[g_podcast id="12906443"]
Today I have Hashimoto's mentor PeterGehlmann as my guest.PeterGehlmann was originally a professional soldier and trained as aspecialist consultant for holistic health due to his Hashimoto's disease. Today, he supports people with Hashimoto's in finding away to feel well despite their condition.
In this podcastepisode, Peter tells his story. From the symptoms that eventually led to his diagnosis to his path to a life that has consciously brought him into harmony with the disease.
We talk about the following topics:
Julia: I am very pleased to be able to meet dear PeterGehlmann as my guest today. You are very welcome. Nice to have you here and thank you for taking the time.
Peter: Nice to be able to join you. Hello, Julia.
Julia: Our topic today is Hashimoto thyroiditis. So fargoods all Hashimoto-patientsthat I have met have been women. Isn't this more of a women's disease?
Peter: It is more of a women's disease.It's quite rare for men to get it. I'm not quite surewhy that might be. Even in my Facebook group, it's mostly women.There areperhaps a handful or two of men, but I don't think theytakeitseriously enough: "I don't have time to deal with it yet, there are more important things first", probably.
Why does it mainly affect women ...? I suspect that it may have something to do with hormones, asthere is also a hormonal trigger. But it's predominantly women, yes.
Julia: Generally speaking, the thyroid is more of a women's issue, isn't it? I've also seen male clients of mine with poor thyroid values during an examination that I arranged with them, and then the doctor was completely perplexed. He would never have thought of checking a man's thyroid. When did you find out that you had this disease, or how did it come to be discovered in the first place?
Peter: I found out in 2012.The whole problem actually started back in 2011. I didn't really take it seriously at the time. I was an active judoka and was always either in the heavyweight or lower weight class. So, I was either fighting over 100 kg or up to 100 kg. And at some point, I found it increasingly difficult to manage this balancing act - losing2kilograms or putting on 2kilograms.Because most of the time I just put on weight and it became increasingly difficult to lose it.
And on top of that, I started having "mild depressive episodes", as the doctors called them data-contrast="auto">. As a result, I was also put on medication for these depressive episodes. I was then given anti- depressants, whichdidn't reallyimprove my mood or mybeing.
In between, I became increasingly tired, not only at night but also during the day, falling asleepon the way to work. That was 30 minutes by car. I nodded off briefly, whether it was on the way to the office in the morning or on the way home in the afternoon. I was really struggling then.
The weight increased, the fullness increased. My wife said: "Look, we only went shopping for new pants two weeks ago. Don't you think that's enough now?"Especially as the pants weregettingbigger.It wasn 'tthat I needed new pants because I didn't like the other ones anymore. That was the first time I pondered a bit: what could be the reason?
The doctors then blamed it on the depressive episodes and prescribed meanti-depressants accordingly. I became heavier and heavier. I remained tired. So I never really got my energy levels under control.
I was in the army at the timeand it was like playing the lottery.There were three doctors in thislarge practice, and you couldn't always decide which doctor tosee. Only if you had a good relationship with the ladies or gentlemen at the registration desk could you say: "Look, I'd like to see this doctor or that doctor."
But by the time I found out, I had already seen several doctors and each one had a different idea. One of the olderdoctors then said: "Well, itdoesn't sound to me as ifyou needanti-depressants. Let's have a look at your thyroid." And then it actually went hop-hop: thyroid examined, ultrasound blood was taken again, and a week later I was in the Bundeswehr hospital in the internal medicine department. They did a lot of examinations there: I was turned inside out once and then sent off for the weekend with the words: "Congratulations, you have Hashimoto's. Take some hormones and then everything will be fine. Take the hormones and then everything will be fine." And that's how I got Hashimoto's.
Julia: It's also good to finally have a diagnosis. Could you perhaps briefly explain for those listeners who don't know what Hashimoto's is?exactly what it is?
Peter: Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disease. The thyroid gland has become inflamed and-according to the definition of classical medicine-the bodyrejects this organ and starts to fightit becauseit emits substances towhich the body says: "Stop, stop. You don't belong here. Make sure you get out of here." And then there's a battle - body against organ - because the body then tries toreject this organ.The thyroid gland is important for many, many metabolic processes, for many, many processes in the body, in the immune system, and thereforeit is naturally a very important organ.
JuliaWould you saythatthe symptoms that you had beforeyou were diagnosed with are typical? Or to put it another way, how would someone recognize that he or she might have Hashimoto's?
Peter: I thinkmy symptoms are typical.You put on weight even though you haven't changed your diet.Inotherwords, despite the same diet, despite the samequantity,you gain weight. I was laughed at when I said: "Inexplicable weight gain." But that's actually the case. You can't explain it. However, it's not as if youwake uponemorning and have ten kilos more. It creeps on and takes forever to come off.
Then these depressive episodes, lack of drive, tiredness during the day.Even at times when you should actuallybe fit and awake, you are totally tired and depressed. Many of my clients report that they come home in the afternoon and want to lie down forfive minutes after work. Then they don't wake up again until dinner time,don't feel like getting up and cooking anything andthen just lie down and go back to sleep. This is a typical daily routine for people who have been hit reallyhard with Hashimoto's.
And what's more, although they can't sleep well during the day, they don't necessarily sleep deeply at night, so youcould say that they can at leastrecoverat night.No, they also have problems sleeping at night. Either they wake up at certain times and then can't fall asleep again, or they have problems falling asleep.
Julia: My podcast is mainly about the topic of bowels, and autoimmune diseases are closely linked to the gut because the immune system is also located in the gut. If you look back to the time before you were diagnosed, would you say you had any intestinal symptoms or none at all?
Peter: Well, at the time when the symptoms started, or when the Hashimoto's problembecame apparent, Imust have I didn'treallytake care of myself and my body. I ate pizza, I ate normal pasta, I ate and drank dairy products. I didn't take the holistic approach I do now. Now, after my training,whena lot of things fell from my eyes like scales , I say today: "For God'ssake! What have you done?"
Lookingback, I have to saythat there were phases when I really ... let's call it "strained" my digestion. Which she then showed me. But then I thought to myself: "Yes, my God. You went to the toilet a bit longer today and not everything was as it should be. Oh,it'llbe fine." I've only now realized what kind of shenanigans I've been up to with my body.
JuliaIf we go back in history: you have now been diagnosed. You were told"Youhave Hashimoto's, just take a few hormones and then it will sort itself out." What was your reaction to that?
Peter: Yes, the doctors are right. They are "the doctors".That was my reaction to it.
My wife then gave me a book as a present. She was more worried about it than I was. I thought the doctors would sort it out. After all, they studied for a long time.Afterall, they havethe knowledge. I also read this book,although mainly out of respect for my wife. I read it and put it to one side.
At some point my wife said: "Nothing will change about your condition. Don't you even want to see a nutritionist? Don't you want to see what you can do?"So I went to the nutritionist. Sheshowed me the infamous food pyramid and said: "This is how you're going to eat in future!"Then I said: "When Ilook at it like that, I'm eatingalmost like that."- "Well, then make a food log. Write down everything you eat for a week."
I did that and she almost fell off her chair because I ate quite a lot of eggs.She couldn 't understand that at all. "Because of the cholesterol, that's not possible, and for God's sake ...!" I had only written down about half of the eggs I had actually eaten. I mean, who makes a scrambled egg with two eggs?
And she also told me quite clearly that it's important not to eat so much fat.That it's important to reallystickto the food pyramid. That was the first time I thought about it for myself: If I continue to eat the way I've been doing so far, just less fat and more crèmefine rather than crème fraîche, and prefer minced poultry to minced beef... So how isanything supposed tochange? If I want something to change, then I also have to work on my diet. But she didn't go intothat at all. She just said: "Fat makes you fat. Make sure you don't eat too much of it"and that was it.
And that's when it started to work in my head forthe firsttime.I questioned more and more whether this was really the right thing to do. I started to change my diet bit by bit, but not really in depth.
That didn't happen until 2013, when I was in hospital after a serious knee operation and my bedside companion said to me: "If you have Hashimoto's and thyroid, then I recommend that you change your diet accordingly. adapt. Leave this out. Try adding this." And then I thought: "Well,you're justtalking.You eat your fruit and vegetables, I'll keepeating my sandwiches." But what hesaid didn't leave me in peace. When someone says: "You can change and improve so much with your diet", you start to think: why? The doctor says all the time: "Take hormones and that's good. Nothing else will help."
ThenI really changed my diet with abig cut.I only ate salad in the evening. No more bread. I had already implemented the things that were really essential for me as far as my thyroid was concerned: no gluten, no sugar, no dairy products,no soy. I wasn 'tabig fan of soy before either. Butthis change has led to me losing around 30 kg.Of course,my weight was also a thorn in the side of the doctors."It' s importantfor your knee that you get out of this three-digit weight range." Isaid: "Three-digit weight range... if I lose weight, then I'm gone." But I'm still here. It worked.
Something else that was quite curiousfor meto realizewas this:I had a very, veryserious birch andgrass pollen allergy. Welived near Flensburgat the time. We had three or four birch trees around the house, andI was shredded by themeveryspring.Wemoved awayat some point. Not because of the birch trees, but because I had to change jobs.
After things got better, butaftera year without dairy products, the birch andgrass pollen allergy was gone. I no longer needed any anti-allergy medication. No more nose drops, no more eye drops, no more tablets - gone! And I put this down to the factthat Ihad eliminated dairy products from my diet. I only found outduring my training as a holistic health advisor that dairy productscan be the cause of thiscan be the cause.
JuliaYes. Milk, but also wheat.And how do you eat today? How would you describe it?
Peter:A typical Hashimoto's mentor day: I start with asmoothie. It's either asmoothie with fruit and a few nuts or a greensmoothie. For lunch, I havechicken with zucchini noodles, for example -with these 'zoodles', as they're called. Andin the eveningI have an omelette with vegetables and a bit of meat. That's a classic day.
Relativelyegg-heavy, I have to say. The participants who take part inmyprograms alwaysget a frightwhen it says in the first week: "Buy 50 eggs." For God'ssake! The recipes are always designed for 2-4 people,hence thelarge number of eggs. But of course that's scary at first.
Julia: Have you also tried the or not even necessarily oriented towards the so-called "autoimmune protocol"?
Peter: I haven't followed it at all. I haven't studied it so intensively that I could make a statement about it now.
JuliaWhat were the most important insights you have gained over the years about Hashimoto's or perhaps about chronic illnesses in connection with nutrition in general?
Peter: I can say for myself that a lot has changed,especially in the last year, in terms of my attitude to Hashimoto's and also to other chronic illnesses. I now see my Hashimoto's as an opportunity.
