3 Foods Thyroid Patients Should Eat

One of the most common questions I am asked is, “what foods should I eat for my thyroid?”

In this short video, I share 3 of my favorite foods that thyroid patients should add into their diet!

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How to Heal Epstein-Barr Virus and Mold Toxicity, While Battling Hashimoto’s Disease

Natasha, my fiance, stopped by yesterday to film her first video in her series How to Heal Epstein-Barr Virus and mold toxicity, while battling Hashimoto’s Disease.

Each week, Natasha will share 1 Tip that has helped her overcome her health hurdles over the last 2 years.

Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to receive notifications when she posts her videos!!!

You Can Still Eat Pizza with a Thyroid Disorder, Under One Condition

Many thyroid patients struggle staying healthy because they find eating “clean” to be difficult.  The two most common foods patients miss, and cheat on, are dairy and wheat.

I understand completely, as I grew up in South Carolina drinking a huge glass of milk with every meal (2-3x a day) and I love PIZZA!

After realizing I was lactose intolerant and that wheat caused me joint pain, I gave up a lot of foods I loved.  But, I miss PIZZA!

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

In my studies, I learned and saw research that the wheat in Italy is ok to eat if you have a gluten allergy/reaction.  Why?  Because the wheat is not modified in Italy the way it is modified in the states.

In order to understand GMO (genetically modified organisms), let me tell you about Monsanto and Roundup.

Supply and demand for crops has brought in companies, like Monsanto and Dow Chemical, to spread poisons, like Roundup and Enlist.  Now, the good before the bad. 

It is quite true that because of these companies, billions have been provided food that might otherwise have starved.  Keep in mind, supply and demand.

So why are these poisons so bad?  Herbicides kill weeds, allowing a crop plant to grow without having to compete for water and nutrients with other plant (weed) species.  Insecticides prevent invasive insects (pests) from destroying the crops, yielding a greater return. 

Enter the genetically modified organisms!  GMOs were created by inserting foreign genes into plants, with the goal of making the plant produce more of its own, natural, insecticides or produce resistance to Roundup.  The theory was that Roundup would be used to kill weeds that surrounded the GMO plant, thus allowing the GMO plant to grow and survive.  This seemed logical at the time.

However, there were no long-term studies that showed the effect of these poisons on the human body, only short term studies that “showed” the poisons were safe.  The FDA allowed Monsanto to sell Roundup.

Why is there an issue with GMOs?

GMO plants produce proteins and/or lectins that our immune system recognizes as foreign, causing inflammation when we eat them.  Inflammation is the true destroyer.  Essentially, we are eating foods that come from plants that our body doesn’t recognize as food anymore = inflammation.

These different biocides have introduced powerful poisons into our systems from the food we eat, even the produce we touch, and sadly, the animals that produce or meats.  The Roundup, glycophosphate, remains on the foods we eat, and the grains/beans that are fed to livestock in feed lots, pushing the poisons into the animals’ fat, meat and milk.  Almost all grains/beans fed to livestock are GMOs.

The altered genes have not only been found in the animals’ meat, but also in the nursing mothers and the umbilical cord blood of their infants.

On top of that, the Roundup is also used to harvest almost all non-GMO grains and beans as well.  Meaning, you consume the Roundup directly from eating your “healthy foods”.

This is why in the United States a majority of wheat and plants are considered GMO.

Not in Italy

In Italy, Monsanto was not allowed to infest their grain pool.  Thus, the wheat in Italy has not been modified, and if you eat it, your body recognizes it as real food still, and inflammation does not occur!!! 

So, you can go to Italy and eat all the pasta you want without having any gluten reactions!  How freaking cool is that.

It gets even better!!!

The breed of cows in Europe is different from what we have here in the United States.

According to Dr. Steven Gundry, MD, about 2,000 years ago a spontaneous mutation occurred in Northern European cows, causing them to make the protein casein A-1 in their milk instead of the normal casein A-2.

During digestion, the casein A-1 turns into a lectin-like protein (keep in mind, gluten is a lectin), called beta-casomorphin, and attaches to the pancreas’s insulin-producing cells prompting an immune attack on the pancreas.  For those consuming milk or cheeses from these cows, this is considered one of the causes of Type 1 Diabetes.

Southern European cows continue to produce A-2, but since A-1 cows are hardier and produce more milk, farmers prefer them over the A-2 cows.  The most common breed of cow worldwide is the Holstein, whose milk contains this A-1 casein. 

In Italy, the A-2 producing cows, known as Guernsey, along with Brown Swiss and Belgian Blues, are predominantly used for milk and cheese. 

This is why those that can’t break down the A-1 casein protein can still eat cheese or drink milk from Italy (or Switzerland and Belgian). 

Neapolitan Certified Pizza

Neapolitan pizza, or pizza Napoletana, is a type of pizza that originated in Naples, Italy.  Neapolitan pizza is prepared with simple and fresh ingredients: basic dough, raw tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, and olive oil.

The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN) was founded in 1984 in Naples, Italy to certify pizzerias that use the proper ancient artisan traditions of authentic Neapolitan pizza.  They have several requirements that must be met to gain certification, which must be applied for by a restaurant.

Part of those requirements involve the type of ingredients we have been discussing (Italian flour and A-2 dairy).  This is why if you visit a Neapolitan Certified Pizzeria, and you have a dairy/gluten allergy, you may still be able to enjoy the pizza. 

Neapolitan style pizzerias are now popping up in more and more places.  However, make sure, make sure, make sure, they are Neapolitan certified.  Look for the sign below to be rest-assured that your pizzeria is certified…

Now, go and enjoy some pizza!!!

Why THYROID Medications Do NOT Work!

Weekly, if not daily, patients reach out to me to voice their frustrations.  One of the most aggravating frustrations I hear is, “Dr. King, my thyroid medication is not working!”

All too often, patients follow up that statement with a laundry list of symptoms that have continued to occur while on the medications.

Why, if a patient has hypothyroid, and the doctor puts the patient on hypothyroid medication (ie. Synthroid or Levothyroxine), does the patient not feel better?  Do you have any guesses?

After 10+ years of working with thyroid patients, I see a few reasons why patients are not improving, even though they are on their medication…

Autoimmune Disease Will Not Improve With Medication

Short term results do show that when a patient gets on thyroid support (ie. Synthroid, Armour, Nature Thyroid), a majority of them feel better, for a short amount of time.  Over time, symptoms begin to return, with many patients having side effects from the medication.

As soon as I hear stories like the one above, I automatically assume the patient has an autoimmune condition, until I prove it otherwise.

“Dr. King, why would you ASSUME an autoimmune condition?”

Great question and statistics prove I am right, 90% of the time.  This is because 90% of hypothyroid patients suffer from an autoimmune condition, called Hashimoto’s Disease.  You read that correctly, 90% suffer from a disease that the thyroid medication is not designed to help.

Thyroid medication is designed to give you hormones; T4, T3 or a combination of both.  Some are synthetic, some are glandulars, some may be bio-identical…but, all are given to support your body with hormone.

Now, giving the body hormones when it’s depleted is fine with me.  However, you MUST figure out what is driving the autoimmune condition.  Without getting the autoimmune condition under control, the medication will deliver hormones but your thyroid gland is STILL under attack!  The medications will NOT stop the autoimmune condition from attacking its target…YOUR THYROID!

Your best bet, combine the medications with an approach designed to manage the autoimmune condition.

The Doctors are Giving You the Wrong Medication!

Wait a minute, the wrong medication?  Yep!  You bet!  I see it all the time.

If you will, pull out your last blood test the doctor ran on you and lets see what thyroid markers they looked at.  Chances are, for a majority of you, the doctors only ran TSH and T4.  Sometimes, you may get lucky and get a T3 thrown in there.

For this story, I am going to stick with the TSH/T4 markers, since those are the commonly looked at thyroid markers patients send to me.

What is T4?

T4 is the inactive form of thyroid hormone.  Your thyroid releases T4 in abundance, about 93% of the hormone that is released from your thyroid is T4, versus T3, which only accounts for 6% of the hormone released (1% is considered unusable).

However, T4 is not enough to supply you with energy, run your metabolism and make you feel well.  Your body must convert your T4 to T3, the active form of thyroid hormone.

You want T3 levels to be high enough for your body to use.  If not, good bye energy, metabolism, hair, sex drive, sleep, etc.

If the doctor only checks your T4 and gives you a medication that is T4 based (ie. Synthroid/Levothyroxine), your body may be screaming for T3 and you, and your doctor, will never know because the T3 levels were not checked.

How often does this happen?  A TON!

It even happened to my father when the doctors destroyed his thyroid gland.  The VA doctor (watch out for the VA, I have many horror stories to share) wanted him on Synthroid, but I wanted him on a T3 support.  After almost 10 years of my father being on a natural T3 support (glandular), he is still kicking behind and feeling great.

Make Sure All More Than Thyroid Hormones Are Checked!!!

Are Your Other Organs Functioning Properly?

Maybe there are underlying issues that make it “seem” as if your thyroid is the problem, when in reality your thyroid has been affected by other organs not working properly.  In this instance, I am referring to the adrenal glands.

Your adrenal glands have a direct feedback loop to your hypothalamus and pituitary glands, located in the brain.  I have seen many instances where the adrenal glands were the #1 culprit affecting the thyroid.  This is called Secondary Hypothyroidism due to Primary Adrenal Gland Dysfunction.

Your adrenal glands are your stress glands; chemical, physical and emotional stressors affect them.  Over time, these stressors can overstimulate the regions of the brain that release TSH.  If your TSH appears high on a blood test, and you have classic “thyroid symptoms” (due to adrenal dysfunction), your doctor will want to put you on thyroid medication.

BUT…the thyroid is the innocent bystander in this scenario.  Why do the doctors not look at the adrenal glands?  I don’t have an answer for that one.

Symptoms of adrenal gland dysfunction include the following:

• Difficulty falling/staying asleep
• Craving salt
• Slow starter in the morning
• Afternoon fatigue
• Afternoon headaches
• Weak nails
• Perspire easily
• Wake up tired even after 6 or more hours of sleep
• Gain weight easily/difficulty losing it

The above symptoms are very similar to thyroid symptoms, wouldn’t you agree?

When a thyroid patient shares they are not improving as they would have hoped, I always look at the adrenal glands.

Conversion Issues?

Your liver and gastro-intestinal lining play a HUGE part in thyroid hormone conversion, and utilization.

Your liver is your body’s filter; filtering out toxins as it cleanses the blood, clearing off exogenous hormones that the body is exposed to, produces cholesterol and clotting factors, and processes most nutrients to help with absorption.

If the liver is not working optimally, one’s health may start to break down.

The liver also helps to convert 60% of T4 to T3 (the active thyroid hormone).  That is a large amount of thyroid hormone being converted!  Can you see how important a healthy liver is for proper thyroid function?

Your gastro-intestinal tract not only absorbs key vitamins and minerals, but it helps to convert 20% of thyroid hormone.

