Dr. Izabella Wentz, Pharm.D., FASCP is a passionate, innovative and solution focused clinical pharmacist.
Fascinated by science and the impact of substances on the human body, Izabella decided to pursue a degree in pharmacy with a dream of one day finding a cure for a disease. An avid learner and goal-oriented student, she received the Doctor of Pharmacy Degree (PharmD) from the Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy at the age of 23.
She is trained in functional medicine, a Fellow of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, and holds certifications in Medication Therapy Management as well as Advanced Diabetes Care. In 2013, she received the Excellence in Innovation Award from the Illinois Pharmacists Association.
During her time as a consultant pharmacist, Dr. Wentz worked as part of an interdisciplinary team consulting on thousands of complicated patient cases, often caused by rare disorders. She was regarded as an expert in clinical pharmacology and would be called to investigate cause and effect by performing comprehensive medication therapy reviews to help identify and resolve adverse drug events. She quickly became well versed in finding and evaluating emerging research to help address her clients’ unique challenges. Although trained as a pharmacist, she was an ardent champion for lifestyle interventions, which often helped patients much more than any medications.
After moving to a new city, she was given the opportunity to lead a statewide medication safety initiative, transitioning to a career in medication safety and healthcare quality improvement. There, she developed an expertise about the whole systems approach, rapid tests of small change; outcomes tracking and root cause analysis.
After being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis in 2009, Dr. Wentz was surprised at the lack of knowledge about lifestyle interventions for Hashimoto’s, hypothyroidism, and autoimmune conditions. She decided to take on lifestyle interventions as a personal mission in an effort to help herself and others with Hashimoto’s.
After two years of researching Hashimoto’s and Hypothyroidism, she decided to combine emerging knowledge with her quality improvement expertise to run rapid tests of change on herself that led her to discover the root cause of her condition. She has summarized three years of research and two years of testing in her New York Times bestselling patient guide: Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause.
Dr. Wentz is dedicated to innovating and life changing treatment options for managing and reversing Hashimoto’s. She is a trustee for Thyroid Change and Hashimoto’s Awareness non-for-profits. She frequently speaks on the subject of Hashimoto’s to patients and clinicians alike, and is a co-founder of the Hashimoto’s Institute. She also acts as a functional medicine consultant for complicated Hashimoto’s cases.
www.thyroidpharmacist.com
My 10 year old daughter has Hashimotos (as well as vitiligo). Can a person at such a young age have leaky gut?
I would investigate gluten intolerance /sensitivity or even celiac as a root cause of
your daughter’s vitiglio and hashimotos. Both are connected to gluten. Listen to these
summits they give such great info. Listen to Dr. O’Bryan and Dr. Osborne’s and got to
their websites to get you started with correct information about gluten sensitivity.
Good health to your daughter!
Absolutely Sonia! Babies are born today with 100+ chemicals
found in the umbilical cord. Look at all the babies needing to be
on special formula for impaired digestion, and babies on the
autism spectrum. Look at all the babies already on the SAD Diet,
whether or not they are nursed (formula or the mother’s diet).
Look at all the chemicals and heavy metals that are put in the
extreme number of vaccines given. We live in a world of 80,000
chemicals and our food supply is made up of faux food. Yes,
babies today, younger and younger, have broken guts.
Thank you, Dr. Izabella, for sharing such a
thorough and balanced approach to thyroid
diseases. I just discovered after the blood test,
that most likely i have hypothyroid and your
session steared me in the right direction as i
am not a fan of medications to cover the
symptoms. Thanks again!
Very informative thank you so much.
Explains so much to me, now I know where to start and now I might start
getting some answers.
Here’s to better health.
Thank you Dr. Wentz for this informative session. I have so many of the
symptoms and issues you mentioned in your session. I wish I had known
all this back before 2005 when I finally had to give up working and go on
disability because of all of the health issues I have. Now at 63 I will be
using your informtation to begin to heal as much as possible. With a
poverty level income my insurance will not cover a functional medicine
physician. In fact, they cover less and less. This means I will be using your
book and website to help me know what to ask my PCP to do within the
framework of what my insurance will pay for. Thank you so much for
helping me to know the directions to take in finding answers.
Thanks, Dr Wentz for
the excellent
information. Although
I don’t have a thyroid
problem, the disease is
prevalent in my
immediate family. Now
I am more aware as
well as more educated.
Could you list the
different tests you
recommend on the
screen
This is the best of best information on this issue
And yes a leaky gut sounds possible too!
What is the Pituitary Suppression test you mentioned? Thanks!
