I was recently interviewed by The Natural Nurse - Dr. Ellen Kamhi discussing Hashimoto's disease and hypothyroidism on the Progressive Radio Network. This was one of my favorite interviews and I really enjoyed talking to Dr. Kamhi.
Here is a list of the topics we discussed during the interview:
What got you started in working with patients who have thyroid disorders?
Why do so many people suffer from a thyroid problem?
What are the most common causes of thyroid disorders?
What tests should patients ask for from their doctors to uncover the underlying causes of their thyroid problem?
There are many types of thyroid medication, what are the best choices available today?
Is iodine a safe and effective supplement for those with Hashimoto’s or hypothyroidism?
When is a gluten-free diet the best option for someone with a thyroid problem?
Can you tell us why vitamin D may not be the best option?
If you have an underlying infection that is driving your Hashimoto’s disease, what are the best treatment options?
What is the best diet for someone with a thyroid disorder?
Do people need to worry about goitrogens in foods?
Please tell us more about leaky gut syndrome and some strategies to heal the digestive system.
How does hormone replacement affect thyroid function?
How does stress and the adrenal glands affect thyroid function?
What are some of the most effective supplements for someone with Hashimoto’s disease?
Dr. Kamhi: And welcome. Thank you so much for joining us right here on the Natural Nurse and Dr. Z. We're so happy to be with you. And one of the things that's very exciting to me is to take a look at the podcast archives that we have here on Progressive Radio Network. And we have, just for the Natural Nurse and Dr. Z, well over 100,000 of you that are downloading and listening to the archives. We're really excited to be able to share this information with you.
Dr. Zampieron and I have been operating in terms of natural medicine, myself since 1964 and Dr. Zampieron is a little whippersnapper from around 1980. Not that he's little. We don't call him Eugene for nothing. Dr. Z is a big, big guy. And you can see photos of us by visiting our various websites. You can always go to naturalnurse.com and Dr. Z's website, drznaturally.com. And of course find us on Facebook at facebook/thenaturalnurse.
Today we're very happy to have as our guest Dr. Nikolas Hedberg. Dr. Hedberg is a board certified naturopathic physician, chiropractic physician, and is board certified in nutrition by the American Clinical Board of Nutrition. He is the founder of the Immune Restoration Center in beautiful Asheville, North Carolina, just an absolutely lovely place, I love it there, where he helps patients worldwide, not only in his local area, with thyroid disorders, immune disease, and chronic illness. His focus is a telemedicine practice, and he's able to help patients regardless of their location.
Dr. Hedberg is a regular speaker at integrated medical conferences, author, and practitioner of all types. And other practitioners also consult with him on their most difficult cases.
Dr. Hedberg has several books. One is The Thyroid Alternative and a brand-new book that is going to be coming out this year, called The Complete Thyroid Health and Diet Guide. So thank you so much for being our guest today, Dr. Hedberg.
Dr. Hedberg: Thank you for having me, Dr. Kamhi.
Dr. Kamhi: Now during our show may I call you Nick or Dr. Nick?
Dr. Hedberg: Yeah, Nick is fine.
Dr. Kamhi: That's great. So I'm going to go back in time a little bit. Let's take you back many years to yourself as a child. And when did you start to sort of get an inkling that you felt drawn to natural medicine?
Dr. Hedberg: Well, actually I was watching Little House on the Prairie when I was about five years old. And for those of you who have seen the show, there's sort of a town physician, Dr. Baker, on that show, and Dr. Baker took care of everybody in the town. He was the only doctor there. And when I was kid I thought this is something that I really want to do. I want to help people to the best of my ability who are sick and help them from when they're a child, and when they grow up, and as they get older. And just even when I was a kid I was reading books about vitamins, and minerals, and nutrition.
Dr. Kamhi: When you were a kid? Wait. Let's stop there. When you were a child you were actually reading books about those things? I was too, but it's not the normal thing that children do.
Dr. Hedberg: The first book report that I ever had to do when I was a little kid, I read a book called The Vitamin Book.
Dr. Kamhi: Was that by Earl Mindell?
Dr. Hedberg: You know, I don't even remember. I mean, it was so long ago.
