In this Q&A episode, Dr. Eric dives into the powerful connection between gut health and thyroid function. Recorded during a Substack livestream for his Healing Graves’ Naturally newsletter, he begins by explaining why the gut is such a central player in thyroid autoimmunity. With most immune system cells residing in the gut and about 20% of thyroid hormone conversion occurring in the gut microbiome, maintaining gut health is critical for those dealing with Graves’ disease, Hashimoto’s, or other thyroid conditions.
Throughout the episode, Dr. Eric answers listener questions about gut testing, including when to use comprehensive stool tests, SIBO breath tests, or organic acids testing. He also discusses leaky gut testing, parasites, H. pylori treatment options, histamine intolerance, and how gut imbalances can contribute to symptoms like bloating, gas, and constipation. He explains how diet, stress management, and proper digestive support can play a role in restoring gut balance.
Listeners will also learn about natural approaches to supporting stomach acid levels, the role of fiber in producing beneficial compounds like butyrate, and whether sweeteners like stevia or monk fruit affect the gut microbiome. If you want a clearer, more balanced understanding of the gut-thyroid connection and practical answers to common gut health questions, you’ll get a lot out of this episode.
Click Here [1] to listen to it on the Save My Thyroid podcast
Dr. Eric Osansky:
Welcome, everyone. Thanks for joining me. We are going to chat about the gut and the thyroid. This will be a great live call. Obviously, this is live now, but this is going to be a future podcast episode. I am recording this on February 11, so sometime in March, this will be uploaded to the podcast and YouTube.
For those in the future who are listening to this on my podcast, this livestream is on Substack. I have a new Healing Graves’ newsletter, which is why I have been doing some livestreams in the month of February.
What I am going to do first is talk a little bit about the gut and the thyroid. Then I will go ahead and answer some questions that were emailed to me. Then we’ll go ahead and address the live questions. Thanks for joining me.
Let’s talk about the gut and the thyroid. How does the gut relate to the thyroid? First, most of the immune system cells are located in the gut. Most thyroid conditions are autoimmune in nature. Not all of them, but approximately 90% of people with hyperthyroidism have Graves’, and approximately 90% of people with hypothyroidism have Hashimoto’s. Since most of the immune system cells are located in the gut, you need a healthy gut to have a healthy immune system.
In the very first newsletter, I spoke about the triad of autoimmunity, also known as the three-legged stool of autoimmunity. There are three factors necessary for autoimmunity to develop. One is a genetic predisposition. Two is exposure to one or more environmental triggers. Three is an increase in intestinal permeability, which is the medical term for a leaky gut. That leaky gut component is another way that the gut relates to the thyroid health.
Also, T4 is produced by the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland does produce some T3. Those are the main thyroid hormones, T4 and T3. There is also T1 and T2, but we’re still learning about those, and we can’t test for those at a lab. We can only test for T4 and T3.
Most of T3 is actively produced by the conversion of T4 into T3. Approximately 60% of the conversion takes place in the liver, and approximately 20% of this conversion takes place in the gut microbiome. If you don’t have a healthy gut microbiome, that can negatively affect the conversion of T4 to T3.
We also have to consider that a healthy gut is necessary for optimaldigestion and absorption of nutrients, some of which are important for thyroid health.
Those are four different ways in which the gut plays an important role in thyroid health. Before getting to the questions, of course the focus this month has been on my new newsletter, which is Healing Graves’ Naturally on Substack.
I do have another newsletter that has been out for over a year now, Healthy Gut, Healthy Thyroid. If you are interested in learning more about the gut, I don’t want to overwhelm people with too many newsletters, but at SaveMyThyroid.com/Newsletter, you can check that one out, too.
I was releasing one newsletter every week. Now, it’s more like once every other week. I have a difficult time keeping up with everything and wanted to come out with this Substack focusing on Graves’. Healing Graves’ Naturally right now will be every single week, Friday at 10:45am. Healthy Gut, Healthy Thyroid is released on Sunday morning.