80% of thyroid hormone conversion is dependent upon a healthy functioning liver and gastro-intestinal lining.

Evaluating the entire body for dysfunction is important for your overall health, but even more important to understand why the thyroid medication may not be working.  If any of the scenarios above are occurring, symptoms may still remain after years of taking thyroid medications.

Make sure your doctor is taking into consideration what I discussed.  If they are not, print this article out and bring it with you on your next appointment!

If your doctor still doesn’t listen, give my staff a call and schedule a complimentary phone consultation and let’s talk about your situation: (866) DrKing-1.

Unsure If Your Thyroid Symptoms Are TRUE Thyroid Symptoms?  Download One of my Health Questionnaires and See If You Have More Than Thyroid Symptoms (Category XIV and XV are the Thyroid Categories).

Do You Have Expensive Urine?

Did you know that many patients I consult with have very expensive urine?  These patients are taking amazing supplements, but their body is urinating them out!  Why? 

They are not absorbing the nutrients from the products, and the nutrients are simply going down the toilet!  Before I go any further, if you have been following my blog posts and social media, I bet you can tell me why? 

Leaky Gut Syndrome

A few blog posts ago, I discussed LGS and what it is, the causes, and how to fix it. 

CLICK HERE to read that article

Well, if you have LGS, not only are you creating inflammation within your body, you are not absorbing your vitamins and minerals.

10-30 Different Supplements

I kid you not, I have had patients show me grocery bags, full of supplements.  The record…36 supplements!!!  This patient was taking 36 different supplements, daily, and she had been doing that for years.

Let’s just say that the average supplement costs $13.00 (yes, I realize most are much more expensive than that), that is almost $500/mo of supplements she was ingesting!!!  And guess what?  She had LGS!!! 

Do you think she reaped the benefits of those supplements?  I bet not!  I, jokingly, told her to bottle her urine and sell it!  I know…I know…

Let’s rewind some to what LGS is.  LGS is where your gastro-intestinal lining has been breached (infections, medications, food sensitivities, and hormones can be the causes) and now undigested foods, medicine, and/or supplements are slipping past the gut barrier and causing inflammation.

Not only that, but your body wont absorb the healing nutrients from your food, not to mention your supplements. 

Binders and Fillers

Be careful with what products you buy and take.  A lot of supplement companies do NOT have stringent quality control systems in place.  The ingredients that some companies use may be sourced from sub-standard 3^rd parties. 

Some products may contain lots of binders and fillers.  Binders and fillers are used to help package the tablets/capsules.  Some of these binders/fillers are inflammatory to the body, especially, autoimmune patients.

Here are some key binders and fillers to keep an eye out for:

• Magnesium stearate (unless the label specifically says, vegetable)
• Silicon dioxide – this is essentially beach sand, and likes to clog up the liver
• Artificial flavors or coloring – if you see a number, preceded by a color (ie. Red 40), stay far away
• Corn oil
• Soybean oil
• Corn starch
• Modified corn starch
• Ingredients that you can’t pronounce
• Or…a laundry list of ingredients. The fewer the better!

What Companies to Trust?

Here are some of my favorites:

• Apex Energetics – I LOVE their quality control
• Premier Research Labs – The quality control is great, and so are their ethics
• Standard Process – Known for being “whole foods”, these products are easily absorbable
• Neurobiologix – No other company, that I know of, dives into genetic mutations the way these guys/gals do
• Nordic Naturals – High quality Omegas…I use these myself
• Biotics Research – I love their thyroid supplements, and Pea protein.

This is not an exhaustive list, by any means, but these are the companies I cherry-pick from.  I am not married to one supplement company, by any means.  Some companies are great at producing thyroid support, while others are fantastic at making liver support.  Each company has wonderful products, and over the years, I have formed my opinion on which product works best for certain conditions.

How Do You Know Supplements Work?

Testing, testing, and more testing!  Remember, lab tests do not lie (as long as you know how to read them correctly)!  There are companies, like Great Plains Laboratory, who check, what seems like hundreds of vitamins and minerals, to see what you may be deficient in. 
You can do before and after testing (I use to do this with every patient when I started working with chronic health conditions), which can be a little expensive, but at least you KNOW, for certain, the changes that have taken place. 

Plus, I use, along with my family members, a lot of the companies listed above, daily!  I only want the best, purest, cleanest product going into my body, and I feel the same for you patients.

Do I have to Take Them Forever?

I hear this question, quite a bit.  I understand why people think this way.  Heck, I use to think this way.  Let’s explain it this way…if you are sick (your body has broken down), you will need more supplements, more frequently, to help heal your body than someone who is NOT sick.

Once you are healed, I don’t expect a patient to need the same amounts of supplements as they did in the beginning. 

At a certain point in time, I would expect to level out the amounts and frequency of the products you are using.

Can’t I Just Eat Healthy?

Sure, and you should!  However, the quality of foods now-a-days is poor.  Not to mention, very few people eat enough veggies throughout the day (where we get most of our amino acids from).  Heck, most patients don’t even drink enough water (hint: increase your water intake to half your body weight in ounces…your body will LOVE me for telling you that).

This means, we need to rely on supplements to pack some of the vitamins and minerals in.  For example, Vitamin D…almost 60% of Southern California residents are Vitamin D deficient!  I have analyzed blood work from patients that spent most of their day outside, in the sun, and they were still low on this critical vitamin (it is actually a hormone, but I am getting side tracked).

Back to the Expensive Urine

With all this being said, I highly recommend that you work with a doctor that understands gut health and LGS (remember, I had this growing up).  If you are tired of trying to get your doctor to listen to you, contact me, I can help! 

We will schedule a complimentary phone consultation to discuss what is ailing you.  If I feel, I may be of help to you, then we will go to the next step, which may be some blood testing. 

Your life is too important for you to be sick and struggling with a health condition.  Call now: (866) 375-4641!

CLICK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD A LIST OF THE 67-MARKERS I RUN ON EACH AND EVERY PATIENT.  THIS IS MY BASIC SCREENING TEST TO DETERMINE IF ANY SPECIALIZED TESTING IS REQUIRED.

Do You Need Your Thyroid Gland Removed?

At least once a week, a patient contacts me asking, “Dr. King, should I have my thyroid gland removed?”  To which I answer, “that depends”.

The first question I ask is, “why did you doctor say you need to have your thyroid gland removed?”  Some common responses are the following:

• I don’t know. They just said I should have it taken out since the doctor can’t get my health condition under control
• I have cancer
• I have nodule(s) and they are concerned it/they could be cancerous
• I have difficulty swallowing/breathing
• I have Hashimoto’s Disease

I am sure, if you have been told to surgically remove your thyroid, you may have heard one of those comments, or something similar.

The Doctor Can’t Get My Condition Under Control

I am not joking with that statement.  Last week, a patient reached out to me and said, “my doctor can’t get my health condition under control, so they want to remove my thyroid”!

Are you freaking kidding me?  A doctor, who can’t manage a thyroid condition properly, wants to take the organ out!  Why?  The thyroid gland serves a purpose, and with it gone, getting your body working optimally will be quite difficult, especially, in the medical model.

So, the doctor, who has failed to manage this patient properly, simply resorts to removing the organ.  Oh my, my! 

I encouraged this patient to ask more questions and get more tests ran. 

A big piece of the puzzle for thyroid patients and the traditional medical model is 90% of hypothyroid patients have an autoimmune condition.  It doesn’t matter what medications the doctors give the patient, their health condition will never be under control and managed properly. 

Why?  Because thyroid hormones prescribed from the doctor will NOT control the autoimmune condition.  Remember, a pill will not heal the body!

I Have Cancer!

Ok, this is the one reason, I believe, for removing the thyroid gland.  If a patient knows they have thyroid cancer (more than likely, their doctor did a biopsy and discovered a malignant form of cancer), I recommend having the cancer removed (thyroid gland).

What about natural cancer treatments, Dr. King?  Sure, I support those who seek to heal their cancer, naturally.  As long as they have a great doctor that knows what they are doing.  Treating cancer naturally, is quite difficult, as there are numerous steps a patient should be taking to help their body fight the cancer. 

What happens after the thyroid gland is gone?  It is quite simply, really.  The patient would need to be on some type of thyroid hormone, forever!

With that being said, my father does NOT have his thyroid gland anymore.  About 10+ years ago, he was diagnosed with 4^th stage throat cancer.  During the radiation, his doctors destroyed his thyroid, “accidentally”. 

Since we discovered this (which his doctors didn’t even tell him), he has been on natural thyroid support (not medication), and has been doing great.  He is one of the pilots that fights all the big forest fires you see on TV.  Plus, when he is not working, he averages about 150-200 miles, per week, cycling!  Needless to say, he feels pretty dang good.

However, if the patient had an autoimmune condition to begin with, they body will now start attacking other regions of the body.  The thyroid is gone, the immune system can’t attack it anymore, so it will go “looking” for other tissue to target.

Nodules!!!

Many patients are told they have nodules, which should be biopsied.  Do I agree with the biopsy every time?  Not every time.  Why?  Due to the fact that a majority of thyroid patients have Hashimoto’s Disease, the leading cause of nodules.  If the thyroid antibodies are positive, and there are not any red flags for cancer, I don’t encourage a biopsy.  The Hashimoto’s Disease is the culprit in this case!

Let’s discuss what nodules are, and then you can decide if you should have the nodule(s) biopsied. 

Many times, thyroid nodules begin growing as a protective mechanism by the body to prevent the thyroid gland from being destroyed!  Yep, you read that correctly.  Nodules, a majority of the time (there are instances where they are cancerous, more about that in a minute) are your body’s response to an ATTACK!

Your body is trying to preserve its thyroid, and it does so by growing shields on the tissue to prevent destruction from infections and autoimmune attacks.  Does this mean, if your infection gets eradicated or your autoimmune condition gets under control, nodules will stop growing?  In a lot of instances, yes. 

(My mother’s doctor discovered nodules on her thyroid during a full body scan, the kind that can “find disease”, and the doctor told her she had cancer and needed to see an oncologist.  Needless to say, my mother was distraught when she phoned me.  After helping to calm her down, I ordered some blood work, AND…she was perfectly fine.  The nodules were from an old infection, not cancer!  Thanks doctors for freaking my family out!)

I tell patients that a “win” in my book is if the nodule does not grow any larger in size.  This means, the body sees no reason to keep growing a larger shield, because the attacks have halted.  Hooray!!! 

I have seen nodules shrink, and even, completely, disappear!  This doesn’t happen with every patient, and I never tell a patient I am going to shrink their nodule.

I use a liposomal glutathione/super oxide dismutase cream to help accomplish the goal of shrinking the nodule.  Again, this doesn’t happen on every patient, but I have seen a few hundred patients respond remarkably well with this product.

I Have Difficulty Swallowing/Breathing

Now, we need to consider what is really happening in a patient like this.  If we know the patient has Hashimoto’s Disease, I always recommend getting it under control, first.

