Datis Kharrazian > Quotes

“No food is a more powerful trigger of neurological issues and autoimmunity than gluten, the protein found in wheat.”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Isn't My Brain Working?: A revolutionary understanding of brain decline and effective strategies to recover your brain’s health

“It impacts the gallbladder by causing contraction and release of stored bile.1 2 3
Milk Thistle (Silybum Marianum) has the ability to increase the solubility of bile and its use has been shown to significantly reduce biliary cholesterol concentrations and bile saturation indexes.4 It has potent antioxidant activity which supports phase I detoxification and prevents the depletion of hepatic glutathione which is important for phase II detoxification.5 6 7 Silybum marianum has anti-inflammatory chemical properties that are inhibitors of inflammatory prostaglandins and leukotriens as well as chemical properties that promote protein synthesis to replace damaged liver cells. 8 9 10 11
Ginger (Zingiber Officinale) contains chemical compounds that have been shown to increase bile secretion and to reduce hepatic cholesterol levels by up-regulating the enzyme cholesterol-7-alpha-hydorxylase which is the rate limiting enzyme in bile acid synthesis.12 13 14”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“The production of rT3 typically takes place in cases of extreme stress, such as major trauma, surgery, or severe chronic stress. It appears the increased production of T3 is due to an inability to clear rT3, as well as from elevated levels of cortisol. Functional Range: 90-350 pg/ml Typical Laboratory Range: 90-350 pg/ml”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“Monitoring and Supporting Hashimoto’s
​• ​After Hashimoto’s is assessed with a positive TPO and/or TGB serum antibody test, establish TH-1 or TH-2 dominance with an immunological serum test. Look at the percentage values, not the total. ​• ​A TH-1 serum profile includes interferon, IL-2, IL-12, interferon-gamma, and TNF alpha. ​• ​A TH-2 serum profile includes IL-4, IL-13 and IL-10. ​• ​If the TH-1 cytokines are high, then modulate the autoimmune condition by supporting the TH-2 pathway with TH-2 stimulators. ​• ​If the TH-2 cytokines are high, then support the TH-1 pathway with TH-1 stimulators. ​• ​A CD4/CD8 (T-suppressor cell/T-helper cell) ratio of 2 or higher is an indication that an active antigen is driving the autoimmune response. This test is also a baseline from which to monitor overall progress. ​• ​If an active antigen or hapten is at work, then stimulate the dominant TH pathway to eradicate the antigen or drive it into remission. ​• ​If both TH-1 and TH-2 stimulators make you feel worse, a hapten may be driving the autoimmune condition. In that case, restore the immune barriers. ​• ​In all instances, modulate immune T-helper cell response with therapeutic doses of emulsified vitamin D plus cofactors, fish oil, and liposomal glutathione and superoxide dismutase cream. Have a licensed healthcare practitioner qualified to work with vitamin D therapy prescribe the appropriate dose. ​• ​Add in nutritional compounds individually every three days to monitor response. ​• ​Remove gluten and possibly dairy from the diet and support other systems, organs, and functions in the body.  (Managing blood sugar, digestive function, and adrenal health using functional medicine principles is explained in later chapters.) ​• ​Monitor whether support is effective with follow-up TSH, CD4/CD8, and TH-1 and TH-2 cytokine tests.”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“All patients with an autoimmune thyroid condition should be screened for gluten intolerance or celiac disease,48 just as all patients with a gluten intolerance or celiac disease should be screened for an autoimmune thyroid disorder.49 I advise my patients with Hashimoto’s to give up gluten completely if they wish to preserve their thyroid gland.”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“Lastly, since hypothyroidism hinders human growth hormone, building muscle through exercise is difficult if not impossible and muscle loss can occur.5”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“the immune response to gluten can last up to six months each time it’s ingested.”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“Functional Range: 1.8-3.0 mU/L Typical Laboratory Range: 0.5-5.5 mU/L”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“Poor thyroid function slows down the amount of time it takes for food to move through the intestines.2”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“I first met this young client when he was eight years old. He was very shy with a calm disposition. He had been diagnosed with a sensory processing disorder and his parents had hired a special tutor. His mother and father were already clients of mine, and his mother was very conscientious with his diet. She was most concerned about his extreme fatigue, how difficult it was to get him up in the morning, and how difficult it was for him to fall asleep. He was also falling asleep at school. In addition, she was concerned he was having difficulty remembering his schoolwork. With sensory processing disorder, children may have difficulty concentrating, planning and organizing, and responding appropriately to external stimuli. It is considered to be a learning disorder that fits into the autism spectrum of disorders. To target his diet and nutritional supplementation, I recommended a comprehensive blood panel, an adrenal profile, a food sensitivity panel, and an organic acids profile to determine vitamin, mineral, and energy deficiency status. His blood panel indicated low thyroid function, iron deficiency, and autoimmune thyroid. His adrenal profile indicated adrenal fatigue. His organic acids test indicated low B vitamins and zinc, low detoxification capacity, and low levels of energy nutrients, particularly magnesium. He was also low in omega-3 fatty acids and sensitive to gluten, dairy, eggs, and corn. Armed with all of that information, he and I worked together to develop a diet based on his test results. I like to involve children in the designing of their diet. That way they get to include the foods they like, learn how to make healthy substitutions for foods they love but can no longer eat, and learn how to improve their overall food choices. He also learned he needed to include protein at all meals, have snacks throughout the day, and what constitutes a healthy snack. I recommended he start with a gut restoration protocol along with iron support; food sensitivities often go hand in hand with leaky gut issues. This would also impact brain function. In the second phase of his program, I added inositol and serotonin support for sleep, thyroid support, DHA, glutathione support (to help regulate autoimmunity), a vitamin and mineral complex, fish oils, B-12, licorice extract for his adrenals, and dopamine and acetylcholine support to improve his concentration, energy, and memory. Within a month, his parents reported that he was falling asleep easily and would wake up with energy in the morning. His concentration improved, as did his ability to remember what he had learned at school. He started to play sports in the afternoon and took the initiative to let his mom know what foods not to include in his diet. He is still on his program three years later, and the improvements”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Isn't My Brain Working?: A revolutionary understanding of brain decline and effective strategies to recover your brain’s health