Let’s dive into the first question: What are the top tests you recommend to evaluate someone’s gut health?
Great question, Daphne. I would say it does depend on the person. I can’t say I recommend the same gut test to everybody. The most common gut related test I recommend is a comprehensive stool panel. I have been using mainly the GI Map for a number of years. I’ve used other companies. GI Effects is a really good one. There are a few others.
The GI Map is the one I’ve used the most. That’s a comprehensive stool test that focuses on the large intestine. It looks at things like H-pylori, parasites, opportunistic bacteria, markers related to gut inflammation.
There is also SIBO testing. That’s a breath test. If someone is having a lot of gas and bloating, especially when eating certain foods, it doesn’t guarantee it’s SIBO. It could be something else. I very well might recommend a SIBO test over a comprehensive stool test in that situation.
There is also organic acids testing, which is not specific for the gut, but the first page of the organic acids test from Mosaic Diagnostics looks at fungi, yeast, bacteria. It looks at the classic candida marker, which is arabinose. It looks at Clostridia. Some stool tests look at Clostridia, too, but it doesn’t differentiate between commensal or harmful, good or harmful strains of Clostridia. Great Plains, or Mosaic, it used to be called Great Plains for a number of years, but now it’s Mosaic. They test for the more harmful or pathogenic strains of Clostridia.
Those would be three of the top tests. Not to say I recommend all of those if someone is having a gut issue. Usually, I’ll start with one. Sometimes, I’ll do a stool test and a SIBO test. Sometimes, I’ll do a stool test and an organic acids test. Many times, I’ll just start with the GI Map, for example.
If you had to choose one test to determine whether someone has a leaky gut, which one would it be?
I don’t do a lot of leaky gut testing these days. I used to do a lot of leaky gut testing. My go-to test at the time was the Array #2 from Cyrex Labs. That’s their intestinal permeability test. It’s a blood test.
These days, I know a lot of practitioners recommend zonulin, which you can add to a GI Map, for example.
There is the classic test for evaluating whether someone has a leakygut test, which is the lactulose mannitol test, a urine test. If someone has higher lactulose levels, that typically indicates a leaky gut.
I don’t do a lot of leaky gut testing these days for a few reasons. One is it’s not telling us what’s causing the leaky gut.
Also, I found when I did the testing, most people had a leaky gut. Most people had positive findings. Additionally, if someone has a negative finding, I still would question is it really negative, or do they actually have a leaky gut? According to the triad of autoimmunity, if someone has Graves’ or Hashimoto’s, they should have that leaky gut component.
Now, unless someone really wants to do a leaky gut test, ultimately, it’s up to the person I’m working with. Most of the time, I’ll say let’s spend the money elsewhere. The test from Cyrex Labs is a couple of hundred dollars. If you add zonulin to a GI Map, it’s not as expensive, but it’s still an extra expense.
If zonulin is elevated, then the person probably has a leaky gut. If it’s negative, it doesn’t rule out a leaky gut. I do see a lot of negatives when people do zonulin, whether it’s through me or another practitioner.
If I had to choose one, it would still be the Array #2 from Cyrex Labs.
I have been experiencing a lot of bloating and gas recently. I did a GI Map, which didn’t show any parasites or anything significant. I have heard you say that stool testing is imperfect for parasites. In my situation, would you assume that there are parasites and treat them?
You’re experiencing bloating and gas. You did a GI Map. Parasites were negative. Nothing else showed up, or at least nothing significant. Stool testing is definitely not perfect for parasites.Similar to what I just mentioned for leaky gut testing. They’re not exactly the same.
If you test positive for parasites, you probably have parasites. If it’s negative, it could be a false negative. If someone tests negative for parasites, and they have bloating and gas, I am not automatically going to treat them for parasites. It depends.
Bloating and gas could be related to other conditions, like SIBO. Maybe we would do a SIBO test. Maybe we would have started with the SIBO test if they were having bloating and gas when eating foods higher in FODMAPs, like fermented foods, higher fiber foods.
