I decided to write this article because while there are many good books out there, I feel that anyone with a thyroid condition should read the following five books I’m about to list. Even though some of the titles suggest that not all of these books pertain to everyone, I highly suggest that anyone with hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, including those with an autoimmune thyroid condition, read these books. For example, even though the title of the book “What Your Doctor May Not Have Told You About Menopause” assumes that this book is only for menopausal women, even cycling women, as well as men will greatly benefit from a lot of the information in this book.
I do want to add that I don’t necessarily agree with everything mentioned in these books. I’m obviously recommending them to you because I feel they have valuable information, and can help anyone looking to restore their health through natural treatment methods. However, there are topics some of the authors discuss that I disagree with, and some of the points I disagree with strongly. I’ll briefly mention some of these points below, but I just wanted to let you know that some information given in these books might contradict what I discuss on my website.
Also, there are other great books other than those I have listed below. For example, anyone with Graves’ ophthalmopathy should definitely read Elaine’s Moore book entitled “Thyroid Eye Disease”. However, I wanted to list books which can benefit just about everyone with a thyroid condition, and while her book is great, not everyone with a thyroid or autoimmune thyroid disorder will benefit from reading it.
While I could have easily created a “top 10” list, I figured I’d start with these five. Although I know that a few people might knock out these books relatively quickly, for most people who do take the initiative to read them, it will take anywhere between three to six months, and perhaps longer than this. But perhaps in the future I’ll expand this list to include additional books you’ll find valuable.
With that being said, here are the top 5 books that anyone with a thyroid condition should read:
Book #1: Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome, by Dr. James L. Wilson & Johnathan V. Wright. Even though not everyone with a thyroid condition has adrenal fatigue, most people with hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism do have weakened adrenal glands. So if you have adrenal fatigue then you’ll definitely want to read this book. But even if you’re not sure if you have this condition, I still recommend getting this book.
When I was diagnosed with Graves’ Disease, I didn’t feel fatigued, and actually felt the opposite. I felt like I had a great deal of energy, but when I obtained an adrenal stress index test it showed that I did indeed had some issues with my adrenal glands. However, it can take a long time before one begins feeling all of these symptoms. So just because you don’t feel fatigued, doesn’t mean you don’t have problems with your adrenal glands.
In any case, this book provides a lot of valuable information, and it’s a very interesting book to read. It provides a lot of great information on what you should eat, plus certain supplements and herbs which can help restore your health back to normal when combined with other factors. Dr. Wilson also provides a number of valuable questionnaires to help diagnose your condition. So this definitely is a “must read” book.
Book #2: Iodine, Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It, by Dr. David Brownstein. I’ve mentioned this book numerous times on blog posts and articles I have written, as while the title suggests that it might be an extremely boring book to read, I was pleasantly surprised as to how interesting it was. I was even more pleased with the abundance of great information provided. As the title suggests, it talks a great deal about the importance of iodine, the role it plays in the body and in thyroid health, explains why most people are deficient in iodine, and demonstrates how such a deficiency causes certain conditions, including thyroid conditions, as well as certain types of cancers. It also explains how one can detect and correct an iodine deficiency, and provides iodine dosage guidelines.
I receive a lot of emails regarding iodine questions, and I always refer people to this book. So once again, regardless of whether you have a hyperthyroid condition or a hypothyroid condition, you should definitely read this book.
Book #3: What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause: The Breakthrough Book On Natural Progesterone, by Dr. John R. Lee & Virginia L. Hopkins. This is another great book, as while it does talk a lot about progesterone, it also provides a lot of general information which is very valuable. Of course a lot of this information is tied into the benefits of natural progesterone, but once again, this is a book that I think everyone should read. I especially recommend reading the chapter on xenohormones, but it also provides some solid nutritional information, discusses numerous health issues, and he gives his opinion on how to achieve hormone balance. Although I don’t agree that natural progesterone should be the first line of treatment for all of the conditions he mentions, I agree that it is possible to cure these conditions naturally, and I also agree there are times when bioidentical progesterone is necessary to restore one’s health.
Book #4: Potatoes, Not Prozac: Solutions for Sugar Sensitivity, by Kathleen DesMaisons. This is another book just about everyone with a thyroid condition should read, as most people with thyroid conditions have blood sugar issues. To be frank, I don’t completely agree with all of Kathleen’s recommendations, but the reason why I recommend this is because she does a great job of explaining the physiology of the blood sugar levels and makes it very easy to understand. So while I don’t agree with her protocols, I still recommend that you read this book.
Book #5a: For those with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms When My Lab Tests Are Normal? A Revolutionary Breakthrough In Understanding Hashimoto’s Disease and Hypothyroidism, by Dr. Datis Kharrazian. A valuable book for people with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Just as is the case with all of these books I’ve listed, I don’t agree with everything that Dr. Kharrazian states in this book. But that’s okay, as if you were to speak with ten different holistic doctors who focus on endocrine disorders, they wouldn’t agree about everything. Each doctor would probably have a different approach, but the goal would be the same: to help their patients through natural treatment methods. In any case, Dr. Kharrazian does a great job of explaining how these conditions arise, and gives some alternative options which people can take to restore their health back to normal, instead of taking thyroid hormone for the rest of their life.
Book #5b:For those with hyperthyroidism and Graves’ Disease: Living Well with Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism: What Your Doctor Doesn’t Tell You…That You Need To Know, by Mary J. Shomon. While this book isn’t going to show you how to restore your health back to normal through natural treatment methods, Mary Shomon does an excellent job of providing a lot of great information to help you to better understand your condition. Even though she talks a great deal about conventional medical treatment protocols, this is important to understand for anyone with these conditions. After all, there is a place for both conventional and natural treatment methods. Also, I highly recommend visiting her website at www.thyroid.about.com [1], which has some great information on it and is frequently updated.
So these are the five books you should read (okay, I realize I actually listed six!). While it would be great if you can knock these out quickly, at the very least make it a goal to read one of these books each month, which means that you will have them read within five months. Some of these books you might even find in your local library. Either way, go ahead and read them, and you’ll have a much better understanding of your condition and they will help you realize why natural treatment methods are so effective.
Other Articles You Might Like To Read:
How Chronic Stress Can Cause A Thyroid Condition [2]
3 Reasons Why Natural Thyroid Treatments Might Not Work [3]