Someone may say: "For God's sake, he's completely crazy now.A 'chance'? You have to fight this disease! You have to fight it!"But I see it as an opportunity because fighting it is not actually possible. Anyone who has children will realize that: Themore pressureyouexert -"You have to do your homework!"- "You have to study now!" - the greater the counter-pressure. And I've noticed that for myself: The more pressure I put on my illness, on mythyroid, and the more Isayinternally:"Gosh, this has to get better"and "stupid illness" and "I don't like this anymore", the more negative mood, negative vibrations are also in my body.I now see the whole thing as an opportunity, as a chance to live more consciously. As a chance to be more aware of my body and say: "Hey, I'm not feeling so good today."
I then slow down. I sleep in longer. Because of all the children in the house,this might not always be possible, but I can also say: "I'm going to the office an hour later. I'll take it a bit easier today." I drive down a gear. And I also attribute this alittle to the fact that I say for myself: I now live more consciously.
I'm also more mindful of myself now. I do autogenic training. I do sport. I pay attention to exercise. I pay attention to my diet. And, as I said at the beginning, I didn't do that before. I used to eat what was on the table.
Some people might say: "Yes, we used to eat everything and there were no problems." But a lot of things have been bred out and are no longer as nutritious as the food we used to have available.
JuliaYes, and I think what really makes a huge difference is the stress that we simply have nowadays. Not just stress in the sense of "too much work", but also the environmental stress, the noise, all the toxins. We also we live in uncertain times. I think it's fair to say that.
There is more and more aggression, more and more crisesand I think that also has an influence. I am now convinced that stress has a huge impact, including on the gut and the way we absorb nutrients, for example.That is certainly a difference to 40 years ago or so.
Peter: Definitely! It has also become a faster-moving time and amore anonymous time thanks to the internet. Even though you're in Facebook groups and actually have the same topic and the same problems,how quickly do you get one between the ears if you just mention the name AnthonyWilliams, for example.This man is a red rag for many people. People don't question him much, they just say: "charlatan". But I have worked out my own opinion for myself, when I believe a doctor, or should believe a doctor.shouldwhosays: "TheTSH value is enough to determine whether you have Hashimoto's or whether you are well", d data-contrast="auto">then I can also believean AnthonyWilliams who says that celery juice will make you feel better. If you look back in history: Celery juiceoriginated with the ancient Egyptians, long before the time of AnthonyWilliams.
Julia:De emotions run high very quickly, don't they?
Peter: It quickly gets to the point where themoderators have to intervene and say: "Stop, we'reclosingthe comment function here now." Fortunately, it's not like that in my group. The girls there are all quite relaxed, but there are other groups where you want to virtually put your head down and say: "Please, be nice to each other. We all have the same problem here."
Julia: How are you doing today? What about things like energy or depressive moods? Are you still taking any medication?
Peter: Well, I'm still taking L-thyroxine, but I' ve been able to reduce it considerablythanks to the change in diet. I take a lot of food supplements, for example vitamin D, K2 andmagnesium. One thing I haven't tried yet is omega-3, which I will tackle soon. I have the vitamin B complex and vitamin C. For sleep, when I realize I've had such a restless day and can't really get to sleep, I've foundAshwaghanda. It helpsvery well to calm me down abit, even during the day when I'm restless. When I realize it's a turbulent day, then I can cope well with theAshwaghanda during the day.
Changing my diet has made a big difference to me. Not only have I lost weight, but I also have a lot more energy. Of course, like many healthy people, I have days when the alarm clock rings in the morning and I say: "I don't really want to get up." But, hey, if healthy people have that,then as a Hashimoto's sufferer I can have a phase like that too.
Julia: What I really liked about what you said todaysaid is that you also have a holistic approach. Or that perhaps the illness has also shown you: Eit doesn't workonly about nutrition. It's also about lifestyle. It's also about stress reduction and things like that. And that's what I always tell my customers.When it comes to intestinal cleansing, it's not enough to just do asstion, you need the whole thing.
How important do you consider the topic of the gut for Hashimoto's patients?
Peter: This is key for me.Istart with peoplebychanging their diet to take some of the pressure off the gut. Then - depending on what kind of program we have worked out- we moveon to intestinal rehabilitation. The diet isthenalreadychanged. Then, in my opinion, it is not asmuch of astrain on the bodyas if you start both at the same time.
Iknow there are also other approaches thatsay we do the bowel cleansing first and change our diet at the same time or change our diet afterwards. I have realized for myself, also from my own experience,that it data-contrast="auto"> is more pleasant if I change my diet first and already have a routine.This is followedby liver detoxificationtoclosethe circle, to"reset"the body a little and stimulate its self-healing powers again. The gut is also a verybigkey here.Many Hashimoto's patients haveleaky gut syndrome. And if you then hear from the doctor: "Take your hormones and everything will be fine", you can also do a lot of damage.
JuliaYes.That's right.How is it now? Well, you said that you started with glutenand dairy products etc. Are you still doing that or is thereAexceptions?I am by my customersasked very often: "May thennever eat eat pasta again? Can I thennever drink drink a cappuccino again?" How do you see that?
Peter: Well,for mepersonally, I have to say that I think I' ve eaten pasta once since 2013.It was easy for me with pasta, although my favorite dish used to be spaghetti bolognese. But I simply replaced the pasta with sweetpotatoes.I throw the sweetpotatoesinto the pan and make Fried potatoes from it. All good.
