Because I am going to chronicle my thyroid journey ongoing for you guys, I should make sure I date each section and edition…

3 July 2021

Thyroid and health – these two things go hand in hand with each other!!
 
I have had a battle with my thyroid for the past 30 years! It has been underactive, overactive, Graves disease, obliterated with a radioactive iodine treatment, and then back to underactive…
 
This has affected my health in so many ways. Over the years I have felt so extremely lethargic and tired. I have been overweight and underweight (both of which have come with health issues). My hair is super thin, my eyebrows are even thinner. Brittle nails, dry and oily skin, inflammation in the body, resulting in muscle aches and stiffness, constipation, super sensitive to cold, menstrual issues… and did I mention fatigue!
 
But did it have to be this way? Did I have to go through all of this? Could I have changed things in my lifestyle to fix issues before they arose?
 
Who knows really? We can’t go back in time, but what I do know (if I could go back in time), knowing all the things I know now – about environmental toxins (both in and around our house), processed food, exercise, mindset, and self-care, I would change so many things and make very different decisions.
  1. The first thing I would do is find an integrative general practitioner who was willing to treat the root cause and teach me ways to improve my health on a deeper level than just prescribe me pharmaceuticals.
  2. I would research for myself! I would read more about hormones. I would listen to podcasts from various health professionals outside the ‘mainstream’, like holistic nutritionists, naturopaths, osteopaths, and/or chiropractors.
  3. I would respect my body and treat it better. I would fuel it with organic food as a form of medicine. I would start an anti-inflammatory diet asap. Not one doctor during the past 30 years ever spoke to me about diet – NOT ONE!
  4. I would learn how to use essential oils to lower the environmental toxins around my house. This is massive! Artificially fragranced items are highly toxic to our bodies, our hormones and our thyroid – think perfume, body wash, hair care, deodorants, washing powder – anything fragranced!
  5. I would take supplements without any hesitation. I would use plant medicines (aka essential oils) with support from my GP.
 
Had I done all those things, had I lived pro-active in my health, had I chosen a different path 30 years ago, would I still be where I am now? I don’t think I would be!
 
So my question to you is – what are you waiting for? You have the tools, you have the information, we are here to help guide you through removing additives from your food and toxins from your house… so let us help!
 
We are not saying it will solve everything, but it is a step in the right direction and it can’t hurt anything. I know, without any hesitation, that if I was still living the way I did before, I would be sicker than I am right now. In fact, I had a health professional tell me that recently – the only thing keeping me going was because of the lifestyle I now live.
So again, let us help. There are three things you can do today (not in any particular order)
1. Register for Additive-Free Made Easy (this course is only available a few times a year, so register your interest and join the next round).
2. Join Gluten-Free Made Easy for instant access to start reducing your gluten intake immediately.

3. The 3rd thing is to lower your toxic load around the house with DIY Made Easy (this is the quickest and easiest thing you will do to reduce your toxic load and the stress on your adrenal glands)

Start making changes for the future you, today!