If there are any infections, then those need to be eradicated, as well. 

I will do everything I can to get inflammation down within the first 2-weeks of working with a patient that is having difficulties swallowing/breathing.  If there are not any positive changes within 2-weeks, I refer this patient to their endocrinologist for surgical intervention.

Sometimes, surgery is needed!

Why did I not refer them out, right away?  If we can save this type of patient from having an unneeded surgery, that is the goal.  Surgery, should always be the last resort, in my eyes (I have had 35 major broken bones and 11 surgeries…I understand the pros and cons of surgery, well).

I Have Hashimoto’s Disease!

No, no, no, no, no!!!  I do NOT recommend having your thyroid gland removed because you have Hashimoto’s Disease.  You should understand the mechanism of nodules now (read above if you are still unclear).  If you understand what causes them, you can focus on how to get them to stop growing, or even decrease in size.

I am a firm believer that you figure out what is driving the autoimmune condition, and then the side effects of the condition will go shrink, go away, or not grow in the first place. 

Take Action!

If this information resonates with you, make sure to schedule your complimentary phone consultation by calling my staff (866) 375-4641.  You may also email me any questions: drking@askdrking.com

FREE DOWNLOAD BELOW: GREAT RECIPES FOR THOSE WITH THYROID DISEASE

Stress Can Kill You!

Did you know that stress can kill us, literally?  Well, maybe I am taking that a bit far, but stress causes inflammation to increase inside of the body, and that inflammation affects the gut lining, brain tissue, arteries, the heart, muscles and joints.

Now, let me re-word what I said.  Stress can be the trigger for what causes our bodies to begin breaking down, prematurely.  What does that mean?  Eventually, the body can have a heart attack, develop a chronic health condition (autoimmune disease), or develop cancer.

That Dang Stress

One thing almost all patients tell me is this, “Dr. King, I have had a very stressful life!” It doesn’t matter if you have Hashimoto’s Disease, Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, or just feel worn out…stress will make these health conditions worse.

We can’t avoid stress, that would be impossible.  So, what do we do?

You need to eliminate any physiological stressors that could be causing your stress glands, the adrenals, to overwork. 

Like what, Dr. King?

Here is a short list of what triggers I look for that drive the adrenal glands to kick out more inflammatory hormones:

• Blood sugar fluctuations
• Infections
• Lack of sleep
• Dehydration
• Food sensitivities
• Autoimmune conditions

If those are occurring, the body will not heal, AND…your body will be under more stress causing more inflammatory hormones to be released. 

How Do You Know How Well the Adrenals Are Working?

There can be a few ways of knowing if the adrenals are not working properly:

• Adrenal Stress Index test – this test measures your cortisol levels and maps them out throughout the day
• Basic blood tests
• Simple questions on intake forms

Also, if you can’t stay asleep, it is a good bet that the adrenal glands are not working properly throughout the day. 

Check this out…

Have you, or someone you known, complained of getting up in the middle of the night to urinate? 

Do you think that is normal?  Not at all (unless you have a majorly inflamed prostate gland).  So, why does this happen and what does urinating have to do with the adrenal glands?

During the day, if the adrenal glands are always pumping out cortisol, then at night the “proper levels” of cortisol can’t be secreted.  This makes the body revert to the backup hormones, with adrenaline being one of those hormones.

Now, imagine you are on a safari, in Africa (pretty cool, eh).  And you are lounging around your tent and all of a sudden, a HUGE, ferocious lion approaches you.

What does your body do?  The heart starts to pump more blood to help the muscles get ready to run away, you get that “feeling” in the pit of your stomach (adrenaline), and you may have the urge to urinate.  Why urinate?  Because your body will do anything it can to get you the heck out there, and it doesn’t need the urine in your bladder to run.  So, it will want to get rid of it.

Adrenaline at Night

If you get a spike of adrenaline at night, similar physiological functions kick in:

• Nervous system gets activated (like when the lion approached) – you wake up
• Your heart can be racing – patients tell me that sometimes they feel as if their heart is pounding and that is why they are waking up
• You will need to urinate

Long way to prove a point, but…hopefully, you now know that if you wake up to urinate at night, the adrenal glands need to be looked at.

Gaining Weight

A lot of people know that if the adrenal glands are not working well, they gain weight. 

Cortisol = Weight Gain

This can be an accumulation of adipose tissue (fat) or water weight.  Either way, when people are under more stress, you typically see weight gain (I assuming that over-eating is not a problem).

80% of the Immune System

Ok, what does urinating at night and gaining weight have to do with breaking down the body?

I am glad you asked!!!

High amounts of cortisol will eat away at the gastrointestinal lining, causing Leaky Gut Syndrome (LGS). A healthy GI system is EXTREMELY important for a healthy immune system (the GI tract makes up for 80% of the immune system).

If your GI lining is breaking down, then the immune system becomes weaker and weaker.

On top of that, now the LGS is causing major inflammation in the blood, and the heart has to pump this “bad” blood (breaking the heart tissue down, along with the arteries).

Not the Brain!

We, also, know cortisol in excessive amounts will pass your blood brain barrier. You have a barrier that surrounds the brain protecting it from large foreign particles. Alcohol, medications, and hormones are some of the chemicals that will pass the blood brain barrier.

You know what happens when alcohol passes the barrier! When cortisol passes the barrier, it destroys neurons! Specifically, it targets the hippocampus, which when destroyed will cause dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease (I watched my grandfather struggle with this the last five years of his life due in part to Type II Diabetes).

Now, you have the heart, arteries, gut lining, and brain, all breaking down!  On top of that, you may be gaining weight, have horrible GI symptoms, brain fog, and your hormones are thrown off.

All because of stress and your body’s ability to handle it (or, not handle it).

If you are having some of those symptoms, reach out to me, and let’s get you healthy!  You can click this LINK, to schedule a complimentary, 15-minute phone conversation.

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Do You Suffer Pain, Caused by the Medical Merry-Go-Round?

Close your eyes for just a moment and imagine this…imagine breaking 35 bones in your body, ranging from collarbones, to your hips, to arms, legs, feet, and your hands! 

Do you think that breaking that many bones would cause some pain?  I hope you said, YES! 

Now, you are probably thinking, “who would break 35 bones in their body, besides Evil Knievel?”

Well…that person would be, yours truly!  I have broken 35 major bones, and had 11 surgeries to fix some of injuries.  Let me tell you, pain is not fun!

However, my pain was only temporary (except for some residual ankle pain from a surgery gone bad), while many patients’ pain is chronic and seems never ending.

Some patients, live in a continuous state of pain, WITHOUT breaking bones.  A lot of times, this gets labeled as Fibromyalgia if you are struggling with muscle pain, or early arthritis if you are having joint pains.

Fibromyalgia, which I dislike saying as I am not a fan of the label, is mainly an adrenal gland disorder, with a deep-rooted connection to autoimmune disease. 

NOT LYRICA

Most fibromyalgia patients that I have worked with were prescribed Lyrica at some point in time.  Check this link out: https://www.lyrica.com/fibromyalgia

Look at some the side effects of the medication, including suicidal thoughts or behavior.  Lyrica was originally developed for treatment of seizures, NOT muscle pain.  But, if a medication can calm the brain down and prevent it from seizing, it can also make your body numb to the pain it is having.

If the medication “numbs” the pain, does that mean the true cause of the pain has been fixed?  I hope you said, NO! 

Our Medical Model

Why, then, are so many patients on this medication, for years?  Why are the causes not being looked for?

Let’s ignore the fact there is a pill you can take if you have muscle pain.  Imagine, those pills never existed.  If medication for Fibromyalgia, let’s just call it muscle pain from here on out, didn’t exist, what would you do?

Think of it this way…if your car was dripping oil onto your drive way, to the point where oil was pooling under your vehicle, what would you do?  Hopefully, you would take the vehicle to a mechanic to FIX the problem. 

If the mechanic slapped some duct tape on the oil pan, to stop the leak, would you be happy?  Probably, not.  More than likely, you would end up returning the vehicle and demanding for the leak to be FIXED.

Why then, do so many patients settle for “slapping” some medication onto a symptom? 

We Have A “Duct Tape” Crisis in Our Country!!!

Muscle pain, without injury or over-use, is typically caused by inflammatory hormones.  The big culprit, cortisol!  Cortisol is released from the adrenal glands in states of stress (chemical, physical, and emotional). 

Let me ask you a question, have you ever heard of peoples’ pain getting worse under stress?  You have?  Great!  I just described what causes debilitating muscle pain, barring a major injury.

Stress?  Yes!  But, that stress can be caused by many triggers: bacterial infections, blood sugar fluctuations, reactions to toxins, viruses, food sensitivities…and the list can go on.

Would it be beneficial to begin looking for some of these triggers that drive the adrenal glands to release too much cortisol, therefore causing more pain in the muscles?  You bet it would!

Do most doctors do that?  Some, but not a majority of them.  How do I know?  Because, this story has been told to me by hundreds of patients in the past 10+ years.

If you are having unexplained muscle pain, you must start looking to see what could be making your adrenal glands work over time.

Early Arthritis

Hearing this has always boggled my mind.  Let’s take, Susan, a stay at home mom of two beautiful children, who has an amazing husband, Steve, and they are living an incredible life: great job for Steve, beautiful home for the family, wonderful friends and relatives…but, Susan has recently been diagnosed with early arthritis.

A few months back, Susan noticed she was having some knee and ankle pain, bilaterally (on both sides).  She ignored the symptoms for a couple of weeks until she couldn’t live with the pain anymore. 

Against her better judgement, she began taking some Tylenol/Advil/Motrin (take your pick), and noticed the pain went away.  GREAT!  But…the pain kept coming back. 

Eventually, she becomes concerned and visits her family doctor, Dr. A(rthritis).  As Dr. A asks Susan about her past history, he learns that Susan was NEVER an athlete.  She didn’t play sports growing up and has never had an injury to those body parts.

Even though she was not an athlete, and never suffered trauma to her knees/ankles, Dr. A tells her she has early arthritis and to take some pain pills and try to avoid any type of impact exercise.

Susan leaves Dr. A’s office still feeling lost.  She didn’t get an answer, and was told to do what she was already doing. 

What does Susan do?  She listens to the doctor and keeps taking the pain pills.

What Do You Think?

What would you begin to analyze about Susan in order to determine why she was having pain?  Would you think to run some blood work looking to see if her body was inflamed?  You would?  Awesome!!!  Great idea.

Let’s say you took the time to run blood work.  The blood work comes back with very high levels of ferritin, CRP, and homocysteine (those are all inflammatory markers).  So, it appears that Susan has lots of inflammation.

Did you know that the leading cause of joint destruction is inflammation?  Yep, inflammation DESTROYS!  In some cases, the inflammation destroys areas of the body, one at a time, or it goes after multiple areas at the same time.  The knee and ankle for example. 

