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As they say, hindsight is 20/20.  

And the truth is that most memories do get clearer when you are looking back on them.  

I remember feeling so overwhelmed and confused when I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s autoimmune disease.  I didn’t even know what ‘a thyroid’ was or what it did at the time.

Of course, I wish it had never happened, but without it I would have never learned some very valuable lessons. And now, I don’t regret my time of illness (though I sure do wish it was shorter!).  

There are several things I would have changed or done differently when looking back.  However, there are also several things I can say that I did right.

So here are the lessons I learned from Hashimoto’s disease.  

9 LESSONS I LEARNED FROM HASHIMOTO’S

Lesson 1:  Don’t take someone else’s answer as your truth.   If I had believed my diagnosing doctor that I had Hashimoto’s for life, I would still be sick today.  Talk about a self fulfilling prophecy. My exhaustion would still be stealing my life away from me. And my body would still be attacking my thyroid.  Seeking a second, third or even fourth opinion (or developing your own) is a good thing!

Lesson 2: You are your own advocate.  Sometimes if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.  When I went to my functional medicine doctor with my plans to heal my Hashimoto’s she wasn’t sure that it was possible.  It was not clear that I would succeed.  She offered to be my partner (and I am eternally grateful for that!), but I had to figure it out quite a bit for myself.  She gave me her support with her knowledge of the thyroid and supporting systems.

Lesson 3:  Our bodies are made to heal.  My mind is still blown away by how capable our bodies are to heal.  Given the right tools, we can truly change the path we are on by changing how we fuel ourselves.  What you put into your body provides a foundation for your future.

Lesson 4:  Don’t be afraid to change everything.  The person I was 15 years ago would not recognize myself today.  My husband jokes that I am not the person he married because I have so dramatically changed my view on health.  I make everything these days from scratch so that I know what I am putting in my body.

Lesson 5:  Healing happens slowly.  It is a marathon, not a sprint.  Our bodies can do amazing things, but it doesn’t happen overnight (wouldn’t that be nice?!).  It takes years for our health to be broken down to an autoimmune state. Focus on winning the war, one battle at a time.

Lesson 6:  Research. Research like your life depends on it (maybe it does!).  It is like unraveling a ball of yarn.  Take it one step at a time and find someone who has had similar experiences- to learn from their journey.  Use these experiences to inspire and guide you back to health. You will always be your own best advocate.

Lesson 7:  Love yourself through it.  I never had a weight problem before being diagnosed with my Hashimoto’s.  Sure- I had moments of gaining 10 pounds or so, but this was way different.  It was hard to learn to love myself through the weight gain because I had always had control.  Losing control of my body to my unbalanced hormones was a major punch in the gut, so to speak. After fighting for my health and winning, I have discovered a new type of love for myself and for what my body can do.

Lesson 8:  Count your blessings.  This may sound cliche, but it is so true.  After losing my health, energy, and mental state to Hashimoto’s, I am so thankful to see the other side of this.  Having the energy to play with my kids is an amazing blessing!!!

Lesson 9: You are what you ate.  Before Hashimoto’s, I ate pretty healthy- or at least I thought I did.  Now, I realize that although I ate healthy stuff too, I also ate loads of gluten, processed foods, tons of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, alcohol, and no probiotic foods at all.  I also relied too heavily on medications to help me feel better. What you put in your body matters so so much!

STRUGGLE MAKES YOU STRONGER

We all have heard that struggle makes you stronger.  And it definitely does. However, struggle is also a chance to learn new things.  Isn’t that what life is all about?

Healing from Hashimoto’s has made me realize so much about the world around me and about myself.  I am responsible for my own health. And so are you!

A wonderful resource for healing from Hashimoto’s is Izabella Wentz’s book, HASHIMOTO’S THYROIDITIS: LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS FOR FINDING AND TREATING THE ROOT CAUSE.  She is a pharmacist who is trying to bring awareness to the ability to heal from Hashimoto’s.  

This book is a game changer for understanding the many root causes of Hashimoto’s.  I highly recommend ordering it. Reading it was one of the very first steps I took when I began to heal my thyroid.

Another book that helped me on my journey is AUTOIMMUNE: THE CAUSE AND THE CURE by Annesse Brockely and Kristin Urdiales.  This book focuses on autoimmune diseases as a whole and is broken into two parts.  

Part one is very technical in explaining how the body begins to breakdown into autoimmune disease.  The second part explains how to recover from it.  The second part is the most important!

This book was pivotal in helping me understand how different foods impact your gut bacteria and how to restore the balance in your gut.  It is also contains a list of resources to find the foods that you need.

I could not have gotten to where I am today without these two books.  If I had to pick one, it would be the first.

You can do this.  You can take back your health from Hashimoto’s.  It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.

Take it one step at a time.  Find a functional medicine doctor to provide support for your journey.  Trust me, it will be a journey. You can read 7 Steps to Heal from Hashimoto’s if you would like more insight for healing.

I know you can do it.  What did Hashimoto’s take away from you?