HEALING HASHIMOTO’S: ADDRESSING THE GUT
Welcome to Episode 11 of Georgina Szabo TV! I found out that I had Hashimoto’s disease after multiple miscarriages. Instead of just taking a pill I wanted to get down to root causes so I could really heal my body vs simply addressing a condition and putting a Band-Aid on it. After working with Functional Medicine doctor Stephanie Daniel I was able to put my Hashimoto’s disease in remission within 6 months and get pregnant naturally at age 39, and gave birth to a healthy baby girl. In the process I found my true purpose, which is helping others reverse their Hashimoto’s so you can reclaim your health too and live a fulfilling life.
In this episode of Georgina Szabo TV, I am going to share with you why addressing my gut was critical in reversing my Hashimoto’s and how it’s going to play a key role in your healing too.
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HEALING HASHIMOTO’S: ADDRESSING THE GUT – Episode 11
(For Spanish Subtitles, or any other language, turn on closed captions by clicking on “CC”. Then go to Settings – the little wheel icon in the video control bar – then select Subtitles/CC. Next choose “auto translate” and select the language of your choice.)
Upon meeting my Functional Medicine doctor Stephanie Daniel I was told to follow an anti-inflammatory diet in order to avoid adding more fire to an already activated immune system.
Next, we had to start doing the detective work to find out what was creating the fire to begin with. What was my immune system reacting to?
In addition to ordering very thorough lab work, Dr. Daniel ordered a stool test as well in order to check and see what was going on with my gut. A stool test reveals good bacteria – bad bacteria ratio in our gut. A healthy, strong microbiome is essential to be as healthy as can be.
Did you know there are 10 times more cells of bacteria in our bodies than human cells? These bacteria are responsible for everything from immune strength to your mental health. In fact, 70-80% of our immune system is in our gut!
Environmental toxins such as pesticides, herbicides from eating non-organic as well as antibiotics not only poke holes in our gut resulting toxins and bacteria leak into the bloodstream but kill good bacteria allowing bad bacteria overgrowth. That is recognized by the immune system as another offending invader, creating a new inflammatory response in the digestive tract, and the tissue damage causes more tears in the lining of the intestines, leading to more intestinal permeability, aka leaky gut, more immune response in the bloodstream, more inflammation throughout the body. As long as the leaky gut persists, you will experience inflammation and symptoms.
My test results confirmed that I did have bad bacteria in my gut that needed to be eliminated. I followed Dr. Daniel’s protocol and took some very specific herbs that were targeted to my needs and took them for about a month.
At the same time, I was focusing on boosting good bacteria growth and building a healthier, more diverse microbiome by following these steps outlined by Dr. Tom O’Bryan:
- I incorporated eating prebiotics on a daily basis. Prebiotics is the name of the category of foods that feed the good bacteria called probiotics in the gut. I started eating 1 root vegetable a day. It’s important to alternate them. Different root vegetables feed different good bacteria families in your gut.
- I also had a “List of prebiotic” foods printed out that I put on my refrigerator. Every day I choose 2 from this list in addition to 1 root vegetable.
- I started taking a prebiotic supplement for a couple of months as well as probiotics supplement– with probiotics the key is rotation too. Consuming one specific brand of probiotic (even if it has 5-10 strains in the formula) will ultimately lead to narrowing of your gut microbial diversity. The gut can and should have over 500 strains so we do want to rotate the probiotic we take each month.
- I also started eating 1 forkful of fermented vegetables every day such as sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, fermented pickles, beets. Recently I discovered alcohol free, sugar free organic kombucha and added that in the rotation too. They all contain good bacteria and help build diversity in our microbiome.
- Lastly, I started making Dr. Tom O’Bryan’s famous apple sauce that is prepared by getting organic apples, very important to buy organic apples because apples have been on the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list for many years, meaning they are very high in insecticides and pesticides if they are inorganic. So wash the apples but don’t peel them, dice them up, throw away the seeds, put them in a pot, add water to about ⅓ the height of the apples, sprinkle cinnamon in there, turn it on high, let it boil, 10-12 minutes later look in the pot when you see a shine on the apples, turn it off, it’s done. The shine on the apples is the pectin in the apples that is released and now it’s easily accessible when you eat it to the bacteria in your gut. Pectin increases Intestinal Alkaline Phosphatase dramatically, which helps good bacteria grab onto the walls of the inside of the intestine and colonize, and it turns genes on to fight bad bacteria in the gut. It also reduces endotoxins, which is the exhaust of bad bacteria, getting into our bloodstream by 73%! It’s a powerful enzyme that helps protect us. Eat at least 1-2 tbsp of this applesauce every day, it builds a stronger gut for you. If you have kids, you can make it and enjoy it together!
