Food Coaching Workshop Calendar - January 2011

Quite a few patients have expressed the desire to receive help with planning, shopping and preparing tasty foods without spending an exorbitant amount of money or time. Please join us on any or all of the following dates to receive lots of tips to be healthier and look your best. Whether you're trying to lose weight or improve your heath you'll learn a lot at hour long presentation.

Food Coaching Workshops are perfect to help with weight loss, hypothyroidism/Hashimoto's, diabetes and food sensitivities.

The Upcoming Food Coaching Classes for 2011 are as follows:

Tuesday, January 4th

Wednesday, January 12

Tuesday, January 18

Wednesday, January 26

All classes start at 6:30 and are by reservation only. Classes Limited To 10 People. Call 212-286-9098 to reserve a seat. You are welcome to bring friends, family and co-workers.

Each Week We Will Answer Your Questions And Discuss Various Topics Including;
How to plan your meals 1 week in advance.

How to shop for healthy, economical food.

How to prepare tasty, healthy meals.

How to lose weight without being hungry

How to snack for energy

The most important meal of the day

Foods to avoid

The Hypothyroid Stomach

It's hard enough to have symptoms like fatigue or lack of motivation when
you are suffering from hypothyroidism or Hashimoto's, but it is common
to have stomach problem too. Normally, the stomach pH is very acidic but
hypothyroidism tends to slow metabolism in general which, among other
things, causes the parietal cells in the stomach to produce less stomach
(hydrochloric) acid. Proteins cannot be properly digested in this environment
and food putrefies. Secondary organic acids are produced and these acids
can be too acidic even for the tough lining of the stomach.

Over time, lack of proper stomach acid production can lead to
gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and ulcers.

In my clinical experience, the majority of hypothyroid patients also have
abnormal cortisol levels at different times of the day. Cortisol is one of
the many hormones involved in the web of chemical events that affect thyroid
metabolism. Cortisol, too, lowers hydrochloric acid production. It thins the
mucous that protects the stomach lining and it inhibits the normal cellular
repair of the stomach. These three factors all can contribute to the poor
digestion experienced by so many hypothryoid patients.

In this way, hypothyroidism indirectly causes gas, bloating, stomach pain,
burning, heartburn, bad breath and other unpleasant symptoms. Poor acidic
content can also interfere with the absorption of B12, iron and folic acid,
which can cause anemia.

When a patient presents with these symptoms we analyze their blood work for
markers that suggest poor protein digestion. We use functional ranges
instead of conventional laboratory ranges because they are generally
narrower. This is useful for detecting abnormal metabolic shifts in
individuals (Lab ranges cannot tell whether a marker is normal and healthy,
only that the marker is within a range established by 95% of the population
of the lab.).

The good news is that once properly diagnosed low stomach acid is usually
fairly easy to correct.

5 Ways A Clean Liver Can Help You Burn Fat

As part of our new "Turbo-Charged Zerona Cleanse" we take great care to cleanse the liver. Why? If the liver is overwhelmed by the presence of abnormal microbes in the intestine, food sensitivities or abnormal immune function for example, it can’t do one of its most important jobs: keep weight and body fat under control.

Here are five ways this super-organ of detoxification helps keep you slim.

Thyroid
The liver influences hormone activity, which can significantly affect your ability to maintain your desired weight and shape. For example, the liver produces about 80 percent of the active thyroid hormone T3. T3 increases your body's metabolism meaning that you burn more calories when your T3 levels are normal. Some people who suffer from hypothyroidism or Hashimoto's can
have trouble with this conversion.

Inflammation
Every day we are exposed to a variety of external and internal toxins that the liver must neutralize in order to keep us healthy. Buildup of toxins can result in a sluggish liver with decreased fat-burning capacity. This can happen because the inflammation caused by some toxic substances inhibits fat-burning chemicals, or enzymes.

