9 things I did to help my hypothyroidism

I had Hashimoto's and I wanted to feel better than how I felt at the time when I was first diagnosed.

Once I knew I had an underactive thyroid (Hashimoto's hypothyroidism) I read all the books I could find and read all the leading health blogs I could to try and find the answers.

These are some of the things I did on my journey. Some were confusing. Others contradicted each other. And many pointed to solutions that I needed to try for myself. It was difficult. I would often try 2-3 new things at the same time and I ended up not knowing what worked and what didn’t. Pro-tip - don’t do that!

I had my Mercury fillings removed

This was quite a mission. My Doctor at the time suggested this after I had been taking the thyroid meds but still not feeling 100%. It was also quite a large expense but I didn’t like the idea of having mercury in my mouth. I had to find a dentist that had the correct fume extraction equipment. I found one on the North Shore of Auckland and got it done in two appointments. Now I have no ugly black fillings which is a bonus. I also kept going to the same dentist for check ups. I was so impressed with him - he got me through the whole process without feeling one tinge of pain.

I replaced all my chemical cleaners with natural brands.

I did this years ago, so it wasn’t really a big mission after my diagnosis. I have always preferred natural alternatives. When I tested allergic to fumes and chemicals, it made me more determined to never have them in the house again. I have all natural cleaning products. I also have natural washing powder, dishwashing liquid, skincare products, shampoo and soap. During COVID19 Lockdown I even started making my own soap - it's actually so much nicer and quite simple yet satisfying.

I replaced all my skin care and makeup with chemical free alternatives.

Luckily I was never a big makeup wearer! But I did find some natural makeup which was nice. I have always used natural skincare products though, and people do say my skin is in great condition. It could be they are just being nice! I was already using an aluminium free deodorant. I was one of those people who didn’t want aluminium on my skin from the age of 20. I was "that" staff member at work. From my early twenties telling all the 40+ men and women in the office how bad aluminum deodorants were. And how they should buy free range eggs only! Oh to be 20 years old again and always right!

I switched to low chemical hair dyes

I am not one that thinks going grey is an option - even though I am a modern hippy! I have dark hair and olive skin so grey is not my thing. You need to search to find a hairdresser that uses no ammonia and low chemical hair colour. I emailed a few in my area that looked good and explained I had Hashimoto's. I found one that took my condition seriously. They said they had some other clients with autoimmune disease as well. That made me feel comfortable about going there.

I gave up gluten.

I did this around 2009 as I knew gluten was the biggest culprit of leaky gut and autoimmune disease. Once my leaky gut healed, I did try some bread when I was on my way home from America. I was on an Air New Zealand flight coming home. I found myself tempted in my jetlagged state to have the hot baked bread as it smelt so good. Luckily I didn’t react too much but I didn’t continue to eat it after that flight. Once you heal your leaky gut then one piece of bread every now and again should not trigger a leaky gut straight away. But my doctor still tells me to avoid it.

I gave up dairy.

I went to a naturopath in 1996 - the beginning of the journey to feel better. Even then I knew something wasn’t right. She pricked my finger and looked at a drop of blood under a microscope. She showed me the red blood cells. They had damaged and dented sides. They were oblong shaped and some had straight parts to the outside cell wall. She told me they should be round. I told her I’d only had a tiny piece of cheese that morning and she said that it only takes a drop to cause a reaction! Wow!

From then on I tried to avoid dairy as much as I could. Diary has a protein which our bodies find hard to digest. Raw milk and cheese can be better for some but I avoid the whole lot. I also don’t love the antibiotic levels found in milk these days either. I’m not anti the dairy industry. In New Zealand, dairy cows have a great life outside eating grass 24/7. But it just is one thing that has never agreed with me.

I made over my kitchen pantry and fridge.

I wanted to reduce the chemicals in plastics leaching into my food and water. I replaced all my plastic food storage containers with glass. I ordered a stainless steel water tank for my fridge to store my distilled water in. I bought a water distiller to get rid of the chlorine and fluoride in the tap water as well. I ordered glass jars and containers for all my food, herbs and spices and baking ingredients. I still have only glass and stainless steel food and drink storage to this day. I was a no plastic girl from way back - before it was trendy!

I tried to eat organic wherever possible.

It’s not always possible but you can find local organic or spray-free growers at Farmers Markets. They are usually a lot cheaper than supermarkets. I stopped eating non-organic grown strawberries and celery many years ago. They are two of the most sprayed (with pesticides and insecticides) fruit and veggies you can get.

In Australia in 2003 some Independent tests on food were carried out to see what level of pesticides were still present. Test results showed that strawberries had the highest levels of pesticide residues. Some strawberries showed over 4 different chemicals. Strawberries are flagged in the United States of America as of 'high concern' for pesticide contamination. In the UK, 67% of strawberries contain pesticide residues, and in France pesticide residues in 20% of strawberries were above the legal limit.

I'm not sure about you, but I don’t think there should be any legal acceptable amount of chemicals sprayed on food.

For seven years we lived next door to a strawberry farm. For 2-3 months before harvest and also during harvest time, they would spray the strawberries by helicopter every week. That’s a shit load of chemicals! The helicopter would be going from 6am till 9am at least. For about 10 acres of strawberries. That was enough for me to never eat non-organic grown strawberries ever again.

The two drugs I did agree to take and why.

As well as my desiccated pig thyroid medication I also found two drugs that made a big difference and did not have bad side effects.

Tranexamic Acid was a life changer for my heavy periods. You just take it when you have your period and you're literally within an hour transformed into a normal person with a very light period! The Generic Name is tranexamic acid (Cyklokapron) and the common brand Name is Cyklokapron. I highly recommend it. It’s life changing if you suffer from heavy periods. My periods finished when I turned 50 so I don’t use it anymore.

The other drug I looked into a lot before deciding to speak to my doctor about was Low Dose Naltrexone. Naltrexone is an FDA-approved drug that has been used for narcotic drug withdrawal treatment in the past. For that treatment they use Naltrexone at 50 mg per day. But low doses of Naltrexone have shown that they can regulate the immune system. LDN (Low Dose Naltrexone) has shown hope in improving cases of autoimmune disease. Dr. Bernard Bihari discovered that using Naltrexone at lower doses had some good effects in relation to auto-immune diseases. I looked into the side effects. The main ones were vivid dreams when you started taking them - and I did get those - but they passed. While I can’t say it did this or I noticed a huge change immediately - along with all my other changes I think it did help. I don’t want to stop taking it to see what changes but

I may do soon just because I’d like to know. And it would be good to reduce the medication.

How many of these things have you done so far? Love to know. Has it made a difference for you?