1. Eliminate gluten from your diet: Gluten found in wheat causes inflammation which prevents thyroid hormones from working properly. Gluten also causes leaky gut which can lead to autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto’s disease, which results in progressive damage to the thyroid gland.

2. Eat organic: Non organic foods and especially genetically modified (GMO) foods contain high levels of chemical pesticides that are damaging to the thyroid gland. If you are trying to keep a budget check the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen to find out the most and least important foods to buy organic.

3. Switch to natural personal care products: Many soaps, shampoos, cosmetics, and skin care products contain toxic chemicals such a phthalates and parabens. These toxic synthetic estrogens referred to as xenoestrogens have been proven to disrupt the function hormones.

4. Meditate on a regular basis: Meditation helps to calm the mind and reduce stress. The stress hormones cortisol and DHEA that are produced in the adrenal glands also play an important role in the function of the thyroid.

5. Take a root cause approach: Most women with hypothyroidism get standard treatment with thyroid medication. This is only a band-aid and doesn't address the real reason why a person may have their condition. Personalized healthcare to address your unique needs is the key to really feeling like yourself again.

Dr Steve Hyjek is an advocate for taking charge of your health and his Functional Medicine approach to healthcare is helping people get rid of health conditions that conventional healthcare has accepted as lifelong diseases.

Is there a woman or man that hasn’t hoped to get rid of a health problem without the need for prescription drugs and surgery?

He states that, “Finding the root cause of my patient's problems is one of my highest priorities. Choosing the right tests is critical in terms of making this happen. This means not only knowing what factors might be causing a person’s problem, but also knowing which test is best for determining if there is problem.”

“It even comes down to knowing which lab company is best for testing for a particular problem. I've had many cases where a patient had a test done, the result was negative, and when I ran the test through the right laboratory… the result was positive!

“Finding the problem is the difference between getting no treatment (or even the wrong treatment) and getting the right treatment.” he states.

He explains that “an accurate diagnosis is critical to providing the right treatment and in most of my patients I find that they have many factors that causing their problem. Many people receiving treatment in the conventional medical model never get well because these underlying factors are never corrected.”

“What makes things more complicated is that by simply fixing one problem, it doesn’t always get the patient well. Imagine as if you have 5 nails stuck in your foot. Pulling out just one nail doesn’t necessarily make you feel a whole lot better. You need to pull them all out in order to feel better. That’s what it’s like with my patients. I need to help them resolve multiple layers of problems.”

“Many of my patients have complex issues such as autoimmune disease and I’ve had to become an expert in many things to get them well. I’ve had to master how to fix digestive conditions, balance hormone, detoxify chemicals and heavy metals, treat infections, heal injuries, restore nutritional deficiencies, and uncover hidden sources of inflammation in the body.” says Dr. Steve.

He states that “One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking they can ignore their symptoms or cover them us with medications. While treating a symptom might make you feel better temporarily, eventually the underlying problems will get worse. The only way to truly get healthy is to take care of your body and correct the problem that are causing you to be unhealthy.”

“Health has always been a huge part of my life.” says Dr. Steve. “I was an athlete and grew up reading nutrition magazines. I always knew I wanted to be doctor, because it meant that my job would be to help people live happier lives.“

Dr Steve is also a devoted husband to wife Heather and loving father to his daughter Harper and son Westin.

Dr Steve sees patients in Irvine, CA at The Functional Medicine Center in Orange County California and also consults with clients nationwide through Skype and phone consultations.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 949-424-3962 or click the link below to schedule online: