Got Hashimoto's?

The above is an audio version of the exercise found below from Email #5 - Emotions:  Part Two. Enjoy!

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Hashimoto's - Email Series:

#1 - Gluten, Dairy, Diet.

Greetings Friends,

Yeah, we're gonna talk about diet today. Why? BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT.

(caps for emphasis, not shouting, I swear!)

When one has autoimmune disease diet is of utmost importance.  Because all autoimmune disease begins in the gut. And when it comes to Hashimoto's, the thyroid is just an innocent bystander.  

Heal the gut, and you are well on your way to calming inflammation and reducing elevated antibodies.

(more on antibodies tomorrow!)

DISCLAIMER: I am not a nutritionist nor am I a doctor.  The information in this email series is for educational/informational purposes only. Speak to your medical care team if you ever have any questions about your specific condition when it comes to dietary or med changes.

A brief explanation of what gluten does to our guts (intestines):

Specialized cells in the lining of our guts create little "trap doors" that, when opened, let properly digested food out of the gut and into our bloodstream.

The thing with gluten is that it contains a chemical that messes with this chemical signaling of these trap doors, and the trap doors can get stuck open.  This is called intestinal permeability or "leaky gut".

Now, in a perfectly normal, healthy person, the gut removes these faulty cells, all is right with the world and no one is the wiser!

However: when one has the makings of autoimmune disease (e.g. a genetic predisposition to disease and a trauma that "triggers" the disease), the body is stressed.  It may be fighting many, many fires. So, the gut may not heal as quickly.  Leaky gut continues.

And now we have full-blown autoimmune disease.  Good times!

If we continue eating gluten - and, for those of us with Hashi's, dairy (it acts like gluten in the body) - that leaky gut keeps on leakin'.  And it's not just gluten leaking out - it's whatever we eat.  It just can't get to where it's supposed to go because those trap doors are stuck open.

At this point, some people might have food intolerance testing done.  To which I say: Save your money! If you have all kinds of food leaking into your system, guess what? You may show a false sensitivity to all of those foods. 

But here's the thing:  Removing gluten and dairy 100% will help heal the gut. Some people see improvements in symptoms (not just gut related things like bloating or diarrhea - I never had those issues btw, my symptoms were always elsewhere - but things like brain fog, joint pain, skin issues, etc) within a few weeks of removing these foods from their diets.

Some take longer to see results.

Some don't see any noticeable results, but, just because you can't see it, don't think it's not helpful or working.  The science is there, and for those wanting to dive deeper, I'll attach a few resources below on this topic below.

Bottom line: 

• 70% of your immune system is in your gut.
• What's in the gut (the gut microbiome) affects neurotransmitters. 
• Thyroid hormones need a healthy gut for proper conversion.

Bottom-bottom line:  Gut health is so important - and even more so when it comes to autoimmune disease.  Removing gluten and dairy 100% is a great first step to healing the gut and managing Hashimoto's.

A warning:  If you are tracking your thyroid antibodies (TPO and Tg), you may notice a spike in these numbers after going gluten and dairy free.  This is normal.  Give yourself a good six months before looking at and comparing those antibody numbers, and, as always, speak to your doctor if you ever have any questions.

If you find those antibody numbers are still high, there may be other things afoot.  Embarking on an elimination diet like the AutoImmune Protocol (AIP) may be the next step for you. Some tips in the resources below on getting started with the AIP.

Speaking of antibodies, stay tuned! Tomorrow's email is all about labs, antibodies (and what that out-of-range number really means) and what tests to ask about when you next see your doctor.

But first: Take a moment to observe and notice what is coming up for you after reading all of the above. Notice especially where in your body you are feeling resistance - if anywhere.  Notice what emotions are coming up for you - if any.  As you consider the questions below, feel free to journal your answers and see what comes up for you.

• What are your thoughts and beliefs about gluten and dairy? 
  
  
• What emotions come up for you when you think about eliminating foods from your diet, if any?
  
  
• What part of your body, if any, do you feel this emotion?
  
  
• What happens when you pause and breathe into that body part?
  
  
• When others comment on your diet, what happens for you/in your body? Do you feel tense, angry, or aloof?
  
  
• What would you like to happen instead, if anything at all?
  
  
• What would you be willing to do to create some space for that to happen?
   
• What else needs to be shared or expressed here, if anything?
   