I am not opposed to treating parasites. If we have done testing, and the person has eliminated certain foods, and they are still having gut issues, there is the possibility of parasites. It could also be something else as well.
In your situation, I wouldn’t necessarily jump to the parasite treatment. I would say maybe do a SIBO breath test. I understand it can get costly. I am more conservative with testing. I do like to test and try to find the answer rather than to guess. Every now and then, we do need to guess, if everything looks negative, and diet and lifestyle is not changing the gut symptoms. The tests aren’t perfect.
It is said that Crohn’s and thyroid disease are related. How do you start curing them? What would be the first step you would take?
I am assuming that this person was already diagnosed with Crohn’s, so you know you have Crohn’s.
The first step would be diet, having someone eat a healthy, clean diet. For those who have read my book The Hyperthyroid Healing Diet, I have three diets in there. Level 3 is a modified AIP diet. Level2 is a modified paleo diet, and level 1 is a modified Plant Paradox diet, which is by Dr. Steven Gundry.
In this situation, if it was Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis, which is another type of IBD, I would recommend, especially if someone had Crohn’s and Graves’, a level 3 diet, a type of AIP diet. Even a paleo-type diet is good and could greatly help.
I would start with diet and lifestyle. Diet is number one. Stress management and sleep, too. In this case, I would probably do some gut testing, maybe a comprehensive stool panel, unless the person was experiencing other symptoms that led me to believe they had SIBO or something else going on.
I commonly recommend prebiotics, probiotics for some conditions. Prebiotics can make things worse for SIBO sometimes. For Crohn’s, usually not, but everybody is different.
The first step would be to clean up the diet and focus on diet and lifestyle.
At what point do you stop usingbutane HCL with pepsin? How do you know if you need it any longer or not? My numbers are optimal, except for my TSI, which is now down to 187. I was and still am very strict with my diet. Making changes as you suggested in your thyroid diet book. When I stopped using it, there were nights where I felt like I had heartburn, according to people who have described it. Very uncomfortable when I bent over to pick things up. I went back on it, and all that stopped. Is it trial and error for going offof it? Is it something you stay on? Any issues with long-term use?
Ideally, you don’t want to be on it permanently. If someone had to be on it long-term, it’s fine. But you want to try to address the cause of the stomach acid. Chronic stress is a big factor when it comes to low stomach acid. Low thyroid, which is not the case with you, could also affect stomach acid. Sometimes, there are autoimmune conditions affecting stomach acid.
Ideally, you want to try to address the cause, so you can rely less and less on butane HCl with pepsin. It’s great that it’s helping with those digestive symptoms, but if you stop it, and those symptoms come back, that is suggesting that they still haven’t been resolved.
It is kind of trial and error over time, getting to the point where you need less and less. I don’t know how many you’re taking. If someone is taking more than one capsule per meal—you always want to take this with meals high in protein—then you reduce it gradually. Going from three capsules to two capsules and see how you feel. Gradually decrease until the point where you don’t need it. If you’re still experiencing symptoms, like you can’t get off it, it would still seem like there is something underlying that needs to be addressed.
I guess you could say it is kind of trial and error. There is not a great test to determine if you have low stomach acid. There is a butane HCl challenge, which means that when you have adequate stomach acid, you probably don’t need butane HCl. You might actually get heartburn by taking it.
That’s another sign, too. If someone is taking one capsule 2-3 times a day with meals high in protein, and they are feeling great, and then all of a sudden, they start feeling some heartburn when taking butane HCl, that’s a good sign. That means your body is starting to produce stomach acid on its own. That would be an indication you don’t need to take butane HCl.
What approach do you take when someone is dealing with a histamine intolerance?
I won’t go into great detail here for those who are not familiar with histamine intolerance. I do have some episodes on my podcast about this.
Histamine intolerance, the gut definitely plays a big role. Potentially do some gut testing. Maybe a GI Map or a SIBO breath test.
