Hi you two!

I was just rereading "Life Without Bread" last night, which is a great low carb book if you haven't checked it out yet. One of the authors is a doctor who has been treating his patients with low carb diets since the 1950's, so he has all this data to actually back up the health claims of low carb diets. And I came across this part on immune reactions when people first start low-carbing: They are writing about how the immune system gets stimulated when people adopt a low carb diet, which is generally good since that means they suffer less from colds and infections. "But stimulation of the immune system can also be a problem. It is possible that the immune system will mount an inadverntent attack on the body's own tissue... The overall benefit to the tissues and organs on a low-carb diet will help most people, even those with autoimmune diseases. We know of a few people with autoimmune diseases who have had great success with the diet, but we do not have specific data from large population groups."

I thought that was so interesting, as I developed Graves' disease during a very stressful fall that followed the summer when I first tried CAD! I wonder if the diet did stimulate my immune system. I guess I'll never really know, but what I do know is that I feel much better when I don't eat lots of carbs, even if I do have thyroid disease! In another part of the book, they say that once the immune system becomes sensitized to something, it never forgets. Sigh.

Holly, I think pregnancy definitely counts as a stressful experience for your body! I think it's very common to develop thyroid problems in respose to pregnancy. And I seem to remember that people in your situation are more likely to go into remission than those of us who get it in a non-pregnant time. I do have lots of books about health, nutrition, and thyroid disease - is there a specific area that you are interested in out of those three? I'd be happy to tell you the ones that I liked the most. And I do remember you saying your appt. was on 4/20 - I was thinking that was the date already! Oops - vacation brain.

And Sue, I know the antibodies do continue to attack the thyroid gland in active Hashi's, so they might kill it off in your case, but I can't help feeling that it's good that you still have your gland as opposed to doing surgery or RAI. That way if you were to heal, you would still have your thyroid. I always feel like the medications are not irreversible, and thus are preferable. That is, unless you just can't take it any longer, like my sister, who didn't want to deal with all the hassle.

OK - I wish you both the best! I know that feeling of exercising and then seeing a weight gain the following day. It seems like that happens to me when I exercise really strenuously, but not if I just go for walks and do yoga. I tell myself that I'm putting on muscle so it's okay.

Take care! --Gretchen