Do you have Hashimoto's hypothyroidism and start each morning with a cup of fear?

Do you have Hashimoto's hypothyroidism and start your mornings with a treasured “cup of fear?” As far as your body is concerned, that lovely and seemingly harmless cup of coffee could be tantamount to getting mugged or running from a hungry lion. The physiological reactions caused by caffeine that jumpstart you in the morning are the same reactions triggered by fear.

Morning fatigue could signify adrenal imbalance as factor in Hashimoto's hypothyroidism

We are meant to feel rested and alert in the mornings. Waking up feeling like you have been hit by a garbage truck means you may have an adrenal imbalance. The adrenal glands sit atop each kidney and release adrenal hormones that help keep the body regulated during times of stress. Adrenal function also plays important roles in the sleep-wake cycle, so that you feel tired in the evening and alert in the morning, and are able to sleep soundly through the night. In fact, the health of the entire body relies in part on sound adrenal function: immune health, hormone balance, digestive operations, brain function, and more.

Adrenal function plays a large role in thyroid function, including Hashimoto's hypothyroidism. Managing adrenal health is vital to managing thyroid health.

Depending on caffeine to get going in the morning is a sign the delicately orchestrated relationship between the adrenal glands and the rest of the body is out of balance. A morning cup of coffee stimulates the adrenal glands to release “fight-or-flight” adrenal hormones. This raises your heartbeat, dilates your pupils, tightens the muscles, raises your blood pressure, slows blood flow to the stomach, and releases glucose into the bloodstream. Together these effects on the central nervous system boost energy. The body designed this response to help us get out of a dangerous situation by either running or fighting. However, these days, many use the same response just to get ready for work each morning.

If this is the case, you may need to support your adrenal health to manage Hashimoto's hypothyroidism.

The downsides of coffee if you have Hashimoto's hypothyroidism

As many know, giving up coffee is hard and can come with unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. This is partly because caffeine also stimulates the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that activates the “pleasure and reward” centers in the brain and is associated with addiction. This also means over time you need more caffeine for the same effects.

For the person suffering from adrenal dysfunction—producing too little or too much of adrenal hormone—caffeine can intensify your adrenal problems, which can worsen your Hashimoto's hypothyroidism condition. Although it gives you energy, it’s a short-term fix with long-term consequences making an existing problem worse. In addition to taxing adrenal function, caffeine can cause sleep problems, irritability, anxiety, and high blood pressure. It’s also a diuretic that can deplete you of important minerals and electrolytes. A trap many coffee drinkers fall into is that the coffee makes them sleep poorly and they feel terrible in the morning. So they drink coffee to get them going, which again makes them sleep poorly, in a self-perpetuating vicious cycle that gradually worsens adrenal function.

Restoring adrenal function is foundational to managing many health issues in functional medicine, including chronic disease, autoimmune disease, hypothyroidism, obesity, blood sugar imbalances (insulin resistance or hypoglycemia), and other disorders. When you are working on restoring your health from these conditions, coffee can work against your efforts.

Also, if your autoimmune Hashimoto's hypothyroidism is TH-2 dominant, caffeine can actually worsen autoimmunity. This is a concept influencing autoimmunity discussed in Dr. Kharrazian's book Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms When My Lab Tests Are Normal?

Coffee habit depends on health and Hashimoto's status

This isn’t to say coffee is all bad. Although some studies show negative consequences from caffeine, others show its benefits. As with many things in health, it is something that must be considered on a case-by-case basis. If your Hashimoto's hypothyroidism is under control and your adrenal and blood sugar function is healthy (you do not suffer from insulin resistance, diabetes, low blood sugar, adrenal fatigue, or hyper adrenal function), moderate consumption of organic coffee may be fine for you.

Ask my office how we can help you manage your Hashimoto's hypothyroidism, restore your adrenal function, and kick your dependence on coffee to function.

Do you have Hashimoto's hypothyroidism and low blood pressure?

We all hear about the risks associated with high blood pressure, but having low blood pressure can also pose health risks. When you have low blood pressure your blood, which carries oxygen and nutrients, is not being sufficiently pushed into the tissues throughout your body, including the brain. This means your brain and other organs are not getting enough oxygen to work as well as they could. A blood pressure of 120/80 is considered healthy and if the upper or lower number deviates by 10 your blood pressure is in an abnormal range.

