How Paleo Helped Jaudon Lose Weight, Improve Her Health, and Manage an Autoimmune Condition Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid gland, is a condition most often caused by viral or genetic issues. Although it is the most common form of hypothyroidism, affecting around 14 million people in the United States alone, it is also hard to ward off, with the immune system and the thyroid constantly under attack. For those who have Hashimoto’s, both the symptoms and the treatments can vary. Medications are usually prescribed, and constant oversight is needed for those who suffer from it. But as with most autoimmune conditions, there is significant research to show that many of the symptoms and the challenges begin in a common and easily addressable area of the body—the gut—and as such, can often be relieved with proper diet and care of the digestive system. Living with Hashimoto’s is complicated, so when Jaudon Barnett learned she had the condition, she was overwhelmed. Often tired and constantly drained of energy, she put off facing the disease as long as she could, and when her doctor mentioned that she needed to switch to a “clean” or Paleo diet, she avoided taking action—at least, at first.
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