There is also some genetics behind it. There are certain enzymes associated with problems with histamine. The most well-known enzyme is DAO, diamine oxidase. Some people have genetic variations that might make it more challenging for them to break down histamine. Certain supplements like quercetin or a DAO supplement can sometimes help. Sometimes, I’ll do that in combination with a lower histamine diet.
If there is a lot of gut dysbiosis, which essentially are gut imbalances, we want to address the gut and do things to heal the gut. That can play a role in histamine intolerance.
Like I said, for more information, check out my podcast. I have at least one if not a couple of solo episodes on it. I also have some guest experts talking about histamine intolerance.
We have another parasite question. I kind of answered it, but it’s asked in a different way. I have heard we all have parasites. If this is true, does it make sense to do a parasite cleanse once or twice per year?
I am not a big fanof randomly treating parasites. I do like to test and see if someone has parasites. I have had people on the podcast just treat everybody for parasites, and I have had others who don’t treat everybody for parasites, which is the approach I take. I can’t say I treat every single person for parasites.
I don’t do a parasite cleanse once or twice a year. When I dealt with Graves’, I didn’t need to do a parasite cleanse in order to get into remission. Parasites in my opinion aren’t the trigger in all people. In some people, they definitely can be.
Even though testing is not perfect, I do like to test. If we do a test, and it’s positive for parasites, then we got that baseline. After a few months, ideally, we want to test.
Maybe we don’t have to test. If the person has Graves’, and their antibodies normalize, gradually decreasing and normalize, maybe we don’t need to retest. Let’s say the person has some GI symptoms, and they don’t resolve, maybe we want to retest, just to make sure the parasite is still there. Maybe the parasite is still there, and we need to treat it further. Or maybe it’s not there, and we need to do additional testing.
It could be a challenge. You might retest, and it might be gone. Is it gone because it’s really gone? Is it gone because it’s a false negative? We could go back and forth and say because of that, we should randomly treat. My approach is to test and see what we find.
The GI Map is looking at more than just parasites. There are companies like Parawellnessthat are specific for parasites. They don’t look at anything else.
I usually don’t recommend Parawellness right off the bat because I like a test that looks at other things, not just parasites. There have been times where we have done a GI Map and a SIBO test and other tests, and nothing is showing up.
I mention Parawellness, which I found out about from one of my podcast guests, Dr. Ami Kapadia, who spoke about different things related to the gut, including Parawellness. The company has been around for a while. I have used it on a few patients, and I think it does a better job of detecting parasites than many other stool tests. Again, that’s all it’s looking at.
Do you have any solutions for constipation? I move my bowels most days, not every day. I don’t feel like I’m fully evacuating.
I think I might have an episode on the podcast about constipation, but I’m not sure. If so, it’s probably a solo episode. I don’t know if I’ve interviewed anybody specifically to talk about constipation. On my other website, NaturalEndocrineSolutions.com, if you do a search for constipation, I have an article on chronic constipation.
You of course want to make sure of the basics. You’re eating healthy, staying well hydrated. Regular movement is important.
I have always been more sluggish in my bowel movements. I used to be constipated when I was in my 20s (I’m now 55). I was having two bowel movements per week, sometimes just one. Diet definitely has helped. Eating better. Staying hydrated.
But regular movement, doing a lot of walking also helps with gut motility. If someone is sitting all the time, and I do my fair share of sitting, but I also have the luxury of working remotely most of the time. I do have an office, but I usually work from my home office. I have a treadmill with the desk on it, so on my breaks, I will often be walking and working at the same time. I do get a lot of steps per day.
Also, SIBO, depending on the type, could cause diarrhea or constipation. If someone has methane dominant SIBO, that could lead to constipation. In some cases, we might want to do a SIBO test and see what that shows.
Those are some potential causes. Not to say with someone with hyperthyroidism can’t experience constipation, but if someone with hyperthyroidism is taking antithyroid medication, and that is slowing down their thyroid, that could cause constipation.