Dr. A told her she was having early arthritis and to take pain pills.  You, the smart doctor you are, discovered her body is very inflamed.  And…you know that inflammation causes pain. 

So, smart doctor, you decide to dig deeper to figure out what is causing the inflammation.  Great idea by the way!

Medical Merry-Go-Round

What I just described is how patients get labeled with a health condition, but the cause is never truly uncovered, therefore never addressed.

In this case, Susan would keep doing what Dr. A told her to do, and would never know what is truly causing her pain.  Her body is inflamed, but why? 

If you can figure out why, then you can put an end to Susan’s joint pain (the “early arthritis”) and you can begin to help heal the joints as the inflammation is decreasing.

How awesome is that???

Hang Tight, This Was a Long Blog

While these are not the ONLY reasons for muscle/joint, they are the BIG culprits in most patients. 

If you are struggling with chronic pain, reach out to me, let me run some blood tests to begin uncovering the CAUSE of the situation. 

Remember, you wouldn’t settle for slapping some duct tape onto the oil pan to fix the leaking oil.  Don’t settle for medications for a chronic health problem!

Below you can download the 67-blood markers I run on every single patient, and compare these markers to what your doctors have been running!

Infections: Triggers that drive an Autoimmune Condition

Patients ask me a lot, “Dr. King, what causes an autoimmune condition?”  While that question is not easily answered, I will say that infections are triggers, or driving forces behind autoimmune conditions.

Here is a short video of me explaining infections...

5 Secrets to Improving Your Energy

Energy loss is one of the most common symptoms I hear from patients.  We all could use more energy at some point during the day.  Heck, if you told me I could improve my energy by 20-25%, I would do whatever it took to acquire the boost.

After consulting with thousands of patients over the last 12-years, the number one cause of energy loss I have seen is due to autoimmune conditions.

Guess what?  Autoimmune conditions are on the rise!  Drastically, on the rise.  For example, there are over 20 million hypothyroid patients in the US.  90% of these patients are misdiagnosed and suffer from an autoimmune condition called Hashimoto’s Disease.  Energy loss is one of the most common symptoms in these thyroid patients. 

That is about 18,000,000 patients struggling with energy loss…and this is only one autoimmune condition.  There are over 80 types of autoimmune disease, that we know of. 

According to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA), there are over 50 million Americans struggling with autoimmune conditions.

Autoimmune is Autoimmune, and this means Energy Loss!

While I focus a lot of my attention on thyroid patients (my fiancé, step-father, mother-in-law and sister-in-law all have Hashimoto’s Disease), I continue to work with and consult patients with Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and Type 1 Diabetes, to name a few.

When I begin evaluating patients with energy loss, I start by looking at 5 aspects of each patient’s health.  I like to call them the 5 pieces of the health puzzle.

People with low energy, will typically have one, if not more than one, of the following:

1. Leaky Gut Syndrome – This is when the gut lining is inflamed, broken down, and not absorbing vitamins and minerals

2. Infections – Doctors miss infections, a lot. Parasitic infections are the most common type of infection I see in patients.  On top of parasitic infections, there are hidden bacterial infections and even viruses that start to break the body down.

3. Food sensitivities – YES, YES, and YES!!! Many people suffer from food sensitivities and may not even know it.  Autoimmune patients ALL have some type of sensitivity, or multiple food sensitivities, that are affecting their health condition.

4. Blood sugar stability – Blood sugar fluctuations will affect the adrenal glands, a couple of very important organs that regulate hormones in the body. If blood sugar is up and down, so is your energy.

5. Liver health – Your liver plays a vital role in detoxification and hormone regulation. If your liver is not working well, energy loss is sure to occur.

BONUS…I also look at antibody markers to determine if someone is suffering from an autoimmune condition.  Patients routinely say, “My doctor told me my lab tests are normal, but I still don’t feel well”.  That is a sign that there is an underlining issue and someone needs to dig deeper.

Healing the Gut Lining

80% of your immune system is dependent upon a healthy functioning gut.  Once the gut lining breaks down, then all bets are off.  Most of the time this leads to an autoimmune condition.

Why does the gut lining break down?

• Food allergens: this is one of the most common reasons why people’s gut lining breaks down, causing Leaky Gut Syndrome/Intestinal Permeability.
• Adrenal gland stress: the adrenal glands are the STRESS GLANDS! Stress is one of the driving forces for autoimmune conditions and cancer, as they release hormones that can cause lots of destruction.  Show me a chronically sick patient, and I will show you someone with dysfunction of their adrenal glands.
• Infections:infections destroy the gut lining.
• Medications:antibiotics not only kill the bad guys, but they kill the good guys that help to absorb your vitamins and minerals, your gut flora.

Hidden Infections/Critters

Hidden infections are a HUGE culprit that cause energy loss.  As I mentioned above, parasitic infections are the most common infection I find in my patients, even after the patient has been to their “traditional doctor”.

Why do doctors miss these infections?  Simple, most basic blood tests are not sensitive enough to find deep rooted, hidden infections. 

Parasites (critters, as I like to refer to them) can be undetectable in basic blood work, and more in-depth stool testing is required (note: not all stool tests are created equal, either).

Bacterial infections, especially H. Pylori, wreak havoc on the stomach and the GI lining, affecting energy, and causing acid reflux/indigestion.

Viral infections are another MAJOR cause of energy loss.  A lot of people have heard of Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), commonly seen in athletes. 

After working with a ton of professional athletes that suffered from EBV, and having a fiancé that struggled with it, I can tell you that EBV is one of the worst viruses you can develop; sapping you of your energy to the point where you can’t even get out of bed, or walk up a flight of stairs. 

Don’t Eat That Food!!!

Be careful with what you are eating now-a-days.  The nutritional quality of food in the United States is poor.  Yes, we see more and more organic foods in the grocery stores, but there are companies out there (we won’t name names) that are only interested in one thing,  MONEY!

When money is the only driving force behind people’s motives, they will do anything it takes to make more, including putting poison on/in our food.

Don’t forget to note, that our foods have been genetically modified in order to increase supply, but our bodies don’t recognize these genetically modified foods, as food, anymore.

What happens when you put a foreign substance into your body that your body doesn’t recognize?  Your body attacks it and destroys it!  When the genetically modified grain is destroyed, inflammation is created which causes destruction o the GI lining. 

Anytime, someone reports a loss of energy, I always look at what they are eating.

Control Your Sugar!

Did you notice I didn’t say stop eating sugar?  That should be obvious, but many people eat a TON of sugar, and some don’t realize it.  Diabetics (Type II) are guilty of this, as lot of them eat an enormous amount of sugar, in the form of fruit.

What I said was, control your sugar!  Meaning, you need to stabilize your blood sugar throughout the day.  This means, eating frequently enough that you do not let your blood sugar (glucose) get low.  When it gets low, cortisol gets released, and large amounts of cortisol cause lots of inflammation.

Certain foods contribute to spikes in blood sugar as well, which is not ideal.  How someone eats, and when, is extremely important to their health.

Clean Out the Filter

Your body has a filter that gets clogged up, much like the lint filter in a dryer.  That filter is called, your liver.  If your liver, which helps to detoxify your blood and utilize hormones, gets clogged up, you will suffer B vitamin deficiency, emotional distress and even thyroid gland dysfunction.

Cleansing the liver is one thing almost every patient of mine goes through.  There are many different liver cleanses out there, so make sure to choose one that is doctor guided.

Lots to Think About

You probably thought I was going to tell you to eat a newly discovered berry and drink this special organic, fermented drink. 

Well, while those may help give a healthy person a boost of energy, they won’t help heal someone’s body that is suffering from some of the what we discussed.

If you, or someone you know, is struggling with energy loss, make sure they have a doctor that is looking at the 5 pieces of the puzzle above.

If you would like to read more about autoimmune conditions, download healthy recipes, or ask me any questions, head over to www.askdrking.com.

Dr. King’s 1st Webinar…Are You Ready?

The date is quickly approaching: Thursday, 24th at 7:00 PM Central.

Topics to be discussed:

• Why eating “clean” is important to healing and surviving!
• Can a person overcome (heal) their autoimmune condition by changing their foods?
• How can I explain my lifestyle changes to my doctors without them thinking I am crazy?
• I am on a gluten free diet.  Is there any harm in having my “healthy” children eating the same way?
• What are the top 3-5 supplements we all should take to continue to ‘thrive and survive’?

Here is the cool part, the webinar will be on Facebook’s Livestream!  Why?  It is probably the easiest platform to use, for everyone.  Plus, most people all have Facebook accounts (if not, the webinar will be worth setting up an account 🙂  ).

How to Watch!

Super simple…just  Click Here  and you will be taken to my Fan Page, Ask Dr. King.  The video should be at the top of your screen (some people may have to scroll down just a little bit).

Now the fun part!  You can ask me live questions during the event.  If you can’t catch the live event, the videos will be saved for watching later…PLUS, you can even ask me questiond after the event when you are watching the saved video.

Pretty snazzy!

If you are not on my email list (which I send out reminders, recipes, etc.), notify me so you don’t miss out on all the great educational materials I have been pumping out.

I look forward to speaking with those attendees on Thursday night!

CLICK HERE TO JOIN WEBINAR

Food Sensitivities, Lifestyle Changes and Children Eating Healthy!

Earlier this week, I sent an email asking everyone to send in questions they would like me to cover on my first webinar.  I had an overwhelming response to that email, to the point I believe we will have a couple of webinars based off the questions that came in, ranging from: food sensitivities, lifestyle changes and children eating healthy.

It can be difficult for me to come up with topics that YOU may want to hear, or read about.  So, thank you for submitting your questions.

I Want to Answer Some Questions Now!

Question:  Can a person overcome autoimmune illness WITHOUT changing their diet?

Answer: I highly doubt it!  I will go as far as saying, absolutely NO WAY!  I will elaborate:

Autoimmune conditions are triggered, or turned on, for several reasons, and one of them is food sensitivities.   Through science, we know that certain foods have molecular structures that are similar to organ tissue.  A great example of this is thyroid tissue and gluten.  The molecular structure of gluten is very similar to thyroid tissue.  Autoimmune thyroid (Hashimoto’s Disease) patients will react to gluten, and when this happens, the body not only goes after destroying the gluten substance in the body, but the immune system also attacks the thyroid gland.

Some doctors call it mimicry, and it happens with other foods that are considered cross-reactive (i.e. rice, buckwheat, and quinoa, to name a few).

Question:  Can autoimmune conditions be managed without healing the gut?

Answer: Again, I highly doubt it.  Why?  80% of the immune system is located in the gastro-intestinal tract.  Once this gets broken down, autoimmune conditions, even cancer, can turn on.  If the GI lining is broken down, you must heal the lining in order for the immune system to stop attacking the body.

Keep in mind, in order to heal the GI lining, you must stop poisoning it.

“But Dr. King, I don’t drink poison!”  Cool, but foods and medications can be poison as well.