  

RESOURCES

• Video: Dr. Alessio Fasano lecture: "The Gut Is Not Like Las Vegas"
• Article/study: Eating Gluten Increases Need for Thyroid Hormones
• Video: Gluten and brain fog, mood,and other cognitive disorders
• Blog post: 20 Tips for Starting the AIP (Auto-Immune Protocol)

#2 - Thyroid labs, meds, and antibodies.

Let's talk thyroid labs, meds, and antibodies.  First, a disclaimer!

I am not a doctor nor do I play one on Netflix.  I do not read labs, suggest meds, or offer personalized medical advice.
These emails are strictly informational, educational, and, I hope, entertaining.
Please see your medical care professional for questions regarding your specific medical condition.

LABS:  GET A FULL THYROID PANEL.

Insurance may only pay for TSH and T4 labs. Unfortunately, this doesn't give a full picture of what's going on!

A full thyroid panel consists of:

Free T3
Free T4
TSH
Reverse T3
and
TPO and Tg antibodies (these indicate Hashimoto's, I personally don't get these tested every time I have labs, more on this in a minute).

Those free labs listed above are important because they measure the free (unbound) hormones in the body.  Total T3 or Total T4 (or just T4) measure both bound and unbound hormones - so these numbers aren't very helpful when it comes to dosing meds.

If your Free T3 lab is low, you may have fatigue, poor gut motility (having a bowel movement every 3-4 days instead of 1-3x per day), low body temps, hair shedding/hair loss, brain fog and memory issues, etc etc etc.

Thyroid hormone is needed by every single cell in your body, so, if there is not enough free/unbound hormone available to these cells at a moment's notice, it stands to reason that myriad symptoms and issues can result.

Most feel best with that Free T3 lab in the top part of their lab's range.  Not just "normal" or "in range".

Example:  Your lab's Free T3 range is 1-9.  Your lab comes back at 1 and your doctor says "it's in range, you're good to go!" - but you still feel like crap.

This is because more people feel best when that number is towards the top part of that range.  Here, 7-9 may be a better range than 1-9 for most people in this example.

NOTE:  Always go by symptoms AND labs.  If you feel great with a lab of 5 or 6, awesome!  If you feel your best with that lab just over range, great!  Work closely with your doctor on this, and remember, not everyone will even need thyroid hormone replacement meds.  Some find that as they heal the gut (see previous email) they absorb more and are able to reduce or get off of their meds.  This is not the goal, however - the goal is to become optimal, whether or not you take meds.

(As to the question "which med is best"? Well, this will be highly personal - your body chemistry may do well with one med and terrible with another.  Fillers used in the pills can also trigger symptoms for the more sensitive folks among us, so this might be a consideration.  I tried four different brand-name meds before switching to compounded meds - and they are fabulous, have few fillers, are time-release, and are highly customizable.)

If your doctor will not order these labs, you can always self-order; I've been doing this for years as I don't have traditional insurance and submit everything to my health share anyways.  My favorite lab is linked below, and as of November 2022, a full panel with antibodies is around $85.  Least expensive I have seen, ever!

Of course, you will still need a doctor to read your labs.  Finding a good doctor is paramount for us. In the resources below, I have a list of places to help you find a good doctor who understands proper testing, best practices for med dosing, and knows that autoimmune diseases can be very complicated. 

Also, know that "doctor dating" is a thing. Keep on "dating" until you find your match!  Find someone who not only understands autoimmune disease but someone who listens.  Yes, this is a lot of work, but we must be advocates for our own health - no one else will.  I invite you to check out my video interviews about this topic (also below under "resources").

Back to thyroid labs!

TSH is a PITUITARY HORMONE, NOT A THYROID HORMONE.

TSH is helpful for initial diagnosis, however, it's quite useless for dosing meds (that's where those Free labs come in). TSH may, in fact, become quite suppressed on T3-containing meds (Cytomel, Armour, Naturethroid, etc).

also good to note that TSH is a pituitary hormone, not a thyroid hormone. So if your TSH is still quite high when your Free labs are optimal, this may be indicative of a pituitary gland issue, not a thyroid gland issue. Not super common, but, it happens.

ANTIBODIES - HOW HIGH IS TOO HIGH?

Antibody counts, like all labs, go up and down all the time. Labs are a snapshot in time. One day they could be a little high than the previous day. This is normal.

