Keto and your thyroid

February 15, 2019 by 46 Comments
Keto and your thyroid

The ketogenic diet has been getting a lot of buzz in recent years. That is plainly obvious with every visit that I make online to read over comments from Hypothyroid Mom followers. It seems like one after another, people are raving about keto for finally helping them lose stubborn fat. With all the rave reviews, however, the truth is that I’ve also heard from hypothyroid readers, more often women than men, feeling sick and even gaining unwanted weight on keto. It is clear to me that the traditional keto diet is not the wonder weight loss cure for everyone, especially those of us with hypothyroidism.

Are there particular modifications for people with hypothyroidism so that everyone wins with keto? That was my burning question. 

And there entered this OB/GYN.

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Two Important Hormones (You’re Likely Not Even Thinking About)

September 4, 2018 by 3 Comments

Written by Anna Cabeca, DO, FACOG

I’ve learned so much about women’s health from this gynecologist/obstetrician. I’ve been picking her brain for information as I navigate the journey (and boy is it a rocky journey for those of us with thyroid disease) of perimenopause and menopause. [Read more…]

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Traditional ketogenic diets neglect alkalinity, but combine the two and BAM

April 11, 2018 by 29 Comments
Traditional ketogenic diets neglect alkalinity, but combine the two and BAM
In recent months, more and more Hypothyroid Mom readers have been writing to me about their experience with the ketogenic diet. And it has really caught my attention. Many have raved about KETO helping them dramatically reduce weight and feel more energetic. Others have even reported an improvement in their thyroid lab tests that has resulted in a reduction in their thyroid hormone replacement medication dosage. wow!
A Hypothyroid Mom reader named Pat started following my Hypothyroid Mom Facebook page in the early days when I had only a few hundred followers (we’re up to 1 million now!). I’ve been blessed to become good friends with many of my followers over the last 5 years. She wrote to me about her experience with the ketogenic diet:

“I lost inches almost immediately. I don’t weigh myself but I’m down 1 1/2 to 2 sizes. My heartburn is significantly less and gas is almost gone.”

However I’ve also heard from a few readers experiencing side effects including fatigue, headaches,muscle cramps, anxiety, nausea, and flu-like symptoms.

I’ve been digging around the internet. It seems that some health experts caution that the ketogenic diet can disturb a woman’s hormones. However I’ve heard from enough women with hypothyroidism of all ages raving about the benefits, to know there must be more to it. According to this double board-certified OB-GYN and Regenerative and Anti-Aging Medicine expert, an ALKALINE ketogenic diet may be the most powerful lifestyle change that women and men can make. [Read more…]

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Peri-Menopause and Your Thyroid

May 23, 2017 by 11 Comments

Peri-Menopause and Your Thyroid

Peri-menopause. Oh how I hate it. It all started for me at age 43 with a major shift in my menstrual cycles and then came the symptoms including major hair loss and what physically appeared as rapid aging of my skin. It threw my thyroid health into a tailspin too and what was once my “sweet spot” for thyroid medication dosage that made me feel great was no longer effective. Finding my new “sweet spot” took a few years but thankfully today at age 47 I feel fantastic again. I know there is more to come as peri-menopause can last 5 to 10 years leading up to menopause, and I know things will shift but as they “knowledge is power”. I will take the bull by the horns with every fall and turn and ensure I come up feeling well again…and I hope the same for you.
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Menopause, Perimenopause, Thyroid & Vaginal Dryness

October 18, 2016 by 1 Comment

Menopause, Perimenopause, Thyroid & Vaginal Dryness

It is not a coincidence that women are particularly vulnerable to develop a thyroid condition at 3 times in their lives – puberty, pregnancy, and perimenopause/menopause. Our sex hormones and thyroid hormones are intricately connected. When our sex hormones shift we are vulnerable to have shifts in our thyroid hormones too and vice versa. Perimenopause and menopause can be more challenging for those of us with thyroid issues.

It’s a challenge too to determine which symptoms are menopause related and which ones are thyroid related. I wonder how many people are told their symptoms are all due to perimenopause or menopause when in fact they are really the result of an undiagnosed or inadequately treated thyroid condition.

Studies like the two I include in the references at the bottom of this article show female sexual issues with thyroid disorders including lowered libido, painful intercourse, impaired orgasm, and reduced vaginal lubrication. This topic is clearly quite complex when it comes to hypothyroid women.

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