Really helpful information and more clarity about our health issues, also
wonderful resources to access from all the wonderful summit participants
— this one, and others before that I have listened in on. It is so helpful to
really have more understanding about our bodies and why they struggle
so much. The Autoimmune subject is now much clearer — it used to
seem so mysterious as to what it really is. With all the wonderful
functional medicine practitioners I have been hearing, my knowledge has
grown a whole lot. Thank you to everyone involved in this and other
summits where I have met some of you before.
In my twenties I
traveled to South
America came
home developed
very bad acne and
was put on
roacutane. After
years of batteling
depresion I now
have a thyroid
goyter. Dr here
biopsied but
found no cancer.
Left it at that. Now
I find I have all
these symptoms
but don’t even
know if I an high
or low thyroid.
Also difficult
financially to get
medical help.
Thank you, Dr. Wentz, for a most thorough and positive presentation,
which will help those searching. I have Hashimoto’s, and went through the
horrible journey of getting to the truth which took five years of frustration;
doctor after doctor- most were condescending and rude. Depression,
weight gain, hair loss, extreme fatigue, emotional times, GI issues, high
antibodies, thyroid nodules, reflux, etc…you name it I had it. Finally an
Endo. with a good heart, listened to me as well as looking at my labs then
went a little further. I became my own advocate after this. I have had a
Functional med. doc. since who recently tested me for MTHFR which is
positive- and now it all makes sense! It has always been a struggle but
much better than 22 years ago. You are a positive influence, keep it up!
I am a lactovegetarian for religious reasons and have been
diagnosed with Hashimoto’s – what do I eat?
You are fabulous in the approach to
heal and get back to health. Had I
kinow all that I donow 12 years ago I
would never have gone on Diotroxin
which the Endocrinologist suggested I
had to go on because my Thyroyd did
not work as it should have. Well it
worked for a good few years and then
not at all anymore and I had to go
and find out what was really going on
with my body. I do have your book and
– boy oh boy what a wonderfully
packed full of information book this is!
Thank you for sharing your Journey
with us via your book and on the
social media – it is easy to
implement and then work with a
functional med. practitioner which I
have done and am very happy with!
P.S gone off gluten, sugar and all
things packaged only fresh and
organic produce going into my body.
My gut is heling so is the rest of my
body – what a difference than from
where I was 2 years ago.
Dr Wentz has been the most information filled presentation so far. Thank
you so much.
Great presentation, enjoyed it.
I am in the group with an Auto Immune diseases(RA & Hypothyroidism) and
benefited from going Gluten free, but, the new question seems to be, is it
gluten or Round Up? I feel after a few years of gluten free living, my leaky
gut is resolved, have considered eating bread in EU. (no GMO/Round Up
foods)
Thanks so much Dr. wentz very informative presentation , I have Hashimoto
and when taking T4 I get elevated blood sugar where is the problem is it in
the liver ? how can I adress this problem?
Thanks so much Dr. Wentz, very informative presentation ,I have
Hashimoto and when takinh T4 i get elevated blood sugar where is the
imbalance could it be the liver ? how can i adress this problem?
Thaks so much Dr. Wentz, very informative presentation i have Hashimoto
and when takinh t4 i get my blood sugar elevated ,where is the imbalance
how could i adress this issue.
Thank you for taking the time to research and share with us your knowledge
and experience so that we can become more equipt for the future.
I have been hypothyroid for 20+ years and taking synthroid to keep
my TSH, Free T3 & T4 in the normal ranges. My question is, can you
have hashimotos due to gluten but also be hypothyroid due to
nutrient deficiencies and iodine deficiency caused by chlorine and
fluoride in the water blocking iodine absorption? Also, does iodine
supplementation always aggravate hashimotos, even if you are
iodine deficient?
In the past 2 years I have changed my diet, eliminating processed
foods, drinking filtered water (no chlorine or fluoride) and reducing
sugar, lost 50 pounds in 18 months and my TSH responded very
well. It’s been below 0 for over a year and my synthroid has been
reduced 5 times from 200 mcg down to 112 mcg. I just had the
thyroid antibody tests ran for the first time a few months ago and
tested positive for TPO not TG. So I thought it was possible that I’m
gluten sensitive, even though I have no digestive disorder
symptoms. I lost 10 pounds immediately the first month of being
gluten-free.
I eat mostly free-range organic eggs, chicken, grass-fed beef and
organic fruits and vegetables, healthy fats like coconut oil, ghee,
olive oil, nut butters, avocados, hemp seed oil, coconut cream,
beans and nuts. I don’t eat table salt, only himalayan salt and so
I’m worried about being iodine deficient. It doesn’t seem like I get
much iodine from anything in my diet. If I supplement with a
couple drops of nascent iodine would that make the hashimotos
worse?
Dr. Izabella Wentz
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