Some people have elevated antibodies in the 10,000s. Some only have them in the 100s. The actual number doesn't matter that much. I repeat: The actual number doesn't matter.

Some people feel great with antibodies in the 10,000s. Some of those who have only 100 antibodies may feel absolutely horrible.

Why is this??

I like to compare antibodies to hand grenades.

Imagine, if you will, 10,000 hand grenades just laying around. They're not doing anything because the pin hasn't been pulled yet. *yawn* ho-hum. All is right with the world, it seems!

Now imagine 100 hand grenades - and the pins have all been pulled. Explosions and damage everywhere. Yikes!!!

So if you have "low" antibody counts but feel terrible, that may mean that those antibodies are actively destroying thyroid tissue.

If you have "high" antibody counts but feel great, that is a waiting game. Those antibodies are ready to ATTACK, but, the "pin hasn't been pulled yet".

So the actual number doesn't really matter. What does matter is:

You are taking action and preventative measures to ensure that that number comes down, regardless of the number and regardless of how you feel.

The first step is, guess what? Removing gluten and dairy. Fix that leaky gut (see previous email for more on this). And remember that when you first eliminate these foods from your diet, antibody counts may spike for a few months. This is normal.

Don't get attached to those numbers, but look at the bigger picture. This is why I don't bother testing them every time I get labs to make sure my thyroid meds are still in a good place. I invite you ask yourself: Over the past 5 years, have my antibody numbers slowly come down? If so, great! Keep doing what you're doing. If they are going up, time to dig deeper and speak to your doctor about the next steps to see what is driving those numbers up.

And if your doctor brushes you off or insists that you are "fine" - it's time to learn how to be an advocate for your health and find a doctor who will listen.

Some questions for reflection:

• What value or importance do you place on understanding your labs?  In what way does this affect your discussions with your doctor?
  
  
• What, if anything, would you like to change when it comes to better understanding your labs?
  
  
• What could you be doing better?
  
  
• What does this look like?

RESOURCES

Self-ordering labs: $85 thyroid panel through BLT (BLT = Blood Lab Testing, not the sandwich!)

Finding a good doctor: Resources to find a good doctor

Video interviews: Being an advocate for your own health

#3 - Community and Support.

Let's talk about an important part of healing:

Community, Connection, and Support.

There is something really beautiful about having a shared experience with others.  Think about the joy of a wedding, the excitement of a live concert.  You feel connected to people on another level.

This can also happen in the midst of chronic illness and when we are at our lowest. Knowing that others are going through the same thing that we are can be a glorious thing.  We regain our balance knowing that others are there to catch us if we fall, or at least sit with us while we rest.

We are once again able to flow through life with ease, knowing that we are not alone, and that others "get" us.

Having this ability to flow like a gentle river of clear spring water instead of wading around in circles in a mucky swamp is available to each and every one of us.

There was a time in my life when I stubbornly (or proudly, as I like to say) waded around in circles in stinky swamp water, refusing help from others.

This isn't to say you don't have the power within you to manage everything on your own. You might. But, when you're dealing with autoimmune disease, you may lose sight of that power.

Sometimes asking for help from others is the way back into that beautiful, clear, flow of life.

With that in mind, I need your help.

I am working on a special offer for my followers which involves community, connection, and support.  So my question to you is:

• If given a choice, would you prefer to experience group support or one-on-one support (with yours truly)? Groups give you that community, but, one-on-one support offers more individualized attention. 

Just reply to any email from me and let me know.  And stay tuned for that special offer which I will be announcing this week. 

#4 Emotions - Part One.

Time for Part 4 of our "How to Better Manage Your Hashimoto's" series. 

Let's talk about [deep breath] emotions.

Taking a deep breath can help with our emotions - but more on that tomorrow.  For now, let's just cut to the chase.

Emotions are not something that are appreciated in our culture (and by "our culture", I mean this fast-paced, always busy and doing, higher-faster-louder-stressed out world in which we live).

There is little time for emotions. Which is too bad.

It's extra-super-maxi too bad because when it comes to chronic illness and autoimmune disease, emotions come up. A LOT of them.  Anger, frustration, anxiety, fear, sadness, shame, and grief.

Are you clicking away now because of this topic? come on, emotions can be FUN! :D I invite you to stick with me here.

