Do you have Hashimoto’s low thyroid and also deal with acid reflux, indigestion, constipation, or feeling like there’s a brick in your stomach after you eat?

Or are you on a restricted diet to manage your Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism but find you’re still reacting to an ever shrinking list of foods?

If so, your digestion needs work.

Many things impact digestion, including Hashimoto’s, aging, poor brain function, a bad diet, and more. Sometimes the problem is a hyper sensitive immune system reacting to foods because your digestive system did not break them down properly. Many people with unmanaged Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism have poorly managed digestion.

The good news is some simple supplements can help improve your digestion and break down foods so they are easier to digest and less likely to provoke inflammation.

Breakdown of food proteins is key for good digestion when you have Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism

When you have Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism, good digestion requires plenty of hydrochloric acid (HCl) and digestive enzymes. They both break down foods and help prevent inflammation.

The stomach makes HCl. When it’s low, symptoms include:

• Feeling unwell after eating meat
• Eating meat feels like a brick in your stomach
• Acid reflux
• Constipation

It may sound strange that low stomach acid can cause heartburn. But low stomach acid often causes acid reflux. Why? The low stomach acid causes undigested food to sit in the stomach too long and turn rancid. The small intestine won’t allow it in, so it shoots back up the esophagus where it causes pain and burning.

Many people with poor digestion also have low pancreatic enzymes, which are necessary to break down foods so the immune system doesn’t react to them, causing inflammation.

Supplement with HCl and enzymes

Supplementing with HCl and digestive enzymes will support digestion, lower inflammation, and help you better manage Hashimoto’s low thyroid.

Some tips on supplementing with HCl and digestive enzymes:

• Supplement with HCl when you eat meats.
• Take enzymes with all meals. Look for a high-quality, broad-spectrum digestive enzyme supplement with pepsin, bromelain  and proteases and a minimum of fillers.

Food sensitivities and Hashimoto’s low thyroid

It’s especially important for people with Hashimoto’s to support break down of food because of the concept of oral tolerance.  Oral tolerance is how well the immune system tolerates foods while responding as it should to bacteria or other harmful antigens.

Properly broken down is one way to maintain good oral tolerance and reduce food sensitivities.

An inability to digest food properly means your body isn’t receiving the fuel it needs and your dealing with too much inflammation. tIf you suffer from poor digestion, food sensitivities, or Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism, contact my office.

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.