In the past year, and it's still going, I've had a whirlwind experience with my thyroid. I've had thyroid nodules, surgery, doctor appointments, and now loads of blood work. I've recently learned I have Hashimotos, an autoimmune disease. Basically, my antibodies are attacking my thyroid.
Being the librarian that I am I have done a lot of research on thyroid nodules, hypothroidism, Hashimotos, and more.
During my research I came across The Autoimmune Solution by Amy Myers. It is a non-fiction book explaining what happens when you have an autoimmune disease, quizzes to determine if you are on the autoimmune spectrum, supplements you should take, diet you should follow with recipes, and toxins to remove from your life.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. As far as how the book is written it is a well done and informative with enough information but not too much you get overwhelmed or bored as a reader. It really is a well written book. I can't say much about the medical background being legit. It sounded good, but I don't know if it is all true b/c I don't know enough about medicine and the body.
The major portion of this book is the supplements and diet you need to follow to heal your gut which will in effect heal your body. The diet would be extremely difficult to follow, but one could do it. It is basically the Autoimmune Paleo Protocol diet others refer to. You can eat no grains of any kind, no legumes, no eggs, no dairy, no soy, no sugar, and no nightshade vegetables. You have to eat grass-fed pasteurized organic beef, chicken, turkey. Tough diet, right? I'm not sure I could do it with my family and not be a grumpy mom for those 30 days. I may need to go to a Rehab Center just to do the diet and not lose friends and family in the process.
All in all, I thought it was a good book that kept me interested. I felt motivated, and for a short stint thought I really may do the diet. I was especially motivated to think it was going to help my recent autoimmune diagnosis and prevent me from getting another autoimmune disease. Myers does reference that if you have an autoimmune disease you are three times more likely to develop another. .
My major flaw with this informational science/medical based book, and the reason it lost a star, is the fact that there were no studies referenced. Everything seemed to be from her personal experience as a patient or as a doctor working with patients. She said, "In my opinion" and "From my experience" a lot.
Sure, she's personally helped loads of people, but being the researcher that I am I wanted to see some studies completed and referenced. In defense that it may be completely, 100% legit and possible, the back of the book has an extensive bibliography (like an thesis, doctorate, or non-fiction book should have).
For those wondering if all of this is real. It may be. I did ask my endocrinologist, who does research for the NIH, and he said it won't reverse it. You may feel better (which we all would if we ate better), but you will still have an autoimmune disease. To credit Myers she does say doctors would say that.
All in all, great and well written non-fiction book that was incredibly informative.
Amazon had the following book description:
"Over 90 percent of the population suffers from inflammation or an autoimmune disorder. Until now, conventional medicine has said there is no cure. Minor irritations like rashes and runny noses are ignored, while chronic and debilitating diseases like Crohn's and rheumatoid arthritis are handled with a cocktail of toxic treatments that fail to address their root cause. But it doesn't have to be this way.
In The Autoimmune Solution, Dr. Amy Myers, a renowned leader in functional medicine, offers her medically proven approach to prevent a wide range of inflammatory-related symptoms and diseases, including allergies, obesity, asthma, cardiovascular disease, fibromyalgia, lupus, IBS, chronic headaches, and Hashimoto's thyroiditis."
Happy Non-fiction reading!
Have you done a diet like this? What was your experience?
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