So by following these steps every day, within a month you will build such a healthy, dynamic gut that you will see changes– it might be your sleep is better because your brain is working better, you are sharper, or your blood pressure has gone down, or your blood sugar is stable or your energy has come up, you are going to see a benefit within 30 days. Just do this 5-step protocol for 30 days and notice what happens. Nothing has more impact on your body than the diversity of your microbiome.
I was also consuming bone broth 2-3 times a week and superfood smoothies on a daily basis. I grew up eating bone broth in Hungary so it wasn’t foreign to me and actually brought back childhood memories, which were quite comforting in the healing process. Superfood smoothies were totally new to me but I fell in love with them in an instant- such an easy and convenient way to sneak in even more gut-healing & health promoting foods into your diet.
If you haven’t had a stool test, I highly recommend getting one. It’s like opening up the hood of the car and running a diagnostic test. It will help you take all the guessing out of the picture. Another reason why working with a Functional Medicine doctor is so very beneficial. They can order the test for you, interpret the results and provide a healing protocol.
Also, be sure to check out the notes below the video where I link to resources mentioned in the episode that will help you build and maintain a healthy gut. One of the highlights included– I will be co-hosting another Smoothie Reset with Nutritionist Educator, Gourmet Raw Food Chef Karin Collins in just a few weeks focusing on immune boosting by improving gut health and lowering inflammation. You can add yourself to the wait list to stay in the loop and we will notify you when the details are all firmed up.
Furthermore, if you are interested in learning more about how Functional Medicine approaches Hashimoto’s, I invite you to watch a FREE science-based video with my Functional Medicine doctor Stephanie Daniel by clicking on the green button below:
If you can think of anybody you know that can find value out of this episode, make sure to share this video with them, and maybe have an accountability partner to work with building a strong gut together the next 30 days! I challenge you to do that!
“All disease begins in the “leaky” gut.” – Dr. Alessio Fasano, Director of the Center for Celiac Research and Treatment with Harvard-Affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital
Resources Mentioned That Will Help Healing Hashimoto’s
2021 Fall Smoothie Reset – Add Yourself to the Waitlist Here
I learnt most of my immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory superfood smoothie recipes from Nutritionist Educator, Gourmet Raw Food Chef Karin Collins. Her Smoothie Resets are perfect for anyone just starting out with smoothies or advanced smoothie lovers alike. Hosted online, Karin will teach you in the comfort of your home how to make delicious superfood smoothies that are Hashimoto’s friendly too! You will walk away with 10 delicious smoothie recipes and knowing how to make your own superfood smoothies in less than 5 minutes! *Bonus: Karin shares simple, quick, healthy plant-based snack and meal ideas too as part of the reset. Your body will feel nourished vs deprived throughout the entire reset!
Georgina’s Top 5 Superfood Smoothies (Ebook) – Download It Here
I put together a downloadable FREE Ebook with my top 5 favorite superfood smoothie recipes that are not only anti-inflammatory but gut healing. Grab it now and see how easy and fun it is to make these smoothies each and every day!
Prebiotic & Probiotic Supplements – Learn More Here
I often get asked where I purchase my prebiotic and probiotic supplements from. I order them from Dr. Tom O’Bryan’s store. Quality and how they are stored before they reach our home are super important. I trust his selection and processes, follow the link to visit his online store.
Sugar Free, Alcohol Free Kombucha – Learn More Here
My whole family loves this kombucha and since it’s alcohol free I get to enjoy it with my kids too while helping them build a more diverse microbiome! This has become our new favorite to raise our glass with to toast to special occasions, birthdays or to add some sparkles into our every-day life. Click on the link to get yours!
Prebiotic Foods – Learn More Here
Here is a link to a list of prebiotic foods that you can print out and put on your fridge. Choose 2 from the list and make sure to alternate them each day to a healthier microbiome!
Healing Hashimoto’s Naturally and Get Your Life Back (Video) – Watch It Here
In this short video Dr. Stephanie Daniel discusses how Hashimoto’s develops and what can be done to reverse it. I worked with Dr. Daniel and absolutely love her approach and the way she explains the entire process. In fact, with her guidance I was able to put my Hashimoto’s in remission within 6 months of working with her. As a result I was able to get pregnant naturally at age 39, and gave birth to a healthy baby girl. This convenient format fits any busy schedule- tune in while you drive to work, do dishes or go for a walk. If you have time to watch/listen to one thing, let this be it!
Whether you just got diagnosed with Hashimoto’s or have had it for a while, I would love to hear from you. Drop me a comment below to say hello and ask me a question you would like help with.