Q&A with David Simon, MD

Q. I have had thyroid issues at the extreme end of the normal range for years. My doctor says he can’t help me until I have clinical hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. Is there a holistic way to address the symptoms I’m having now?

A. Thyroid hormones influence many aspects of human health, including body temperature, weight, mental clarity, fertility, hair growth, and digestion. A variety of factors, including immune function and nutrition, can affect the thyroid gland. Due to its widespread effects, we often look to the thyroid as the root of a variety physical or emotional health issues. Fortunately, tests can often detect changes in pituitary and thyroid hormone levels before they produce noticeable problems.

Since your tests are not showing a major problem with your thyroid function, you have a good opportunity to begin to balance your life. Look at the basics. Are you getting enough rest? Are you exercising daily? Exercise is one of the major links between hormones and metabolism and has been shown to improve the sensitivity of cells to thyroid hormones. A balanced diet will supply you with the iodine and selenium necessary for healthy thyroid function. Iodine is in iodized salt, dairy, fruits and vegetables grown in coastal soils, and sea kelp. Selenium is in eggs, seafood, brewer’s yeast, and wheat germ. Brazil nuts are also a great source of selenium.

Q. I am a therapist at an eating disorder clinic. I have seen alternative medicine practitioners unknowingly support eating disorders by encouraging elimination of food groups and supporting fears about negative effects of certain foods. What can I do to support recovery in a moderate way that encourages flexibility, not rigidity?

A. Ayurveda gives us a nutritional program that focuses on expansion, not restriction. It suggests that human beings are capable of perceiving six primary tastes—sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent—each of which
provides essential nutrients for the body. For more information on the six tastes, see The Chopra Center Cookbook (Wiley, 2002).

Encourage your patients to consume all six tastes every day. Fuel creativity and freedom by suggesting a colorful diet, as opposed to the usual American diet of white, tan, and brown. Eating the colors of the rainbow—red peppers, orange melons, yellow squash, green asparagus, blueberries, and purple grapes—will ensure a delicious and nutritionally complete diet.

Q. I have a relatively clean diet but a sensitive digestive system. In the face of all the varied and conflicting diet plans out there, I get bewildered and overwhelmed. How can I increase my overall awareness and ability to choose what is healthy, rather than being told what to eat?

A. The basic principle for healthy eating is variety. Nutrition is not about what you’re not eating; it’s about what you are eating. Your body requires a certain amount of carbohydrates, protein, and fat on a daily basis. Refined carbohydrates tend to rapidly raise the blood sugar, triggering an insulin response, which drives the sugar into fat. Complex carbohydrates from whole grains, cereals, and many fruits are slowly converted into blood glucose. They do not get metabolized rapidly into fat, and they leave you feeling satiated longer. Whenever I’ve seen anyone who highly restricts a particular category of food, they build up cravings, which eventually take control, usually when the person encounters stress.

There are two basic things to remember in order to eat well in support of a healthy mind and body. The first is to have a wide variety of foods every day. The second is to listen to your appetite. Eat when you are really hungry and stop when you are comfortable but not stuffed. If you are attentive to having all six tastes in your diet and listen to your inner signals of hunger and satiety, your body’s digestive fire will become strong and bright. Then you will digest what you are eating and transform the energy and information of your food into the intelligence of your body.