People with poorly managed Hashimoto's hypothyroidism may also have problems with blood flow and oxygenation, which compounds the effects of low blood pressure.

Low blood pressure associated with adrenal fatigue

Low blood pressure is typically associated with poor adrenal function. The adrenal glands, which sit atop the kidneys, produce stress hormones and play an important role in regulating blood pressure. Many people today have fatigued adrenal glands thanks to chronic stress, poor diets, low blood sugar, chronic infections, digestive problems, inflammation, or other issues. Chronic stress from any or all of these factors may wear out the adrenal glands, causing adrenal fatigue. As a result, your body has a harder time maintaining health and balance through life’s ups and downs. Symptoms of adrenal fatigue may include constant tiredness, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), and low blood pressure.

It's not uncommon for people with Hashimoto's hypothyroidism to also suffer from some form of adrenal imbalance, including adrenal fatigue.

Feeling faint when you stand up

A common type of low blood pressure is a orthostatic hypotension, a drop in blood pressure when you go from sitting to standing that causes lightheadedness. For the person with orthostatic hypotension, standing up causes blood to pool in the legs. This slows the flow of blood back to the heart and decreases the amount of blood pumped from the heart. Medical professionals diagnose orthostatic hypotension when the top number falls by 20 and the bottom number falls by 10 upon standing.

Although lightheadedness is not cause for alarm, if standing up causes you to faint you should seek medical attention. Orthostatic hypotension also increases the risk of falling for elderly people. Orthostatic hypotension is common among people with low blood pressure and hypoglycemia, although people with high blood pressure can also have orthostatic hypotension.

What to do for low blood pressure and adrenal fatigue

If you have low blood pressure and suspect you may have adrenal fatigue, consider having an adrenal saliva test. This test measures how much cortisol, an important adrenal hormone, your body makes, and whether your cortisol level follows healthy daily patterns.

Although people with high blood pressure are told to avoid salt, those with low blood pressure may actually benefit by adding sea salt to their food.

Also, certain nutritional compounds have been shown to support adrenal function and thus healthy blood pressure. Because adrenal fatigue is always secondary to another problem, it’s important to find out what is taxing the adrenal system and address that as well. Eating a diet that prevents your blood sugar from dropping too low and causing symptoms of hypoglycemia is another important key. Strategies include eating a good breakfast, ditching sweets, starchy foods and sweetened drinks, eating regularly enough to sustain blood sugar, and making sure never to skip meals.

Low blood pressure and Hashimoto's hypothyroidism

Hashimoto's is an autoimmune thyroid disease that causes hypothyroid symptoms. Proper management requires not only supporting thyroid function, but also balancing the immune system to tame the autoimmune attack on the thyroid gland. Doing this may be one strategy to address adrenal fatigue and low blood pressure.

For more advice on supporting healthy thyroid function, adrenal function, and blood pressure, contact my office.

Type A person with adrenal fatigue and Hashimoto's hypothyroidism?

Are you the kind of person who races through life at a 100 miles an hour? Is your motto, “Plenty of time for rest in the grave”? Do caffeine and energy drinks fuel your waking hours? If so, you may be setting yourself up for a crash of epic proportions.

For the Type A person with Hashimoto's hypothyroidism, protecting your adrenal health is vital to managing your thyroid condition.

Many people today suffer from adrenal fatigue, a condition in which the body’s adrenal glands do not make sufficient hormones in response to stress. A huge fight with your spouse or a giant afternoon soda are both stressors to which your adrenal glands must respond. However, when you call on their services too frequently, as many Americans do, you risk causing adrenal fatigue.

We typically associate adrenal fatigue with chronic tiredness, but Type A people—those who are prone to impatience, aggression, ambition, and competitiveness—may be moving too fast to realize they suffer from adrenal fatigue.

Even the Type A person with Hashimoto's hypothyroidism who also struggles with thyroid-related fatigue may be ignoring her body's need for a more sane pace.