Much love,
Tracey x

Update #2

Thyroid journey continued…

12 July 2021

I had a follow-up appointment at my doctor’s on Tuesday 6 July 2021 to discuss just how my thyroid was going.
I have been taking the Thyroid supplements for around a month now, I am still on zero prescription medications, I have been following my own protocol (for the most part) as detailed above, and I am happy to report… I am feeling a LOT better!
One thing that came up in my appointment was adrenal stress. He was very concerned that I am putting a lot of stress on my adrenals which is restricting my thyroid’s ability to improve.
What do our adrenals do?
Our adrenals produce adrenaline and manage our fight or flight response, they are also responsible for producing hormones that help to regulate blood pressure, blood sugar, immune response, digestion, and more.  Suffice to say, they are pretty darn important.
So, if you are constantly stressed (worried, anxious, nervous, etc) and your adrenals are in overdrive your body will be continuously be producing and flooding your body with cortisol (aka the stress hormone).  Your body will then be ignoring anything it deems unnecessary in order to overcome the stress in front of you.
This means it is ignoring your digestive system, immune system, and thyroid hormone production (just to name a few)!!  This is what your body does when it is in parasympathetic mode.  A mode that it is vital for your body to be in.  However, your body cannot be in fight or flight and in parasympathetic mode at the same time.  It can only do one or the other, therefore if you are constantly in flight or fight, everything else it needs to do to function is left by the wayside.
So, what do we do about this?
Luckily for me, I am already reducing environmental stressors such as food additives, preservatives, gluten, chemical cleaners, and body products, so my overall toxic load is incredibly low. This was the very first thing he asked me about – diet and lifestyle.  Side note: Massive happy dance for a Doctor whose first instinct is to ask about diet and lifestyle 💃 !
The second thing he suggested for me was making sure I was supplementing my body with Vitamins C and D, Zinc, Selenium, and a few other herbs I can’t pronounce. These all help support adrenal-thyroid health and are a major part of my treatment plan.
The third thing I need to get on top of is sleep – basically, I need more quality sleep. So here’s what I’ll do:
  1. Wear my blue blocker glasses (I love Baxter Blue – use code: AFLIFESTYLE for 15% off) all day and night.
  2. Take the doTERRA Adaptiv softgels nightly.
  3. Diffuse calming essential oils for at least a few hours before bed. For me, it will be a mix of lavender, frankincense, and bergamot.
  4. Add a drop of roman chamomile to my nighttime moisturiser.
  5. Apply copaiba and clary sage to the soles of my feet as I slide into bed.
I need to continue getting in the sauna, enjoying a bath, regular exercise and generally taking care of myself, but I know there are still things I can and will improve as time goes on.
I have to get repeat blood tests in a few weeks, but even then, my treatment plan may not change, it all comes down to how I am feeling. If I am feeling great and my symptoms are not causing me any issues he won’t recommend prescription meds and I’ll just stick to what I am doing.  Fingers crossed for that 🤞🏻 !
Gosh, it feels good to be working with a Doctor that respects my lifestyle and works with me, not against me.  It really is a total game-changer!! Don’t get me wrong, I am not opposed to taking medications if the need arises, but I am doing a range of things to stop that happening in the first place and it feels amazing!
Let me remind you of those three steps to take control back of your health:
1. Register for Additive-Free Made Easy (this course is only available a few times a year, so register your interest and join the next round).
2. Join Gluten-Free Made Easy for instant access to start reducing your gluten intake immediately.
3. The 3rd thing is to lower your toxic load around the house with DIY Made Easy (this is the quickest and easiest thing you will do to reduce your toxic load and the stress on your adrenal glands)
I will continue to keep you updated as my journey continues.
Tracey x

Update #3

17 August 2022

Unfortunately, things have not improved and I am now on a prescription medication called Desiccated Thyroid. You will need a compounding pharmacist to make this for you, it is not available at any general pharmacy. Plus, my iron levels were low at my last blood test, which is not ideal as iron is necessary for the body to produce thyroid hormones.
One thing I have not mentioned yet is that my thyroid will never function at full capacity due to the radioiodine treatment I had years ago, so it will never improve fully, hence the importance of doing all the things to keep what little bit I have working as best as possible.
With that in mind, we are now working to up my iron levels naturally. I am now drinking the doTERRA Vegan Protein powder as this has 49% RDI of your iron intake, plus the extra protein doesn’t go astray. If that doesn’t work then I will look at an organic beef liver capsule instead.
I have fallen off the gluten-free path a few times over the last year (not going to lie, I am not perfect here) and I really notice the changes in my body. So I am on a mission to make this a key area of my health and put it as a priority! No more gluten for me from now on.
I also have stopped doing any high-intensity workouts and instead, I now do yoga or pilates, swimming, and walking. For me, the high intensity and repetitive movements were making things worse, especially with my bursitis. So I started to listen to my body and realised that I didn’t need to jump, run, lift heavy weights etc to get a solid workout in. Believe me, some yoga sessions are brutal, lol. Plus walking outside daily is invigorating, and it gives me a chance to exercise Bhodi (our german shepherd who is currently 15 months old and a ball of hyperactivity).
I am still taking my supplements (doTERRA Lifelong Vitality, Vit C and Vit D each day). But I have added back in the Thyroid support from my GP (amazing for adrenals) and am also taking an organic seaweed capsule which is a natural source of iodine.
So, whilst there isn’t that much more to report, I am still on the path to making sure I continue to do everything possible to help my body stay fit, healthy, and active.
xx Tracey