I’ll admit I’m a little obsessed with my health. Not sure if that’s a problem, but it can definitely become overwhelming at times. I wasn’t always “mental” over my health. Of course, everything boiled over in my early 30’s when it finally came to my attention that something was up. Isn’t that always the case. You live life in the fast lane, or maybe even the slow lane; eat all the chips, tasty sweet treats you want; go to sleep at ridiculous hours; wake up with maybe a few hours sleep; and keep repeating all day, every day…until it hits you like a ton of bricks! You can barely function like a human anymore.

The Admission

At some point in all our lives, we have to face ourselves in the mirror and admit that things are not as perfect as social media can make it seem. About 5 years ago I hit a wall. I had three kids under 8. Activities weren’t even that chaotic yet, life had a somewhat easy rhythm. And yet, I was constantly exhausted. My fatigue was just the tip of the iceberg, as “they” say. I began to forget things, like where I was going half-way into driving somewhere. My eyebrows began to thin out, and never seemed to grow in like they usually would. My hair would clump out in the shower. And I STILL thought this was “normal” for a mom. Then the “real” symptoms began to show their ugly faces. Bumps started to appear on my upper arms, my menstrual cycle was painful and irregular, I became irritated at everything, I lost weight super fast, I started to get heart palpitations, and my sleep was horrible. Did I mention my eyes went blurry (like all of a sudden). Eventually I started having sharp shooting pain in my wrists and my appendages stayed freezing cold…like all the time. Sounds like fun, right?!!

After talking to my friend about all of the above complications, she told me about her naturopathic doctor. Now, keep in mind this was 4 years ago when natural care was still fresh and not very well respected in our society. After sitting on this idea for a few months, and realizing that these symptoms were not “normal” mom issues, I finally gained the courage to enter a world I had never stepped foot in before.

The Diagnosis-well kinda

I will admit, I felt really odd in my first consultation with my naturopath. She came into the room dressed in casual clothes, smiling, and the room itself smelt of lavender and eucalyptus. I mean, I thought I was dreaming. ”There is no way THIS is a doctor.” (I laugh now at what my initial thoughts were.) This Doctor changed my life drastically for the better. She talked with me for 45 minutes! I had never experienced that in a Doctors office. I will admit, the amount of questions were somewhat overwhelming, but getting to the root cause of my issues will never be discovered in a 5 minute “check up”. It took me this many years to screw my body up. If she needs to talk with me for 45 minutes, I’ll allow it.

After our discussion, she sent me to have quite a few labs done and scheduled me to return in two weeks. It was so nerve racking waiting to see my results. While I waited she had me begin a strict elimination diet. Man, that was so hard, but she gave me so many ideas and assistance (although, an integrative coach would have helped me out BIG time! haha). I was so new to the natural world, I didn’t know how to cook half the vegetables on the list that I was allowed to eat. I had to do so much research on where to get “grass fed” and “pasture raised” items. These were all new terms to me. But, she was patient as ever with me. Two weeks went by, and my results were in. My levels were so out of whack that all we could nail down was “autoimmune disease” and “thyroid disease”. Whether she had mentioned “hypo” or “hyper”, I couldn’t tell ya, I was so confused. She added in vitamin supplements to get all my levels back up to par, but even that was useless. (I discovered why later down the road, but stick with me…I was still learning at this point.) I began to feel so much better after the conclusion of my elimination diet, I decided to stay away from the trigger foods that made me feel lousy: gluten, dairy, and way too much sugar. Still wanting to find the answers to the true root cause, I began to do my own research.

Enter my Integrative Coach training, but since I have already shared that story…I walked into a functional doctor to dig a little deeper. Yup, more poking in the arm. But, thankfully, I finally got the answer. I had Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, Hypothyroidism, H. Pylori, way to many parasites and bacteria to list, and Candida Overgrowth. Like a domino affect, my body had one issue that led to another. and then showed up to the party like the ugly symptoms they were. This is where I discovered that my body was having a hard time absorb vitamins due to the fact that my stomach acid was so low, parasites and pathogens were breeding like crazy, and my liver was as confused as a newborn trying to use a spoon for the first time. In a nutshell my detox systems were in massive failure mode. So, what was I supposed to do?

Healing Time

The one thing I have found in common amongst my functional, naturopathic, and other guides on this journey is food. “Food is Medicine” is not just an adorable cute statement to throw out there and sound brilliant. It is truth. The first thing I did with each practitioner was eliminate all inflammatory foods. Then reset my body with the proper Vitamins MY BODY needed. (For me this step included H. Pylori treatment, Candida overgrowth protocol, and various herbs and vitamins.) Then reset my gut with proper probiotics and non harmful food that MY body could digest.

If you were to ask me 5 years ago, what should you do if you got a diagnosis of Thyroid Disease or Hashimoto’s, I would say, “You should probably get a prescription for that.” I didn’t know anything then of what I know now. Prescriptions and medications can help, but only as a very last resort. Food is the loudest answer you will get from me today, followed by practitioner guidance of supplements and detox if needed. I am currently on a very low dose of Armour Thyroid for only a couple of months. My goal, as well as my doctors, is to remove that prescription in the next month. I also will be following a Hashimoto’s protocol in the coming weeks as I wean off my prescription. That said, I finally dropped H. Pylori to adequate levels, eradicated my parasite and bacteria build up, and am currently winning the battle over Candida overgrowth, all through food and vitamins. So, yes, I needed a little help with Armour Thyroid, but with all the other discoveries my body was battling, I’ll take the little bit of help. Food has been my best medicine throughout this entire journey to feeling better. It is definitely not the easiest route to take, but it is the most effective, and least invasive one.

What Next

I am still pushing myself to put my Hashimoto’s diagnosis in remission. At times, it is so so hard. I live in a house with 3 kids and an endurance athlete for a husband. I am the person that provides the food. They eat different foods that I can’t eat. And yet, I need to nourish them as well. I have learned how to adapt recipes, make one pot meals that everyone will enjoy, and even taught my own kids how to prepare their own food so I am not tempted. But, it is still hard. The one thing that keeps me motivated is love. As corny as it sounds, I love my family and I want to not just be around for them, but to be active with them, for a very long time. I also love food, and having gone through everything I have gone through, I found an even deeper love of food I would have never discovered if I didn’t have to be more creative and adaptive with my food.

I encourage you to dig a little deeper when you get that initial diagnosis. Don’t just accept the diagnosis and move on. Research if there is alternative treatments and therapies. Even if you never get a diagnosis, research living a healthy life in preventing harsh diagnosis. It is great being alive, but it’s even better when you are able to truly enjoy being alive with a properly functioning body and mind.

If you need information about tests and labs to discuss with your doctor, read my previous blog, “Thyroid Health”. I break down the importance of your Thyroid, how to keep it healthy, and how to work with your doctor when diagnosed with disease.