Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Treat the problem, not the symptoms!

It's been a long while since I have actually posted... ya see what happened was I drafted a post nearly a YEAR ago and when I went to post it... it didn't save and I lost everything I had worked on for over an hour. SO, I threw up my hands and applied myself to work instead of the blog. I apologize profusely for my lack of follow through and I am going to catch y'all up now...

Physical

In March, I finally scheduled my yearly physical (they've been calling to remind me since December). The first thing my doc says to me when she comes into my room is, "So, have you been trying to gain weight?"
someecards.com - Doc walks in and says...
WTF?! NO but thanks for asking! Ya see, I HAVE been gaining weight (about 8 pounds according to my thoughtful doc) and even with counting calories, I have not been able to reverse it. I consider myself to be pretty healthy and I work out- I mean, I just did my first half marathon in April... it's not like I am sitting on my butt on the couch every day and eating fast food every chance I get. So, I am frustrated with my body but I chalk it up to aging and possibly to not working out hard enough and not eating clean enough. Turns out, my blood tests come back and I am hypothyroid with the addition of an autoimmune response called Hashimoto's disease <-- means my body attacks the thyroid that is produced. Awesome.

Thoughts?

I am pissed. Seriously. I have to take a pill to regulate my body's hormones EVERY day at the SAME time. It has to be taken on an empty stomach, I can't eat for an hour after I take it (or it will affect the uptake of the drug by my system), I can't take vitamins within four hours (for same reasons)... all these "rules" and I hate them. I don't want anything to be wrong with me. I mean, who does? So, after my little pity party... which mind you, didn't last THAT long... I dive head first into research. There's GOT to be some alternatives. What can I do to make this better since I have to live with it?

I am frustrated with my diagnosis... however, it does explain a lot. These are some of the normal symptoms you can expect if you have hypothyroid:
  • Fatigue
  • Increased sensitivity to cold
  • Constipation
  • Dry skin
  • Unexplained weight gain
  • Puffy face
  • Hoarseness
  • Muscle weakness
  • Elevated blood cholesterol level
  • Muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness
  • Pain, stiffness or swelling in your joints
  • Heavier than normal or irregular menstrual periods
  • Thinning hair
  • Slowed heart rate
  • Depression
  • Impaired memory
I didn't experience all of these symptoms but a couple of years ago, I visited the doctor with GI issues and never really found a solution. They gave me some pills and there, problem solved, right? Wrong. I bet I've had this since then and instead of my Doc finding the solution to my actual problem, he treated the symptoms. I am dumbfounded with why he never ordered a blood test. So, here I am years later and at least I know what's up. 

After researching ways I can help my body with this condition, I found a lot about gluten. Gluten is a protein found in most grains and it also hides in many of our foods as a binding agent. What I've read is that gluten's molecular structure is very similar to thyroid... with Hashimoto's disease, gluten triggers the autoimmune response, attacking the gluten and thyroid along with it as it cannot differentiate between the two.

JJ Virgin

I was referred to JJ Virgin and her book by a friend of mine. JJ highlights 7 foods that are the most common to cause inflammation in your body and then for 21 days, you avoid those foods like the plague. The foods are: corn, soy, peanuts (all three are highly GMO- genetically modified), eggs, gluten, dairy, sugar and artificial sweeteners.

Now, after the first cycle (21 days of avoiding these foods), your body's autoimmune response to these foods is virtually gone thus now you begin cycle 2 of her diet. For one week at a time, you reintroduce one of the foods and document your body's reaction. If you have an adverse reaction, you continue to avoid that food. If you are at all interested (even without hypothyroid or Hashimoto's), please read the book. It was eye-opening.

Right now, I am on day TWENTY of cycle 1. I've lost 12 pounds since my diagnosis. My GI system is functioning normally and I feel great! My doctor didn't treat the problem. I did. That's empowering. I am gaining control of my body again and you can't beat that. 


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