Ideally, you want to try to figure out the cause of the problem. There is a time and place for supplements. Magnesium is something a lot of people take. Magnesium citrate in this case before going to bed. Triphala is an herb that some people take that could be beneficial.
There is a time and place for supplementation, but you want to make some of the changes I mentioned. Make sure you’re eating well, staying well hydrated, regularly moving. If you have something underlying, such as SIBO, you want to address that.
I know that artificial sweeteners can disrupt the gut microbiome, but how about natural sweeteners, such as monk fruit and stevia?
Monk fruit, I don’t know of any studies showing that could disrupt the gut microbiome. I think monk fruit is okay.
Stevia, there is one older study showing that it can have a negative effect on Lactobacillus. I don’t consume stevia like I used to. I used to add stevia to my green tea and herbal teas. I can’t say I do that anymore. If there is stevia in a protein powder, I’m not nervous about it. There is not a lot of evidence of stevia having a negative impact on the gut microbiome.
It is a contraceptive. If someone is trying to get pregnant, they might not want to take anything that has stevia, especially adding stevia to anything. That’s something to keep in mind.
There is not a lot of strong evidence that it affects the gut microbiome. That being said, it’s not something that I regularly add. I don’t add at all these days; in the past, I did.
If it’s an ingredient in something, even that, I can’t say I regularly have powders and other things. These days, there is plenty of powders that are unflavored. If you’re a smoothie person like me, you can add berries to make it a little bit sweeter. You could also add monkfruit separately.
Again, there is definitely more evidence with artificial sweeteners having negative effects on the gut microbiome.
I know you prefer a natural approach for H-pylori. When do you think that taking antibiotics is a good idea? I know antibiotics also kill the good bacteria, but I have been working with a naturopath and still have H-pylori after treating it for three months.
It’s a catch-22. You’re right. The antibiotics can disrupt the gut microbiome, but it could take a lot longer to get rid of H-pylori treating it naturally through herbs or triple probiotic therapy. I had Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, who was one of my first guests on my podcast four years ago, who spoke about triple probiotic therapy for H-pylori.
It can be challenging to treat H-pylori naturally. That is what I still recommend. In this situation, you’re not asking about starting off with natural versus antibiotics. If someone has been following a protocol like you for a few months, and H-pylori is still present, is it time to make the switch to antibiotics? Should you continue with the natural approach?
Ultimately, it’s up to the person. Usually, what I do is recommend a two-month protocol for H-pylori and then retest. If it’s still there, it’s up to the person. But if the person is treating it for another two months, which I know is a long time, and it could be pricey with the supplements.
Again, Ireally would try to avoid antibiotics if at all possible. They don’t just use one antibiotic with H-pylori; they use two. It’s a quadruple therapy. Two antibiotics, a proton pump inhibitor, which is a triple therapy. Sometimes, I’ll add bismuth.
Ultimately, it’s your decision. I have had patients who took antibiotics. I have had patients who took antibiotics initially. They did not follow a natural protocol. They looked to eradicate it and rebuilt the gut microbiome.
The thing is, the antibiotics are more effective than the herbs, but they are not 100% effective. I have had people over the years take two antibiotics, and H-pylori is still there. That’s another dilemma. Do theydo another round of antibiotics, or do they switch to the natural method?
I will say the GI Map, one advantage there, if someone tests positive for H-pylori, they will tell you what antibiotics you’re resistant to. This way, you could show it to the prescribing doctor if you take antibiotics and make sure you’re not taking antibiotics you’re resistant to.
Does healing the gut help with TED?
Absolutely. Thyroid eye disease (TED), like Graves’, is an autoimmune condition. It’s where the immune system attacks the tissues of the eyes. Remember, a healthy gut is a healthy immune system. You still have to find and remove triggers. I’m not saying if all you do is heal the gut, it will resolve TED. If you have an unhealthy gut, and you have TED, you really do need to optimize the health of your gut.
