The path to chronic disease — from obesity to Hashimoto’s low thyroid — is cobbled with sugar and refined carbohydrates. It’s a slippery slope that leads directly to insulin resistance syndrome, given the right conditions, mainly being inactive and overweight.

The avalanche of events that leads to chronic diseases such as Hashimoto’s happens way:

• Carbs and sugar break down in the digestive tract to glucose that the body needs for energy.
• Beta cells in the pancreas secrete insulin, which ferries any glucose you don’t use to fat, muscle, and storage in the liver.
• Given the right conditions and more glucose than your cells can handle, the body calls for even more insulin.
• Beta cells keep producing insulin but eventually the body’s cells can’t absorb it or the glucose that has built up in your blood stream. That’s called insulin resistance.
• Eventually the beta cells can’t keep up and insulin levels dive. The bloodstream is inundated with glucose, which damages nerves and blood vessels, causes inflammation, and leads to a variety of autoimmune and chronic conditions such as Hashimoto’s, heart disease, and dementia.

Insulin resistance associated with chronic diseases

Here’s a short list of what may be down the road for you if you fail to reverse insulin resistance:

• Autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Prediabetes and diabetes
• Arthritis
• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
• Pancreatitis
• Obesity

Choose the sure path to health

The sooner you give those beta cells a break, the more likely you’ll avoid insulin resistance and diabetes. This also helps you better manage your Hashimoto’s low thyroid. The intervention isn’t complicated but may require some effort if you’ve spent a lifetime consuming processed foods and sodas.

Here are some tips to stabilize your blood sugar and better manage Hashimoto’s low thyroid:

• Clear your pantry and fridge of processed foods and those containing sugar. This includes tricky foods that seem to be “healthy,” like packaged granola, energy bars, and yogurts with fruit.
• Eat foods made with whole, natural ingredients without pesticides, additives, or any ingredient you can’t pronounce.
• Eat seven to 10 servings of vegetables per day. A serving is one half cup, and for leafy greens, a cup.
• Avoid simple carbs like sugar and white flours and eat complex carbs found in high-fiber foods. They digest more slowly and don’t cause a glucose spike.
• Regular exercise, especially high intensity interval training, makes your muscles more sensitive to insulin.
• Try to get at least 8 solid hours of sleep every night. Sleep deprivation promotes inflammation and obesity.

How to learn if you have Hashimoto’s low thyroid

Many patients are not diagnosed with hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s until after several years and going through several doctors. It is a demoralizing journey richly illustrated in my book The Truth About Low Thyroid: Stories of Hope and Healing for Those Suffering With Hashimoto’s Low Thyroid Disease, through real-life stories from patients in my practice. Managing Hashimoto’s goes far beyond using thyroid medication as you must work to stop the immune system from attacking the thyroid. For more information on identifying and managing Hashimoto’s low thyroid, contact my office.

About Dr. Josh Redd, Chiropractic Physician — Utah, Arizona, New Mexico functional medicine

Dr. Joshua J. Redd, DC, MS, DABFM, DAAIM, author of The Truth About Low Thyroid: Stories of Hope and Healing for Those Suffering With Hashimoto’s Low Thyroid Disease, is a chiropractic physician and the founder of RedRiver Health and Wellness Center with practices in Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. He sees patients from around the world who suffer from challenging thyroid disorders, Hashimoto’s disease, and other autoimmune conditions. In addition to his chiropractic degree, Dr. Redd has a BS in Health and Wellness, a BS in Anatomy, and a MS in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine.  He speaks across the nation, teaching physicians about functional blood chemistry, low thyroid, Hashimoto’s, and autoimmunity. You can join his Facebook page here.