Dairy products are occasionally added to the cake,when we bake one, butthat's relatively rare. Flour, gluten-free things, are alsovery,very rare. I make a few exceptions for myself. I started with a strict 30 days, completely cutting everything out of my diet.After that, I started to graduallysneakeverythingbackin, but I realizedthat it wasn't good for me.
When I sit at the breakfast table with my wife and daughters and say: "Hey, come on, we're not going to bake the rolls ourselves. Let's get them from the bakery." Then it's almost inevitable that I'llspend a while longer on the toilet after breakfast because my bowels will be ready to strike relatively quickly. I either eat with them or I make myself something else. Once you've let it out for a few days, your body will tell you relatively quickly whether it needs it or not.
To answer the question: I try to stick to it as strictly as possible, but I also allow myself an exception once in a while.
Julia:But you do it voluntarily, so to speak, because yousobetter that way.And I think that's also important.Once you've made the switch once,you realize: When I make an exception, I'm not feeling well.Then I have I have a headache, havee diarrhea, whatever. Then you can't really enjoy the day anymore.sst really enjoy the day.
This is not meant to be a compulsion, but it is usually the case that your body tells you this.When you want to feel good, you automatically don't eat it because you know exactly what you want.sswhat the consequences are.
Peter: Exactly.I also alwaysread: "Oh, but I can 't give up everything. What else can I eat?" If it goes down this route, then the main focus is on doing without and on "Imust no pasta."As a result, you are even hungrier for pasta and the whole thingslipsinto negative territory.Then it'sactually already doomed to failure.
So you can only appeal to the adult in us and say: "Hey, we're all adults. You decide for yourself whether you still want to take it."Many people notice justone or two weeks afterchanging their diet how well they feel andhow much more energy they have.
Ioncehada customer who said: "I didn't realize how bad I was feeling before! It's only now that I've realized how well I feel now. My parents were there over the holidays. We didn't stick to my diet plan.Gosh, Peter, I was feeling so bad. I wasn't even aware of that before." If you let your intuition playa little and listen to yourself and your body, you can't really do too much wrong.
Julia: And that's where we come back to it, that you say:"The disease is an opportunity." It's actually a chance for me to feel really well, to regain my strength, to have energy again, to be in a good mood and to live my life in a completely different way.
Peter data-contrast="auto">: Right. You said it. Life live. And not onlylivelive oroverlive. I just had a conversation with a lady yesterday. We realized that she wassurvivesthe day or sheliveslives it somehow. Shelives the day because there's just too much missing to live it joyfully. It's sad that this still happens nowadays and that doctorsdon'tfind a way around it,but say: "Take the hormones"and not: "Take the medication, that's important, but try tolook for alternatives. Have a look at nutritionists. Look into alternative practitioners who can work shoulder to shoulder with me here." That would be a dream.
JuliaYes, exactly. I think so too.Peter, that was super exciting. Why don't you tell me where my listeners can find you if they want to know more or if they even suspect thatthey might also Hashimoto'shave couldn.
Peter: The very first point of contact for those who can be found on Facebookis my Facebook group "Full of energy and ready to perform with Hashimoto's", or alternatively my homepage:https://www.petergehlmann.de
JuliaYou have also written a book.
Peter data-contrast="auto">: Yes, a small eBook called: "Leichter Leben - ist machbar: Change it with Hashimoto's"
Other than that, it's been more cookbooks so far. I've writtena cookbook for large families, because I'm now a father of eight. Of course, it's not always easy to cater to every taste. I have another book planned for next year. Abiggerbook about Hashimoto's. I'm currently researching and structuring it so that the book will be published next year. I'mvery confidentabout that.
JuliaGreat. And I'm sure people will be able to find it on your website.
Peter: Yes, when the time comes, you'll find it on the website and also on Facebook and Amazon.
Julia:Finally, is there anything else you'd like to share with my listeners or that we might not have mentioned yet?
Peter: I would like to tell every listener that it is important to take yourself first and not make the whole thing dependent on yourself, your neighbor, your partner, your family or even your environment.If you ask yourself the question: Who is the most important person to you? The answer should always be yourself. Only you have the power totake control of your body and your health and to tackle it. Personally, I can only advise everyone and wish everyone or for everyone not to make this dependent on their partner.
The challengewith Hashimoto's in particular is that both doctors and family members often tend to say: "Oh, that's all humbug.You're just imagining it." And: "That's nonsense. You're just too lazy to work."Orasmy GP said: "Blind actionism! I'll tell you if you're not feeling well." I just thought: "Iknow myself when I'm not feeling well. I need I don't need a doctor. I come to you to find out how I can get better."
Yes, well, that's what I wish for everyone: to take themselves seriously, to take time for themselves and, yes, not to focus so much on their surroundings when it comes to ... Hashimoto's is a disease. Hashimoto's does not develop in the head. Hashimoto's is a disease. And everyone should be aware of that.
Julia: Thank you very much for taking the time. See you soon.
Peter: Thank you for having me .
So, that was our interview! Isn't it great to see that we have so much power and that we can get our health back on track if we take responsibility for it?
I hope this story will encourage you, whether you have Hashimoto's yourself or a completely different disease, that diet and lifestyle are the key to regaining your strength and living your life! No matter what others around you say.
You have a right to be well, you just have to find the right way to get there. And there are people like Peter and me who can help you along the way.
Justcontact us if you need support!