Estrogen
The liver breaks down excess estrogen. Too much of this hormone can cause weight gain. Also, excess estrogen increases the amount of fat the body stores. It does this in a number of ways such as by interfering with normal thyroid hormone activity - causing hypothyroidism.

Cortisol
The liver decreases the amount of circulating cortisol. Cortisol, also know as the stress hormone, is a culprit behind the build-up of abdominal fat. High levels of the hormone interfere with the normal breakdown of fats and increase the activity of enzymes responsible for producing fat. This is why stress can actually make you fat.

Insulin
Similar to cortisol, the liver also keeps insulin levels in check. Too much insulin slows down fat metabolism and causes weight gain.

Chances Are Your Thyroid Gland Isn’t The REAL Issue!

For 75 to 90 percent of hypothyroid sufferers in the United States the thyroid gland is not at all defective. For this vast majority of patients their thyroid gland is (or was) capable of functioning normally. Yet, they still experience hypothyroid symptoms like fatigue, depression, weight gain, lack of motivation, depression, feeling cold all over, etc. Why is this?

The trouble lies with the immune system.

Normally the immune system attacks foreign antigens (invaders) like viruses and bacteria, but in Hashimoto’s Thyroid the immune system mistakenly recognizes the thyroid gland as an antigen and actively destroys it.

Hashimoto’s is the most common autoimmune disease. It affects approximately 7% of all Americans. If you have Hashimoto’s chances are your immune system is attacking another body structure as well. Common targets of autoimmune disease in the Hashimoto’s patient include the stomach, brain and pancreas. These autoimmune attacks can cause conditions like anemia, vertigo and diabetes respectively.

What You Can Do:

1. Rule out Hashimoto’s with blood tests that look at TPO and TBG antibodies. If these tests are normal don’t be surprised – autoimmune diseases wax and wane. Go ahead and eat plenty of gluten (found in pasta and bread) for 3 weeks. Repeat the tests. Chances are that if you have Hashimoto’s it will show up with these tests.

2. There are other specialty tests that can be run to rule out Hashimoto’s. I cover these on my DVD “Dr. Ungaro’s Healthy Thyroid Program.”

3. Learn what is provoking your immune system. Usually it is a combination of environmental and food sensitivities (think gluten), and abnormal microbes in the intestine.

4. Undergo a comprehensive blood test and ask a doctor who understands the multiple factors underlying Hashimoto’s thyroid to review it.

5. Check out Dr. Kharrazian’s Book, “Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms When My Blood Tests Are Normal?”

Hypothyroidism & Your Brain: Depression

Many patients suffering from hypothyroidism are depressed—they can't think clearly and have trouble with motivation. They have all but given up. For this reason, next to thyroid hormone replacement therapy, anti-depressants are the most prescribed drugs for patients with hypothyroidism.

Why do depression, as well as other cognitive problems, affect individuals with hypothyroidism? There are several possible reasons, which can be found in the brain.

1. Suppressed frontal lobe activity. The frontal lobe is the part of the brain that is referred to as the Executive Center and is responsible for planning, organizing and following through with decisions, recognizing consequences of behavior, and deciding between good and bad.

2. Decreased use of dopamine. Dopamine is responsible for reward-oriented behaviors. Lack of dopamine can cause the feeling of being overwhelmed by stress, hopelessness, preferring to be isolated from others, distraction from tasks, difficulty completing tasks, anger & aggression when under stress, and being tired despite adequate sleep.

3. Increased neurodegenerative changes in the brain. These changes cause premature aging of the brain in hypothyroid patients.

4. Damaged brain tissue. More than 50 percent of patients with autoimmune disease experience an autoimmune attack against more than one part of the body. It is not unusual for a patient with Hashimoto's Thyroid to also suffer an autoimmune attack against the brain.

In our clinic, we specialize in managing hypothyroid patients. We are aware of the detrimental effects of hypothyroidism on the brain and we utilize treatment strategies—nutritional and neurological—to improve cognitive functioning, reduce depression, and counter the aging process.

If you have hypothyroidism, “Don't give up!"