“Three of the more common outcomes of brain degeneration problems are fatigue, depression, and gastrointestinal problems, though they are rarely treated as such.”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Isn't My Brain Working?: A revolutionary understanding of brain decline and effective strategies to recover your brain’s health

“Dandelion (Taraxacum Officinale) Dandelion root has physiologic impacts on both the liver and gallbladder. It impacts the liver by promoting the production of bile and its delivery to the gallbladder. It impacts the gallbladder by causing contraction and release of stored bile.”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“when iodine is added to table salt in some parts of the world, the rates of autoimmune thyroid disease again increase.39 Iodine supplementation isn’t causing Hashimoto’s per se, but it does seem to be a triggering factor.40”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“I recommend enzymes. When gut health is poor, the pancreas loses the ability to secrete sufficient digestive enzymes. Ideally you will take your enzymes 15 to 20 minutes before your meal, or at least in the beginning. Take your hydrochloric acid toward the middle and end of the meal, as the acid can neutralize the effects of some digestive enzymes.”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“Nutritional compounds for “Replace” phase include: •     Nutritional compounds to supply HCl and support the production of stomach acid. Key ingredients include betaine HCl, niacinamide, B6, pepsin, ox bile, and papain. •     Nutritional compounds to support healthy bile formation, secretion and flow. Key ingredients include dandelion root, milk thistle seed, ginger, taurine, beet concentrate, vitamin C, and phosphatidylcholine. •     Nutritional compounds to support digestion. Key ingredients include high levels of proteolytic and carbolytic plant enzymes.”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“The first thing to establish is whether the person has an autoimmune condition. I use TPO and TGB serum antibody tests to rule out Hashimoto’s. If a test comes back negative but symptoms strongly suggest the disorder, I’ll repeat the test since antibody counts can fluctuate. Sometimes I’ll ask the person to eat gluten-containing foods for two weeks prior to the test, in order to heighten the autoimmune response. From there, I delve into the immune system mechanics. I measure TH-1 and TH-2 cytokines to determine if the person is TH-1 or TH-2 dominant. When a person is placed on an immune-modulating protocol, I retest these cytokines to see whether the immune system is coming into better balance. When looking at these test results, it is important to look at the percentages of the cytokines and not the totals. Remember, regardless of whether a person with Hashimoto’s has TH-1 or TH-2 dominance, managing his or her condition requires modulating the immune system with emulsified vitamin D, fish oil, glutathione cream, a gluten-free diet, and dietary support.”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“Free T4 is high with hyperthyroidism and low with hypothyroidism. It’s important to note that even a high TSH with normal T4 is enough to identify hypothyroidism. A rare pattern and one indicative of a hereditary thyroid resistance condition is high FT4. High FT4 can also be caused by taking heparin or by an acute illness that causes binding protein levels to suddenly fall. If an illness other than thyroid disease becomes severe or chronic, it may decrease FT4. Functional Range: 1.0-1.5 ng/ dL Typical Laboratory Range: 0.7-1.53 ng/dL”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“Thyroid support has little effect in people with positive thyroid antibodies.  For them, nutritional support is essential.”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“Reinoculate At this stage, I also recommend ample probiotics to inoculate the gut and replace an overabundance of bad bacteria with beneficial bacteria. I see many GI lab panels come back showing bacterial infection in the digestive tract. A good probiotic program is an important part of restoring balance, clearing out bad bacteria, and establishing healthy levels of the healthy bacteria necessary to convert T4 to T3. Nutritional compounds for the “Reinoculate” phase include: • A good source of beneficial bacteria, such as lactobacillus and bifidobacterium.”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“Development of brain growth, timing, and coordination in childhood are critical to proper function throughout life. If there is developmental delay in brain function in childhood, such as ADHD, autism, Tourette’s Syndrome, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, tics, dyslexia, learning or processing disorders, or even more subtle symptoms, it is best to aggressively rehabilitate function before adulthood. Unfortunately, the current model of health care tells parents to wait for the child to grow out of it. However, many children do not grow out of it and miss key windows of time for ideal brain development. Unrelated to developmental delays, early symptoms of brain degeneration such as poor mental endurance, poor memory, and inability to learn new things are also serious issues when timing matters. The longer a person waits to manage their brain degeneration or developmental delay the less potential they have to make a difference. Datis Kharrazian, DHSc, DC, MS”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Isn't My Brain Working?: A revolutionary understanding of brain decline and effective strategies to recover your brain’s health