Seriously, the first two emails in this series (see above for those) I offered some tangible actions for you to consider (diet, meds, labs, etc). The physical aspect of healing is important. So are the spiritual, mental, and emotional aspects.

There is no one thing, no magic pill to "fix" what we are experiencing.  Autoimmune disease is freakin' complicated, like a million-piece puzzle in one color. With no edge pieces.

Emotions are an incredibly important part of this puzzle - they connect us to our symptoms, our bodies, our hearts, and help us make sense of it all.

Back to anger, frustration, anxiety, fear, sadness, shame, and grief:

We may be angry at our bodies for failing us.

Frustrated with our doctors or family for not understanding.

Overwhelmed by the amount of conflicting information that is out there.

Anxiety and fear surface as we start thinking that we will never be healthy again.

We may feel shame that we "did something wrong" in our past - and now we are sick as a result.

And there is so much sadness and grief that accompanies Hashimoto's:  Grief over energy lost, community and friends lost, foods that we loved to eat - all gone.  And again, our culture doesn't allow time for this type of grief.  Push ahead! Move forward!  You'll be fine!  Be strong! You can do it!!!

Cheerleading has its place (namely in football games).  And if emotions are swept aside and not acknowledged, they may take root and make our symptoms worse.

Emotions, ALL emotions, even the uncomfortable ones, have powerful, important messages.  When it comes to sadness and grief, it's usually there to tell us to slow down.  Which is really hard to do when the world around you is carrying on at light speed.

I used to push ahead and ignore every emotion that came my way.  Things got heavy and tight in me. It felt like I was carrying around all this overstuffed luggage and each piece weighed 49.99 lbs. I was afraid to set any of it down somewhere lest the suitcases burst open and spill all over and everyone sees all of my anger, hurt, confusion, and pain. I was afraid people would laugh at me or look at me like I had three heads.

(as a child of the 80s there was a time when the volume of my hair made it look like I indeed could have had 3 heads under all of that hair spray, but, I digress.)

One way that helped me deal with much of the grief I was experiencing was to hold a funeral for it.   I wrote about this in a blog post that I'll share below.  And tomorrow I'll share with you an exercise that has been helpful for me and many of my clients.  I look forward to sharing this tool with you, and in the meantime, some questions for reflection:

• What emotions do you experience when it comes to Hashimoto's - if any?
• When are you fully aware of your emotions?  When do you turn away from them?
  
• If you are able to be aware of your emotions, what messages do they have for you, if any?
  

RESOURCES:

Blog post: Funerals and Rituals

Another blog post: Shame and Guilt

One more blog post: Emotional Clogs

#5 Emotions - Part Two.

Time for Emotions Part 2! Today I'll be sharing a brief exercise with you that may be helpful for dealing with uncomfortable emotions.

It's called the "ABCs of Emotional Awareness".  And it goes a little something like this:

When you notice an emotion coming up, take a moment, and take a deep breath to become a little more present with yourself and this experience.

So you've noticed an emotion and now you're taking a moment.  This is the first step of the ABCs - awareness.

acknowledge that emotion's presence - instead of ignoring it.  Just be with it. It's there, you're here, and that's ok.  Are you still breathing? Good. Keep the energy gently flowing.

Notice where this emotion is in your body.  Are there any sensations that are arising?  Tightness in the gut, heat on the back of the neck, a closing of the throat, pressure behind the eyes? Do you want to yawn or stretch? Close your eyes?  Notice what your body is doing - just notice. No judgment here.  Just observing and noticing.

Now, if you can, befriend that emotion, sensation, and/or feeling.  This part can be hard. Take another deep breath and invite in space - not the emotion - just space. A sort of "common ground" if you will.

If befriending is too much, perhaps allowing that emotion to just be without pushing it away. This may be enough.

And finally, be curious.  What is this emotion telling me?  Why is it here?  What messages does it have for me, if any?

If you are open to it, consider having compassion for this emotion.  This one, like befriending, can be hard.  What does it look like to have compassion for that shame, fear, anger, and grief...?

Notice again what your body is doing.  Has anything shifted?  If so, what?  If not, that's perfectly fine as well.

At this point, it may be helpful to journal a few words about this experience - or to draw or doodle.  Activating the "creative sides" of our brains helps us process in a different way than using words does.

Experiment and play, and let me know what you think.

