Epstein-Barr Virus or EBV is a herpes virus (Herpes 4) that is significantly connected to Hashimoto’s disease and many other autoimmune diseases. It is the most common infection I see in my patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Testing for Epstein-barr virus is fairly straightforward but treatment can take a long time.
Discovered in 1982 in those with gastritis and ulcers, Helicobacter pylori or “H. pylori” is one of the most common infections connected to Hashimoto’s disease and also Graves’ disease for that matter. Like Yersinia enterocolitica and Epstein-Barr Virus infections, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis can be triggered by H. pylori through a process called molecular mimicry which basically means that the infection looks similar to your thyroid tissue so the immune system attacks the infection and the thyroid gland.
One of my all-time favorite healthy foods is definitely sardines. This was certainly an acquired taste and I had to learn the hard way that some brands are absolutely disgusting and others taste great. The picture above shows the three brands of sardines I eat the most.
Why are sardines so great?
Sardines are nutritional powerhouses containing healthy omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, high-quality protein, potassium, calcium, phosphorous, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B12, folate, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B5, niacin, vitamin E, vitamin K, magnesium, choline, CoQ10, zinc and iron. They’re really stacked to the gills!
Sardines are also extremely low in mercury so you don’t have to worry about toxic metals like from other types of fish.
Sardines are perfect if you are following a ketogenic diet, paleo diet, low carb diet, modified vegetarian diet or just want to add a lot of nutrition to your diet. If you are following a ketogenic diet then go for the sardines packed in olive oil for extra fat.
In this interview I discuss the connection between infections and autoimmune disease which I call the Infection Connection.
That being said, let’s get on with it. Let me introduce our speaker for tonight. Dr. Nikolas Hedberg is a good friend of mine. I’ve known Nik for, I think somewhere around 10 years now, we both went to one of the same schools in our careers, not at the same time, but we, I guess, met at a, I think, an internal disorder conference in New Orleans, I think was the first time about 10 years ago. I’ve followed Nik’s work and his career and he’s done some outstanding work. Nik is a board certified Chiropractic Internist by the American Board of Chiropractic Internists, he received his bachelor training in Exercise Science from the University of Florida, received his Doctor of Chiropractic from the Texas Chiropractic College in Houston. He currently practices in Asheville, North Carolina and focuses on Lyme disease, thyroid disorders and autoimmune disease. He’s the author of the book “The Complete Thyroid Health and Diet Guide“, which is a comprehensive guide to diagnosing and treating thyroid disorders. He lectures at a lot of integrated medicine conferences, and he’s published in a lot of journals. He teaches Functional Medicine concepts through many forms including Functional Medicine Town, Professional Co-op, and with Hawthorn University. His particular interests lately is the role of stealth infections in chronic disease and in that effort to get this message out, he’s created a program called “The Infection Connection” and does some online training in these concepts, and he’ll tell you more about that as the night goes on. Little known to everyone in the professional world but known to me, Nik is an accomplished opera singer actually, so you’ll hear that when you hear him talk, you can hear that come through in his voice. Anyway, Nik thank you for being on. I know you’ve been on Clinical Rounds before and thanks for coming back and being a guest again.