I know that gluten can cause a leaky gut, but why are gluten-free grains excluded from your level 2 and level 3 diets? It would be nice to have some gluten-free bread once in a while.
A lot of people love their bread. When healing, I would try to avoid grains, just because even gluten-free grains can be harsh on the gut. Ultimately, it’s up to the person.
My level 1 diet, I do allow a small amount of grains. Even then, I ideally say avoid grains. Certain grains, like white basmati rice, is one of the few grains that are allowed on that diet. It’s a modified Plant Paradox diet.
There is a bread called paca, which I have only seen at Whole Foods. Other places might have it. They have a bread that is organic, gluten-free sourdough. The two ingredients are buckwheat and sea salt. If someone is going to insists on eating bread, I’d say probably to eat that. Again, ideally, I would say avoid bread while healing.
The reason is they still also are harsh on the gut. That’s why they’re excluded, not just from level 2 or level 3, but regular AIP and paleo diets. The level 2 and 3 diets aren’t completely made up by me. They’re modifications of AIP and paleo, which already exclude all grains, including gluten-free grains.
When should someone choose to see a gastroenterologist for their gut instead of a functional medicine doctor? Are there any conventional GI doctors that also recommend functional medicine testing?
I’m sure there are conventional gastroenterologists who recommend functional medicine testing. I don’t know if they would be able to say they are conventional if they recommend functional medicine testing. They are medical doctors, and maybe they also went through Institute for Functional Medicine certification, so they combine conventional and alternative treatments.
I mean, as far as when should you see a gastroenterologist instead of a functional medicine doctor, usually, I’m going to recommend starting with diet and lifestyle changes. If those aren’t improving the gut, and a lot of people, when they work with me, they have already done things with diet already.
Usually, when you go to a GI doctor, you will get an endoscopy and a colonoscopy. There are times and places for those, but they are invasive. I’d rather someone do a comprehensive stool test or an organic acids test if they need a SIBO breath test, do that. Unfortunately, most GIs don’t do those tests. Some GIs will do SIBO breath testing, but not all of them.
Try to do things naturally. Ultimately, it’s up to the person. In my Healthy Gut, Healthy Thyroid newsletter, I have an article where I focus on colonoscopies. I talk a little bit about endoscopies, too. There is a time and place for them, but usually, I would recommend a more conservative approach first. Ultimately, it’s up to the person.
The final emailed question, and then I will look for any live questions related to the gut and thyroid: Can mold have a negative effect on the gut?
Yes. You can have mold colonize the gut. Remember, mold is a fungus, just like yeast. There is not a great test for this, but organic acids testing looks at some mold markers. That would be the test that I would look at.
If it’s negative, it doesn’t necessarily rule out mold colonization of the gut. If certain markers are positive on an organic acids test, especially the one from Mosaic. There are other ones, like Genovva has an Organics test, which is their organic acids test. Nutroval has some organic acid markers. In this case, if we’re looking at mold colonizing the gut, I would rely on the organic acids test from Mosaic Diagnostics.
Beyond butter, are there any other ways or foods to consume to help with butyrate or produce it?
Fiber-rich foods are going to help you produce butyrate. If you’re following a level 3 diet, then fiber-rich vegetables, cruciferous vegetables for example, asparagus. There are butyrate supplements as well. I would say try to do as much as you can through food sources.
What would be driving almost zero zinc in my system?
I’m answering this because she says she has ulcerative colitis, which of course relates to the gut, for 26 years and Graves’ for four months.
The ulcerative colitis definitely could affect digestion and absorption. You need healthy stomach acid levels for the breakdown of minerals. Maybe it’s related to the ulcerative colitis. Maybe it’s related to minerals. I’m not sure if you also tested for H-pylori, which suppresses stomach acid. Not just zinc, but it could cause deficiencies in other minerals.
You mentioned almost zero zinc. You might also want to do other tests. I don’t know if you just did a serum zinc. There is also RBC zinc, red blood cell zinc, which is more intracellular. That is another option, to do a different type of zinc test.
