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.

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

If you have diabetes, whether it’s type 1 or type 2, your doctor likely recommended a diet endorsed by the American Diabetes Association. But did you know the diabetic diet recommends foods that could be slowly worsening your diabetes condition?

Turns out there is more to a diabetic diet than grams of carbs and sugar, although those are vitally important.

For people with type 1 diabetes and for an estimated 20 percent of people with type 2 diabetes, diabetes is an autoimmune disease.

This means the immune system is attacking and destroying the parts of the pancreas involved in insulin production and regulation. Over time destruction is severe enough the body can no longer adequately regulate blood sugar.

Certain foods on the diabetic diet, such as gluten and dairy, have been shown to both trigger autoimmunity and make it worse.

Many type 2 diabetics have autoimmune diabetes

People with type 1 diabetes, which begins in childhood, understand diabetes is an autoimmune condition.

However, many people with type 2 diabetes can go for years without knowing there is an autoimmune component to their diabetes, which generally sets in during adulthood.

This type of diabetes is called type 1.5 diabetes, latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA), or even double diabetes.

Type 1.5 diabetes involves the lifestyle components of being overweight or obese and eating a diet that promotes high blood sugar, along with the autoimmune component that slowly destroys the insulin-producing abilities of the pancreas.

Where the diabetic diet fails

Although grams of carbs and sugars are vital considerations for people with all types of diabetes, what is overlooked is the immune reactivity of foods.

Research shows a link between certain foods and the triggering or exacerbating of autoimmune diseases such as type 1 and type 1.5 diabetes.

If you have an immune reaction to certain foods and consume them daily, they are going to keep the immune system in a constant state of inflammation and attacking body tissue. This makes blood sugar continually difficult to manage, despite careful consumptions of carbs and sugars.

Foods to avoid with autoimmune diabetes

The two top foods to avoid if you have autoimmune diabetes are gluten and dairy. Both have been linked to a number of autoimmune diseases, including diabetes.

Gluten has been shown to trigger an autoimmune attack against the GAD enzyme  which plays a role in insulin regulation and brain function. Casein, the protein in dairy products, has also been linked with autoimmune diabetes.

If you have a sensitivity to these foods or other common immune reactive foods, it is worth getting tested or doing an elimination diet  Knowing which foods are provoking an autoimmune attack can help you better manage your type 1 or type 1.5 diabetes.

Ask my office for more advice on ways to tame inflammation and manage your autoimmune diabetes. If you have type 2 diabetes, it’s important to rule out autoimmunity.

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!

Why Do I have Hypothyroid symptoms AND hyperthyroid symptoms?

I hear this question from a lot of patients. A patient comes in, and they share with me that they have fatigue, sleeplessness, their hair is falling out, their libido is down, and their heart is racing. Sometimes, their racing heart wakes them up at night, and when they wake up tremors are being felt through their body (inward type of shaking).

A lot of the time, the patient tells me, “I wake up like that and have to use the restroom. Once my heart rate calms down, I can go back to sleep.”

Does this sound like you or a family member? If so, the number one reason why a patient is struggling with both hypothyroid and hyperthyroid symptoms is due to Hashimoto’s Disease. You may remember (if not, short term memory loss is a classic symptom of thyroid dysfunction, as well), that when the body is attacking the thyroid gland, that is an autoimmune condition called Hashimoto’s Disease.

TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) is what most primary care physicians and endocrinologists check in order to determine if your thyroid gland is functioning well (maybe, a T4 or T3). Based off of the levels of TSH, your medication is kept the same, lowered or raised. If you are in the “hyperthyroid state” of Hashimoto’s Disease, your doctor may lower your medication; but, your fatigue worsens. The doctor lowered the medication dosage because they were thinking you had too much thyroid hormone and then they ask you to have your thyroid markers checked in the three months.

Three months pass and you get your TSH checked again, and now the markers is really high. You are struggling with fatigue, not sleeping well, and you may have put on a few extra pounds. Now, you doctor wants to raise you thyroid medication again (you are in the hypothyroid state of Hashimoto’s Disease). I have heard this many times, and patients get confused as to why your levels are all over the map.

The secret, there is no secret! You have Hashimoto’s Disease. If it is not controlled properly it is very common to battle this medication roller coaster.

You must have you doctor check your thyroid antibodies to rule in or rule out Hashimoto’s Disease. If your markers are negative AND your WBC (white blood cell) markers are low, your body may not be strong enough to make antibody markers.