Almost everyone knows that antibiotics can destroy the stomach and the gut.  Too much Mortin will eat a hole into the stomach.  If you break down the stomach and gut lining, your body WILL NOT heal.

Question: How long do I have to stay away from inflammatory foods?

Answer:  I will be very honest, I have NEVER understood this question.  If you understand that inflammatory foods break the body down and cause inflammation, WHY would you want to add those foods back in?

I know, I know…because those foods taste good and they are easy to cook/buy.  But my goodness, why put poison back into your body that contributed to destroying the body in the first place?

I compare it to alcoholics (my uncle was an alcoholic and drank himself into a brain aneurysm, so this hits close to home).  Imagine this: an alcoholic destroys their liver to the point they need a new liver, and they are LUCKY enough to somehow get a liver transplant because they sobered up…but, they went back to drinking with the new liver.  Tis Tis!

You can probably see the correlation.

Diet = D.I.E.

No one sticks to diets, and I hate using that word.  I like to tell patients to focus on their lifestyle.  If you begin to change your habits, those habits will turn into long term changes within you.

Here is one example: Our culture seems preoccupied with instantaneous results.  For example, we can jump on the internet and find answers to most questions, without ever picking up a book and reading.  AND…this can be done on a phone!

Patience is a Virtue…and Not Many of us Have it!

Healing takes time!  The body didn’t break down over night, or over a period of a month, so don’t expect it to heal in that time frame.

Crazy story…I spoke with a patient today, and I asked her questions about her health history, and she tells me that she had been asking her doctor to look deeper into her thyroid condition for almost 10 YEARS!!!!  She had been struggling with weight loss for 10-years and she had a feeling her thyroid played a role.  Guess what?  She was right!  She has Hashimoto’s Disease.

Not only that, but when she was 21-years old, she had a partial hysterectomy due to cancer!  She is now in her mid-30’s, and I am going to help heal her body from damage that was created when she was in her teenage years!  Unbelievable!

The body doesn’t heal overnight!

Question: Is it problematic to put my healthy children on a gluten free diet?

Answer: I am not trying to be a smart-butt with this answer, but I don’t let my French Bulldogs eat gluten!  Heck, I could eat their dog food, it is that healthy.

Gluten, in our country, is genetically modified to the point that our body does not recognize it as normal “food” anymore, but a foreign invader.

Wheat has been hybridized (genetically modified) to keep pests/insects from destroying the crop, to produce a greater yield, due to supply and demand.  The herbicides and pesticides that are used on the wheat crops, to also help protect the crop, are toxic to our body.  Now imagine giving toxins to young children, who are still growing and developing.  How about just a little tiny amount, the size of a pen point?  No, not even the tiniest amount?  If you are letting your child eat wheat in the states, you are essentially doing this.

Remember, I grew up in the country and was surrounded by farmers’ fields…I know what goes on.  Heck, my father was a crop duster for years before he was in the military!  He was contributing to our very demise!

White Bread vs. Others…

I will make a deal with you, I can live with your children eating WHITE bread, not SPROUTED or 100% WHOLE GRAIN, as long as the bread’s expiration date is the same as it’s manufactured date.

I will say that a different way.  Your child can eat bread if it was cooked that same day, make sure it is sourdough.  Why?  Because of the process fresh bread goes through.  The rising, fermentation, of the bread helps to break down lectins in the wheat (what people react to), along with bacteria.  You will find certain bakeries open at 4:00 AM, preparing their day’s bread.  Once they are out, they are out.  Heck, some bakeries will not sell you day old bread because it is already spoiling.

Now that is some good bread.

Would I prefer your children stay away from bread all together?  Yes.  I would much rather you guys go to Italy and pig out on all the bread, croissants and pies (pizza) that you want.  Why?  Their wheat is substantially different than our wheat (healthier, and I know this first hand).

Hungry, yet? 

Where does this leave us…well…. hopefully, with a little more clarity than before.  However, I will go into more depth with these same questions on our webinar.

Don’t worry, I will send out links next week for the webinar, but it will be on Thursday evening at 7:00 Central (and it will be recorded for those that can’t make the live event).

25 spots available

For my first webinar, it is limited to 25 attendees!  Why, because these dang webinar companies charge an arm and a leg to host these gigs.  With that being said, if I have a huge demand, I will increase the number of attendees (more cost for me, free to you J).

For right now, it is open to the first 25 people to log on.  DON’T WORRY…I will send out more information next week.  The benefit of being on the webinar, you will be able to submit LIVE questions!

Keep an eye on your inbox early next week for the information on how to log on, LIVE, to…

Dr. King’s Life Changing Webinar Series

If, Dr. Axe, Says Healing Leaky Gut Syndrome Is True, It Must Be True!

(Laughing hysterically)

Just last week, a spoke to a future patient that told me, “Dr. King, I listened to Dr. Axe talking about healing Leaky Gut Syndrome (LGS) for Hashimoto’s Disease, and I never believed you about the gut needing healing until I listened to him!”

I am not sure how long Dr. Axe has been around, but recently his marketing has taken him to another level (which is great, as more people are going to get helped), but I have been preaching to patients for almost 10-years about healing the gut.

Your Gut = Your Immune System

80% of your immune system is dependent upon a healthy functioning gut.  Once the gut lining breaks down, all HECK can break lose, and most of the time this leads to an autoimmune condition, such as Hashimoto’s Disease, turning on.  Think about this for a moment, if you have an autoimmune condition, your gut lining has been compromised.  Don’t you think it would be important to heal the Leaky Gut Syndrome?

Why would Leaky Gut Syndrome Begin?

1. Food allergens: this is one of the most common reasons why people’s gut lining breaks down, causing Leaky Gut Syndrome/Intestinal Permeability. Gluten, Dairy and Soy, are all inflammatory foods that begin to destroy the gut lining.  Do you think you can handle some eye-popping food information?  Watch What the Health! and What’s With Wheat!
2. Excess cortisol: many people have heard of cortisol before because it stores belly fat. Did you know that too much cortisol causes inflammation, affecting your gut lining, along with causing BRAIN FOG!  That is right, your brain fog could be caused by too much cortisol, that has caused Leaky Gut Syndrome.
   
3. Medications: yes, antibiotics will destroy the good gut flora.  I recently received an email from a potential patient that had been on multiple rounds of antibiotics, for a straight 10-months!
4. Pregnancy: did you know that during your third trimester, your immune system switches dominance (TH1 to Th2 and vice versa)? What this means to you is that sometimes you will develop an autoimmune disease due to pregnancy.
5. Adrenal gland stress: the adrenal glands release cortisol, normally, to help stabilize your glucose levels throughout the day/night. Your adrenal glands are also your STRESS GLANDS!  Emotional stress, such as moving, changing/losing your job, divorce/death in the family are some of the biggest emotional stressors we will ever experience.

         Most of the time, we get hit by multiple stressors at once, and we have seen after these stressors, an autoimmune condition turns on.

         This is exactly what happened to my better-half, Natasha, recently.  Her mother has Hashimoto’s Disease, along with her sister, but for the last 6-years Natasha’s                antibodies have been negative.

         Well, along with us moving to Texas, the black mold in our home in California, and a number of other “speed bumps” we have encountered since our move,                          Natasha’s antibodies turned positive = Hashimoto’s Disease.

How Do You Heal Leaky Gut Syndrome?

Many people and gurus are now creating their own LGS healing products.  I am sure they are great, but my favorite Leaky Gut healing product is from Apex Energetics, called Repairvite.  Why?  Research!  I have seen the research behind all of their formulations and know the quality control those products go through, and even the formulators of the products.

Now, no two patients are the same, and there are different variations of gut dysfunction and gut repairing products.

If you have ever been diagnosed with SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) then taking “regular” Repairvite would make you worse!  There are certain properties in Repairvite that can cause more irritation and inflammation.  This is why working with a doctor that understands the ends and outs of Leaky Gut healing is beneficial. 

Yes, some people will be helped by the products they are buying online, but the patients who have been suffering for years, bouncing back and forth between doctor after doctor, needs someone who can walk them through the steps of healing the GI-lining, without causing more aggravation. 

90-120 Days!

Normally, healing the GI-lining takes 90-120 days!  That is ONLY 3-4 months!  It took me almost 2-years to do the same thing.  Why?  When I discovered I had Leaky Gut Syndrome/Intestinal Permeability (LGS/IP), not many people knew about it or understood how to heal it. 

I made it my mission to figure out how to heal my gut!  I did, but…it took right at 2-years to do.  Now, I have it down to roughly 90-120 days.  Pretty cool, huh?

Infections

Yes, infections can cause Leaky Gut Syndrome.  I like to call them, “critters”!  If you have critters, they will eat away at your gut lining, creating inflammation, causing LGS/IP.  The critters must go!

Quick story, a patient emailed me last week and told me “I have TAPEWORMS”!!!  Needless to say, she was freaking out a little bit.  I sent her some of my favorite critter killers and today she emailed me saying “there is a massacre” going on inside of her body!  LOL  

She was being a little funny and animated, but what she was trying to explain was the critter killers doing their job = killing off the bad guys (not the good guys, which is important to know).

Lots of times, parasitic infections are a big deal.  Parasites like to feed on yeast.  So, adopting a low sugar diet, along with killing off the food for the critters is essential.

OMG…I don’t Want Critters!

How can you know if you have them or not?  Through specialized testing, which I run on every single patient.  Easy Peasy!

If they are there, we will kill them off, re-check the labs and make sure they are gone, and keep healing the GI-lining. 

Let’s Recap

In summary, to begin healing the gut lining, you want to look at stressors:

• blood sugar
• emotional/chemical/physical stressors
• past history of lifestyle
• infections
• food allergens

Then, you want to focus on staying away from any triggers that create this inflammation.

Next, you want to begin patching up the gut lining!  Make sure you are getting products from someone that knows specifics about YOUR health condition.  Guessing about which products to use based an online video can be dangerous and delay your healing. 

To get help with all of this, call me: (866) Drking-1.  Let’s get you back to being, YOU!

Does Your Thyroid Gland Need To Be Removed?

In the last two days, I had two patients contact me, asking if their thyroid gland should be removed.

Patient #1

Years ago, after the doctors first told her she had hypothyroidism, then hyperthyroidism, and finally, the correct diagnosis of Hashimoto’s Disease (4 years after the original, incorrect diagnosis)…the doctors told her “eventually, you will need to have your thyroid gland removed”!

WHAT??? WHY?

Do you want to know the answer?  It is quite simple, really.  I do not mean any disrespect to the endocrinologists out there, BUT…most have not a clue on managing Hashimoto’s Disease.  Their training is in writing prescriptions or surgery.  Endocrinologists are NOT trained in managing autoimmune disease of the thyroid, naturally.

Natrually? 

Dr. King, are you saying there are ways to control the attacks, Naturally?  Yes, I am!

Patient #2

I have helped this patient manage her thyroid condition for almost 6 months.  Her doctors told her she needed surgery because there are nodules on her thyroid.