Common symptoms of adrenal fatigue

• Feel exhausted often; Type A’s typically push through this
• Feel overwhelmed, constantly stressed out
• Crave sweets, salty foods, and caffeine or nicotine
• Crash around 3 or 4 p.m.
• Feel more awake and energetic in the evening
• Poor sleep patterns
• Difficulty waking in the morning
• Slow to recover from illness, injuries, wounds, or exercise
• Frequently sick
• Assailed by allergies
• Hormonal imbalances
• Lightheaded or blacking out momentarily when rising from a seated or reclining position
• Shaky, lightheaded, and/or irritable when going too long without food

The Hashimoto's hypothyroidism crash: when adrenal fatigue wins out

Sure, you can push through adrenal fatigue. Athletes do it routinely; overtraining often causes adrenal fatigue. That doesn’t change the fact that adrenal fatigue depletes your immune system, hormone function, and brain health. It also can exacerbate your Hashimoto's hypothyroidism condition. What the Type A person most fears losing is productivity, and nothing stops productivity like an adrenal crash.

Adrenal fatigue means that any major stressor—accident, major illness, divorce, death of a loved one—can cause an epic crash. The consequences of such a crash can include chronic fatigue, a harrowing transition into menopause, or some other chronic health disorder. It can trigger or exacerbate autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto's hypothyroidism, and recovery can be a very long, slow road.

Lasting health requires major lifestyle changes. The most challenging thing for Type A patients with adrenal fatigue is that the moment they start feeling a little better, they crank up the pace, which puts them right back where they started. Although racing around frantically may feel productive, the truth is you can accomplish more, make fewer mistakes, and irritate fewer people when you operate with better adrenal health. You don’t have to sacrifice your competitive edge to act with more purpose, deliberation, and forethought, all hallmarks of a more relaxed, adrenal-friendly approach.

Overcoming adrenal fatigue and managing Hashimoto's hypothyroidism includes:

• Removing dietary stressors: sugars, caffeine, junk foods, excess carbs, and food intolerances
• Addressing any lingering health imbalances: hormonal, immune system, or gut
• Exercising regularly, but not over exercising
• Working with your practitioner to use customized nutritional therapy to support your adrenal health

An adrenal saliva test can measure Hashimoto's hypothyroidism progress

It’s a constant refrain: We’re too stressed out. But how stressed out are we really? An adrenal saliva test can tell you whether your cortisol (the stress hormone) is too high or too low, whether your circadian rhythm (the sleep-wake cycle) is normal, and also pin point the cause of your symptoms: adrenal fatigue or high adrenal hormones.

All of these are important when assessing whether your protocol to address Hashimoto's hypothyroidism is working. Adrenal function plays a big role in thyroid health.

Symptoms of adrenal fatigue

• Fatigue
• Slow to get going in the morning
• Energy crash in the afternoon
• Craving sweets, caffeine, or nicotine
• Unstable behavior; moodiness
• Shaky, light-headed, or irritable if meals are delayed
• Inability to stay asleep
• Dizziness when moving from sitting to standing

Symptoms of high adrenal hormones

• Excess belly fat
• Insulin resistance (high blood sugar)
• Insomnia
• Not feeling rested in the morning
• Women grow facial hair; men grow breasts
• PCOS in women (polycystic ovarian syndrome).

How to use the adrenal saliva test

The adrenal saliva test requires you to collect a small vial of saliva several times throughout the day. Adrenal stress is always caused by something else, such as unstable blood sugar, a chronic infection, or an autoimmune disease. So the importance of the adrenal saliva test is that it allows us to track the progress of a protocol.

One test is a good place to start, but the second and third tests tell us if we’re on the right track with a protocol for Hashimoto's hypothyroidism; adrenal health should improve as conditions resolve. If things do not improve, it means we must dig deeper to find out what is taxing the body.

Measuring the circadian rhythm

An abnormal sleep-wake cycle, or circadian rhythm, is one symptom of adrenal stress. A normal circadian rhythm shows high cortisol in the morning and low cortisol at night. This makes us alert when we wake up and tired before bed. For many, this rhythm is backwards, causing fatigue in the morning and insomnia at night. In addition, instead of the usual gradual decline throughout the day, cortisol may suddenly drop in the afternoon, causing an energy crash. Addressing circadian rhythm imbalances can help manage Hashimoto's hypothyroidism.

Use an adrenal saliva test as a tool for Hashimoto's hypothyroidism

By measuring circadian rhythm, precursor hormones (DHEA and 17 hydroxyprogesterone), and cortisol levels, the adrenal saliva test can tell you whether you are in the “alarm reaction” of high adrenal hormones, in adrenal exhaustion, or somewhere in between. Contrary to popular belief, one does not necessarily progress from alarm reaction to adrenal fatigue; adrenal function can jump around between phases, or stay in one phase for years.