Keep in mind, there are triggers that drive these hypothyroid and hyperthyroid symptoms. I will touch upon those in my next blog!

Signs and Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism

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.

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.

At Dr King’s office, our mission is to improve the quality of our patients’ lives. We operate by a simple motto, ‘We want success stories’! Our goal is take you from the condition that you are in and take you to where you want to be. You have goals for your life; whether they are financial, personal, or spiritual goals. Our job is to improve upon your “health goals”. We believe that everyone should be living a healthy, vibrant, and energetic life, without the needless suffering of chronic, debilitating health symptoms.

Functional neurology and functional medicine is the new wave of health care. People are realizing why the medical model is failing them. Our medical model is using ‘acute care’ for ‘chronic conditions’ and patients are starting to see that those two conflicting models are not allowing them to reach their health goals = be happy, vibrant, and thriving individuals.

Our approach is simple, but comprehensive:

We look at how the body is functioning neurologically and metabolically. The brain is a magnificent organ! It contains billions of neurons that are firing constantly to keep us thinking, moving, and living. If neurons are compromised, so will our bodily functions. Our blood is the ‘oil of the car’, if you will. It contains all of the nutrients and oxygen needed for our brain to function. Without the proper nutrients and oxygen, we die!

Using neurological testing, we can specifically test the functioning and non-functioning aspects of the brain. Once we find the region that is not “firing”, or working, appropriately we can stimulate that region to improve its functioning ability. It is much like going into the gym. If you have a weak biceps muscle, what are you going to do? You will work it out, do some strength training! You would not work out your leg if your arm is weak, would you? No! This is the same principle with neurology. You can stimulate or strengthen the regions of the brain that are weak. Once you do that, you will improve the functioning of that area’s neurons and your body works and performs as it is supposed to.

This stimulation is based off of the term, neuroplasticity. Scientists once thought that a brain older than three years old was a rigid structure. If it was damaged in any way, it was damaged. However, through scientific studies and research, plus clinical applications, we know that the brain continually reorganizes itself. This regorganization is called neuroplasticity. It means that you create your brain from the input you give it.

Functional medicine is based off the idea that the body functions best within certain parameters, or ranges. In order to be within those ranges, the body needs a few things:

Nutrients Oxygen
If our organs have the proper fuel, everything will be in balance. However, due to life (stress, diet, environmental toxins, genes, trauma, etc) our body will become ‘out of balance’ and we might need helping getting back into those functional ranges. Quite simply, our body starts to shut down and we can bring it back into a more normalized state using natural supplementation, which is guided by scientific laboratory testing. If you run the appropriate laboratory testing to figure out why the body is not working within a functional, or optimal, range, you can then use ‘functional medicine’ to bring it back into range.

Neurological therapies are based off the specific neurological tests that are performed. Some of therapies that are used are the following:

Oxygen Therapy: The brain uses more oxygen than any other organ in the body. So, we use oxygen therapy in order to allow your body and brain to heal quicker.

Vibration Therapy: Vibration fires to the back part of the brain called the cerebellum, which is the foundation. One of the functions of the cerebellum is control of the spinal muscle and by stimulating these muscles we can fire-off muscle spindle cells to activate the cerebellum, thus increasing its efficiency in functioning.

Auditory Therapy: Auditory stimulation fires to the temporal lobe. The temporal lobe is responsible hearing, memory, recall and verbalization of thoughts. By activating this region, we can improve its function.

Visual Therapy: Visual stimulation is picked up by the cerebellum. Since the cerebellum controls eye movements, we can stimulate the cerebellum via visual therapy. To learn more visit www.eyelights.com

Auriculo-therapy: Using a hand-held muscle stimulation machine, we can strengthen the brainstem, which controls many of your automatic processes of your body…breathing, sleep, digestion, and pain.

Caloric Therapy: By using a warm water caloric, we can stimulate the cerebellum as well. This works wonders for dizziness and vertigo patients.

Interactive Metronome: By using science based software, we are able to measure your brain’s ability to time sequences to assess how efficient your cerebral cortex is working. We can also use therapeutic modalities with the Interactive Metronome to improve the efficiency of the brain. To learn more visit www.interactivemetronome.com

Balance Therapy: The cerebellum controls balance, and is the foundation of the brain. If the cerebellum is not firing properly (sending the right neurological impulses to the rest of the brain) the rest of the brain’s efficiency will be compromised. Using balance therapy we can improve the efficiency of how the brain is functioning.

Rebuilder®: Using this machine we are able to regenerate the nerves that have been destroyed due to peripheral neuropathy in diabetics. To learn more visit www.rebuildermedical.com

If you are looking for a complete systems approach to your health condition, you have found the best clinic to do so. There will be ‘no stone left unturned’ when it comes to diagnosing your condition and managing your condition.

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.

Star Trek’s Zoe Saldano recently revealed she has Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism, a thyroid disease affecting millions of women that causes weight gain, fatigue, depression, cold hands and feet, brain fog, constipation, and many other symptoms.

Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune thyroid disease. Autoimmunity is a condition in which the immune system attacks and destroys body tissue, in this case the thyroid gland. It is one of the most common autoimmune diseases, affecting an estimated more than 23 million people.

The thyroid gland governs metabolism in the body and produces thyroid hormones, which are needed by every cell in the body, including brain cells.

This is why a thyroid disease such as Hashimoto’s causes a person to gradually lose function, feel run down, lose brain function, and find it impossible to lose weight (although not in Saldano’s case.)

Saldano’s unusual explanation for Hashimoto’s

When asked about her Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism diagnosis, Saldano said, “Your body doesn’t have the energy it needs to filter toxins, causing it to believe that it has an infection, so it’s always inflamed.”

This is an unusual and narrow explanation for autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s.

Research shows multiple factors play into the development of an autoimmune disease, including:

Genetic susceptibility (Saldano’s family members have Hashimoto’s)
Imbalanced immunity
Inflammation from food sensitivities
Environmental toxins
Leaky gut
Chronic stress
Pregnancy
Gender (autoimmunity primarily affects women)
Hormone imbalances
Blood sugar imbalances
Chronic inflammation
Viral or bacterial infection
In a nutshell, rarely can we point to one defining trigger of autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism. Typically, a person experiences a number of chronic health issues that go undiagnosed until the overburdened immune system tips into an over zealous attack on the body.

What Saldano is doing right for Hashimoto’s

Although her explanation for Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism may be a bit off base, Saldano otherwise puts forth some good lifestyle examples.

For starters, she follows a gluten-free and dairy-free diet. Studies link these foods with autoimmunity, including Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.

She also talks about the stress reducing techniques of not being too hard on herself and surrounding herself with the support of loved ones.

How to find out if you have Hashimoto’s

Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism often goes undiagnosed in the conventional health care model. This is because doctors often only test for TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) to prescribe medication.

About 95 percent of hypothyroid cases are due to Hashimoto’s. It’s important to check for TPO and TGB antibodies which tell you if you have autoimmunity. Managing Hashimoto’s goes far beyond using thyroid medication as you must work to balance and regulate the immune system so it stops attacking the body.

For more information on identifying and managing Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism, give my staff a call (866) 375-4641 to schedule your complimentary phone consultation.

Your doctor says your hypothyroid condition has been treated, but do you still suffer from symptoms of low thyroid function?

Fatigue
Weight gain
Hair loss
Constipation
Depression
Memory loss
Cold hands and feet
If so, you may suffer from Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune disease that attacks and destroys the thyroid bland.

Hypothyroidism is usually caused by Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune disease

Hypothyroidism means your thyroid gland is under functioning and not producing enough thyroid hormone. This is bad news because every cell in the body depends on thyroid hormones. Including brain cells. This explains why people with untreated or poorly managed hypothyroidism are at higher risk for rapid brain decline.

Hypothyroidism affects millions of Americans, many of them whom continue to suffer from worsening health despite treatment. What’s more, 90 percent of hypothyroid cases are caused by autoimmune Hashimoto’s. As Hashimoto’s gradually destroys the thyroid gland, this lowers thyroid function, causing myriad symptoms.

Lab tests can identify Hashimoto’s by testing for TPO and TGB antibodies. If positive, these markers indicate an autoimmune disease is attacking the thyroid gland. It’s vital to dampen the inflammatory autoimmune attacks against the thyroid and balance the immune system.

However, thyroid hormone medication may still be necessary if damage is already extensive.