Just because there are nodules, does NOT mean the thyroid needs to be removed.  She sought my care to help prevent her thyroid from being cut out.  My goal was to keep the nodules the same in size, or see them decrease in size.  Either situation, I told the patient, would be a WIN!

Results of the second ultrasound…no changes in size!  Great!  That is a win.  Sometimes the nodules will not shrink in size.  Have I seen that happen?  Yes.  Does it happen on every patient?  No.

This patient did NOT have Hashimoto’s Disease.  Her antibody levels have been negative each time I have checked.  The thyroid markers (TSH, T4, T3, fT4, fT3, FTI, and T3U) were all perfect!  Her WBCs look great (her immune markers).

So, why perform a thyroidectomy?  “Just in case there is cancer” the endocrinologist says.   Which, I do understand their thinking, as they can’t guarantee there is not cancer in the thyroid gland’s tissue.  However, they can’t guarantee that when they remove the thyroid, everything is fine, either.

So, the options are:

• Remove the thyroid in hopes it removes cancer
• Remove the thyroid, and if there is not cancer, great! But now, you have one less organ, and vital organ at that.

Hmmmm…I am not an oncologist, but I want to keep as many organs as I was born with.  Don’t you?

Scare Tactics

But, those doctors can be very convincing; sometimes, going as far as telling patients they will not continue seeing them as a patient if the patient does NOT have the surgery!

Doctors dismiss patients all of the time because the patient decides to not have a surgery (un-needed surgery).  Are you FREAKING kidding me?

What about CANCER, Dr. King?

Great questions.  A biopsy was performed on Patient #2.  Results, inconvlusive.

With cancer, there are typically, RED FLAG markers that give doctors warning signs about cancer.  In this patient, nada.  Nothing!  No red flags at all.

Do I think it is cancer?  No.  Do I think she should have her thyroid cut out?  No

A similar situation happended with my mother years ago.  She had a full body scan done at her local doctor’s office.  They saw something on the scan that made them feel as if my mother had cancer!

That was a horrible call to be on the other end of!  It was NOT cancer!  They freaked my mother out for nothing.  Her blood work came back, almost perfect.

Do Not Let Them Scare You

Listen, it happens, more than you know.  I have had too many patients crying, literally, crying to me that the doctor scared them.  In a lot of the situations, the doctors were completely in the wrong.  Completely!

Please, get a second opinion, third opinion, heck, even a forth opinion of necessary, but don’t let them just cut your thyroid gland out.  CALL ME, if you need someone to discuss this with.

But, Dr. King, I Already Had My Thyroid Removed!

It is ok. You can still live a NORMAL life, even though you do not have your thyroid gland.  My father is in the same boat.  His doctors “accidentally” destroyed his thyroid when he went through radiation years and years ago for throat cancer.

How Is Your Dad Doing?

He regularly cycles 100-200 miles per WEEK!  Oh, he is 69 years old!  How many 69-year olds do you know logging those miles on bicycle?  Not many!  My father is in great shape, as I have helped to manage his health for almost 11 years since his cancer.

He takes a natural T3 product, and I check his thyroid markers every 3-months.

Oh, he is also a pilot that fights those gigantic fires you see on TV.  Still kicking behind at 69-years old.

What to Do…

If you are going through a similar situation, and your doctors are pushing to have your thyroid/part of your thyroid removed, give me a call and let’s talk.  You may have other options.

Don’t let the doctors scare you.  Not everyone needs to have organs removed.  Call me and we can discuss things further: (866) Drking-1

Red Velvet Deer Antler Saves French Bulldog

Many of you know my dogs are my children.  Natasha and I will bend over backwards to help our little furry kidos.  Heck, for years my old French Bulldog, Thor, came to work with me.  Some of you had the privilege of meeting Capri and Titan before I moved to Texas.  For those that didn’t have the opportunity, Capri and Titan are our 2-year old Frenchies, and they came to work with me almost every day for many months.

2-weeks ago, I woke up and Titan, our little male Frenchie, didn’t want to walk.  He was fine before he went to bed, and woke up not walking.  Of course, this happened 6:00 AM on a Sunday = emergency vet.

After a quick visit with the local vet, she recommended 2-weeks of crating Titan, along with anti-inflammatory and pain pills.  She didn’t want to rush him to get an MRI (thank goodness, as they are about $2,200!!!), and didn’t think he was a candidate for surgery (like we wanted a $10,000 surgery).  X-rays would not have shown any disc issues, as an x-ray will only look at bone, not soft tissue such as a disc.

STRESSFUL!!!

Talk about being stressed out.  Our best friends just went through this with one of their Frenchies, and she is permanently in a wheelchair now L  That is what we were envisioning for Titan.

So, about a week into keeping the little “nugget” in a crate (he did so well!), I decided to start giving him Red Velvet Deer Antler.

Red Velvet Deer Antler is something I have used to speed up recovery from broken bones, torn tendons and ligaments, and even just sore muscles.  Any athlete I work with that gets injured, goes right on the Deer Antler (unless they are a professional, in which case WADA, the governing body for performance enhancing drugs, deems Deer Antler to be illegal in professional sport).

I don’t think Titan will be asked to pee in a cup to see if he was “doping” after chasing his sister around the yard, anytime soon.

The Result?

I am 100% positive, that the Deer Antler is what started to turn his health around.  He was still having bad days, where he couldn’t walk, and was in obvious pain.  The first couple of days after the Deer Antler, he stopped having the “flair-ups”.

Getting my Boy Back!

He began walking again, feeling better, eating his food (oh boy…that is another story all together), and wanting to play.

Here we are, going on 2 ½ weeks of keeping him in his cage, not letting him run, picking him up to take him outside, but he is starting to do great.  Just today, I let him run around the back yard…but, only for 1 lap.  Then, it was back inside to rest.

So…not only does Red Velvet Deer Antler work for humans and our injuries, it works for French Bulldogs as well!!!

If you have an older animal, I would be really curious to see how this would affect them.  Lots of my patients have their animals on glucosamine (I did at one point as well with our older dogs).

Shoot me an email, drking@askdrking.com, or message me on Facebook, if you have an animal that may need some good Deer Antler.

Just thought I would share our neat success story.

Pregnancy and Difficulties That Families Face

In the last week, conceiving has been brought up several times.  This can be a sensitive subject, and I will do my best not to over-step my boundaries.

Over the last 12-years, many patients have come to me in hopes of getting pregnant.  I will be very honest, I am not the one that allows this to happen, but a healthy body allows one to carry a baby to term…I am simply the vessel that is helping the mother get there.  No matter your religious beliefs, an unhealthy mother cannot carry a baby to full term, or if they do, the child may suffer from neurological/metabolic dysfunctions.

With that being said, I have helped several couples achieve the goal of having a cute a “little one”.  Now, I want to give everyone that has had a hard time conceiving some things to think about.

Where Do You Start?

I always recommend starting with the male first.  Sorry, mom-to-be’s…but, there are less working parts that have to be considered with us males.

Males, I recommend you having your sperm count and motility checked, to begin with.  Go see how healthy those swimmers are.  There are many things that can be done to help improve if the number counts are low/motility is not great.

Ok, on to you women!  See…much less to consider!

Hormones Are Affected by…

1. The adrenal glands
2. The thyroid gland
3. Liver function
4. Blood sugar instability
5. Inflammation
6. Gut function
7. Hormones

Did you notice that hormones were at the bottom of the list?  This is much, much different from what a lot of couples are told.  You can look at the hormones, but if they are not where they should be, the top 6 reasons above can be the culprits.

I am Sooooo, Stressed Out!

Stress impacts your adrenal glands, causing an increase in cortisol, which can eventually cause your adrenal glands to decrease in function (adrenal fatigue/failure).  Your adrenal glands impact your thyroid gland, which controls all your hormones!

Are you not sleeping well?  Having a hard time falling and staying asleep?  These are indicators your adrenal glands may not be working optimally.  Are you DRAGGING when you wake up in the AM?  Not only adrenal gland dysfunction, but thyroid gland dysfunction can cause this symptom.

Rule in/out Autoimmune Disease

The most common autoimmune disease in women with thyroid gland dysfunction = Hashimoto’s Disease.  Many, many women have consulted with me in order to help get them healthy before trying to conceive.  Some of those women were having miscarriages prior to getting healthy.  Remember, it is very difficult to carry a baby to full term when the mom is unhealthy.

Before you stress out…if you have an autoimmune condition, you CAN still have a healthy baby!  In situations where we know a patient has Hashimoto’s Disease (in this example), due diligence is extremely important during the pregnancy.

Liver, Liver, and…more Liver!

Your liver is extremely important in regards to hormones.  It plays a vital role in clearing exogenous hormones from the body.  Did you know that the number cause of infertility in the U.S. is PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome)?  This due to an imbalance in womens’ hormones.  One of the major causes of PCOS = diabetes = due to blood sugar dysregulation!

Eat Throughout the Day

Blood sugar instability will completely throw off the adrenal glands, which in turn affect the thyroid gland, which then affects the hormones.  When blood sugar is dropping, the adrenal glands kick in to increase cortisol.  Too much cortisol = inflammation!

Inflammation Affects Everything!

Inflammation can cause a lot of destruction throughout the body…especially the liver and the gastrointestinal lining.  If you have been reading my blog posts, you know that 80% of the immune system is located within the gastrointestinal lining.  You want the immune system as healthy as possible.

Finally…the Hormones!

I do like looking at the hormones, don’t get me wrong.  But, I was to go after the true problem, which could be everything I have been discussing.

One other factor to consider…there could be an autoimmune attack on the ovaries/testes.  Based on the hormone results, I sometimes recommend running an autoimmune panel on the reproductive glands from www.cyrexlabs.com

What To Do Now?

Well…if you have all of these pieces of the puzzle from your doctors, give me a call.  If you don’t have all of these pieces of the puzzle yet, GIVE ME A CALL!

However, there is only one stipulation…no matter if the baby is a boy or a girl, you must name them Corey/Cori!  Just kidding!!!

Give me a call if you need some help and guidance: (866) Drking-1

P.S. – Please don’t keep me a secret! If you feel I have helped you and your family member(s), please share that news with others.  Referrals mean the WORLD to me!!!  Thank you!

Signs of Hashimoto’s Disease

Have you been diagnosed with a thyroid condition but feel that some piece of this still missing?

After years of working with thyroid gland patients, I know that a thyroid condition involves more than just your thyroid gland. Many doctors only look at the thyroid when diagnosing the condition, but I know that the thyroid does not work in a vacuum; as with other conditions, our body needs several parts working together well to function optimally.

Your adrenal glands sit right on top of your kidneys, and they are also known as your “stress glands”, as they respond to physical, chemical and emotional stress. They release hormones to your hypothalamus (located in the center of your brain) and pituitary gland (located below the hypothalamus).

