I've been suffering for 10 years with autio immune thyroid disease, this book has put together so many missing part of the puzzle for me. I recommend it to anyone who is bewildered by all of the confusing advice out there.
Only criticism is some of it is anecdotal and a little alarmist (re the food industry!) but overall the theories are backed up by references to peer reveiwed studies.
The basic premise is your gut is the place to start the healing process.
I'd be interested in anyone else's comments.... it's not a huge book so doesn't take lone (except re reading the science bits a couple of times!).
Auldreekie
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auldreekie
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I don't do electronic books Spend enough time staring at a screen already, so it's a real treat to be able to go back to the 'old fashioned technology' of physical books
The other down side of it not being available through Amazon UK is that I don't think we can use Thyroid UK's affiliate link to buy through
Am off to the US in just over a week. Barnes and Noble here I come!
Thanks for this Auldreekie. My daughter's and husband's real problems began 20 years ago after catching a bad bug whilst surfing. They've never tested positive for anything as a result, but we've always wondered. Jane x
Hi Jane,re your post saying you thought your husband and daughters problems began with a bug.
I had a flu type illness way back 30+ years ago and I believe this was the start of my problems.I started with psoriasis,which was noticeable but the other autoimmune problems followed slowly and undetected until five years ago.
Just thought this might give strength to your feelings.
My gut troubles started back in 1972 after a flu-like illness, but I wasn't diagnosed HypoT until 2000. I was told all along that I had Anorexia Nervosa, which was definitely not true, but not admitted by any GP until about 2005, (one GP said at that time he didn't think it was Anorexia, but CFS - exchanging one label for a slightly less stigmatised one I suppose)
But I am stuck with Anorexia on my records and the first action of any GP if I become worse is the Mental Health route, which I find incredibly insulting. Not just to me, but to those who genuinely have that terrible illness and often can't get any help.
Back in June this year my GP sent me for a psychiatrist's assessment (after lying and telling me it was a CFS clinic), because I became much worse after developing an intolerance to levo. He refused to prescribe anything else or do any tests. (Since rectified by a wonderful private endo)
Then came the 'Eating Disorder Clinic' (GRRRR!!!), where finally, (Dec) they decided I didn't have any 'eating disorder' that they could identify, and it was all down to some underlying condition (like untreated HypoT maybe?). Thanks a bunch for wasting NHS resources and my time, only to tell me something I've been saying for about 100 years.
I did feel really humiliated having to go to an Eating Disorder Clinic at my age and be interrogated about my entire lifestyle by young women about a third of my age - not their fault, they were only doing their jobs, but still...
OK, I didn't HAVE to see them, but I'm always hoping somebody will come up with a nuggett of useful information to fill in the blanks in the puzzle. When you feel rotten you'll do anything to get well.
Re the book - I was a bit concerned to see these comments:
I'm not saying that the book is anything other than helpful - I haven't read it so am not in a position to make any informed comment myself.
I was just wondering about the 'fermented foods' - I've got a lot of intolerances and yeast and/or anything fermented is a big no-no. Or is this some other kind of fermentation? - I suppose I need the book to find out.
I did buy the 'Gut & Psychology Syndrome' book which so many highly recommend, but when I saw the diet regime I knew I would never be able to do it on the best day of my life. I feel really guilty because everybody else is saying how marvellous it is! My thought was if the illness didn't kill me, the diet certainly would. Am I the only one who feels this way? Am I so completely odd, negative, scared to experiment, whatever? Do I deserve to be slapped?
These books make me feel so inadequate (probably because I am!) I know I can't do more, but I feel that I ought to be able to....that word, 'ought'....
So what do you do if you've got to the point where you just can't mess with your diet any further than you already have, eliminate any more foods, experiment with things that may or may not affect you badly? I don't feel capable of reinventing my whole diet - which I have done over the years anyway, and have reached a level which is far from perfect but is as far as I feel I can reasonably go without possibly making myself worse. I just can't afford to lose any more weight, and HAVE to stay with foods that are reasonably 'safe' for me, even if they don't include the miracle foods in the books.
I'm all for organic pesticide free foods, grass fed free range animal products rather than grain fed (especially if you're coeliac) - that makes sense and is reasonably do-able, if the organic food is genuinely that.
Again, I'm not dissing either of the books, it's just that the remedies advocated sometimes seem rather extreme and not achievable for absolutely everybody. I'm glad that so many people seem to have been helped, but wish there was a somewhat gentler and more simple solution which didn't make you feel defeated before you start. Is it the old thing of 'No Pain no Gain'? Does something have to be darn near impossible for it to be any good?
Whisper this - so that if it doesn't work, then it's because you're not doing it properly - ie it's all your own fault. A lot of alternative style medicine is wonderful, but there is also a large element of 'if it doesn't work it's your fault', or even worse 'your whole illness is because of something you have or haven't done, or something you have or haven't thought - (eg positive thinking, affirmations, etc etc etc). Logically you know you're not to blame for your illness, but there's always this suggestion that if you remain ill despite your best superhuman efforts, then it's your fault.
Well, I'm probably straying a bit off topic here, sorry...
Just my personal opinon, no disrespect meant, either to the books or anybody doing well with the diets. More power to them.
Janeb, The 'bug' catalyst for auto immune is not unusual... have you looked in to the reference ranges for hypoT being too high - missing hundreds, maybe millions of sufferers?
RedApple, I know what you mean about screens but the Kindle is not a strain at all - my eyes are bad, but the Kindle is very comfortable to read, very flexible (big print, etc).
I keep looking at various electronic reading devices in shops, but still prefer the look and feel of a 'proper' book. Much the same as art really... yes digital painting is absolutely fantastic, but the feel of real paints and brushes is always the missing 'emotinoal' link
Yes, I've been hunting things down for 12 years now! Lately I have found information about die-off toxins that remain in the body after the original bug has been killed and are recycled continuously via the intestines, liver, gall bladder and invade the whole body. It's certainly very interesting and I shall continue to investigate. Jane x
Hi Jane - I think you are on the right track. When I had TB in the gut in my 20's I was told that it would be difficult for my body to shake off the memory of the illness in the cells. Crohns followed ..then the gall bladder.....and then the Hashi's at 57. For the intervening 30 years I just blamed the TB and put up with how I felt. Now I know more about LGS - Leaky Gut Syndrome - I am one of those people that believes illness stemming from inflammation starts in the gut. Please keep investigating and let us know what you find.....
Have you read about Kefir and its effect on the gut - am sure you do. It promotes all the good bacteria in the gut and dominates the baddies. Have a culture bubbling in my kitchen as I type. Yes I am the Thyroid Witch Doctor !!.........x
I feel cheated - I have searched all over the net for a UK stockist of this book but come up with nothing. You can by on-line direct from Barnes & Noble but I hate putting my card details on line - they will teach me for reading the first half a dosen pages curtesy of Amazon.
Moggie, I've got another interesting article on antibiotics/;probiotics for the frustrated amoung us but can't figure out how to attach a PDF - can anyone help please?
A good book for gut health is Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Natasha Campbell-McBride, this can be purchased from Amazon uk. She specialises in gut health and it is a riveting read.
Auldie, The reason we need our lights turned on is that the medical profession knows or cares little about this subject. What would happen if most people did not have autoimmune diseases. It certainly would put a lot of companies and people out of business. Now with the internet and alternative healers we can learn to help ourselves. Good luck on your journey with a whole foods diet, exercise and stress reduction....the key to healing leaky gut.
Hi Heloise, on the point of exercise, this seems to be controversial, as it does stress the body. What type of exercise is recommended in our situation? I am having trouble with depression, I am aneamic (b12 at the base of the problem) which I hope to correct soon, but exercise lifts my mood (endorphines) trouble is I am so zonked out it is hard to get motivated The endo suggested prosac (ekkk!) and counselling...
auld, I suppose prozac could be used very short term if you are sooo desperate.
There are articles coming out that you can over exercise. Isn't that wonderful news
The basic recommendation is about 20 minutes of some aerobic type exercise, only three times per week. It isn't specific, and I think in our case you use whatever you feel comfortable doing, i.e. walking, bouncing on a rebounder, even walking in a pool if you have access. This is a quote from one who promoted the combination. It was made to someone with severe arthritis but walking in chest high water could be used by anone:
Dr Kenneth Cooper wrote a whole book with suggested exercises and the bottom line was "calculated HR for a person's age for 12 1/2 minutes". This is the only proven (as yet) effective approach for any of these benefits. For someone like you, the ideal is underwater aerobics 3 times a week.
Anyone who is trying to reverse a chronic condition has to at least do that much for the exercise leg of the 3LS to get predicted results.
(3LS=3 legged stool, i.e. whole foods, exercise, stress reduction)
You could try meditation cd's for stress reduction.
Hi, I've only just got round to reading the extract on Amazon and also the reviews on the actual Amazon page but haven't read the book so can't be sure what is in the second part of it as the cure. Some of the reviews mention sauerkraut, kefir, cherry juice etc. and it reminded me of a book I have written by Sally Fallon (mentioned in two reviews at least) of the Weston A Price Foundation. One reviewer there says he went to Sally Fallon’s books for recipes to follow up on the cure in this book, so in case you haven’t come across Sally Fallon here’s a link to her fantastic book Nourishing Traditions:
It doesn't go into the same scientific depth about specifically auto-immune problems and their causes as this book does, but it covers a wider range of issues along nutritional/scientific lines, challenges the currently accepted dietary guidelines particularly about fats, and has a great many traditional recipes from the healthiest and longest lives peoples around the world, including those for making proper sauerkraut (not the sort you buy in jars in supermarkets), kefir, meat broths etc.
Concentrated cherry juice, mentioned in one review of your book so possibly mentioned in the book too, is available from H&B by the way.
Heloise, I missed your mail about exercise, thanks. I do have rather a negative view of Prosac but I suppose used as a temporary tool it could work. A large part of our problem in the UK at present is being inside so much, snow has limited time outside, so not much D3 getting in to our bodies. I am hoping lengthening days will help my mood!
I've also had a problem with D3, even taking 5000 i.u. did not raise my levels.
It would be better to avoid Prozac, there are plenty of other toxins to deal with in our food products. I hope you feel better and are encouraged by this blog site.
I also found the bit about the worm tea curing her friend very interesting as I'm a research scientist looking into how parasitic worms affect the immune system and how they cure illnesses like asthma (allergy/autoimmunity). Hygiene hypothesis en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygie...
Complete change of diet, raw foods containing benefical bacteria, basicailly food as medicine. I've not read the whole thing yet. So far no mention of supplements...
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Spend enough time staring at a screen already, so it's a real treat to be able to go back to the 'old fashioned technology' of physical books 
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