How to manage Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism

Managing Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism is rarely a quick fix. Instead, it involves a multi-faceted approach to diet and lifestyle to reduce inflammation and autoimmune flares against the thyroid. Strategies include:

Adopt a strict gluten-free diet. Numerous studies show a strong link between Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism and gluten In fact, people with a gluten intolerance are genetically more prone to Hashimoto’s disease. Gluten sensitivity also promotes inflammation and leaky gut, which flares autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.

Adopt an autoimmune diet. For many people, going gluten-free is not enough to manage Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism. You may need to go deeper with an anti-inflammatory diet that eliminates common inflammatory foods, such as dairy, eggs, grains, legumes, and other foods. A whole-foods, Paleo-based diet that emphasizes plenty of produce and eliminates processed foods is important to manage Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.

Repairing a leaky gut. Leaky gut, or intestinal permeability, typically plays a primary role in Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism and other autoimmune diseases. In leaky gut the lining of the small intestine becomes inflamed, damaged, and porous, allowing undigested foods, bacteria, fungus, and other foreign invaders into the sterile environment of the bloodstream where they trigger inflammation and autoimmunity.

Stabilize blood sugar. Stabilizing blood sugar is vital to managing Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism. A diet high in sugars and refined carbohydrates (such as breads, pastas, pastries, and desserts) spikes inflammation, skews hormones, and flares autoimmunity. Energy crashes, fatigue after meals, excess belly fat, hormonal imbalances, mood swings, and sleep issues are all signs you may have low blood sugar or high blood sugar (insulin resistance).

These are just a few of the basics of autoimmune management for Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism. Ask my office for more information.

Did you know that 90% of those who have been diagnosed with an underactive thyroid gland, hypothyroidism, actually are suffering from an autoimmune condition?

According to Dr. Datis Kharrazian, leading functional endocrinologist, 90% of those hypothyroid patients have been mis-diagnosed are are suffering from an autoimmune condition, where the body’s immune system is attacking itself! 90%??? This is amazing, considering the rise of hypothyroid conditions is on the rise, over 25 million Americans each year!

What does autoimmune mean? Autoimmune (AI) means your body’s immune system is not protecting you anymore, it is destroying your tissue. The body goes after the weakest link first…this could be the thyroid tissue, nerve tissue, joint tissue, gut tissue, etc. You MUST understand that if you have one autoimmune condition, you will eventually develop more if the ‘flames’ of the AI condition are not put out. Before you can do that, you must figure out what the ‘gasoline’ is that is being poured onto the ‘flames’.

What is the gasoline?

It could be medications, leaky gut syndrome, food sensitivities/allergies, parasites/bacteria/mold/yeast/fungi, hormones, nutritional deficiencies and environmental toxins.

How do you know if you have any of the above?

Your doctor’s MUST be performing the right tests on you! If you are still struggling with thyroid symptoms and you have been on your medications…then something is missing, and I bet your doctors have not tested you thoroughly enough.

I would highly encourage you to attend one of my Life Changing Thyroid Gland Workshops, where I cover this information in more detail, and show you the bigger picture as to why you are still struggling with your condition. CLICK here to schedule a consultation online, or call my clinic at (714) 731-7680 to reserve your seat(s).

“Dr. King, I am taking my thyroid medication, but I am still having symptoms. Why?” I get asked this a lot! Most of the time, this is coming from patients who have been taking their thyroid medication for YEARS, but are still suffering from fatigue, weight gain, hair loss/thinning, digestive disorders, and depression.

Why are you still having thyroid gland symptoms, even if you are on medication? The answer is not an easy one. There can be numerous causes, let me start with the most common cause: you are not a true hypothyroid patient!

That is right, you do not have a true hypothyroid condition.

Your doctors have diagnosed you improperly from the get go. This is what shows up in my clinic majority of the time. If your doctors do not run the right tests, this is going to happen. One big reason a thyroid gland ‘becomes’, notice I say becomes, hypothyroid is due to a dysfunction of the adrenal-hypothalamic-pituitary axis. Big words, I know! What that means is, your adrenal glands are not communicating with your brain properly, and the end result is your hypothalmic-pituitary axis does not release the proper amounts of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). When this happens, you will appear to have a low functioning thyroid, and on medication you go.

BUT…

Did your doctor run a saliva test (looking at your cortisol rhythm and load) to determine how well your adrenal glands were working? Majority of the time, the doctors have not. In the medical model, saliva tests do not mean much to your primary care physician or endocrinologist because they do not have a medication to improve the adrenal-hypothalamic-pituitary feedback loop.

