The Spiritual Side of Hashimoto's

I sat in front of the doctor in tears.  "I don't understand.  How did I get this disease?  I really can't handle anything else wrong with my body."  In addition to this new Hashimoto's diagnosis, I had been recovering from serious physical injuries to my body from an auto accident with a semi-truck.  I really didn't think I could handle any more bad news.  We had just finished a long legal battle with the truck company to pay for my medical bills.  Within a three month span, my dear grandmother had past as well as two of my friends (way too young.)  I was under enormous pressure and in the thick of deep sadness.  Now this.

My caring doctor looked at me and explained all the medical reasons as to why I had gotten this disease.  "But," he said, "there is a spiritual component as well."  What he went on to explain made perfect sense to me.  The thyroid is a small butterfly shaped organ located in your throat, your 5th chakra.  The 5th chakra is linked to your ability to communicate and be heard.  It is also correlated to faith and understanding. I had been through a 5-year long legal battle with this truck company.  Had my voice been heard?  No.  Did I have to squash so many negative and angry feelings just to survive this period? Yes.  Was I in a period of faith and understanding?  NO.  I had just lost two people in my life, who were under the age of 40, for reasons I couldn't comprehend.  I had little faith or understanding of why they had to leave this world.

What the doctor was saying struck a chord deep in my soul.  He explained that when you don't communicate your feelings, when you squash what's inside, your body reacts in ways to make you notice and put you back in balance.  When you have Hashimoto's/Autoimmune thryroiditis, your body is literally attacking itself.  You are attacking your thyroid, the seat of communication. My body was literally crying out, "Pay attention to your voice. Be heard.  It's time to speak."

When I thought back, I hadn't been myself for years. Once a brazen, loud-mouthed, jovial type who sang and laughed often, I found myself turned inward, never speaking my true thoughts. I always had a knot in my throat.  I often kept my mouth shut when I really had so much to say.   The doctor said, "You really have to find your voice again. This is the way you're going to heal."  

For the next couple of posts, I'm going to share with you the techniques I've learned to better communicate with myself and with others.  Do you believe there is a spiritual component to thyroid disease?  What are your thoughts?  Join the discussion!

Book Review: Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms?

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention this excellent resource to our readers.  It was an absolute blessing that I came by the book, "Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms?" by Datis Kharrazian.  In his book, Dr. Kharrazian describes in great detail how one comes to have thyroid challenges, the different types of thyroid issues there are and the complications that arise system-wide from these issues.  In addition, he addresses thyroid issues in men and women and the many different methods for treatment.  I wish I had found this book sooner.  It really explains in layman's terms what is going on with the body.  After reading this book, I was able to have a more educated discussion with my doctors and healers and was armed with the questions that need to be asked.

What books or websites have you found helpful in managing your thyroid symptoms?  Please join the discussion!

Meditation Only Takes A Moment

We've all heard how great meditation can be for the mind and body but man, is it hard!  I've been an unsuccessful meditator for over a decade now but lately, I've been reinvigorated with my practice.  For one, it is especially important for Hashimoto's sufferers to manage stress and soothe the nervous system.  Secondly, a quiet mind ain't a bad thing.  But thirdly, and most importantly, it works!  Science is showing in study after study the true benefits of meditation - how it helps heal, how it re-circuits the mind and body and how it helps stave off memory loss to keep us thriving.  There is a terrific amount of information on the science of meditation in the March 2012 issue of Shambhala Sun.

I know that finding time for meditating and "succeeding" at it can be overwhelming.  Here are a few tips for us harried people:

•   If you can't find time to meditate early in the morning or before bed, try arriving to work 15 minutes early and meditate in your car.  Although it doesn't sound ideal at first, it gets really easy with practice.  Set the timer on your phone.  Just close your eyes and focus on your breath.    Breathe in and breathe out for 15 minutes.  If your mind wanders, come back to the breath.  It really works and puts you in a great place before getting into the office.  Give it a try!
• Attend a guided meditation class.  We're lucky that in Los Angeles there are several of these classes and they are free!  My favorites are at the Lakeshrine Temple and the Siddha Yoga Center.  If you don't live in L.A., you can find these classes almost anywhere - the YMCA, church, or as an extension class at your local college/university.  Just Google it!
• Join the Chopra Center's 21-day Meditation Challenge series.  It's easy - you register for the class (it's free) and they email you a link every day to a recording of a guided meditation class. The Chopra Center does these challenges quarterly.  I just get up a few minutes early, plug in my headphones and start my day with their meditation.  They last between 10 and 20 minutes.  Easy peasy.

Meditation can be done by anyone.  It's not a religious practice but a personal and often times spiritual one.  And remember, mediation is a PRACTICE and it takes just that to get comfortable with it.  Do you meditate?  What's your favorite method?  What challenges do you face when meditating.  Join in the discussion!

Volleyball Blues

Today, I feel like a volleyball being spiked back and forth between hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism.  I couldn't sleep at all last night and woke up with a racing heart, nervousness and all the "fun" symptoms that come along with hyperthyroidism.  By the time my breakfast was made, I felt incredibly sluggish, my head was foggy and it felt like I had gained 10 lbs in that last hour.

I made myself some ginger tea and took a few minutes to meditate.  It seemed to help reset the situation.

How do you cope with volleying back and forth between hyper- and hypo-thyroidism?  Any remedies you've found successful? Please share!

Beginning My Journey

My adventure with Hashimoto's began almost a year ago when I was finally, successfully diagnosed by Dr. Sadeghi at Behive of Healing.  After years of communicating symptoms with several different doctors, I finally found one who truly listened and went beyond the standard blood tests (see previous post on Why I Started This Blog.)  He actually did a full thyroid panel and tested my TSH and TPO antibody levels. Finally, I had a diagnosis and the healing could begin!

One of the first suggestions that Dr. Sadeghi made was to read, The Autoimmune Epidemic so that I could understand the disease. Honestly, I found the book frightening  and stressful to read but it did outline all the different forces that come together to create Hashimoto's in the body.  For that reason, it is a valuable resource I can recommend.

What I learned from the book was that there are many forms of toxicity that create an autoimmune response.  A lot of this toxicity comes from the environment.  One thing the book suggests we check are our heavy metal levels.  I had mine checked and my levels for mercury and lead were off the charts.  So, the first part of my healing plan was to address the heavy metal toxicity.

Have you had your heavy metal levels checked?  What types of treatments were presented to you to get rid of the toxins?

Why I Started This Blog

A few years ago, I began having what seem to be an all-systems breakdown of my body.  My body temperature seemed all over the place.  I was having allergic reactions to all sorts of food.  I was sleeping too much and then too little; always exhausted.  My hair was falling out.  My skin was really dry.  The list went on and on.  I began describing the litany of symptoms to my doctors.  As I was going through a particularly stressful time in my life, each doctor said these symptoms were due to stress or being a new mother.   After insisting something wasn't right, the doctors ran some standard blood tests.  NORMAL.  Then, I wound up in the hospital after a 24 hour digestive attack, not once but twice! More blood tests ensued.  Nothing, blood work was NORMAL.  Ultrasounds were performed.  NORMAL.  But I didn't feel normal and I'm not one for spending my days in doctors' offices and hospitals.  I didn't even birth my child in a hospital.  I had a natural home birth and now I'm begging my husband to call an ambulance during each of these digestive attacks.  I was scared.  I didn't know what to do.  I hoped that this all was due to stress knowing that this stressful period in our lives was about to end.  So I waited and worked on managing stress.  Nothing.  No change. I still felt terrible.  "Oh well," I thought.  This must be what motherhood feels like.

Then a miracle happened.  We were visiting a new integrative doctor for my son and he took one look at me and said, "What's going on with you?" I had never met him before but he saw right away my suffering. I broke down in tears and described my symptoms to him and he said," I know what this is but let's give you a blood test to prove it".  Sure enough, he knew what it was.  I had Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.  What a relief - we finally knew what was going on and it had a name!  Now, what were we going to do about it?

I learned very quickly that the standard medical community believes there is no cure for Hashimoto's.  The belief is that one will be on medication for life or have to have the thyroid removed.  This is the reason most doctors don't perform the full thyroid panel in the blood test.  Regardless of the outcome, the treatment method is the same.  Life-long medication.

Luckily, my new doctor, Dr. Sadeghi, had a different take.  There was hope.  My body could heal itself and he would help guide me on this path. I wasn't alone.  I wasn't crazy. I WAS going to get better.

This blog is about my journey to healing myself of Hashimoto's in a gentle, natural way.  It is a forum for the exchange of helpful ideas for those dealing with Hashimoto's.  It is not only my story.  I want to hear from you and what you've had success with and what your challenges have been.

We are not alone.  We are not crazy.  And, we now have a support group for additional methods of healing ourselves from Hashimoto's.  Thank you for being a part of my healing!