The links to the episode are:
Facebookgroup ofPeter Gehlmann: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MitHashimotovollerEnergieundleistungsbereit/
Peter's book:"Living lighter - is doable: Change it withHashimoto's"
https://amzn.to/2QYaqCd
Now I encourage you to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode, and if you like what you hear, I really appreciate a review on iTunes or Apple Podcast. Because those reviews also help other people find the podcast so we can spread the knowledge about gut and health more.
Today I have Hashimoto's mentor PeterGehlmann as my guest.PeterGehlmann was originally a professional soldier and trained as aspecialist consultant for holistic health due to his Hashimoto's disease. Today, he supports people with Hashimoto's in finding away to feel well despite their condition.
In this podcastepisode, Peter tells his story. From the symptoms that eventually led to his diagnosis to his path to a life that has consciously brought him into harmony with the disease.
We talk about the following topics:
- that hypothyroidism and specifically Hashimoto's doesn't just affect women
- Peter's experiences from becoming aware of his symptoms to his diagnosis
- what Hashimoto's actually is and what the typical symptoms are
- how Peter changed his diet and what he was able to achieve with it
- what other holistic measures Peter finds helpful
- why he now sees Hashimoto's as an opportunity
Julia: I am very pleased to be able to meet dear PeterGehlmann as my guest today. You are very welcome. Nice to have you here and thank you for taking the time.
Peter: Nice to be able to join you. Hello, Julia.
Hashimoto's -not just a women's disease
Julia: Our topic today is Hashimoto thyroiditis. So fargoods all Hashimoto-patientsthat I have met have been women. Isn't this more of a women's disease?
Peter: It is more of a women's disease.It's quite rare for men to get it. I'm not quite surewhy that might be. Even in my Facebook group, it's mostly women.There areperhaps a handful or two of men, but I don't think theytakeitseriously enough: "I don't have time to deal with it yet, there are more important things first", probably.
Why does it mainly affect women ...? I suspect that it may have something to do with hormones, asthere is also a hormonal trigger. But it's predominantly women, yes.
Julia: Generally speaking, the thyroid is more of a women's issue, isn't it? I've also seen male clients of mine with poor thyroid values during an examination that I arranged with them, and then the doctor was completely perplexed. He would never have thought of checking a man's thyroid. When did you find out that you had this disease, or how did it come to be discovered in the first place?
The path to diagnosis
Peter: I found out in 2012.The whole problem actually started back in 2011. I didn't really take it seriously at the time. I was an active judoka and was always either in the heavyweight or lower weight class. So, I was either fighting over 100 kg or up to 100 kg. And at some point, I found it increasingly difficult to manage this balancing act - losing2kilograms or putting on 2kilograms.Because most of the time I just put on weight and it became increasingly difficult to lose it.
And on top of that, I started having "mild depressive episodes", as the doctors called them
In between, I became increasingly tired, not only at night but also during the day, falling asleepon the way to work. That was 30 minutes by car. I nodded off briefly, whether it was on the way to the office in the morning or on the way home in the afternoon. I was really struggling then.
The weight increased, the fullness increased. My wife said: "Look, we only went shopping for new pants two weeks ago. Don't you think that's enough now?"Especially as the pants weregettingbigger.It wasn 'tthat I needed new pants because I didn't like the other ones anymore. That was the first time I pondered a bit: what could be the reason?
The doctors then blamed it on the depressive episodes and prescribed meanti-depressants accordingly. I became heavier and heavier. I remained tired. So I never really got my energy levels under control.
I was in the army at the timeand it was like playing the lottery.There were three doctors in thislarge practice, and you couldn't always decide which doctor tosee. Only if you had a good relationship with the ladies or gentlemen at the registration desk could you say: "Look, I'd like to see this doctor or that doctor."
But by the time I found out, I had already seen several doctors and each one had a different idea. One of the olderdoctors then said: "Well, itdoesn't sound to me as ifyou needanti-depressants. Let's have a look at your thyroid." And then it actually went hop-hop: thyroid examined, ultrasound blood was taken again, and a week later I was in the Bundeswehr hospital in the internal medicine department. They did a lot of examinations there: I was turned inside out once and then sent off for the weekend with the words: "Congratulations, you have Hashimoto's. Take some hormones and then everything will be fine. Take the hormones and then everything will be fine." And that's how I got Hashimoto's.
What is Hashimoto's thyroiditis?
Julia: It's also good to finally have a diagnosis. Could you perhaps briefly explain for those listeners who don't know what Hashimoto's is?exactly what it is?
Peter: Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disease. The thyroid gland has become inflamed and-according to the definition of classical medicine-the bodyrejects this organ and starts to fightit becauseit emits substances towhich the body says: "Stop, stop. You don't belong here. Make sure you get out of here." And then there's a battle - body against organ - because the body then tries toreject this organ.The thyroid gland is important for many, many metabolic processes, for many, many processes in the body, in the immune system, and thereforeit is naturally a very important organ.
JuliaWould you saythatthe symptoms that you had beforeyou were diagnosed with are typical? Or to put it another way, how would someone recognize that he or she might have Hashimoto's?
Peter: I thinkmy symptoms are typical.You put on weight even though you haven't changed your diet.Inotherwords, despite the same diet, despite the samequantity,you gain weight. I was laughed at when I said: "Inexplicable weight gain." But that's actually the case. You can't explain it. However, it's not as if youwake uponemorning and have ten kilos more. It creeps on and takes forever to come off.
Then these depressive episodes, lack of drive, tiredness during the day.Even at times when you should actuallybe fit and awake, you are totally tired and depressed. Many of my clients report that they come home in the afternoon and want to lie down forfive minutes after work. Then they don't wake up again until dinner time,don't feel like getting up and cooking anything andthen just lie down and go back to sleep. This is a typical daily routine for people who have been hit reallyhard with Hashimoto's.
And what's more, although they can't sleep well during the day, they don't necessarily sleep deeply at night, so youcould say that they can at leastrecoverat night.No, they also have problems sleeping at night. Either they wake up at certain times and then can't fall asleep again, or they have problems falling asleep.
Julia: My podcast is mainly about the topic of bowels, and autoimmune diseases are closely linked to the gut because the immune system is also located in the gut. If you look back to the time before you were diagnosed, would you say you had any intestinal symptoms or none at all?
Peter: Well, at the time when the symptoms started, or when the Hashimoto's problembecame apparent, Imust have I didn'treallytake care of myself and my body. I ate pizza, I ate normal pasta, I ate and drank dairy products. I didn't take the holistic approach I do now. Now, after my training,whena lot of things fell from my eyes like scales , I say today: "For God'ssake! What have you done?"
Lookingback, I have to saythat there were phases when I really ... let's call it "strained" my digestion. Which she then showed me. But then I thought to myself: "Yes, my God. You went to the toilet a bit longer today and not everything was as it should be. Oh,it'llbe fine." I've only now realized what kind of shenanigans I've been up to with my body.
What can you do about Hashimoto's?
JuliaIf we go back in history: you have now been diagnosed. You were told"Youhave Hashimoto's, just take a few hormones and then it will sort itself out." What was your reaction to that?
Peter: Yes, the doctors are right. They are "the doctors".That was my reaction to it.
My wife then gave me a book as a present. She was more worried about it than I was. I thought the doctors would sort it out. After all, they studied for a long time.Afterall, they havethe knowledge. I also read this book,although mainly out of respect for my wife. I read it and put it to one side.
At some point my wife said: "Nothing will change about your condition. Don't you even want to see a nutritionist? Don't you want to see what you can do?"So I went to the nutritionist. Sheshowed me the infamous food pyramid and said: "This is how you're going to eat in future!"Then I said: "When Ilook at it like that, I'm eatingalmost like that."- "Well, then make a food log. Write down everything you eat for a week."
I did that and she almost fell off her chair because I ate quite a lot of eggs.She couldn 't understand that at all. "Because of the cholesterol, that's not possible, and for God's sake ...!" I had only written down about half of the eggs I had actually eaten. I mean, who makes a scrambled egg with two eggs?
And she also told me quite clearly that it's important not to eat so much fat.That it's important to reallystickto the food pyramid. That was the first time I thought about it for myself: If I continue to eat the way I've been doing so far, just less fat and more crèmefine rather than crème fraîche, and prefer minced poultry to minced beef... So how isanything supposed tochange? If I want something to change, then I also have to work on my diet. But she didn't go intothat at all. She just said: "Fat makes you fat. Make sure you don't eat too much of it"and that was it.
And that's when it started to work in my head forthe firsttime.I questioned more and more whether this was really the right thing to do. I started to change my diet bit by bit, but not really in depth.
That didn't happen until 2013, when I was in hospital after a serious knee operation and my bedside companion said to me: "If you have Hashimoto's and thyroid, then I recommend that you change your diet accordingly. adapt. Leave this out. Try adding this." And then I thought: "Well,you're justtalking.You eat your fruit and vegetables, I'll keepeating my sandwiches." But what hesaid didn't leave me in peace. When someone says: "You can change and improve so much with your diet", you start to think: why? The doctor says all the time: "Take hormones and that's good. Nothing else will help."
A holistic approach to dealing with Hashimoto's
ThenI really changed my diet with abig cut.I only ate salad in the evening. No more bread. I had already implemented the things that were really essential for me as far as my thyroid was concerned: no gluten, no sugar, no dairy products,no soy. I wasn 'tabig fan of soy before either. Butthis change has led to me losing around 30 kg.Of course,my weight was also a thorn in the side of the doctors."It' s importantfor your knee that you get out of this three-digit weight range." Isaid: "Three-digit weight range... if I lose weight, then I'm gone." But I'm still here. It worked.
Something else that was quite curiousfor meto realizewas this:I had a very, veryserious birch andgrass pollen allergy. Welived near Flensburgat the time. We had three or four birch trees around the house, andI was shredded by themeveryspring.Wemoved awayat some point. Not because of the birch trees, but because I had to change jobs.
After things got better, butaftera year without dairy products, the birch andgrass pollen allergy was gone. I no longer needed any anti-allergy medication. No more nose drops, no more eye drops, no more tablets - gone! And I put this down to the factthat Ihad eliminated dairy products from my diet. I only found outduring my training as a holistic health advisor that dairy productscan be the cause of thiscan be the cause.
JuliaYes. Milk, but also wheat.And how do you eat today? How would you describe it?
Peter:A typical Hashimoto's mentor day: I start with asmoothie. It's either asmoothie with fruit and a few nuts or a greensmoothie. For lunch, I havechicken with zucchini noodles, for example -with these 'zoodles', as they're called. Andin the eveningI have an omelette with vegetables and a bit of meat. That's a classic day.
Relativelyegg-heavy, I have to say. The participants who take part inmyprograms alwaysget a frightwhen it says in the first week: "Buy 50 eggs." For God'ssake! The recipes are always designed for 2-4 people,hence thelarge number of eggs. But of course that's scary at first.
Julia: Have you also tried the or not even necessarily oriented towards the so-called "autoimmune protocol"?
Peter: I haven't followed it at all. I haven't studied it so intensively that I could make a statement about it now.
Hashimoto's as an opportunity
JuliaWhat were the most important insights you have gained over the years about Hashimoto's or perhaps about chronic illnesses in connection with nutrition in general?
Peter: I can say for myself that a lot has changed,especially in the last year, in terms of my attitude to Hashimoto's and also to other chronic illnesses. I now see my Hashimoto's as an opportunity.
Someone may say: "For God's sake, he's completely crazy now.A 'chance'? You have to fight this disease! You have to fight it!"But I see it as an opportunity because fighting it is not actually possible. Anyone who has children will realize that: Themore pressureyouexert -"You have to do your homework!"- "You have to study now!" - the greater the counter-pressure. And I've noticed that for myself: The more pressure I put on my illness, on mythyroid, and the more Isayinternally:"Gosh, this has to get better"and "stupid illness" and "I don't like this anymore", the more negative mood, negative vibrations are also in my body.I now see the whole thing as an opportunity, as a chance to live more consciously. As a chance to be more aware of my body and say: "Hey, I'm not feeling so good today."
I then slow down. I sleep in longer. Because of all the children in the house,this might not always be possible, but I can also say: "I'm going to the office an hour later. I'll take it a bit easier today." I drive down a gear. And I also attribute this alittle to the fact that I say for myself: I now live more consciously.
I'm also more mindful of myself now. I do autogenic training. I do sport. I pay attention to exercise. I pay attention to my diet. And, as I said at the beginning, I didn't do that before. I used to eat what was on the table.
Some people might say: "Yes, we used to eat everything and there were no problems." But a lot of things have been bred out and are no longer as nutritious as the food we used to have available.
Stress also affects the thyroid
JuliaYes, and I think what really makes a huge difference is the stress that we simply have nowadays. Not just stress in the sense of "too much work", but also the environmental stress, the noise, all the toxins. We also we live in uncertain times. I think it's fair to say that.
There is more and more aggression, more and more crisesand I think that also has an influence. I am now convinced that stress has a huge impact, including on the gut and the way we absorb nutrients, for example.That is certainly a difference to 40 years ago or so.
Peter: Definitely! It has also become a faster-moving time and amore anonymous time thanks to the internet. Even though you're in Facebook groups and actually have the same topic and the same problems,how quickly do you get one between the ears if you just mention the name AnthonyWilliams, for example.This man is a red rag for many people. People don't question him much, they just say: "charlatan". But I have worked out my own opinion for myself, when I believe a doctor, or should believe a doctor.shouldwhosays: "TheTSH value is enough to determine whether you have Hashimoto's or whether you are well", d
Julia:De emotions run high very quickly, don't they?
Peter: It quickly gets to the point where themoderators have to intervene and say: "Stop, we'reclosingthe comment function here now." Fortunately, it's not like that in my group. The girls there are all quite relaxed, but there are other groups where you want to virtually put your head down and say: "Please, be nice to each other. We all have the same problem here."
Julia: How are you doing today? What about things like energy or depressive moods? Are you still taking any medication?
Peter: Well, I'm still taking L-thyroxine, but I' ve been able to reduce it considerablythanks to the change in diet. I take a lot of food supplements, for example vitamin D, K2 andmagnesium. One thing I haven't tried yet is omega-3, which I will tackle soon. I have the vitamin B complex and vitamin C. For sleep, when I realize I've had such a restless day and can't really get to sleep, I've foundAshwaghanda. It helpsvery well to calm me down abit, even during the day when I'm restless. When I realize it's a turbulent day, then I can cope well with theAshwaghanda during the day.
Changing my diet has made a big difference to me. Not only have I lost weight, but I also have a lot more energy. Of course, like many healthy people, I have days when the alarm clock rings in the morning and I say: "I don't really want to get up." But, hey, if healthy people have that,then as a Hashimoto's sufferer I can have a phase like that too.
Julia: What I really liked about what you said todaysaid is that you also have a holistic approach. Or that perhaps the illness has also shown you: Eit doesn't workonly about nutrition. It's also about lifestyle. It's also about stress reduction and things like that. And that's what I always tell my customers.When it comes to intestinal cleansing, it's not enough to just do asstion, you need the whole thing.
How important do you consider the topic of the gut for Hashimoto's patients?
Peter: This is key for me.Istart with peoplebychanging their diet to take some of the pressure off the gut. Then - depending on what kind of program we have worked out- we moveon to intestinal rehabilitation. The diet isthenalreadychanged. Then, in my opinion, it is not asmuch of astrain on the bodyas if you start both at the same time.
Iknow there are also other approaches thatsay we do the bowel cleansing first and change our diet at the same time or change our diet afterwards. I have realized for myself, also from my own experience,that it
Not a sacrifice, but a gain
JuliaYes.That's right.How is it now? Well, you said that you started with glutenand dairy products etc. Are you still doing that or is thereAexceptions?I am by my customersasked very often: "May thennever eat eat pasta again? Can I thennever drink drink a cappuccino again?" How do you see that?
Peter: Well,for mepersonally, I have to say that I think I' ve eaten pasta once since 2013.It was easy for me with pasta, although my favorite dish used to be spaghetti bolognese. But I simply replaced the pasta with sweetpotatoes.I throw the sweetpotatoesinto the pan and make Fried potatoes from it. All good.
Dairy products are occasionally added to the cake,when we bake one, butthat's relatively rare. Flour, gluten-free things, are alsovery,very rare. I make a few exceptions for myself. I started with a strict 30 days, completely cutting everything out of my diet.After that, I started to graduallysneakeverythingbackin, but I realizedthat it wasn't good for me.
When I sit at the breakfast table with my wife and daughters and say: "Hey, come on, we're not going to bake the rolls ourselves. Let's get them from the bakery." Then it's almost inevitable that I'llspend a while longer on the toilet after breakfast because my bowels will be ready to strike relatively quickly. I either eat with them or I make myself something else. Once you've let it out for a few days, your body will tell you relatively quickly whether it needs it or not.
To answer the question: I try to stick to it as strictly as possible, but I also allow myself an exception once in a while.
Julia:But you do it voluntarily, so to speak, because yousobetter that way.And I think that's also important.Once you've made the switch once,you realize: When I make an exception, I'm not feeling well.Then I have I have a headache, havee diarrhea, whatever. Then you can't really enjoy the day anymore.sst really enjoy the day.
This is not meant to be a compulsion, but it is usually the case that your body tells you this.When you want to feel good, you automatically don't eat it because you know exactly what you want.sswhat the consequences are.
Peter: Exactly.I also alwaysread: "Oh, but I can 't give up everything. What else can I eat?" If it goes down this route, then the main focus is on doing without and on "Imust no pasta."As a result, you are even hungrier for pasta and the whole thingslipsinto negative territory.Then it'sactually already doomed to failure.
So you can only appeal to the adult in us and say: "Hey, we're all adults. You decide for yourself whether you still want to take it."Many people notice justone or two weeks afterchanging their diet how well they feel andhow much more energy they have.
Ioncehada customer who said: "I didn't realize how bad I was feeling before! It's only now that I've realized how well I feel now. My parents were there over the holidays. We didn't stick to my diet plan.Gosh, Peter, I was feeling so bad. I wasn't even aware of that before." If you let your intuition playa little and listen to yourself and your body, you can't really do too much wrong.
Healthcare of the future - PeterGehlmann's vision
Julia: And that's where we come back to it, that you say:"The disease is an opportunity." It's actually a chance for me to feel really well, to regain my strength, to have energy again, to be in a good mood and to live my life in a completely different way.
Peter
JuliaYes, exactly. I think so too.Peter, that was super exciting. Why don't you tell me where my listeners can find you if they want to know more or if they even suspect thatthey might also Hashimoto'shave couldn.
Peter: The very first point of contact for those who can be found on Facebookis my Facebook group "Full of energy and ready to perform with Hashimoto's", or alternatively my homepage:https://www.petergehlmann.de
JuliaYou have also written a book.
Peter
Other than that, it's been more cookbooks so far. I've writtena cookbook for large families, because I'm now a father of eight. Of course, it's not always easy to cater to every taste. I have another book planned for next year. Abiggerbook about Hashimoto's. I'm currently researching and structuring it so that the book will be published next year. I'mvery confidentabout that.
JuliaGreat. And I'm sure people will be able to find it on your website.
Peter: Yes, when the time comes, you'll find it on the website and also on Facebook and Amazon.
Julia:Finally, is there anything else you'd like to share with my listeners or that we might not have mentioned yet?
Peter: I would like to tell every listener that it is important to take yourself first and not make the whole thing dependent on yourself, your neighbor, your partner, your family or even your environment.If you ask yourself the question: Who is the most important person to you? The answer should always be yourself. Only you have the power totake control of your body and your health and to tackle it. Personally, I can only advise everyone and wish everyone or for everyone not to make this dependent on their partner.
The challengewith Hashimoto's in particular is that both doctors and family members often tend to say: "Oh, that's all humbug.You're just imagining it." And: "That's nonsense. You're just too lazy to work."Orasmy GP said: "Blind actionism! I'll tell you if you're not feeling well." I just thought: "Iknow myself when I'm not feeling well. I need I don't need a doctor. I come to you to find out how I can get better."
Yes, well, that's what I wish for everyone: to take themselves seriously, to take time for themselves and, yes, not to focus so much on their surroundings when it comes to ... Hashimoto's is a disease. Hashimoto's does not develop in the head. Hashimoto's is a disease. And everyone should be aware of that.
Julia: Thank you very much for taking the time. See you soon.
Peter: Thank you for having me .
So, that was our interview! Isn't it great to see that we have so much power and that we can get our health back on track if we take responsibility for it?
I hope this story will encourage you, whether you have Hashimoto's yourself or a completely different disease, that diet and lifestyle are the key to regaining your strength and living your life! No matter what others around you say.
You have a right to be well, you just have to find the right way to get there. And there are people like Peter and me who can help you along the way.
Justcontact us if you need support!
The links to the episode are:
Facebookgroup ofPeter Gehlmann: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MitHashimotovollerEnergieundleistungsbereit/
Peter's book:"Living lighter - is doable: Change it withHashimoto's"
https://amzn.to/2QYaqCd
Now I encourage you to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode, and if you like what you hear, I really appreciate a review on iTunes or Apple Podcast. Because those reviews also help other people find the podcast so we can spread the knowledge about gut and health more.
