I receive a regular newsletter from an ex-pharmacist, Dr Isabella Wentz, who cured herself from Hashimoto’s disease with diet and lifestyle changes. Whether or not you have thyroid issues, this newsletter is worth reading for the attitude tips.
Hello-
I love the New Year! It’s an opportunity to start fresh and take charge of your own health!
January is also a symbolic month of anniversary celebrations for me.
In January of 2011 (crazy to think that was fourteen years ago!), I truly decided to take charge of my own health, and made a commitment to myself to overcome Hashimoto’s. This was the first year that I changed my diet and invested in functional medicine.
As a pharmacist, I was very skeptical about lifestyle changes and “natural” medicine. I didn’t know whether my attempts would pay off, but I decided that I should at least give it a try.
Strangely, a part of me put off changing my diet because I was afraid that the changes and effort wouldn’t work… then I would no longer have the fantasy of a “miracle cure.” For me, going gluten and dairy free was neither a fantasy nor a miracle cure. But it did help me feel so much better — it helped me get rid of carpal tunnel, bloating and acid reflux, AND reduced my thyroid antibodies!
Another part of me worried that I would put in a lot of effort and that the effort wouldn’t pay off, then I would have failed…
But even when a change didn’t produce a dramatic improvement (though most of the time I did improve with every change), I still learned something about my body and got new ideas of what to try.
Further tweaks to my lifestyle led to further improvements… I found that the Paleo diet, ketogenic diet, and Autoimmune Paleo diet modifications made a huge difference. If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.
I still remember sitting in my kitchen in the middle of winter in Chicago, when I first tried the ketogenic diet… I had previously been prone to winter blues during the harsh, dark Chicago winters, but all of a sudden I found myself feeling calm, happy, and even slightly euphoric!
I would be lying if I said that changing my diet and lifestyle was easy — it wasn’t! It took a lot of planning, support, accountability, and determination. Sometimes it was just about taking baby steps and making one small change at a time.
Two things that helped me move forward, especially when things felt challenging, were celebrating successes (even the tiny ones) and seeing mistakes as learning opportunities.
I also encourage you to reassure yourself that the changes are not a life sentence. It’s often easier to commit to something for a week, three weeks, or even a month, and then check in with yourself to determine if the change helped you!
After all, if you don’t see an improvement in your health or life following the changes, you will likely need to switch things up.
I know that change can feel uncertain and scary, but trust me, change can be quite liberating, and a huge opportunity for you to grow and become a better you — and in the process, truly get to know yourself!
Over the past few years, I’ve learned to tune into my body, and have also learned to adjust my nutrition based on my current needs.
Here are some things I now know about what my body wants, and when:
Winter is all about warming stews and meats.
Summer is a great time to use fresh produce in salads and smoothies.
When I’m working against deadlines or feeling stressed, I up my fat intake to balance my blood sugar, and my salt intake to support my adrenals.
When I’m traveling a lot (especially in airplanes), I drink plenty of chlorophyll-containing juices, and eat lots of green salads to help with detoxification and altitude changes.
My mission is to teach you how to tune into your own body and awaken your inner healer.
And to tell you a little secret, it starts with believing that you are worth it! Recovering my health wasn’t easy, but it was definitely worth it.
This January, I celebrate myself for making that important decision to take back my health 13 years ago.
Since that time, my health has transformed completely…
The chronic fatigue I had for almost a decade has resolved — I now have the energy to follow my passions!
My brain fog is gone — I can pursue my dreams and think clearly again.
My anxiety attacks, mood swings, and irritability have gone away.
My headaches are gone!
My joint pain and carpal tunnel are no more.
My gut is working really well — I no longer have GERD, IBS, constipation, or diarrhea!
My greasy scalp and dry hair that was falling out returned to its former glory — I now have a full head of shiny, bouncy hair that I only have to wash a few times a week!
My periods and hormones normalized — no more monthly breakouts, mood swings, irregular periods, or menstrual cramps!
I was able to conceive and have a beautiful baby boy naturally in my mid-30’s, despite signs and symptoms of premature ovarian failure in my 20’s.
The best thing about all of this is that I didn’t just “get” someone to heal me… I learned to heal myself. And I’ve been able to heal myself time and time again when I meet challenges along the way.
I want to give you the gift of learning how to heal yourself, too.
We will all face challenges, because none of us can live in a perfect bubble isolated from the rest of the world.
Since getting into remission in 2013, I’ve been exposed to infections, stress and toxins, and had new symptoms (and old symptoms) come up, like acne, carpal tunnel, body aches, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Each time I was able to tune into my body, and use the same strategies I want to teach you to bring myself back to balance.
The acne was due to copper toxicity (the place I moved into had high amounts of copper in the pipes), and I was able to clear it out using natural protocols that included high doses of zinc…
The carpal tunnel was due to a Pilates injury, overwork from trying to finish my Hashimoto’s Protocol book, and a B6 deficiency — B6 often gets depleted during times of stress, and taking it helped resolve the carpal tunnel.
The body aches were due to an overgrowth of Klebsiella in my gut. Had I not found it, I may have been at risk for developing Ankylosing Spondylitis, an autoimmune condition that causes arthritis in the spine, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis and even psoriasis. S. boulardii was one of the probiotics that helped me clear out this overgrowth.
The obsessive-compulsive symptoms resulted from an overgrowth of Streptococcus bacteria in my gut. Luckily, I knew that the herb berberine could help rebalance my gut! I sure am glad those symptoms are gone!
And because I learned to take charge of my own health, it wasn’t just my health that improved, but my entire life as well…
My self-confidence has flourished
My marriage has grown deeper and stronger
My relationships with my family members became better
I’m able to focus and create the life I want to live, and I’ve become the creator of my own destiny!
Another anniversary I love celebrating started in January 2015. During that New Year, I released the pilot version of my popular Hashimoto’s Self-Management Program to help individuals like you take back their health. The program teaches you how to understand your body’s messages (symptoms) and how to address them properly with root cause solutions!
Check out some of the phenomenal outcomes I’ve seen in this program:
97% improved their knowledge of Hashimoto’s
81% saw an improvement/resolution in depression
80% saw a reduction in stomach pain
75% saw a reduction in joint pain
74% saw an improvement in fatigue
73% saw a reduction in TSH
71% improved their acid reflux
…and much more!
I want you to have your own success story, so that when next January rolls around, we are celebrating together!
In honor of the 10th anniversary of my Hashimoto’s Self-Management Program (and the thousands of people who have taken back their health following the program!), I’ve made the program available at the lowest cost it’s ever been offered, and I would love for you to join me! You can learn the full details and sign up HERE.
This special offer is available until 11:59 pm PT on January 11th. Will you join me?
Wishing you all happiness and good health in the new year!