Dr. Izabella Wentz, PharmD

Thyroid Pharmacist

Micronutrients, Bone Density & Hashimoto's

Micronutrients, Bone Density, and Hashimoto’s

Medically reviewed and written by Izabella Wentz, PharmD, FASCP on July 27, 2015

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Osteoporosis is more common in women with Hashimoto’s and thyroid conditions, who take thyroid medications, as thyroid hormones speed up bone turnover.

In pharmacy school, I learned that osteoporosis was a progressive condition that could be slowed down, but never really reversed. I held this belief until I met Mira and Dr. Jayson Calton. They are both nutritionists and micronutrient specialists. They shared that nutrient depletions were at the root cause of osteoporosis, and more importantly that osteoporosis could be reversed by proper nutrition!! I recorded this video interview with Mira and Dr. Jayson on this topic.

Mira was only 30 years old when she was diagnosed with advanced osteoporosis. Her husband, Dr. Jayson, designed a food and micronutrient protocol for her that completely reversed her osteoporosis in 2 years (she has bone scans to prove it!) Since that time, the Calton’s have helped hundreds of people reverse osteoporosis as well as numerous other conditions related to micronutrient deficiencies.

I have found that nutrient depletions are always a factor in Hashimoto’s (deficiencies in selenium, ferritin, B vitamins, and Vitamin D are the most common), and addressing these nutrient depletions can make a HUGE difference in symptoms. Ferritin and the B’s (especially B12 and thiamine) are game changers for fatigue, while vitamin D and selenium can make a big difference in mood and reducing thyroid antibodies. (Links to my past articles on selenium, ferritin, B12, thiamine, and vitamin D).

Often, people become nutrient depleted because they are gluten and dairy sensitive, and the inflammation from eating gluten and dairy prevents them from properly absorbing nutrients from food. Once people eliminate gluten and dairy, they begin to absorb more nutrients and will begin to feel better. But sometimes, people will plateau and hit a roadblock of feeling worse, and this could be due to micronutrient deficiencies.

Unfortunately, while gluten-free diets and Paleo diets are much more nutrient dense compared to the standard American diet, they can also be missing the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of some important nutrients. Additionally, the nutrients that may be missing in these diets are going to be different than the “usual suspects” that are depleted in the Standard American Diet (or the SAD diet as I like to call it…)

For me, I became deficient in thiamine after a year of gluten/dairy free dieting and learned of this only after having a $500 nutrient test (Spectracell, may be helpful if you can afford it).

I couldn’t figure out why I became fatigued again, and why my adrenals were bottoming out after seemingly feeling better. Taking a thiamine supplement turned my fatigue around within a few days and normalized my long-standing low blood pressure. Had I consulted with Mira and Jayson Calton, they would have told me that thiamine (B1) is one of the most commonly depleted nutrients in gluten-free and dairy-free diets!

This is why I’m super excited about the Calton’s new book, The Micronutrient Miracle, which shares their years of research and knowledge. This book is the ultimate guide for figuring out which nutrients you may be lacking based on your symptoms, health conditions and current diet (they have assessments and charts to guide you without the need for expensive testing), as well as food and micronutrient protocols to help replenish nutrients, tailored to you.

While some nutrition books have a one size fits all approach, the Calton’s nutrition guidelines were modified for specific conditions, including osteoporosis, general protocol for autoimmunity,  and a specific micronutrient protocol for Hashimoto’s (I was a reviewer of the section on Hashimoto’s to make sure the dietary recommendations were consistent with my recommendations for Hashimoto’s).

This way, nutrient dense food becomes more affordable and accessible!

Grab your copy of The Micronutrient Miracle.

Wishing you all the best on your thyroid journey!

P.S. Be sure to sign up to my email list to get a free book chapter, recipes, Thyroid Diet start guide and notifications about upcoming events and my weekly newsletter.

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  1. Hi Izabella, I watch your interview with Mira and Dr. Jayson and was very intrigued by their supplements. I have worked towards healing my gut with AIP and eat a whole food organic, locally sourced diet with as little processing/chemicals as possible. What I am wondering is can someone with Hashi take their supplements with iodine. I have read your responses on a number of posts about Iodine, but I am wondering if this product would be safe. Thanks so much for your willingness to share info.
    Reply

  3. My integrationist medicine doctor gave me extra high doses of B2, B12 and niacin on top of my regular B supplement. Of course, this is in addition to Lugol’s solution, iron, and a spectrum of other mineral supplements.
    Reply

  4. One tiny question –
    How is Hoshimotos identified or diagnosed?
    I have listened and read most of your educational material.
    Somehow Iv missed that. I know antibodies show us a lot. But please clarify.
    Thank you so much, Joyce

    Reply

  6. Hi,
    Aside from supplements for these missing nutrients, what are the best foods to incorporate in your diet for these nutrients? I have an early stage of Hashimoto’s.

    Reply

    • Lexie – thank you for following this page. Did you know that reactive foods trigger an inflammatory response in the GI tract, leading to malabsorption of nutrients (gluten sensitivity, in particular, has been implicated in causing a Selenium deficiency, a well-known risk factor for Hashimoto’s), and can also produce intestinal permeability whenever they are eaten?

      Most people will see a dramatic reduction in gut symptoms, brain symptoms, skin breakouts, and pain by eliminating the foods they are sensitive to. Some will also see a significant reduction in thyroid antibodies! An additional subset of people will actually be able to get their Hashimoto’s into complete remission just by getting off the foods they react to, normalizing their thyroid antibodies, and some even normalizing their thyroid function! Here are a couple of articles you may find helpful.

      FOOD SENSITIVITIES AND HASHIMOTO’S
      https://thyroidpharmacist.com/articles/food-sensitivities-and-hashimotos

      AUTOIMMUNE PALEO DIET
      https://thyroidpharmacist.com/articles/autoimmune-paleo-diet

      Reply

  7. I take b12 shots every 28days, I have no thyroid, but I seem to have trouble, with my white blood cell count, and I take a multi vitamin every day, and they say I don’t get enough water, I’m always in the bathroom, and sometimes I pee my pants., I have always wondered why I didn’t get enough water, and why I always end up in the hospital being dehydrated.?

    Reply

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