The adrenal saliva test also measures total SIgA (secretory antibodies). SIgA levels measure the impact of stress on the immune system. When SIgA is low, it means a person is more susceptible to food intolerances, infections, and other assaults on the immune system. This is important to know when managing your Hashimoto's hypothyroidism.

A variety of herbal and nutritional compounds can profoundly influence adrenal function, but they are not the first line of defense. You and your doctor must first ferret out what is causing your adrenal stress and make addressing that a priority. Only then is adrenal support appropriate. Addressing adrenal function and Hashimoto's hypothyroidism simultaneously can help improve the function of both systems.

Ask my office how you can support your adrenal health.

Fight Hashimoto's hypothyroidism with glutathione recycling

The term “antioxidant” has become popular in a multitude of products from acai to dark chocolate, but the most important antioxidant is the one made by your body: glutathione. Sufficient glutathione is vital for combating autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto's hypothyroidism.

Glutathione is a molecule that protects the body in many ways. It shields cells from damage caused by oxidation and inflammation, it aids in detoxification, and it helps the immune system function at its best.

When glutathione production drops, you are more vulnerable to:

• autoimmune disease
• chemical sensitivities
• heavy metal sensitivities
• inflammatory disorders
• intestinal permeability (leaky gut)
• other immune issues

Stress lowers glutathione levels

When we are healthy, our bodies make enough glutathione to protect us. However, chronic stress, whether it is from toxins, poor diet, sleep deprivation, smoking, excess sugar, or other stressors, eventually exhausts glutathione levels. Glutathione levels also decrease gradually as a result of aging.

A glutathione supplement is not effective taken orally. Instead, people can boost glutathione levels through a liposomal cream, nebulizer, suppository, or IV drip. These methods will help raise glutathione levels and your general antioxidant status, which can reduce inflammation and improve health. However, they do not raise glutathione inside the cells.

Studies link low glutathione with autoimmune hypothyroidism

To raise glutathione levels inside the cells, where it can protect the cells' energy-producing factories called “mitochondria,” you must enhance your body’s ability to recycle glutathione. Recycling glutathione means taking glutathione that has already been used and rebuilding it so it’s ready for action again.

Studies show a correlation between the inability to recycle glutathione and increased autoimmune disease, such as Hashimoto's hypothyroidism. Glutathione recycling helps balance the immune system, protect the thyroid gland tissue from damage caused autoimmune attacks, and also helps repair damage. Good glutathione recycling is an important tool in managing Hashimoto's hypothyroidism.

Glutathione recycling helps repair leaky gut

Glutathione recycling also helps protect and repair the gut. It’s common for people with Hashimoto's hypothyroidism to have leaky gut, which exacerbates their autoimmune thyroid condition. Poor glutathione recycling weakens gut integrity, making a person more prone to multiple food sensitivities and chronic gut issues. Good glutathione recycling is a vital part of restoring and protecting gut health.

Boosting glutathione recycling for Hashimoto's hypothyroidism

One of the most important steps to enhance glutathione recycling is to remove stressors that deplete glutathione levels. These may include lack of sleep, smoking, food intolerances, diets high in sugars and processed foods, excess alcohol intake, and metabolic imbalances, such as with the hormones or immune system.

If you have Hashimoto's hypothyroidism, this also means going on a strict gluten-free diet, as many studies show a connection between the autoimmune thyroid disease and a gluten intolerance or celiac disease.

Beyond that, a variety of nutritional and botanical compounds have been shown to support glutathione recycling. They include:

• N-acetyl-cysteine
• Alpha-lipoic acid
• L-glutamine
• Selenium
• Cordyceps
• Gotu kola
• Milk thistle

Booting your glutathione levels with a glutathione liposomal cream and then supporting glutathione recycling can profoundly enhance the management of Hashimoto's hypothyroidism, inflammatory disorders, chemical sensitivities, food sensitivities, and more.

Contact my office for advice on how you can support your glutathione recycling system.

Is a chemical sensitivity worsening your Hashimoto's hypothyroidism?

You've probably heard of food intolerances to gluten, dairy, eggs, or other foods. But chemical intolerances, or sensitivities, have become increasingly common, as well. A person with a chemical sensitivity has an immune reaction to chemicals and heavy metals in air pollution, pesticides, plastics, adhesives, household cleaners, cosmetics, perfumes, and more.