Yet, you are prescribed your medication (Synthroid, Levothyroxine, Armour, etc.) and told to come back and re-check your blood test in a few months.

If your doctors have not ran an adrenal test in order to determine how well they are working, this is ONE big piece of your health puzzle that needs to be figured out.

Stay tuned for reason #2, where I explain how the liver plays an integral part in your hormone conversion.

When people think of an “autoimmune” condition, they might find it difficult to put their finger on the actual symptoms or problems caused. Autoimmune conditions are caused by the body attacking itself, and there are many examples: rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, leaky gut syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, to name a few.

And people with autoimmune conditions make up about 90% of our patient base.

When a person has an autoimmune disease, something has triggered the body to start attacking itself. And our medical model can’t do anything for autoimmune disease, except for two things. They can give patients immune suppressants, which shut down the immune system, or cortisone shots to decrease inflammation. Those are the only two ways they can treat autoimmune disease—it’s completely backwards!

We have an alternative model in clinical nutrition and functional neurology, and we do just the opposite of the medical model—we support the immune system. If you shut down the immune system, there’s no immune system to protect your body. If we boost the immune system, the patient will have a better overall life in the long run.

There are triggers for autoimmune disease.

It doesn’t just happen on its own. The trick is finding the triggers and stopping them.

Many people are unaware that 30% of our genes are hardwired, and won’t change. But the other 70% can influence the other 30%, which gives us possibilities. Think of it this way: the 30% is like the bullet in a gun, but the 70% is like pulling back the hammer and pulling the trigger.

We’ve seen common triggers such as the third trimester of pregnancy as the immune system shifts, food sensitivities and chronic infections or inflammation. So, just as we all have cancer cells but don’t all have cancer, the disease doesn’t occur until those cells are “turned on” or triggered.

Our alternative model is all about finding triggers and, therefore, we find what’s driving the autoimmune condition. If you have a fire and you pour gasoline on it, the fire is going to grow and destroy what’s in its path. It’s the same with an autoimmune disease: If you keep setting off the triggers, your condition is only going to continue to destroy the body’s tissue, and you will only get worse. You need to find out how to stop the gasoline from being poured on the fire!

Just because you already have an autoimmune condition, it doesn’t mean you won’t (or can’t) get more autoimmune diseases—or don’t already have more than one.

Autoimmunity is systemic—it’s global.

So, if you have multiple sclerosis, the first question is: “How many more autoimmune conditions do you want to have?” Multiple sclerosis doesn’t just attack the nerves, it attacks the body globally, and until the markers are high enough to show up on a doctor’s test, they’ll never recognize the symptoms or signs of an additional autoimmune condition until it’s too late—you’ll already have it.

Other triggers are anemia, liver issues, blood-sugar instability, adrenal gland dysfunction, gut or hormone dysfunction, and they all act as gasoline that can be poured on the fire.

So, we first we need to discover the triggers that are causing the autoimmune condition, then eliminate the triggers, and finally “patch up” the damage that’s been done.

For instance, with gut disorders or leaky gut syndrome, we would put them on an anti-inflammatory diet and supplementation to calm the gut lining while we do the brain-based therapy to tame the nerves that control the blood flow to the gut and boost evacuation of the colon.

It’s very important to discover the triggers before recommending any treatment—just because a food sensitivity causes one patient’s rheumatoid arthritis, the trigger will not be the same for every rheumatoid arthritis patient, and therefore neither will the treatment.

In the medical model, that’s where the insurance holds doctors back. Because there are only two treatments available to them, there’s no way they can dig deep enough into the patient’s condition to truly find the cause. It doesn’t matter to them whether the autoimmune disease is caused by an adrenal problem or food sensitivity, because their result is the same: cortisone or immune suppressants.

Real improvement will only happen when you start with the proper testing, which tells you where the triggers are. Of course, the medical model only reacts to test results that are outside of their “normal” range, give you one of their two prescriptions and make a follow-up appointment for three to six months in the future. That’s the extent of the medical model.

We, on the other hand, are holistic and are trained in clinical nutrition and functional neurology. If you tired of being palmed off with medication or surgery by the medical model, and are tired of living with your autoimmune symptoms, please contact us by using our schedule a consultation form or by calling (714) 731-7680 for a phone consultation.