Where have the years gone?

 I don’t know if anyone even sees/reads this blog anymore but just in case anyone does I thought I’d give an update. I’ve not been on here for seven years! I can attribute that to filling so healthy and enjoying every moment of motherhood. I loved meeting and chatting with everyone who had questions about Hashimoto’s disease but sometimes I would get thousands of messages and it was just overwhelming being a new mother at the time. I gave birth to my third child in 2017, a sweet little boy who has made life even more busy and enjoyable. 

I thought I would give a little update in case anyone is still reading this blog and taking advice from it and applying it to their own Hashimoto’s journey. I’m sure everyone is wondering if what I have done has worked over these last 14 years.

I’m happy to report that I have continued all of the regimens and supplements that I have suggested on my blog and I continue to be in remission when it comes to Hashimoto’s antibodies and all of my other thyroid numbers are in a healthy normal range!

I feel so grateful that I was able to find something that works for me and I hope that it is helped others over the last 14 years that have read this blog! God has really blessed me abundantly in my life and I hope that in some small way I’ve been able to pass on some knowledge that can help other people! 

Lots of love, blessings and health! 

Crystal

Well Hello There!

I've had many people ask me if this blog is still active. I try to get back to as many people as I can and answer their questions. Unfortunately I've not been able to respond as much as I'd like because my days are pretty busy taking care of my lovely 2 year old daughter and I just gave birth to a second daughter in August! Thankfully I had another wonderful,healthy pregnancy! My thyroid was recently checked and all my numbers are still right where they should be and I'm feeling very well. I still take all the supplements I mention in this blog and I stay away from cow's milk! I've had a few people mention that they thought this blog was run by someone who is trying to sell supplements because I've posted links to where I buy mine. I do NOT sell supplements. I do buy from Swansons because I love their products and prices. I hope that this blog continues to help and inspire people. I'm sorry if I haven't been able to answer everyone's question. There is a wonderful women that is doing amazing things when it comes to helping people with Hashimoto's disease who may be able to help you if you are reading this blog. Give it a look! https://www.facebook.com/ThyroidLifestyle?pnref=lhc

ROOT CAUSE!!!

I was recently contacted by a wonderful women who has been following my blog and was able to overcome her Hashimoto's disease through some of the lifestyle changes that I mention in my blog. Izabella Wentz PharmD is the author of this brilliant new book

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause

If you are interested in finding out what is causing your Hashimoto's disease and treating it naturally than this is the book to read! 

http://www.thyroidlifestyle.com/

Very Important!! Low T3!!

http://chriskresser.com/low-t3-syndrome-i-its-not-about-the-thyroid

Interesting Read!

http://www.drtraviselliott.com/blog/tag/hashimotos/

People Have Asked..

About one of my  previous post on copper and zinc and how they are extremely important in helping your body convert T4 and T3 to the unbound forms FreeT4 and Free T3, these are the forms of the hormone your body actually uses and your body reports back to your pituitary gland that you are receiving enough. If you are not converting T4 and T3 properly  then your TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) will continue to be high even if your thyroid is working! The liver converts the thyroid hormone thyroxin (T4) into its more active form tri-iodothyronine (T3). Thyroid hormones act as the body's thermostat, regulating the rate at which virtually all biochemical reactions occur in the body. Inadequate conversion of T4 to T3 by the liver may lead energy-depleting hypothyroidism, leading to chronic fatigue, weight gain, poor memory and a host of other problems.
Zinc and Copper helps your liver convert these vital hormones.  Here is a link to a great article that explains why it is important to take the correct amounts of zinc to copper. http://www.livestrong.com/article/511087-how-to-take-copper-with-zinc/

Side Note:

The process of saving my thyroid took me 5 years! I'm not saying that what I've done will work for everyone! I do know that you have to take control of your own health. It was a huge process of elimination for me. I put the hard work in and though sometimes I felt like giving up because I was getting nowhere, I stuck it out and was able to get to the bottom of what was causing my Hashimoto's disease. It could be different things  for different people. Please! Don't give up hope! I know that most people will be able to feel better by taking the correct supplements and eliminating things from your diet that may be upsetting your system. It is hard work but believe me when I say it is more than worth it to not be on synthroid for the rest of your life and to be able to feel as well as I do! :)

Ode to Joy!

Finally got a minute to sit down and update this blog. If you've read my previous post you will see that in April of 2011 after a 4 year battle with Hashimoto's disease I was able to rid myself of my TPO antibodies and bring my thyroid back from the grave naturally! I had my thyroid monitored for the next 5 months and when all my labs kept coming back in the perfect ranges, I decided it was time to get pregnant! To me and my husbands surprise I was pregnant at the end of August 2011! I immediately got in to see an OBGYN so I could continue to be monitored through my pregnancy. I had my TSH, FT3 and FT4 checked every 6 weeks. I had your normal morning sickness through the first trimester but luckily had the glorious drug ZOFRAN to get me through! I continued to take the vitamins and minerals that I have listed on my blog in the same doses that I took before I got pregnant. I wasn't the best at taking them everyday. If you've been pregnant you know that it's not always pleasant to take pills. Every time I was checked my TSH was always in the 1.0 - 2.0 range and my FT3 and FT4 were always in the upper 1/3 of the range.  I actually LOVED being pregnant! I felt pretty amazing through the whole thing! I had a very healthy, uneventful pregnancy, labor and delivery. Our little girl is perfect, healthy and very bright! If I do say so myself! :)  I was very nervous that my thyroid would crash after the pregnancy.I had my thyroid checked at 11 weeks postpartum and all my results were great! I even ate dairy in moderation and my TPO antibodies are still gone and I'm feeling wonderful! It was worth it for me to deal with my Hashimoto's disease naturally before trying to conceive. I did not want to be on medication during my pregnancy and have to constantly be upping my dose. If you are planning on becoming pregnant I would suggest trying to overcome the disease if you can before you conceive. If you are already pregnant and on medication I would NOT recommend stopping your medication. I would stick to what your doctor is telling you. I hope this gives some of you women out there with this horrible disease some hope that you can overcome it and go on to have a normal pregnancy!