Namaste In Bed - Handling My Hypothyroidism The Natural Way
I'm tired. You’re tired. We are all tired. The number one meme I see on social media these days is basically about how we all just want to eat a pizza and go back to bed. We are a generation of exhausted and stressed out individuals. I am no exception. I have spent more time thinking about how tired I am and how much I want chocolate than I have about people in my life, things I want to do, and things I MUST do combined. I have frequently contemplated calling in sick to work because I can’t sit through the day without needing a nap. This isn’t a post about how this one diet change will fix everything for everyone. This is my raw, unedited, disgusting account of what living in my body is like and how I finally found something that worked for me and my hypothyroidism.
I recently completed the 30 days Root Cause Reset with Dr. Izabella Wentz, also known as the thyroid doctor. For those of you who are looking to treat your hypothyroidism without harsh medications, I recommend looking into this program. The following is my experience with it.
Hypothyroidism
Thyroid issues run in my family. My least favourite doctor - my family doctor - tells me she doesn’t need to check my T4/T3 of my thyroid because my TSH is in the normal range. However, as we are all learning, “normal range” doesn’t mean jack poo-poo when it comes to living our lives optimally. You must advocate for your own health. I often feel like I am having a confrontation with my doctor, trying to convince her to stop taking guesses and offering prescriptions that “might help”.
My mom signed me up for the Root Cause Reset for a host of reasons, mainly that my numerous doctor visits were getting me nowhere and because I was in pain. So, I was more than willing to try fixing these issues through other methods.
I was nervous to start because it has been a long journey for me and my relationship with my body. I started my first diet when I was 14 years old. Like most teens I hated my body. And, not to mention, I was fully developed by 11 years old so I was years ahead in the awkwardness of the constant-body-changes department.
Most of my diets consisted of starvation disguised as “healthy” eating. I felt an intense need of control and, to this day, struggle not to hide the evidence of myself eating food. I have recently been trying to not be as controlling and to eat the foods I want to eat, which made me view this program as a harsh restriction of food. I told myself to view it for what it is: a health treatment and not a diet.
My mom made sure I had fluoride free water, all the recommended supplements, and strictly organic fruits and vegetables. It sure is expensive to live chemical free, but it can be done. Dr. Wentz has an intense amount of information, and the program’s success rate isn’t as high as I was expecting; with only 60% reporting significant improvement. This could be because the program is still in its preliminary stages and some people might not adhere to the protocol.
Prior to starting this program, I had the following symptoms:
Gas – lots from both ends
Stomach pain – liver/gallbladder area
IBS – mostly constipation
Anal fissure – sounds fun right?
Eczema
Fatigue
Irritability/mood swings
Muscle aches
Hair loss
Anxiety
Abnormal hair growth
Acid reflux
Five Yeast Infections in one year
Frequent urination – at least once per hour
Brain fog
I was burping if I drank water, I bled almost every time I had a bowel movement, staying awake for a full day and remembering important info was almost impossible, and eating any meal was painful. So, I needed this.
The program wisely eases you into the elimination of six additives/food groups: soy, sugar, dairy, gluten, caffeine, and alcohol. I didn’t drink a lot of coffee, tea, or alcohol so I quit those within the first week cold-turkey. The recommendation is to half your intake every day. I eliminated almost everything the first week except for sauces with sugar added (like Italian salad dressing).
By day two, my headaches started, but I immediately noticed my energy level increasing.
We ordered the recommended pea and beef protein, liver support powder, multiple supplements for liver and gut health, and magnesium. These were started on the second Monday along with replacing one meal with a green smoothie and having green juice for a morning snack. Green juice can be good! I drank it because I was avoiding all sugar and it takes a few days to stop gagging, but it soon became my sweet juice for a mid-morning “treat”. Really. I swear.
By week two, I was feeling amazing. The magnesium (recommended by the program) had me sleeping through the night for the first time in my life and having comfortable BMs every day. I had energy, some salt cravings but no sugar cravings – a miracle!
I was cold though. I work in a cold office, which doesn’t help, but I was wrapped in a thick blanket with a sweater on and still sometimes felt like my fingers were going to fall off. A tip I was given to combat this is adding warming foods such as cinnamon and more fats like avocados. It helped minimally. They also suggested heating the vegetables in the smoothie. Ew.
I took some creative liberty with the program, there is a list of foods to avoid, not all encompassed in the groups listed above, such as: white potatoes, high sugar fruits like bananas, peas and all legumes and more. Occasionally, I had half a banana in my smoothie, I put potatoes in a hamburger soup I made before I realized we weren’t ‘allowed’ them, and when someone makes you dinner with peas in it…you eat the peas.
In the third week we were supposed to add the liver reset powder to our smoothies. I particularly loathe the idea of eating something that makes you gag, no matter how healthy. However, you can do anything for two weeks. Each morning I would mix the powder with water, chug it, frantically rinse my mouth out, and then enjoy my smoothie.
In the last week she recommends replacing two meals with the smoothie and reset powder. This was hard for me. I enjoy texture and warm foods – I was freezing all the time, and the smoothies were a little boring. I probably managed to do it for four of the last seven days, and otherwise just stuck to the program’s approved meals.
By this point in time I had erased the following symptoms from my life:
Gas
Constipation
Bleeding during BM
Eczema
Fatigue
Irritability/mood swings
Muscle aches
Acid reflux
Brain fog
My emotions are now much more stable, probably aided by the increased sleep I am finally getting! My skin and hair are healthier. I, surprisingly, stopped waking up in the night to pee. Overall, I was thrilled with the results I was seeing, especially since I could physically see my bloating disappear.
The program suggests to slowly ease yourself back onto the foods you’ve cut out to see which ones are bothering you, to continue the program for six months to eliminate more antibodies, or to continue to the advanced elimination if symptoms are persisting.
Unfortunately, the program ended right before Easter weekend and I have no willpower when it comes to my grandma’s Easter bread – read gluten, dairy, and sugar. The side effects of coming off the program for me involved instant constipation, some stomach pain, and fatigue during the morning.
I am still maintaining some of the practices I learned. There is some cream in my half cup of coffee now, but I maintain having a smoothie for breakfast most days, increasing my vegetables and trying to avoid sugar other than fruit; unless it’s a birthday, holiday or Fat Friday. I feel good, I recognize when I have had too much of something, and I am learning how to avoid jealousy at other people’s food freedoms. I will probably try another reset later this year.
Last note: magnesium citrate revolutionized my life! I feel less muscle pain after workouts, I started sleeping through the night and deeply rested throughout the day and going to the bathroom was no longer something I feared. My mom reported being able to sleep on her side without her hips hurting. Get a good magnesium supplement or increase the foods you eat that contain high magnesium levels.
So, did the program change my health? Absolutely. Does the information involve a little bit of common sense? Probably. Could I have done it on my own? No. I’m someone who needs structure, so it helped push me in the right direction, and we all need that occasionally.
I recommend checking out her program. I now realize how important gut health is regardless of your thyroid health. Giving your liver and gut a break is great for your body and you deserve to be kind to yourself.