Your pituitary releases thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) to act onto your thyroid to work so your thyroid will release T3 (triiodothyronine) and T4 (thyroxine), therefore increasing their levels in the blood. If your adrenals are not working properly—which could be due to triggers such as stress from a bad relationship, a high-pressure job, blood sugar imbalances (diabetes) or even having taken prescription drugs over a prolonged period of time—they aren’t feeding back into your pituitary gland properly. Without the stimulation from the adrenals, the pituitary can’t release TSH like it should, and the cycle continues without balancing.

Your pituitary gland can also suffer from dysfunction as well. For instance, high cortisol, which is released from your adrenal glands, will make your pituitary gland sluggish, as can oral contraceptives.

There’s also an autoimmune component as well, mostly known as Hashimoto’s Disease. Hashimoto’s (as most people call it) is an autoimmune condition attacking your thyroid gland. Did you know that 90% of hypothyroid patients are misdiagnosed and are actually suffering from Hashimoto’s? In this scenario, you thyroid gland is an innocent bystander. It s being attacked by you own body’s immune system. Of course it won’t work properly when this is occurring, and there is not a medicine out there to calm down the autoimmune attack (without shutting your immune system down).

I haven’t even discussed food triggers that can create inflammation and affect all of your body’s organ systems, even destroying the brain. For now, let’s say it’s safe to say that certain foods will make Hashimoto’s Disease, worse!

All of these different scenarios need to be taken into consideration when looking at a person’s thyroid condition. If your doctors are not analyzing how your adrenal glands and pituitary gland are working, then they are missing a huge piece of the puzzle in regards to managing your health care needs. If your doctor hasn’t run the thyroid antibodies, to rule in or rule out Hashimoto’s Disease, they are missing huge piece of the puzzle.

How do we find the missing pieces in your puzzle? Through specialized testing. If you don’t look at every aspect of a patient’s health, I guarantee you that something will be over looked. This is why many thyroid patients consult with me in order to regain their health. If you feel that some pieces of the puzzle may be missing in order to reach your health goals, call my staff to schedule your consultation: (714) 731-7680.

Are you still struggling with hypothyroid symptoms even though are taking your medications?

Did you know that 90% of hypothyroid patients are still struggling with thyroid symptoms, even though they are taking their medication? The reason many hypothyroid (low thyroid) patients are still battling with their fatigue, hair loss, weight gain, and brain fog is because they were misdiagnosed to begin with. These patients are actually suffering with Hashimoto’s Disease. And here is the secret; medication may not help the Hashimoto’s patient feel better…because the medication doesn’t do anything to fix the problem. What is the problem?

Hashimoto’s Disease will cause hypothyroid symptoms!

Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune condition that is attacking the thyroid gland. Not many doctors are running patients’ thyroid antibodies to screen for this autoimmune condition. Instead, Hashimoto’s patients are still having brain fog, memory loss, depression, cold hands and feet, not to mention the fatigue that goes along with these life-debilitating symptoms.

When your thyroid gland is under functioning, it can’t produce hormone properly. The bad news is that every single cell of your body relies upon that thyroid hormone. The brain is extremely reliant upon a functioning thyroid gland, when the gland is not work…patients begin to have quicker neurological degeneration (i.e. Dementia, Alzheimer’s and/or Parkinson’s Disease).

In order to control Hashimoto’s Disease, you must first figure out what is driving the autoimmune attack to begin with. Here is a short, but not comprehensive, list of some of the triggers that drive Hashimoto’s:

• Is Leaky Gut Syndrome occurring? This is when the gut lining is inflamed and not absorbing vitamins and minerals very well.
• Does this patient have any hidden infections? Doctors miss infections a lot (parasitic and bacterial infections are some of the most common).
• Does the patient have any food sensitivities? Many times, patients are eating foods that make their body attack the thyroid gland (gluten, dairy and soy are the BIG three)?
• How is the patient’s blood sugar? Is it stabilized throughout the day? Is the patient a diabetic? Does the patient suffer from hypoglycemia?
• Is the liver working well? The liver plays a critical role in thyroid hormone conversion, along with getting inflammation down.

How to manage Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism?

When one has an autoimmune condition, it will never go away! However, you can still live a wonderful life as long as you are managing your condition properly.

Once I help patients figure out the triggers driving the autoimmune condition, a multi-faceted approach is needed to keep the immune system from attacking the thyroid gland. I teach patients how to clean up their eating (I hate the word diet; what are the first three letters of the word?), along with guiding them through the healing process utilizing homeopathies and supplementation.

Helping the body heal is rarely a quick fix, instead healing takes time and effort on a patient’s part. My job is to teach and educate, guiding patients through the process.

These are just a few of the basics of autoimmune management for Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism. If you feel this may be an approach that you need, contact my staff to schedule your consultation: (866) 375-4641.

Dr. King is unique because he uses specialized testing to get to the root cause of your health condition. During the last 10 years, Dr. King has specialized in working with autoimmune patients who have struggled managing their health condition. Many of these patients were not told the cause of their symptoms, only being told, “Take this medicine and let’s check your blood work in 3-6 months”.

Dr. King became known as the thyroid doctor in Southern California, as he saw and helped thousands of Hashimoto’s Disease, Hypothyroid, and Hyperthyroid/Grave’s Disease patients. Even Dr. King’s father has Hashimoto’s Disease, along with his mother-in-law and sister-in-law.

Dr. King decided, after 10-years of having a clinic, he wanted to reach more patients, outside of his immediate Orange County area. Dr. King was already working and coaching patients domestically and all throughout the world. He took a huge leap of faith and decided to relocate to Austin, TX (to be closer to family, so he and his wife could start their own family) and work with patients from the comfort of their own home.

Dr. King had several patients over the years that couldn’t physically see him in his clinic (they were outside of the state/country), so he began using Skype calls/phone calls and email to help guide them in the right direction.

At first, Dr. King was hesitant, thinking patients would be fearful of this type of care, but he soon realized that patients LOVED it! They didn’t have to wait for months to see their primary care doctors, their endocrinologists, and other specialists. Patients didn’t have to wait in a lobby for 30-60 minutes after their appointment time (Dr. King recently walked out of an orthopedic surgeons office for this exact reason). Patients loved the one-on-one interaction they received by Dr. King, even though it was all through remote communication.

Besides being known as a thyroid disease specialist, Dr. King has been helping those who suffer from other conditions, such as, but not limited to:

• Diabetes (Type I, II and III – also known as Alzheimer’s Disease)
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Lupus
• Adrenal Gland Dysfunction
• Liver Disease
• Hormone deficiencies
• Infertility
• Leaky Gut Syndrome/Intestinal Permeability/Irritable Bowel Syndrome

How does Dr. King help patients? He does so by running complete, thorough and in-depth blood testing, genetic testing, food allergy panels, adrenal testing, and even hair analysis.

Part of the problem that Dr. King sees, day in and day out, is that doctors in the medical model are limited to what laboratory tests they can run. Insurance companies will not run in-depth blood testing, (specialized testing) because the results wont change the doctors treatment plan…to prescribe medication.

The medical model is wonderful for acute conditions (i.e. heart attacks, strokes and broken bones), but the acute model of health care does NOT apply to chronic health conditions. This is where specialized laboratory testing comes into play. The following are some of the lab tests Dr. King uses (not all of them on every patient, as each patient is unique):

1. A complete thyroid panel with TBG and TPO antibodies.If your doctor is running your thyroid markers, make sure there are a total of 10 thyroid markers that are being run. If you can’t count 10 markers, your doctor is missing some of the pieces to your health puzzle.
2. A complete metabolic panel (CMP).There are a total of 25 different types of anemia. One common trait Dr. King sees in a lot of patients’ blood tests is a lack of anemia markers being run. If you have an anemia, and can’t deliver oxygen and nutrients to your cells, your body can’t heal. This is why a complete metabolic panel is needed, so Dr. King can see more pieces to your health puzzle.
3. A lipid panel:Besides looking at cholesterol, Dr. King can get a very good idea of how your liver is functioning based off of your cholesterol markers. Some patients may be going into early Diabetes, and they don’t even know it. This, too, can be seen through the blood tests
4. A CBC (complete blood chemistry with differential) panel:In chronic patients, a lot of them are fighting hidden infections. Whether these infections are bacterial, parasitic, or viral in nature, they will all weaken the immune system and prevent the body from healing.
5. Inflammatory markers:These markers consist of your heart markers (CRP-HS, Homocysteine), along with other inflammatory markers (HbA1c, Cholesterol Ratio, homocysteine, and CRP-Hs). If your body is inflamed, Dr. King needs to know how bad, and he will want to check these markers again as your body is healing.
6. Vitamin D:Many, many, many patients suffer from low Vitamin D levels. Vitamin D is extremely important as it is needed to support your immune system, to lower inflammation, and to support hormones (male/female and thyroid).

Dr. King tests 67 different markers when running your first blood panel. If more specific testing is needed, this preliminary blood test will help Dr. King in deciding what needs to be looked at next. The following are some of the specialized tests that may be ordered if deemed necessary:

• Genetic Testing:http://www.23andme.com is a fantastic laboratory that will give Dr. King in-depth information relating to your genes. Some patients have genetic deficiencies that will prevent their body from healing, regardless of the healthy lifestyle they are living.
• A comprehensive GI (gastro-intestinal) dysbiosis lab test.This GI panel will assess how well your body is releasing digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid (HCL), breaking down and absorbing fats, and if you have any type of hidden infections that are not normally seen in basic blood tests.
• Adrenal Panel:If you are not sleeping well, or waking up not feeling rested, you may have an adrenal dysfunction. An Adrenal Salivary Index test will measure your cortisol levels throughout the day.
• Leaky Gut Syndrome (LGS)/Intestinal Permeability (IP) testing.http://www.cyrexlabs.com is Dr. King’s favorite laboratory to use for testing LGS/IP. Dr. King grew up with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and LGS as a child. He knows how debilitating those conditions are, which is why it is important to diagnose you properly.

Call (866) 375-4641 for more help!

My Child Has Hashimoto’s Disease, What Do I Do?

I spoke with a parent yesterday, and she asked me this very same question.

Adults are not the only ones that can develop Hashimoto’s Disease. I have seen Hashimoto’s in a 6-year old, before. Trust me, children can be affected similar to adults.

Does my child have to be on thyroid hormones?

How does managing a child’s Hashimoto’s Disease differ from working with an adult? The answer is simple, the management doesn’t change, at all.

What you must do is look at all of the thyroid markers to determine how to work with the individual. There are a total of 10 thyroid markers that must be evaluated. 10!!! Most doctors only run TSH, T4, and maybe T3. Below are the 10 markers I run on every patient, male, female, adult or a child:

• TSH (thyroid stimulating thyroid)
• Total T4
• Total T3
• fT4
• fT3
• FTI
• T3Uptake
• Reverse T3
• TBG
• TPO-ab

After evaluating all of the thyroid markers, I can determine the following:

• Is the thyroid gland releasing enough hormone?
• Is the hormone (T4) being converted properly to a useable form of hormone (T3)?
• Is the hormone getting into the patient’s cells to run metabolism properly, along with all of the other functions of thyroid hormone?

Ok, so you see the markers, now what do you do to help my child?

Well, that all depends on what the markers are telling us. However, in autoimmune patients, you must look at other “triggers” as well. You must evaluate the following, because if any of these triggers are involved, they will throw off the thyroid glands hormone results:

1. Blood sugar: This is the #1 stressor in the body. If blood sugar is not being managed properly, the adrenal glands will kick and begin to work overtime. Some of you have probably heard of the hormone, cortisol…I will discuss this in a later blog…
2. Infections: Does the patient have an infection that the doctors have missed? This could be in the form of a bacterial, parasitic or viral infection. You will want to get rid of the infection, so the infection is not triggering more autoimmune attacks.
3. Liver and gallbladder function: Oh boy…this is a fun and interesting topic. Did you know that the liver is responsible for 60% of thyroid hormone conversion? Talk about a big job for the liver, on top of its other duties: detoxification of the blood coming from the digestive tract; detoxification of chemicals and drugs; secretes bile; and helps with a lot of hormone (male and female) utilization. I love having patients perform liver flushes. Now, in children, the liver flush will differ from an adult, depending on the age of the child.
4. Inflammation: If there is inflammation, where is it coming from? Inflammation is like a blow torch, destroying the tissue in its path.
5. Food sensitivities: Yes, this really exists. If you have Hashimoto’s Disease, please…stay away from gluten!!! The thyroid tissue’s molecular structure is almost identical to gluten. So, if you consume gluten, your body will attack it, but also destroy more of your thyroid tissue. Put simply, eating gluten will destroy your thyroid gland if you have Hashi’s.
6. Adrenal gland health: the adrenal glands can affect how your thyroid is releasing T4 if they are not working efficiently.

After knowing all of this, can you now help manage my child’s thyroid condition?

YES!!! Think of the above answers as pieces to the puzzle. Now, I can begin to complete the picture (yes, there are other specialty tests that can be run…but, you can start healing the body now).

Being a “natural” doctor, I prefer to use natural herbs and homeopathics to help the body heal. However, I am NOT against a patient being on thyroid hormone, as long as the body is utilizing the hormone properly and not reacting to any of the binders in the medication.

Children can be managed, using natural herbs, and even medications. I will say, that the medications will not work, or the herbs for that matter, if steps 1-6 are not taken care of. This is why patients consult with me. They need help getting steps 1-6 under control.

In the younger patients, controlling the thyroid can be easier than in an adult. An adult has had many, many more years of destruction that has happened to the thyroid. Also, more triggers could be driving an adults thyroid disorder due to the “mileage” on the ‘ole chassis’.

If you would like to talk about the health condition of your children, give my staff a call (866) 375-4641 to schedule your complimentary phone consultation.

We manage our patients both neurologically and metabolically. Let’s think about the car analogy of your blood being you oil, and your brain being your motor…if your oil is bad long enough, your motor will start to break down!

All chronic health conditions will ultimately affect how our brain functions. What do I mean by this? All of us have some amount of neurological degeneration, some of us have more, and some of us are progressively developing more and more degeneration over a shorter amount of time.

Dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Parkinson’s Disease are three conditions we can think of right off of the bat that involve brain degeneration. You can read more about why I began working with patients with chronic health conditions by…

Why I started Working With Chronic Health Conditions…

We use functional neurology and nutrition to help restore the body’s natural functions.Neuroplasticity is the term used for stimulating the brain to improve the efficiency of the brain’s neurons. Dictionary.com defines neuroplascticity as the following: the brain’s natural ability to form new connections in order to compensate for injury or changes in one’s environment; also called brain plasticity.

If the brain is starting to break down neurologically, neurons are starting to die off; you can stimulate the area of the brain with damage and improve the efficiency!

We use the following therapies to improve the brain’s efficiency:

Balance therapy
Spin therapy
Vibration therapy
Auditory stimulation (sound therapy)
Visual stimulation (eye movements)
Olfactory stimulation (smell therapy)
The Rebuilder®
Calorics
Eyelights Therapy
Interactive Metronome® (great for children with dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, and autism spectrum disorders)
Oxygen Therapy
Sensory Deprivation Tanks (AKA – float tanks): www.floatspot.com. ‘Floating’ is an excellent passive therapy to help your body heal quicker. What is floating? You are in a sealed tank, floating in 10″ of heated water (heated to body temperature) that contains 600-800 pounds of dissolved Epsom and Sea Salt. Floating allows your brain to ‘relax’ in theta state, which is a healing state for the brain and body. While floating is a type of trans-meditation, one hour floating is the equivalent to 4-5 hours of sleep = allows the adrenal glands to heal. Plus, your body is in a weightless state, allowing your muscles and joints to relax.

We use oxygen therapy to help our patients’ bodies heal quicker. The body needs two things to improve brain function: fuel and activation.

Fuel comes in the form of glucose (foods we eat) and oxygen.

Activation comes in the form of brain stimulation.

Now onto our oil, or our blood!

Remember, all chronic health conditions affect our brains neurologically!

If we have any organs malfunctioning or any chronic diseases, we must correct the issue. Let us take thyroid gland disorders. In order to accurately determine what type of thyroid gland disorder one has, you must run all of the right testing. This is where the medical model is “dropping the ball”. If they are not running all of the right tests (ordering the right markers), or if their blood panels are not complete (which almost 90% of the time, they are not, according to what we see in our clinic), you will not be diagnosed properly.

This holds true for all of our chronic health conditions. Doctors must be running adequate tests in order to truly diagnose the health conditions correctly. Why are the medical doctors not doing this? It will not change the course of their treatments, which is either medications or surgery.

Our Natural Programs Are Based on Specific Lab Panels:

By using specific blood tests such as:

#1: A thyroid panel (with TBG and TPO-ab antibodies)
#2: A complete metabolic panel (CMP)
#3: A lipid panel
#4: A CBC (complete blood chemistry with differential)

We can assess your thyroid, adrenal, blood, and gut function. All can be affected with chronic health conditions. By addressing any problems with your thyroid, adrenal glands, blood chemistry, or gut function, we can help you to heal faster. The CMP allows us to check your blood glucose levels since glucose and oxygen are needed by the brain to function properly.

Adrenal Stress Index (ASI):

We can further test your adrenal glands with a test called an Adrenal Stress Index. Your adrenal glands are your “stress” organs meaning that they react to stress. If you have been or are currently under stress, this test is a must! IF YOU SUFFER FROM INSOMNIA, THIS TEST WILL MEASURE YOUR CORTISOL LEVELS. When your body’s cortisol levels are abnormal, you will suffer from insomnia. Cortisol levels can be corrected via specific nutritional protocols thereby curing your insomnia.

We may test to see if you have an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease is where your immune system attacks a particular area of the body so we test for specific antibodies to determine if you suffer from an autoimmune condition.

TISSUE ANTIBODIES (aka. Autoimmune Disorders)

If you suffer from an autoimmune disorder your immune system is attacking other systems of your body (ie. Thyroid, cerebellum, etc.)

If you have an autoimmune attack, it is like a raging forest fire. Your body is destroying tissue as the attack occurs, damaging critical organs.

You must find out what the gasoline is that is being poured onto your fire, or you will keep destroying tissue.

This is what makes us unique: no stone is left unturned to determine the true cause of your health condition.

There can be many different forms of “gasoline”, so you must run the correct tests.

We can check for gluten antibodies, tissue antibodies such as myelin (fatty sheath around the nerves) antibodies, and cerebellar (back part of the brain controlling balance, coordinated movement, and spinal muscles) antibodies.

For Example: Many HhYpatients that I have managed have tested positive for thyroid antibodies and they were actually mis-diagnosed by their medical doctor for years. If your thyroid tissue anti-bodies (TPO &TBG) are high, you are suffering from Hashimoto’s disease and NOT hypothyroid. The only way to find out is to test for thyroid tissue antibodies via blood work.

Your immune system could be attacking your nervous system, which would cause pain and numbness (this is called multiple sclerosis and peripheral neuropathy). The ONLY way to know is to run the right tests.

If you suffer from tissue antibodies, further blood work will be needed to determine which part of your immune system is not functioning. Specifically…

#1: Lymphocyte Subpopulation
#2: TH1/TH2 Cytokine Panels
#3: Natural Killer Cell Activity

H. Pylori/Parasites:

We run tests for H. Pylori bacteria to determine any problems related to gut function (H. Pylori is the most common bacteria to affect the stomach and gut). We are also looking for parasites, mold, yeast and fungi, which is what a majority of patients with gastro-intestinal dysfunction suffer from.

Genetic Food Sensitivity Testing:

Genetic samples can be used to determine sensitivity to foods that might be making your health condition worse. If you are eating certain foods that your body is sensitive to, you are destroying more and more tissue.

Intestinal Permeability:

We use this test to determine if a patient is suffering from leaky gut syndrome (LGS). We see a lot of patients with gastro-intestinal issues, and a majority of them are suffering from LGS.

LGS describes a condition of altered or damaged bowel lining, caused by antibiotics, toxins, poor diet, parasites, or infection can lead to increased permeability of the gut wall to toxins, microbes, undigested food, waste or larger than normal macromolecules. It has been proposed that these substances affect the body directly, while others postulate an immune reaction to these substances.

Neurotransmitters:

We assess for decreased brain neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are vital for proper brain function and can cause increased pain, memory loss, and neurological movement disorders.

Hormone Panels:

We can check hormone panels to determine if the patient suffers from low testosterone in males or low estrogen/progesterone levels in females. Symptoms related to decreased hormone levels may include depression, fatigue, mental fogginess, mood swings, hot flashes, sweating attacks, weight gain, and decreased physical stamina.

Inflammation:

Finally, we may need to test for inflammation in your system by testing homocysteine levels, fibrinogen and C-Reactive Protein (C-RP). Many patients suffering from chronic health conditions suffer from inflammatory processes. Just about every diabetic, thyroid, dizziness/vertigo, and autoimmune patient that I have managed suffers from some form of chronic inflammatory process.

Once we have run the necessary tests to determine your specific condition, we can successfully manage you using our proper neurological and all natural nutritional protocols.

One thing you MUST realize…your doctors have been managing your condition from a reactive approach. Meaning, they wait until something is wrong, or destroyed, to then give you a medication or treatment. We work from a pro-active approach! If you have one severe condition, there is a good chance other bodily systems are suffering as well. One organ does not stop working on its own; our body works as ONE BIG organ!!!

If you have one auto-immune condition, time and lifestyle are the determining factors for developing more auto-immune conditions.

If you have high cholesterol, it is only a matter of time until you have atherosclerosis of the arteries, high blood pressure, tissue destruction, peripheral neuropathy, heart attacks or a stroke!

The big question is this…How do you want to live out the remaining years you have left?

If you would like to talk more about your health condition, give my staff a call (866) 375-4641 to schedule your complimentary phone consultation.