“While Sudoku or crossword puzzles are good brain food, doing them while eating a frosted pastry and slurping down an extra-large caramel latte with whipped cream works against you. All that sugar will upset glucose levels in the brain and create conditions that ultimately deprive the brain of energy.”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Isn't My Brain Working?: A revolutionary understanding of brain decline and effective strategies to recover your brain’s health

“Tribulus terrestris is a popular herb used to support sexual weakness in both males and females. It seems to have opposite impacts on physiology on males versus females.  In males, Tribulus has shown to support spermatogenesis, increase the number of Sertoli cells in the testis, and increase LH and testosterone with no change in FSH levels. In females Tribulus appears to support healthy concentration of FSH and estradiol. Therefore, the primary role of Tribulus appears to be the support of the hypophyseal-gonadal axis in both males and females.1  2”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“Several weeks of the elimination/provocation diet in conjunction with a high-quality detoxification powder clears up common digestive complaints such as gas, bloating, diarrhea, and constipation for many people. If a digestive problem still persists, I run a GI stool and salivary panel to see if parasites or other pathogens are causing problems. It’s not uncommon to find infections by an amoeba, Giardia, roundworms, candida yeast, excess bacteria, or other pathogens affecting the person’s gut health. How to eradicate these parasites and pathogens is beyond the scope of this book, and methods vary. There are situations in which I will recommend drugs instead of herbal remedies, because medications are ultimately more effective and easier on my patient. Herbal remedies, on the other hand, work well for many other conditions, including candida overgrowth271 and h.pylori bacteria.272”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“Lepidium mayenil (Peruvian Maca) is an herb that has been used historically to enhance fertility in males, females, and livestock. It appears to have positive impacts on spermatogenesis, fertility, and hormone levels. Aphrodisiac and anti-stress properties of this herb have also been reported.7 8 9 10 Panax Ginseng has a long history of its use in supporting fertility and virility in both sexes. It has shown the ability to improve libido, support healthy testosterone concentrations, promote the growth of the testis, and improve spermatogenesis.11 12 13 14”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“Other nutrients that modulate the immune system and support the T-regulatory cells are glutathione cream and superoxide dismutase, both powerful antioxidants.”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“numerous studies link gluten, the protein found in wheat, spelt, barley, rye and similar grains to Hashimoto’s.25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 If the person is already on a gluten-free diet, I will have them consume wheat for two weeks and then repeat the test, providing gluten doesn’t cause other severe symptoms. A positive antibody test confirms an autoimmune thyroid condition and indicates that the immune system, not the thyroid gland, is the target for therapy.”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“Basically, playing video games that cause you to respond quickly to attacks increases the negative plastic development of your limbic system.”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Isn't My Brain Working?: A revolutionary understanding of brain decline and effective strategies to recover your brain’s health

“Most people think of stomach acid as bad, the sort of thing that causes heartburn. In fact, sufficient stomach acid prevents heartburn by thoroughly digesting your food. (The burning sensation from heartburn is actually from the poorly digested food rotting in your gut and shooting up into your esophagus, not from excess stomach acid). Sufficient stomach acid, or hydrochloric acid (HCl), prevents food poisoning, parasites, and other bad bugs from gaining a foothold in your digestive tract. Lastly, plenty of HCl stimulates the gallbladder and pancreas to complete digestion and preserve the integrity of the whole gastrointestinal tract. The production of HCl depends on the hormone gastrin, which diminishes with hypothyroidism. This can cause such digestive complaints as heartburn, bloating, and gas; hinder the absorption of such vital nutrients as B12, iron, and calcium; and lead to inflammation, lesions, and infections of the intestines. Hypothyroidism and low HCl often go hand in hand.”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“Numerous studies from several countries show a strong link between gluten intolerance and Hashimoto’s disease.41 42 43 44 45 46 Because the molecular structure of gluten so closely resembles that of the thyroid gland, the problem may be one of mistaken identity. Every time undigested gluten mistakenly slips into the bloodstream, the immune system responds by destroying it for removal. That’s because gluten doesn’t belong in the bloodstream but gets there through overly permeable intestinal walls, or a “leaky gut.” (See”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism

“Also, don’t forget that the first priority is to enhance T-regulatory cell function with emulsified vitamin D, fish oil and glutathione cream.”
― Datis Kharrazian, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism