Several within our community are spending 21 days fasting from Sugar, a challenge presented by Revelation Wellness. This article is brought to you by Dr. Jana Joshu Grimm as a part of the 21 Day Sugar Fast Challenge. Dr. Jana writes,
“An estimated 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease, with thyroid medications among the most prescribed drugs in the U.S. It is now believed that 90-97% of those diagnosed with hypothyroidism in the U.S. actually have Hashimoto’s, which has an autoimmune component to it.
When you have a thyroid disorder that persists regardless of your medication, it’s likely autoimmune related. The pain and symptoms continue despite your medication because none of the thyroid replacement medications block the T cell assault. They just replace absent thyroid hormones, so your T cells (your immune system) are still reacting full force and trying to kill thyroid tissue in your body. Even if you have a thyroidectomy, the T cells will kill other tissues in your body where the reaction takes place.
Sugar feeds the “bad guys” and interferes with thyroid and liver function, which inhibits the conversion of T4 to T3 (active thyroid hormone). Furthermore, when our bodies are toxic and our livers are congested, they cannot detoxify properly, produce enzymes to break down food, fight inflammation, or use the sun’s energy to produce Vitamin D, no matter how much time you spend outside. Without sufficient Vitamin D, you cannot convert T4 to T3.
Finally, it’s important to know many cases of thyroid disease are overlooked and misdiagnosed as depression, etc. I personally use muscle testing and have found it to be incredibly effective in my practice for finding and resolving overlooked thyroid problems and the root cause. You may get better results with a truly comprehensive Thyroid Panel, but please do not ignore your symptoms even if bloodwork is inconclusive. Remember, >90% of thyroid problems are actually an immune and gut problem.
So, in short:
Sugar = Gut inflammation = Poor liver function = Hormone imbalance = Brain inflammation
Symptoms of thyroid disorder can include but are not limited to:
- Weight gain
- Brain fog
- Body aches
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Chronic fatigue
- Cry easily
- Lack of motivation or ambition
- Digestion problems (bloating, gas, constipation, etc)
- Dry skin
- Ringing in ears
- Low libido
- Irregular and/or heavy menstrual cycles
- Infertility
- ADD/ADHD
- Mood swings
- Neuropathy and other nerve pain
-Dr. Jana”