Can you make a stream devoted to heart palpitations?
Maybe. I don’t know how much interest there will be. How many questions there would be just on heart palpitations. The reason why I came up with a separate Q&A on bugleweed is there are so many questions I receive all the time about bugleweed. What should I take? How much should I take? How long should I take it? What if it doesn’t work?
With antibodies and the gut, there are also so many questions. With heart palpitations, I don’t know if I could have a whole Q&A session.
This is all to celebrate the release of my Healing Graves’ newsletter. Last week, I did a general Q&A to kick things off. Then I decided to have a couple of themed Q&As, which I could also use as future podcast episodes. I can’t say I will do these regularly on Substack, but there may be an opportunity for one more general Q&A, where people could ask about copper and heart palpitations, etc. Then I will probably take a break from these for a little bit.
How do you increase stomach acid?
It depends on the cause of the stomach acid. Someone said they are taking butane HCl. You could take bitter herbs. Those are options.
Do you have chronic stress? Chronic stress is a big factor when it comes to low stomach acid. H-pylori can cause low stomach acid. If someone has Hashimoto’s, or someone with hyperthyroidism taking antithyroid medication, because low thyroid can cause low stomach acid. Autoimmune conditions can affect parietal cells; that is a completely different issue.
If it’s due to chronic stress or H-pylori, we want to address the stress. We won’t completely eliminate the stress, but try to minimize stressors by improving our perception of stress and blocking out time on a daily basis for stress management.
Improving health of the parasympathetic nervous system, maybe doing some Vagus nerve exercises such as vigorous gargling, humming, singing out loud, taking cold showers or doing cold plunges.
If someone has H-pylori, you want to test for that first to see if you have it. If you do, follow a natural protocol, or like I said earlier when someone asked a question about this, there is a time and place for antibiotics.
Could dandelion tea or extract help with gut health?
Maybe. It’s more for liver support. There is a connection between liver and gut. I really like herbal teas. I can’t say dandelion is my favorite herbal tea tastewise, but from a health perspective, it’s really good. It won’t hurt for gut health.
I would choose ginger tea over dandelion tea to benefit gut health.
We can kind of relate this to the gut: Are there any nuts and seeds you recommend for hyperthyroid healing?
I don’t know if you know my story, but when I dealt with Graves’, I was eating more of a paleo diet. Back in 2008, there wasn’t an AIP-type diet. I hit a roadblock in my recovery. There is a marker, secretory IgA, which lines the mucosal surfaces of the body, including the GI tract. That was on the saliva test I did.
My adrenals were low, my cortisol was low, my DHEA was low, and my secretory IgA was low. I was working on improving my adrenal health, and I did a retest. My cortisol, DHEA, and adrenal levels were better, but my secretory IgA was still depressed.
I was eating mainly nuts. I forget, it’s been so long, but I don’t know if I was eating seeds. I was eating almonds and cashews, etc. I took a break from nuts for a few months and retested secretory IgA, and it was normal. They are excluded from AIP because nuts and seeds can be harsh on the gut.
In the book The Plant Paradox, Dr. Steven Gundry talks about certain nuts and seeds that are more gut friendly. Of course, properly preparing them, like soaking, sprouting them will help.
Almonds and cashews are two of the harsher nuts. Those are two of the main ones I was eating, especially cashews, because I love them. Walnuts, pecans, pistachios, macadamia nuts seem to be more friendly and less harsh on the gut. I don’t know if they will assist with hyperthyroid healing directly.
If I were to go back in time to 2008, maybe if I ate those nuts, everything would have been okay. I can’t say 100% that was what caused the secretory IgA to increase, but that is the only change I made. It could have been a coincidence.
If you haven’t read my book The Hyperthyroid Healing Diet, it’s really comprehensive.
I think that’s it with questions. Thank you so much for your support. For those listening to the podcast in the future, thanks as usual for subscribing to the podcast.