When I first told a member of my family I had Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune attack on my thyroid, I did not expect her to say – Who doesn’t? Everyone I know has it!

Insensitive much, I thought. Then I dug around and found, she’s right.

Worldwide, more than 200 million of us have some sort of thyroid malfunction. But when we start feeling brain fogged, tired, cold, fat and puffy, we often put our symptoms down to the stresses and strains of modern life. Or menopause. Or lack of sleep or exercise. But the root cause may well be undiagnosed or untreated Hashimoto’s, your immune system attacking your thyroid gland, or hypothyroidism due to low thyroid hormones.

Hashimoto’s can strike at any age but is most often diagnosed between 40 and 60. It can affect men and children but it’s eight times more common in women.

This time on The Big Middle, we’re going deep on all things thyroid.

Elle Russ is  a thyroid troubleshooter who wrote the hot-seller The Paleo Thyroid Solution. She helps countless people get themselves out of thyroid distress, coaching international clients from her base in Malibu, California. She’s also one of the hosts of the Primal Blueprint podcast started by Mark Sisson, a founding father of the evolutionary health movement.

There are so many important takeaways from Elle. Biggest for me after years of packing on poundage despite low-carbing and fasting is that hypothyroidism blocks ketosis: “When you have hypothroidism, you have a shitty metabolism. You don’t have enough of fat-burning T3… Dietary paradigms meant for normal people with normal metabolisms do not work on a thyroid body.”

Nor, says Elle, does hitting the gym harder. Have a listen if you’ve got hypothyroidism and are among the millions the world over not getting the answers and treatment you desperately need.

<< Please view the information in this episode as only that; it should not be construed as medical advice. Go to your GP or family doctor for that.  Best of luck finding a doctor specialising in thyroid issues. >>

Links

• Elle’s website
• Fill this out for Elle’s free thyroid guide
• Elle’s book The Paleo Thyroid Solution
• That Primal Blueprint podcast Elle did with Dr Gary Foresman on perimenopause, menopause, HRT 
• The episode Elle referenced of her podcast Kick Ass Life: Keto In & Out. Do Keto. Not Forever.
• Janie Bowthorpe’s thyroid education hub Stop The Thyroid Madness
• Paul Robinson’s Recovering with T3 Facebook group
• Elle on Instagram
• Elle on Twitter

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