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If you’ve been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s and are wondering whether or not it’s possible to heal, this episode is for you. After polling my audience, 80% of you wanted to hear about my journey to heal Hashimoto’s naturally, so that’s what you’re getting in today’s episode.

Getting a Hashimoto’s diagnosis can feel so disheartening, especially when doctors are telling you this is just your new norm. Hopefully, this episode gives you hope that it is possible to feel better.

I was resistant to many of these changes. I won’t pretend that healing happened overnight! But with dedication and time, I can happily say that I feel a thousand times better than I did years ago upon getting that diagnosis.

Disclaimer: I’m not giving medical advice in this episode. I am sharing my experiences. 

In This Episode:

• Healing Hashimoto’s Through Lifestyle Changes
• 5 Steps to Manage and Heal Hashimoto’s Naturally

What is Hashimoto’s Disease?

Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid gland. Your immune system starts to attack your thyroid gland. It leads to a lack of thyroid hormone production, which then turns into hypoglycemia (a slow thyroid). 

The list of symptoms that accompany Hashimoto’s is pretty wide-ranging.

• Fatigue to deep exhaustion
• No energy
• Increased sensitivity to the cold
• Dry skin
• Constipation
• Muscle weakness
• Joint tenderness or pain
• Depression
• Problems with memory or concentration
• Brain fog
• Puffy face (called hashy face)
• Hair loss
• Brittle nails

These symptoms could be connected to a lot of other issues. However, if you talk to people with Hashimoto’s, they are very common. If you’re experiencing those symptoms and have not had a full thyroid panel, I highly recommend you do.

5 Steps to Heal Hashimoto’s Naturally

These are the five things I did to heal my Hashimoto’s naturally. Again, this is not medical advice, but my experience that worked for me. Please consult your doctor before attempting any treatment.

1. Test, Don’t Guess

Hashimoto’s can only be diagnosed by doing a thyroid antibody test. In episode 6, I go through all the thyroid hormones that should be tested to have a full panel and understand your thyroid health. 

I wanted to know why I have Hashimoto’s and what’s causing it. To do that, I did a Dutch test. I had my friend Dr. Erin on episode 47 to talk about what a Dutch test is, all of the markers it gives you, and how it can be really helpful to you in your healing journey. 

Through the test, I found out that my progesterone-to-estrogen ratio was way off. I was estrogen-dominant and had hypothyroid issues. I had a conversion issue in my liver where my thyroid hormone wouldn’t convert. Some common things that cause estrogen dominance were things I had already addressed years prior, mainly removing hormone disruptors in my home.

• Synthetic fragrance
• Toxic cleaning supplies
• Plastic food storage
• Nonstick pans with PFAS
• Non-filtered drinking water

I had already done the foundational things to make sure you’re not being exposed to hormone disruptors. Because of the thyroid test, I figured out I needed more progesterone and was able to take the steps to address the root issue. I highly recommend all women get a Dutch test to have a baseline understanding of what their hormones are doing.

2. Cutting Out Gluten

I did NOT want to give up gluten. I love bread so much. There are a lot of theories on why giving up gluten helps people with Hashimoto’s. Some researchers think it’s molecular mimicry, where gluten has a similar structure to thyroid cells and others think it’s as simple as gluten causing inflammation or gut issues, that trigger an autoimmune reaction. Either way, research shows that women who have Hashimoto’s or thyroid disorders and remove gluten from their diet have better lab work results. That was enough for me and I decided to give up gluten.

I went through a short period where I leaned heavily on gluten-free options, but slowly gave those up as well. They are all highly processed and full of seed oils. It was better for my health to give it up. I currently am eating a clean, high protein diet, feel amazing and don’t miss gluten at all.

Give yourself some grace if you’re new to the gluten-free world. It’s definitely an adjustment. Now that my Hashimoto’s is in remission, I can enjoy a piece of long-fermented sourdough bread and nothing happens. It’s a lifestyle adjustment, but one that is well worth it. 

3. No More High-Intensity Workouts

This was also something that was a major shift for me. I was a four-day-a-week Orange Theory girl. Part of that was because I had so much weight loss resistance. A symptom of Hashimoto’s is your body holds onto weight, so I was working out and eating clean but I wasn’t losing weight. 

But high intensity cardio workouts put your body is under a lot of stress. Even though exercise is good for you, high-intensity training is a stressor on your body and not good for somebody who’s trying to heal Hashimoto’s.

I did continue to work out, but I replaced high-intensity cardio workouts with walking every day. I started weightlifting, which is good for your inflammatory response as well as many other things. 

In the beginning, I missed the dopamine and rush of adrenaline from high-intensity workouts. But a couple of weeks after giving it up, I could tell I started to have more energy. Now that I’ve healed my Hashimoto’s and it’s in remission, I can do an Orange Theory class with a friend once in a while and I’m fine, but it’s not something I do regularly.

4. Red Light Therapy

I started red light therapy sessions on my thyroid gland, which is right where your throat is. In episode 36, I deep dive into the research, science, and data behind red light therapy for healing your thyroid. There’s data on people who have Hashimoto’s – after a certain amount of red light therapy, they decreased their antibodies and decreased the amount of thyroid medication they were on. 

I’m picky about stuff like this. I researched every single red light company to find something with no EMF. I knew I wanted something handheld and battery-operated. I knew it needed enough power and luminosity, and I wanted quality control. There’s a lot of fake red lights on the market and it’s dangerous to be putting it on your skin when you have no idea what the quality is. 

I found a company called LUMEBOX and love them. I still have my LUMEBOX to this day. It’s a small handheld device that you hold up to your thyroid. I did two 12-minute sessions daily. Starting with the LUMEBOX was the perfect way to start my red light therapy journey. I have since upgraded my red light to a full-size, full-body panel from Bon Charge. I now do two 20-minute full body sessions every day. 

5. Addressed Chronically High-Stress Levels 

I genuinely believe this was the most important thing I did. I addressed my chronic stress levels and my emotional well-being. We are all chronically stressed. Our lives are so busy. I always told myself that productivity makes me happy and brings me joy. I’ve learned over the years that being productive was also tied to my worth (not a good thing!). I’ve had to dig into that because being chronically stressed and chronically busy will keep you sick. 

So I started saying no to things. I started opening up my schedule and giving myself more space in my day. On those walks, I would come home and meditate for 10 minutes. I started carving out small places in my day where they weren’t so full. 

I know that’s not easy for everyone; it wasn’t easy for me either. I was a single mom of two kids. I was working full time and COVID hit and I moved to a lake in the middle of the woods. I significantly slowed down my life and felt immensely better after I adjusted to that new pace. I understand that not everybody can move to the middle of nowhere, but it made a huge difference for me.

My Hashimoto’s is officially in remission, but I do still have hypothyroidism. I’ve been able to reduce my medication by two-thirds and my thyroid is starting to work on its own again and I continue to work towards getting off my Armour thyroid completely. If you’re dealing with Hashimoto’s, I hope this episode gives you hope that you can feel better. 

Discount Codes

• LUMEBOX Red Light (Use Link for $250 off)
• Bon Charge Red Lights & Red Light Products (WENDYKATHRYN for 15% off)

Related Episodes:

• Episode 6: Have you Had a Full Thyroid Panel?
• Episode 15: Holistic Healing & Hashimoto’s with Dr. Hannah Lindsey
• Episode 36: Can Red Light Therapy Actually Heal Your Thyroid?
• Episode 47: What is a DUTCH Hormone Test and Why Do You Need One? With Dr. Erin

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