Sidebar:  While I mentioned using this for *uncomfortable* emotions, try this when you're feeling joy, happiness, pride, excitement, or other so-called "positive" emotions. It may be easier to tune in to the body and messages when you are in a "happy place".

As you train yourself to witness and observe and move through the ABCs in this "happy place", doing the same when uncomfortable emotions arise may be easier.

What are your thoughts on this?  On this exercise?

I have another exercise to help with emotions in Module 3 of my self-led course Reimagining Hashimoto's, so if the above was helpful, stay tuned!  I'll be telling more about this course this week and the special offer I mentioned earlier. 

#6:  Hashimoto's Myth: Fluff your aura?  Yeah not so much.

I wanted to share a common myth about Hashimoto's.

It stems from the idea that “all you have to do to heal from Hashimoto’s is” this. Or that. Or this and that.

For example, there may be some people who tell you that all you have to do is:

• Give up gluten.
• Follow the AIP for 30 days.
• Optimize your meds.
• Take this supplement or that supplement.
• Do affirmations.
• Get a red-light therapy thingy.
• Drink more water
• Do a sauna every other day.
• Exercise more.
• Exercise less.
• Get cranial-sacral treatment, acupuncture, breathwork, massage, reiki, biofield tuning, clean your chakras, fluff your aura, other "woo woo" things
• On second thought, take THIS supplement

To which I say:  Oy!  This is getting not only time-consuming but also expensive. Yikes.

Here's the hard truth: There is no one thing that will magically cause your Hashimoto's to be suddenly perfectly managed.

It can be a lot of work to get back to a functioning place. And more work to get to a place where you are thriving. But: It CAN be done!

The problem is, most of the suggestions above are focussed on the external. So many people tend to look outside of themselves for the answers, instead of turning inward.

Don't get me wrong, all of the healing modalities mentioned above (including all the "woo" ones) can be quite powerful - if you do the inner work as well.

My point is: When you put all of your faith and trust in other people - or other things in your environment - you are missing out on a huge part of healing.

Yes, I too succumbed to many of the more expensive healing modalities mentioned above.  I also have a whole “supplement graveyard” full of bottles and jars from that time when I was looking for a “magic pill” to make all of my symptoms go away.

[insert sound of money being flushed down the toilet... *here*]

I was pretty desperate.

But I was also just going through the motions and not *really* taking responsibility for my own healing. I lacked not only structure but real knowledge. I'm not talking about stuff you find on Google, but knowledge about my own body that I've lived in for my entire freaking life.

The chatter in my head was constantly taking over, as were the “helpful” suggestions of other people. I allowed them to guide me - not my own inner wisdom.

That inner wisdom can be overshadowed by unhelpful thoughts, limiting beliefs, and unhealthy patterns. It can disconnect us from our bodies.

There’s a reason why I include 6 guided meditations as part of my online course: If we don’t calm that chatter, we may never gain enough clarity to be able to tap into what our body is trying to tell us.

This is also why I include journaling prompts in every module of the course (and most of my emails to you!) as well.  These help you process information and see what thoughts, beliefs, and patterns rise to the surface. These prompts help you make the information your own. Not someone else's.

Getting to know yourself - I mean really know yourself - is so important to your healing.  This is no woo-woo myth.

This is a long-term strategy that wins time and time again - and carries over to every part of our lives.

TL;DR:  Healing can only be done by you, and there's a lot of power and control available to you, always.

Sometimes in the midst of feeling crappy and trying to figure out what to do, we forget that we hold this power.

Some questions to consider:

• When do you turn to others for help?
• When do you turn inward? To your thoughts, habits, patterns, beliefs, and your body's wisdom?
• What do you do when you find yourself in unhealthy patterns or habits? How do these affect your health, if at all?
  
• What is your long-term strategy regarding Hashimoto's? What systems do you currently have in place? (doctors, diets, lifestyle, support, etc)
• Are you needing more structure when it comes to how you manage your Hashi's?

Systems and structures are important. They help us regain faith and trust in ourselves and in our body’s own ability to heal.

Because when confidence is regained and balance is restored, we are free to fully live our lives again - no matter what is on our plate or what supplement we are taking.

If you are looking for some guidance and structure on your own healing journey, I invite you to check out the information page for my self-led course, Reimagining Hashimoto's.

But first:  step away from the supplement aisle!