It was one of those moments in my marriage where I looked at my husband (picture my head tilted sideways, crinkled eyebrow), and all I could think of was that funny Sesame Street picture where one of the characters is offering Cookie Monster CRACKERS, and he says "it's like you don't even know me." I had returned home from my appointment with my naturopath, where I found out that my TSH is elevated (not by mainstream measurements, but certainly not optimal). As I am telling my husband (a physician) my results, he says "time to go on medicine,"
WHAT?!!!, I say to him, with crazed eyes.
To be honest, I am NOT all that surprised my thyroid is sending me messages. Actually, quite possibly, it is screaming. In the last 5 years I have had the highest highs and the lowest lows, as I have tried to heal and repair my fractured marriage and re-define it, grieve the loss of life as I knew it including the death of 2 brothers and a very ill mother, SHED the skin I was comfortable in and the removal of what wasn't serving me including lots of people, to finally CONFRONT my own imperfect and broken soul and FALL in love with that beautiful brokenness.
It all makes sense in my eyes.
Anyway, I do what any "information addicted" person would do. I re-read some of the books I already own, I buy new books, I sign up for a Hormone Balancing course to become certified to teach, and I hunt down every blog post I can find. I listen to hours of podcasts on the thyroid and hormonal health. I start some herbal supplements to support my adrenals and thyroid, I fortify my diet with 2 brazillian nuts a day and other foods, I get religious about my supplements, I rub my thyroid with essential oils, and I start voicing things that are bothering me. I even go to my "regular" MD to get the labs re-drawn (ugh, and they only did a TSH). I get on an even more major self-care kick, but I keep forgetting one piece.
STOPPING. PAUSING. BREATHING. {deeply}
I can not even begin to tell you how much trouble I have stopping. And then it hits me, girl, you are not walking your talk. In my eyes, I don't need to be a perfect healthy specimen….but surely, I need to tune into myself to be of service of others. I am content with the nutritional choices I make, but I am training for an Ironman (i.e. I over-exercise), which is probably the opposite of what I should be doing. Isn't it funny how we do the the things that we know are not necessarily good for us. And about that deep breathing, we all need more of it.
I am begining my morning with FIVE very deep breaths before I hop out of bed. Easy, right?
I am learning, always. And here is just a small piece of what I have absorbed the last few months. Seriously, my brain always hurts when it comes to the endocrine system (and I am an RN). It is one complicated feedback loop.
The thyroid is the metabolic master in our bodies, so we feel like everything is just too much work. In hypothyroidism, it all slows down. I was not only freezing when others were comfortable this winter, I just had no get up and go. While the thyroid can cause major hormonal imbalances, it often starts with dysregulated cortisol (secreted from our adrenal glands). When our cortisol is all out of whack, it is a warning bell that we are stressed out. About 30 minutes after we wake up our cortisol level should be at peak, and then slope down through the day. One of best way to test it is with a salivary test, measuring levels 4x/day. It can also be high and low throughout the day. Unfortunately, mainstream medicine does not recognize adrenal issues as a medical problem until it reaches the point of complete failure (Addison's disease).
Oftentimes, the best place to start healing is our adrenals….and then the other imbalances may fall into place. It is all comes down to reducing our stress, in whatever ways nourish you. Also worth noting, thyroid and adrenal problems are on the rise, and incredibly common after traumatic and stressful periods in our lives. There are certainly more susceptible periods, such as perimenopause (usually between ages 35 to 50) as our estrogen levels drop.
So as I venture down the road of healing my hormone imbalance, I do so in an effort not only to heal myself, but to become a full advocate for others that are suffering. And there are, far too many people suffering, and not enough people looking at the root causes (or women just not making themselves a priority). In one day alone, every woman I brought this up to was "out of balance" in one way or another. There is more than TSH to look at, which is what most conventional doctors start with (insurance reasons, etc) before looking at the others, T3, T4, Reverse T3, Free T3, Free T4 and antibodies. There is more to come in explaining this, as I have to become passionate about hormonal health. Finding a good practioner may take some time and work, and not all mainstream doctors will dismiss your concerns. But if they do, find another!
So I have decided to make My Own Prescription as I wait to draw more labs this month, 4 months after my intial labs.
MY THYROID PRESCRIPTION
- Loving my thyroid. Strange (to some), but Dr. Christiane Northrup says, "Your THOUGHTS/beliefs are your biggest endocrine disruptors." I BELIEVE I can heal this. And I believe I can heal it without medicines.
- Listening to MY Internal Rhythms and Honoring them. Yes, that means skipping a training day. Letting go what I can.
- Body-Work. Bi-weekly massages, acupuncture as needed
- Self-Care. I usually do a RITUAL of Friday night baths (with Magnesium bath salts), but I am thinking I need to add more.
- SLEEP is a priority.
- Breathing, Yoga, Journaling.
- Herbal Support and Food. I am craving seaweed salads, artichokes, pineapples, mushrooms, and microgreens. Oddly some of the foods that help fortify our thyroids. I am currently taking a blend of Rhodiolo, Holy Basil, and Ashwagandha.
- Supplements. I have a long list, but especially probiotics, Vitamin D, Zinc, Selenium (from 2 Brazillian Nuts/day)
- Liver and Gut Support
- Using my Voice, Saying NO
- Listening to my Intuition, and Expanding my creativity.
- No wheat, rye, or barley
- No unfermented soy (Tempeh, Miso, and Wheat Free Tamari are Ok)
- No peanuts
- Keeping my sugars stable
- Dark chocolate
- Keep Learning! "One person's medicine is another's poison." While I do not subscribe to a Paleo diet. I actually don't follow any diet per se. It seems to be the in vogue diet, especially when it comes to hormonal health. I am always open to learning, and helping others honor their unique needs. I am not easily convinced the latest fad diet, but I do see some very redeeming attributes. I am a conscious eater, and tune into what my body needs. Less crap, more greens, dump the dairy. If your body functions best on animal proteins, I can certainly recommend appropriate conscientious sources of those foods. From my findings, the most compelling evidence was to get rid of GLUTEN.
And that DAMN, coffee. I love it, but it doesn't love me (and my adrenals really hate it). It is time to take a break from my one vice.
So I cannot stress enough, get your labs done. Ask for the results. The actual numbers. As the nurse on the phone from my GYN office, once said to me "your Vitamin D is great." Me, "What was the number?" Her, "39". Me, "Really? That's not great! I take 2000-4000IU of Vitamin D a day." Remember there is a big difference between "optimal" and "normal." Normal is something I have never strived for.
It has been said before, what you measure, improves! If you are having difficulty making sense of your labs, find an informed advocate (like me;))
Here's to Happy Hormones and Enjoying Life more,
Karin
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