When exposed to these chemicals, the sensitive person may react with a variety of different symptoms, including migraines, fatigue, inflammation, brain fog, memory loss, vertigo, sore throat, respiratory or sinus problems, or a skin rash.

For the person with autoimmune Hashimoto's hypothyroidism, a chemical sensitivity creates a chronic assault on the immune system, making it difficult to manage this autoimmune thyroid condition.

Why doesn't everyone have a chemical sensitivity?

Although we now live in a world of thousands of toxic chemicals, some people react to chemicals and some don't. In fact, lab testing may reveal the person who doesn't react actually carries a heavier toxic burden than the person who reacts very easily. Why?

The answer lies in how well the person's immune system handles exposures to chemicals and pollutants in our environment. Several factors can cause a chemical intolerance:

• The immune system reacts to certain chemicals or heavy metals as allergens due to an immune imbalance.
• An individual has lost the ability to detoxify chemicals from everyday exposure.
• An individual's natural antioxidant status is deficient, increasingly one's vulnerability to toxicity from chemicals.
• A breakdown of immune barriers—gut, lungs, skin, and blood-brain barrier—increases the body's vulnerability to toxins.

In other words, it's not necessarily small exposures to toxic chemicals or heavy metals that make one sick (even though they are not good for us), but instead the body's inability to handle environmental toxins.

How chelation can worsen Hashimoto's hypothyroidism

A common method of treating a chemical sensitivity or other chronic condition is chelation. Chelation is a detoxification therapy that removes heavy metals from the body.

However, for the person whose immune system is reacting to chemicals and heavy metals, chelation can actually make things worse. By using chelation to liberate chemicals and heavy metals from tissue and into the bloodstream, the chemically sensitive person may react with even more symptoms and more tissue damage.

For the person with Hashimoto's hypothyroidism, this means a flare-up of the condition and worsening symptoms.

Chelation should only be considered if the immune barriers are in tact (i.e., no leaky gut, or leaky blood-brain barrier, which would allow chelated toxins into the brain), the immune system is balanced, and detoxification functions are working normally.

How to prevent or alleviate a chemical sensitivity

These days, it is difficult to isolate ourselves from pollutants, chemicals, and heavy metals. There is very little testing of new chemicals that enter our environment, and it is extremely difficult to require manufacturers to ban chemicals. Instead, you can focus on using toxin- and scent-free cleaners and personal care products, eating organic, whole foods, and consuming plenty of fibrous, antioxidant-rich vegetables and filtered water to help cleanse your system.

Beyond that, we have more advanced clinical strategies to help alleviate a chemical sensitivity. These include supporting the activity of glutathione, the body's most powerful antioxidant, repairing the immune barriers—gut, lung, and blood-brain—with nutritional support, balancing the immune system, and restoring the body's natural ability to detoxify.

Detox Diet Plan for the New Year

Now that the food comas, sugar hangovers, and holiday binges are over, it’s a good time to “clean house” with a detox diet. A detox diet calms inflammation, stimulates repair and recovery, and boosts energy. A detox diet should never involve frequent hunger or lack of nutrients, factors that only stress the body further.

Finding food intolerances

Many people don’t realize they have food intolerances. These foods trigger an immune reaction and cause such symptoms as low energy, rashes, joint pain, digestive issues, headaches, anxiety, depression, and more. They also prevent weight loss. The foods people most commonly react to are gluten, grains, dairy, eggs, and nuts.

Other inflammation triggers

Other common immune triggers include nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, etc.), legumes, coffee, and, of course, foods high in sugar. Don't forget, sugary foods include sweet fruits and natural sweeteners, such as honey, maple syrup, and agave.

The hunger-free diet plan

At this point you might be saying, “There is nothing left to eat!” On the contrary, the detox diet resembles what our ancestors ate prior to the industrialization of food, and there is plenty to eat. In fact, it is important not to get too hungry as the low blood sugar caused by chronic hunger causes inflammation. Eat frequently enough to sustain energy and avoid crashing.

Healthy diet plan foods

Grass-fed and organic meats, wild fish, plenty of vegetables, healthy fats, and fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, make up the detox diet, along with plenty of water and non-caffeinated herbal teas.

Good fats are key to success

An appropriate amount of good fats ward off hunger and sustain energy. Include healthy fats such as coconut oil, avocado, olive oil, ghee (butter oil), and salmon. Avoid processed vegetable oils and strictly avoid hydrogenated oils, or trans fats.

