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. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, reproduction or utilization of this work in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, and in any information storage and retrieval system, is forbidden without written permission of the publisher. Mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities in this book does not imply endorsement by the author or publisher. Information in this book was accurate at the time researched. The author received no incentives or compensation to promote the item recommendations in the book. 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 Proofreader: Tim Tate Index: Tim Tate Other photos used by permission ©: iStock: 4maksym, bjonesmedia, brians101, Katrina Brown, cislander, dina2001, elenaleonova, Vitaly Edush, Christopher Futcher, Adrian Hillman, ivosar, Magone, mycola, rafal_olechowski, Rod Pforr, Ivelin Radkov, Alex Raths, Tverdohlib, Michael Utech, zeljkosantrac; Shutterstock: Shane Myers Photography, Dennis van de Water; Dollar Photo Club: kovalto1 Publisher: Primal Blueprint Publishing, 1641 S. Rose Ave., Oxnard, CA 93033 For information on quantity discounts, please call 888-774-6259, email: [email protected], or visit PrimalBlueprintPublishing.com. 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 may return the book to publisher for a full refund. 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.