In my house the kitchen is a place of learning as well as nourishing. So, for today why not pull up a stool and learn about something that may change your life for the better.
With all that I am learning about my own health, I decided to pass along any tidbit or major breakthrough I come across. The biggest thing I want you to realize is that we are in charge of our own health. Not our doctors or other healthcare practitioners, but you. With that in mind, I also feel it is important that we share what we find (not opinion or speculation) so we can all be empowered to make correct choices when choosing doctors or when helping them to better help us. This is my hope as we all search to achieve our own optimum health.
That said, I want to tell you about a book I am reading. It’s called “Stop the Thyroid Madness: a Patient Revolution Against Decades of Inferior Treatment” by Janie A. Bowthorpe, M.Ed.. Janie takes real patient data from thousands of thyroid sufferers to help us, the reader, get educated on our own symptoms and what to do about them.
This book was born out of frustration of going to doctor after doctor, taking Synthroid (or other synthetic thyroid medications) for years, still feeling crappy and being diagnosed with a myriad of other problems. Out of frustration, the author points out in great detail, the failings of modern medicine when it comes to treating thyroid and adrenal conditions. She also discusses how hundreds of thousands of people suffer needlessly because many doctors are unwilling to let go of their textbook education and listen to their patients.
I encourage you to at least educate yourself with the following list of symptoms and see if you can relate to any, some or most of them…even if you already take medication for your thyroid or don’t think you have a thyroid issue! What you are feeling may be related to thyroid/adrenal issues. The author also has a website so you can begin your research right away – you can find it at StopTheThyroidMadness.com. Read the patient testimonials and then take charge of your own health (with the help of an educated, open-minded, compassionate doctor of course). Get her book if you still feel like you want more information. I promise, you won’t regret learning more. …and if you don’t need this information right now, you likely know someone who does.
| Less stamina than others | Osteoporosis |
| Less energy than others | Poor skin quality |
| Deep exhaustion | Hives |
| Long recovery period after activity | Exhaustion in every dimension: physical, mental, spiritual, emotional |
| Bad reaction to exercise | Slowing to a snail’s pace |
| Frequent napping | Illegible handwriting |
| Arms feeling heavy after activity | Internal itching of ears |
| Inability to hold children for long | Ringing in ears |
| Chronic low-grade depression | Inner ear problems |
| Chronic severe depression | Weak fingernails |
| The need for anti-depressants | Anxiety |
| Suicidal thoughts | Inability to eat in the mornings |
| Often feeling cold | Joint pain |
| Cold hands, feet | Carpal tunnel symptoms |
| Colitis | No appetite |
| Irritable bowel syndrome | Heart fluid retention |
| Constipation | Heart palpitations |
| Hard little round stools | Swollen legs that prevent walking |
| Painful bladder | Blood pressure problems |
| Thinning or no eyebrows | High cholesterol |
| Dry hair | Rising cholesterol levels |
| Dry skin | Being on Statins |
| Cracked heels | Varicose veins |
| Ridged fingernails | Low body temperature |
| Hair loss | Tightness in throat; sore throat |
| White new hair growth | Swollen lymph glands |
| Hair breaks faster than it grows | Overreaction to cold medications |
| Nodding off | Allergies (which may also be related to adrenal fatigue) |
| Requires naps in the afternoon | A cold rear-end |
| Sleep Apnea | Painful bladder |
| Air Hunger | Dysphagiam Nerve Damage (inability to swallow fluids/food) |
| Inability to concentrate | Pneumonia |
| Forgetfulness, Foggy thinking | Easy sickness |
| Easy weight gain | Aching bones/muscles |
| Inability to lose weight | Swelling |
| Relationship problems | Poor iron levels |
| NO sex drive | Poor cortisol levels |
| Crabby, Moody | Digestive problems |
| PMS | Worsening PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) |
| Heavy period | Inability to work full-time |
| Failure to ovulate and/or constant bleeding | Overactive Autonomic Nervous System (Dysautonomia) |