Dr. Kamhi: Um-hum.
Dr. Hedberg: But yeah, so even as a young child I was interested in these things from the beginning. And then I started bodybuilding as a kid too, lifting weights, and reading books about nutrition and exercise, and also experimenting with some natural medicines, even when I was a kid.
Dr. Kamhi: Well, isn't that really a fantastic story? And the fact that we have to wonder where is that coming through? It's almost like a cosmic consciousness that's coming into you. And then there is a word called dharmic path, which is an Eastern philosophical concept, which talks about the fact that people do have their place in terms of what their life's work is. And to be able to actually manifest that as you have, and having that interest so early on, I imagine is very fulfilling.
Dr. Hedberg: Very fulfilling because you sort of know your direction from the time you're a child. And then you know exactly what path you need to take. And then it was just a matter of focusing on that path, buckling down, and working as hard as possible.
Dr. Kamhi: And that's where the work comes in. I was speaking to Dr. Michael Murray recently, who I'm sure you're familiar with. And I'm a real fan of his for many years. And Dr. Murray calls that, "Well, you have the vision and then you need the grit." I mean, no one says that you're going to get very far in life regardless of what your ambitions are without really putting the work in. Getting the number of degrees you have, being a naturopathic physician, and a chiropractic physician, and a nutritionist, that doesn't just happen. That happens through focus and work.
So then, well, let's continue on your path. So then you went and got all these educational, which I'm sure has never ended. I'm sure you continue to do education as well.
Dr. Hedberg: Yes, yes. Always continuing to read and stay up on the latest research. Reading books, reading peer-reviewed medical journals, attending conferences. You're right. The process just never ends.
Dr. Kamhi: Are you originally from Asheville or is that a place that you more recently relocated to?
Dr. Hedberg: I'm originally from Western New York, a place called Chautauqua, which is close to Lake Erie. And then I moved to Asheville to start my practice many years ago.
Dr. Kamhi: They almost have a similar vibe though, to me. That Upstate New York area is not like New York City. It's quite rural in its energy.
Dr. Hedberg: Yes, yes. Exactly.
Dr. Kamhi: So when you moved to Asheville then you started this practice, which really has an integrated focus right from the beginning.
Dr. Hedberg: Yes. Right from the beginning. Started some advanced training, as soon as I graduated, in functional medicine. Did a lot of things at first. Did nutrition and acupuncture, functional medicine, some chiropractic. I was doing a lot of things. And then over the years it's just become very, very focused on functional medicine and nutrition, and mainly focusing on that, thyroid disorders, autoimmune disease. A lot of people with chronic immune system imbalances that just really haven't found answers by not only conventional medicine but also alternative medicine as well.
Dr. Kamhi: That's true. And although the name of Dr. Zampieron and our organization is called Natural Alternative Health Education and Multimedia Services, we made up that name years ago and I guess I am less happy with the word alternative these days. The reason for that is I think the kind of interventions you are focusing on in your center and in your books, such as The Thyroid Alternative, really shouldn't actually be the alternative. It should be the first intervention considered because that is actually good medicine according to the latest research.
Dr. Hedberg: That's exactly right. And I've always been a big believer in combining the best of conventional medicine and so-called alternative medicine. And there are a lot of alternative practitioners and followers of alternative medicine who are very, very critical, very, very hard on conventional medicine and I'm really not that way at all. I think that they've made great strides in science. And a lot of what we draw from in so-called alternative medicine, especially these days, comes from the conventional medical literature. So I think the best really comes in combining the two and it's just a matter of educating both sides, and I think that creates the best outcomes for the patients.
Dr. Kamhi: Exactly. And that is patient-centered care. Rather than feeling like you have to follow one particular strain, if you do like you do, your homework and your research, there's no reason why these things can't be used together, and yourself as a practitioner will prioritize that. But unfortunately it seems in conventional medicine there is even more bias against natural therapies.
Dr. Hedberg: Yes. Definitely a lot of bias. And a lot of that just comes from a lack of education. Your average physician has gone through a significant amount of training. And then residency is obviously going to be heavily focused on the conventional model.
