re: Hypothyroidism, weight and related issues

[Guest guest]

Dear Dr. Jyothi, Dr. Rama Laksmi and Vicky -

 

First we should clarify that (Dr.) Alakananda Ma is not a member of our forum.

She can be reached through Alandiashram.org I believe is the correct website, in

Colorado. There are actually at least 4 or 5 excellent Ayurvedic practitioners

in the neighborhood of Boulder, Colorado I wouldn't hesitate to send you to

there - including also Dr. Nita Desai, Dr. Sarasvati Buhrman, Dr. John

Douillard. Also, hopefully some of our very qualified practitioners on the

forum here will be able to shed some light on your question.

 

You may also go to the www.ayurveda forum where

more participate and I'm quite sure there are many posts already on this topic

you can search for in the archives. Drs. Thite have their ayurvedic forum as

well, where you have very direct access to their many years experience.

(recently addressed in our posts).

 

It is very interesting to myself that even Ayurvedic doctors sometimes have

difficulty here. I can only share a few things which may shed light, and you

will find the following discussion rather indirect, to address several related

issues.

 

One of the things which comes to mind is not so easily addressed sometimes in

classical ayurveda - We have issues now that were not present in ancient times.

The body's fat tissues being used (and created/recreated) to protect ourselves

from the effects of fat soluble chemicals. And cultural dietary habits which

may increase problems with those who are vegetarians, in creating weight,

thyroid, and diabetic tendencies. Which includes use of refined white sugar,

processed cheap oils, factory farmed diary, and resultant ama of additional

kinds. And definitely includes the effects of the little understood low agni

and special dietary needs of women after childbirth.

 

Canadian medical Dr. Carolyn DeMarco, in her women's health advisory book, Take

Charge of Your Body, addresses the often ignored so called postpartum depression

which comes from low thyroid or as she calls it, postpartum thyroiditis. " After

birth, for reasons still poorly understood, one out of 20 women or more will

have a disorder of the immune system and develop antibodies against her own

thyorid glands). She goes on to discuss this chemistry a little in her book I

have first edition, not sure how much more she covers later). How does t his

relate to ayurvedic understanding, I ask also?

 

Certainly is correct to figure that maternal often ill-supported postpartum low

agni creates accumulated incomplete products of digestion which block proper

metabolism and thyroid function. In addition to the whole ama reducing while

rebuilding dietary discussion (for another time, ti's late!) The advised use of

chitrak and other agni igniting herbs combined with strength supporting, vata

rasayana herb ashwagandha, and the mineral pitch shilajit are among core

protocols according to one Ayurvedic doctor I have asked about hypothyroid care.

 

Although use of iodine rich seaweeds is not discussed by my ayurvedic teachers,

we can consider adding the doshic balancing seasonings and other cooking keys to

include this in a hypothyroid supportive diet also. It is said the brassicas

(broccoli, mustard greens, kale, cauliflower and other related vegetables)

interfere and should be minimized. Those requiring medication anyway may choose

to take a thyroid gland rebuilding product instead which contains, among other

things, some organic animal thyroid source.

 

So by my logic - please think and share with me as I am not really trained in

these things, just have to research on my own and put common sense together -

low thyroid can make gain of weight which may be ama related, or not burning

fats properly, or eating too many carbs which get converted to sugar than stored

as fat. High stress conditions create high cortisol which results often in

increased weight also - body stores mobilized fight or flight blood sugar into

fat for later. Then there are the functions of the body to protect it's critical

acid-alkalne balance with fats, and again, in protecting from lipid soluble

toxins with fats - our bodies will make fat in these cases, or crave foods to

have enough for protection here.

 

Dr. Odent, in his Womb Ecology article, speaks of " THE AGE OF MAN-MADE

FAT-SOLUBLE CHEMICALS thus (excerpt) ... concerning the effects of fat-soluble

synthetic chemicals on health. Over the years we all have accumulated hundreds

of chemicals in our adipose tissue that would not have been there sixty years

ago because such chemicals did not exist at that time. Many of these pollutants

have a long half-life and we do not have mechanisms to break them down;

therefore they cannot be eliminated by the kidneys. " That article is focused on

the major threat to the health of future generations with intrauterine pollution

by such man-made molecules. However you can find references on the primalhealth

database and other below cited sources to how this dynamic also makes weight

loss difficult, or can even contribute to changing newborn dna to become more

prone to obesity w/in the first 10 days of life. We would look at all realated

factors, includinng possible sources of petrochemical pollutants in environment

w/in and outside of the home for clues.

 

Another issue: Our culture east and west has been taught that we need to go

lowfat to loose weight, yet if you look at Dr. Michelle Odent's amazing keyword

research database which is still free to use at

http://www.primalhealthresearch.com/search.php, or Dr. Joseph MErcola's rich

postings, or the Weston Price Foundation authors like Sally Fallon, we can find

related pieces including that the quoted large research project several decades

ago which supposedly deduced fats as the big weight problem, was actually

misrepresented immediately and with far reaching negative impact on weight and

hormonal health of the population probably related.

 

So many think weight is primarily an issue of too many fats in the diet, whereas

it seems more often high carbs, even complex ones, when there is not sufficient

even vegetarian protein combinations, or sufficient fats and spices with the

carbs - all makes a bigger difference than whether there are/how many carbs in

the diet. Dr. Lad speaks of minimizing also the food combination of grains with

starches. IE, potato, yam, tapioca for instance, combined in same meal with

grains can complicate the body's metabolism with ama.

 

Power of digestion/suitable agni and ama accumulations issues most definitely

have to be looked at with thyroid as well as with weight issues.

 

Others such as dietition Dr. Carolyn Mein have found that some people are more

weight sensitive due to excess dairy, others with sugars, grains or starches,

some with some kinds of fats, others what time of day they eat proteins and

which, etc. Dr Mein also found that there is a range of how much dietary

caloric intake of (good/suitable) fats one needs even to LOOSE weight -

generally around 10 or 15% mimimum. Many need some butterfat to loose weight, as

well as have happy hormones.

 

As many have seen with the popular Blood type diet as well as with Dr. Mercola's

work, some " need " more animal source proteins than other body types. I choose

to translate that to mean, those wanting to be vegetarian among them some will

have to do more homework to do it successfully and not experience weight,

emotional, mental and other challenges. This is my experience personally.

Ayurvedic cook and polarity therapist AMadea Morningstar and others have shed

light on some of this - for another discussion.

 

Dr. Jyothi, congratulations on your successful results with the CA and though I

don't know what metformin is, perhaps we can shed further light on some of the

pieces, discussing amongst this community together. Thank you for sharing your

challenges. I too have been through breast cancer and am in the health field as

I needed to learn much about my own self care, in addition to commitment to

working in this important field of family health.

 

All, thank you for your patience with my ramble - it is just some of the pieces

which have showed themselves and seem worth considering. There is much more we

might talk about and I hope those who can be very direct with protocols and

professional experience here are listening in this month.

 

Namaste;

Ysha

 

> Its a very informative article about breast and its care.

> I am an ayurvedic practioner myself.

> Having unfortunately diagnosed for CA breast bilateral and operated and

treated for it in 1998. Nothing since then. except for border line diabetes on

metformin 500mg one and other ayurvedic medicines and hypothyroidism any advice

can be given. With this i am over weight also with 78kgs of weight.

 

>

[Guest guest]

Sweet Taste, the Lungs & the Thyroid

 

A few notes from Joseph Immel at his delightful ayurvedic foods website,

http://www.joyfulbelly.com/Ayurveda/article/taste/Sweet. Let me know if you

can't access it - Ysha