I have hypothyroidism. I had half of my thyroid removed in 2008, and I’ve been on medicine ever since. It turned out that I had a goiter, a benign tumor, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Basically my immune system is trying to kill what’s left of my thyroid. Fun times!! My thyroid numbers have been considered normal for a while, but I still feel like hot garbage (literally hot, I’m generally the temperature of a menopausal woman, but I’m in my 30’s!) frequently. I thought I’d give this book a chance. Thankfully, it was free through Kindle Unlimited. Usually that doesn’t mean it’s a bad book. This time though…
I think I’ve highlighted in this book more than any other book I’ve ever read on my Kindle, and I’ve had that thing for many years. I just had a lot of FEELINGS about what she was saying. This might be a long one!
Here’s the “about the author” blurb from Amazon:
Dr. Sharon Lee Rasa is a doctor of natural medicine and a pioneer in holistic health. She holds a doctorate in chiropractic, training in functional medicine and a leader at the cutting edge of the new frontier in understanding health from a multi-level model
The lack of a period at the end there is not a mistake. There was none! It went right into the next sentence. So Dr. Rasa has a doctorate, not an MD. That makes sense. Let me just go through some of my notes and highlights for this book. This might be a super exciting look into my psyche…
Things I thought were interesting / informative (I’m in bold):
-This condition was first diagnosed by Hakuro Hashimoto, a Japanese physician. I DID NOT KNOW THAT!
-Most Hashimoto patients have low Alkaline Phosphatase, which leads to deficient zinc and low stomach acid.
—I don’t think I’ve ever had my AlkPhos tested, and I frequently have heartburn, which could be from low stomach acid.
-Increase the amount of raw food in your diet
—I feel like this is a “duh” comment, but still kinda helpful.
-Once she started talking about diet changes, she said “your ‘why’ needs to be bigger than your ‘why not'”. I thought that was a cool way to look at things. Like basically the good stuff you get out of a lifestyle change has to outweigh the problems with making the change.
OK, I think that ends the “helpful” portion of the book. Onto the crazy!
Things that drove me crazy / made me skeptical (her direct quotes are in color):
-She says “the reason being“. This phrase kills me. It’s just so lazy!
–chemtrails… Once I saw this, my radar was on high high alert. I think there’s a Kardashian that believes in chemtrails?
-She abbreviated Hydrochloric Acid as HCL. It’s HCl! That may seem small, but it’s just further proof that she’s not so keen on science.
-This book really needed another pass by an editor:
–“foot” instead of “food”, “before you see you see” (as in “you see” was written twice), then these not quite a full sentence / full thought sentences: “Makes one wonder how the very act of nature, giving birth, has now been relegated to an operational suite.“, “Hospitals and insurance companies.”
–Caesarean birth has nearly replaced vaginal birth…I reallly don’t think this is true. I’m sure in some parts of the world people choose this, but mostly it’s the less ideal option for women.
–Is it possible that the story in Genesis was the earliest reference to the Garden in our Gut? My comment was “I’m gonna say no”
Finally, here is a (not even exhaustive) list of supplements she recommends:
- L-Glutamine
- N-Acetyl Cysteine
- Aloe Vera
- Curcumin
- Omega 3’s
- Cod Liver Oil
- Zinc
- Butyrate
- Colostrum
- Slippery Elm
- Marshmallow
- Berberine
- Chromium
- Niacin
- B12
- B Complex
- Vitamin C
- Magnesium
- Magnesium citrate
- Magnesium malate
- Magnesium Glycinate
- Zinc Picolinate
- Thiamine
- Selenium
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Saccharomyces boulardii
- Bentonite Clay
- essential oils of resemary, fennel
- A crapton of essential oils (she didn’t say crapton, she just listed a billion!)
To be fair, they’re not all JUST for Hashimoto’s. But there are so so many suggestions that they become meaningless. A little sum up at the end of the book would’ve been nice. Even the “must haves” or her most important suggestions would’ve helped.
You can see from my (4 things) list of positives that I didn’t get much out of this book. I’m gonna keep reading everything I can find with Hashimoto’s in the title. I’m sure you’re all on the edge of your seats for my reviews!!