Rewards outweigh difficulties

Yes, the diet is difficult at first. It requires planning and preparation. Initially you may experience sugar and carb cravings, low energy as your body adapts to burning fat instead of sugar for fuel, and such detox symptoms as headaches, rashes, or joint pain. Please call our office for guidance if so.

However people who stick with the diet inevitably feel such a boost in energy and well being that they come to enjoy the diet.

A great weight-loss diet plan

Many find the detox diet is the best weight loss diet yet. Cutting out sweets and high-carb foods naturally promotes weight loss. More importantly, however, the detox diet becomes a weight loss diet plan by reducing inflammation, stabilizing blood sugar, and restoring balance to the adrenals, our stress-managing glands.

Reintroducing foods

After 30 to 90 days of the detox diet, you may wish to add in some of the foods you eliminated, one at a time every 72 hours to see whether you react in any way to them. This will help you build a healthier lifelong diet. However many find a gluten-free and even grain-free diet builds lasting health.

Support with detox supplements

I can help you enhance the effects of the detox diet with nutritional compounds to aid in cleansing and ease the symptoms of transition. They support the liver, the digestive tract, blood sugar balance, and stress handling. Just call my office for advice.

Detox diet plan

Foods to avoid

• ALL sugars and sweeteners, including honey, agave, maple syrup, etc.
• High-glycemic fruits: Watermelon, mango, pineapple, raisins, grapes, canned fruits, dried fruits, etc.
• Nightshades: Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant, and other nightshades
• Mushrooms
• Grains: Wheat, oats, rice, barley, buckwheat, corn, quinoa, etc.
• Dairy: Milk, cream, cheese, butter, whey.
• Eggs or foods that contain eggs (mayonnaise)
• Soy: Soy milk, soy sauce, tofu, tempeh, etc.
• Alcohol
• Lectins: Lectins promote leaky gut. Avoid nuts, beans, soy, nightshades, peanut oil, peanut butter, and soy and soy products.
• Coffee: Many people react to coffee as if it is gluten, and it can be overstimulating.
• Processed foods
• Canned foods

Foods to eat

• Most vegetables (except nightshades and mushrooms): Asparagus, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, beets, cauliflower, carrots, celery, artichokes, garlic, onions, zucchini, squash, rhubarb, cucumbers, turnips, watercress, etc.
• Fermented foods: Sauerkraut, kimchi, pickled ginger, fermented cucumbers, coconut yogurt, kombucha, etc. You must make your own or buy one of the few brands that are genuinely fermented (not made with vinegar) and free of sugars or additives.
• Meats: Grass-fed and organic chicken, turkey, beef, bison, lamb, etc., and wild fish.
• Low glycemic fruits sparingly: Apricots, plums, apple, peach, pear, cherries, berries, etc.
• Coconut: Coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut milk, coconut cream.
• Olives and olive oil
• Ghee (butter oil) unless severe dairy allergy

Can stress cause your baby's allergies?

A calm, healthy pregnancy and postpartum period could reduce the risk of allergies in your baby, according to a new Swedish study.

Researchers found infants with lower levels of cortisol, an adrenal hormone released in response to stress, developed fewer allergies than other infants.

Stress hormone cortisol triggers allergies

The researchers believe environmental and lifestyle factors during pregnancy and early infancy raise adrenal cortisol levels, which increases the risk of allergies.

Studies show high cortisol in a pregnant mother raises levels of the hormone in the fetus.

In functional medicine, we see many women enter into pregnancy with high cortisol. Common symptoms include excess belly fat, insomnia, insulin resistance (high blood sugar), hair loss, and an irregular menstrual cycle.

Stress isn’t just about too much to do on too little sleep (although that is certainly a factor).

Factors that cause high adrenal cortisol

Common factors that elevate cortisol are:

• Sugary, starchy diets that consistently spike blood sugar (which causes excess belly fat).
• Excess caffeine.
• Undiagnosed food intolerances. Gluten intolerance and celiac disease are particularly common.
• Poor gut health. Gas, bloating, indigestion, heartburn, diarrhea, constipation, and other digestive symptoms are signs of a poorly functioning gut.
• Improperly managed autoimmune disease. Do you have Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism or another autoimmune disease?

