After 34 years of practicing at the Natural Medicine Clinic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, I’ve seen over a hundred thousand patient visits. More and more I am noticing patients coming in with thyroid and gut issues, and, in particular, thyroid nodules. With this increase, I’ve set out to discover not only what causes these, but how I can help my patients treat and shrink them naturally.
Finding the Root Causes
I recently helped a patient shrink her thyroid nodule by 73% in the first three months of treatment. At only 36 years old, she had multiple nodules, one was over four centimeters or two inches, the size of a plum. Naturally, she was very bothered by it. Not only was it uncomfortable, but it also made it difficult to swallow.
Doctors did ultrasounds and biopsies, finding them to be benign, but said that the only solution was surgery, which she did not want. After finding my practice, she flew down for evaluation and testing.
What Causes Thyroid Nodules?
What we found after testing were the root causes of her thyroid nodules:
Deficiencies
In her case, she had an iodine deficiency, which is one of the more common causes of this condition. And, while you may hear or read the information that says iodine is bad for the thyroid, it can be quite helpful with things like nodules and goiter if someone is deficient.
This patient also tested low in other nutrients like vitamins B12, B6, and several minerals. A Vitamin D deficiency can also be a common cause of nodules.
Toxins
We also tested for toxins, specifically heavy metals, mercury, arsenic, and lead. Commonly, I see mercury, arsenic, and fluoride, and in her case, she had high levels of fluoride.
Fluoride can interfere with iodine absorption and can make thyroid conditions and nodules worse. Because of this, I often recommend that my patients use a more natural, fluoride-free toothpaste, mouthwash, and dental floss.
Hormones
On top of that, we looked at hormones as estrogen dominance is common with this condition. This patient had high levels of estrogen versus progesterone, as well as high levels of testosterone. This can be associated with PCOS, which is another condition, but one that is commonly related to thyroid issues. It’s necessary to balance these by addressing diet and supplementation.
Infections
Next, we looked at pathogens or infections by running blood and stool tests. Oftentimes, we’ll see bacterial overgrowth, viruses, parasites, and yeast, which are very common and cause inflammation in the body.
Nodules and goiter are caused by inflammation affecting the thyroid. Therefore, even if you remove this gland, you’re never really addressing the underlying issue.
Infections that are found must be solved individually. For this specific patient, she had a bacterial imbalance, or dysbiosis, in her gut, so we had to work to create a proper balance.
Food Reactions
After infections, we looked at food reactions. A big one for goiter and nodules is gluten sensitivity, which was also the case here. She was sensitive to gluten, along with other foods, and, like many others, she had a leaky gut. Therefore, we worked to remove the offending foods from her diet.
Changing the Diet
The diet that I use and recommend to my patients is called The FreeDiet®. It is free of gluten, grain, sugar, yeast, dairy, eggs, soy, legumes, nightshades, and processed foods. I call it the FreeDIet® because the diet is free of the foods commonly responsible for inflammation.
My new book, The FreeDiet®, addresses this and explains the plan in a lot more detail. There is even a chapter about thyroid nodules.
The Results
As mentioned, after three months of addressing these issues, my patient was able to shrink her 4.3 cm thyroid nodule by 73%. Additionally, her fatigue, brain fog, headaches, and digestive issues were resolved.
After years of failed attempts to lose weight, she lost 23 pounds and her hormones, including adrenal and thyroid hormones, were balanced. Furthermore, her inflammatory markers, which should be less than 1.0, went from 57 down to less than 1.0 in four weeks.
Finding the Root Cause
So, the important thing when dealing with thyroid nodules is to address all five of these different areas to find out what the root causes are. The FreeDiet® is a great place to start as it works to remove the most common foods responsible for inflammation and therefore gut and thyroid issues.
As far as supplements, I recommend what I call the Functional Five™. These include a multivitamin, fish oil, Vitamin D, magnesium, and a probiotic. Beyond that, depending on testing and deficiencies, I recommend iodine, selenium, B12, zinc, and iron.
Seeking More Information?
For more information on shrinking thyroid nodules and goiter, feel free to check out my book, The FreeDiet® at thefreedietbook.com.
Another option is to download and follow The FreeDiet® Phase 1 food chart and get started on the foundational supplements. If you have specific questions, please reach out. I look forward to working with you!