands and became my own doctor. It was a scary place to be, feeling neglected
by the medical community and the more than fifty highly regarded physicians I
had spoken to. If I had trouble finding a doctor to help me in Los Angeles, I
cannot even imagine how hard it would be to go through this ordeal in the
smaller towns and cities throughout the United States.
When I decided to reject the dead-end mainstream medical journey I was on,
my body and health were deteriorating so rapidly that I spent every day in full-
blown misery, riddled with more than thirty hypothyroid symptoms. Trying to
start with a clean slate and be open to all possibilities, I ordered my own lab
work, bought thyroid hormones from assorted Internet resources without a
prescription, and headed down a more holistic path to wellness. And it actually
worked. It worked phenomenally well, for a while.
I was hit with a second bout of hypothyroidism in 2011 called Reverse T3—a
once rare though increasingly common thyroid issue that many doctors have no
idea how to test or fix. For the second time in ten years, I was on my own again,
having to doctor myself back to health. Once again, I was successful.
Even though I am a writer (focused on TV and film—Hollywood stuff), I
never had the intention of writing a thyroid book or anything health related.
However, it seemed that everywhere I went I would run into someone suffering
from hypothyroidism—either undiagnosed or unsuccessfully treated by their
current doctor. We would somehow land on this topic without any prompting
from me. After speaking with and offering help to over a hundred former
strangers with thyroid issues, it began to feel like a calling. My close association
with Mark Sisson and the Primal Blueprint movement made it clear to me that
my calling is about integrating paleo/primal lifestyle methods to stimulate
holistic healing of assorted thyroid conditions that, frankly, the medical
community is failing to address through traditional means.
One of the worst symptoms of hypothyroidism is insidious weight gain and
an inability to lose excess body fat, despite devoted efforts to hard workouts and
restricting calories. After I was optimized on thyroid hormone replacement and
over the challenge of my second bout of hypothyroidism, I tried every diet and
lifestyle plan out there, to no avail. I started to believe a common and
monumentally destructive misconception that some doctors pass on to their
patients: “You have hypothyroidism, so you will always struggle with weight
issues.”
While it’s true that even after people optimized on thyroid hormone
replacement have eradicated 99.9% of their hypothyroid symptoms, they often
just can’t lose that excess weight without struggle, there is a solution.
And there is more to the Paleo Thyroid Solution than the ability to effortlessly
lose stubborn excess weight. Adopting a paleo/primal lifestyle is the quickest
and surest way to optimize thyroid hormone metabolism—for everyone with
thyroid problems and for everyone without thyroid problems. Every human
being has a thyroid gland, and as the master gland of the body, it plays a critical
role in all metabolic processes. If thyroid hormone metabolism is not up to par,
anyone one can be thrown down the spiral slide into a pool of weight gain and is
at risk of developing an assortment of thyroid-related health problems.
Hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s disease, and Reverse T3 issues are on the rise.
It is imperative that doctors who treat thyroid patients learn all they can about
the latest treatment protocols in order to help their patients get well. In the
meantime, I am overjoyed to present you with hope, encouragement, and a
detailed plan to fix hypothyroidism. And if you’re overwhelmed right now, if
you’re feeling lost and scared and unsure whether you’ll ever make it through,
please turn to chapter 8 and start with the stories of people who have been
exactly where you are and found their way to health and happiness. Then meet
me back at chapter 1 and we will start you on your own journey toward
achieving vibrant health.
In chapter 1 you will learn how the thyroid gland works and how it can
malfunction.
In chapter 2 you will learn about common symptoms and how to properly
diagnose thyroid issues.
In chapter 3 you will learn about applicable supplements and thyroid
hormone replacement options, along with dosing strategies.
In chapter 4 you will learn about the very uncommon protocol of T3-only
dosing, along with a rarely discussed thyroid issue called Reverse T3.
In chapter 5 you will learn about how paleo/primal food and exercise
principles support vibrant health and thyroid hormone optimization and promote
weight loss.
In chapter 6 you will learn about your adrenal gland, and paleo/primal
lifestyle principles and how they affect cortisol and glucose which have a major
role in your thyroid health.
In chapter 7 you will learn a stepwise approach to implementing the Paleo
Thyroid Solution.
In chapter 8 you’ll read some Paleo Thyroid Solution success stories,
including mine.
In appendix I is my captivating interview with integrative physician (and
“primal doc”) Gary E. Foresman, MD. I urge you to read it closely for insight
into how and why doctors are getting things wrong and how thyroid health needs
to be tested and treated.
In appendix II you will find my favorite paleo/primal resources along with
other resources to help you on your healing journey.