Rate of childhood allergies rising

The rate of allergies has risen sharply in the United States. About 54 percent of Americans are allergic to at least one thing, an up to five-fold increase the late 1970s. The number of children with food allergies has risen 18 percent since the late 90s; witness the prevalence of peanut-free classrooms.

Manage health before pregnancy

The best thing a mother can do to reduce the risk of allergies in her child is to address her own health and nutrition before conception.

An adrenal saliva test is a good way to measure whether cortisol levels are normal. A mother’s health before conception and during pregnancy greatly influences the health of her baby.

Stress is a fact of life for us all. How have you managed to lower stress levels during pregnancy?

Can pregnancy cause hypothyroidism?

Question

Why did pregnancy trigger my hypothyroidism?

Answer

Natural immune shifts during pregnancy, together with a genetic tendency and other predisposing factors, can trigger hypothyroidism in some women.

Hypothyroidism is an immune disease for most

For 90 percent of Americans, hypothyroidism is caused by Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks and destroys the thyroid gland.

The immune system has two major arms of function, one that reacts immediately to an invader, and one that reacts later to produce antibodies. When one of these arms of becomes overly dominant it can trigger an autoimmune disease.

Going into pregnancy predisposed

Pregnancy and the postpartum periods naturally polarize the immune system. In the third trimester the delayed immune response is dominant. Postpartum the immediate immune reaction is stronger.

If a genetically predisposed woman goes into pregnancy with an existing immune imbalance, these natural immune shifts could be the tipping point for Hashimoto’s.

When pregnancy is one stressor too many

Pregnancy can also cause hypothyroid symptoms secondary to chronic stress. Stressors such as gut infections, food intolerances, blood sugar imbalances, and hormonal imbalances can depress the pituitary gland, which controls hormone function in the body. As a result the pituitary fails to signal thyroid activity.

For many women this manifests not only as low thyroid function, but also postpartum depression. Because so many women enter pregnancy dealing with multiple chronic stressors, the increased demands of pregnancy overwhelm the pituitary gland and depress thyroid function.

Balancing health pre-conception lowers risk for mother and baby

A woman should address health and immune imbalances before conceiving to reduce her risk of developing hypothyroidism.

Doing so also may lower the risk of her infant developing eczema, asthma, food allergies, and even autism, which has been found to be caused by an autoimmune disease in many. When the mother’s immune system is healthy and balanced, there’s a stronger possibility her baby’s will be too.

Food allergies can prevent weight loss

Question

I learned I have intolerances and allergies to certain foods, and that I need to avoid those foods if I want to lose weight. Isn’t it just a matter of eating fewer calories?

Answer

Some people find they can’t lose weight through calorie restriction alone. When that happens several issues need to be investigated. One of the most important is food intolerances. Eating foods to which you are allergic or intolerant will prevent weight loss.

Food intolerances cause inflammation

Food intolerances and allergies create inflammation, and inflammation prevents weight loss. Every time you eat gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, corn, or some other food that may be a problem for you, you create inflammation in your body.

Leaky gut is a primary culprit

For many people today, a variety of foods trigger inflammation. This is due largely to intestinal permeability, or “leaky gut,” which allows undigested food particles to slip into the bloodstream through damaged and inflamed intestinal walls. Leaky gut is very common today due to poor diets, excessive sweets, chronic stress, and other maladies of modern life. Gluten intolerance and celiac disease are also common and cause leaky gut.

As these food particles circulate throughout the body the immune system responds by attacking and destroying them for removal, just as it would respond to a viral or bacterial infection. Unfortunately, if the food is eaten regularly, this keeps the immune system constantly at work, hence creating chronic inflammation. Symptoms can be obvious in the way of joint pain, skin issues, abdominal pain, or even brain fog, memory loss, or moodiness. Sometimes the inflammation is not obvious, yet a person finds she or he can’t lose weight.

Inflammation halts weight loss

Studies show the immune compounds that cause inflammation also make insulin receptors less sensitive, creating insulin resistance. As a result glucose can’t get into cells and blood sugar becomes too high. The body lowers blood sugar by converting it to fat for storage. Insulin resistance also hinders fat burning.

Inflammation also has been shown to cause leptin resistance, which stimulates hunger and promotes fat storage. Furthermore, excess body fat secretes immune messenger cells that trigger inflammation, promoting a vicious cycle that prevents weight loss.

Although moderating caloric intake and exercising are recommended for weight loss, effective and lasting weight loss depends in part on tackling chronic inflammation and food sensitivities.