Chapter Three: Where I Am Now?
A brief recap of Chapters One and Two, after many years of seeing doctors and trying to follow their advice, I realized they were not giving me any answers. They were just taking my money and giving me nothing in return. I had to take matters into my own hands. For me, this was a long, and sometimes frustrating, process. I will not go into all of the detail here but here are a few of the lifestyle changes I made:
- I went gluten-free
- I removed Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), corn and soy from my diet
- I reduced my dairy and sugar intake
(I tried to go dairy and sugar-free but yeah, that did not work for me)
These were not just random choices; each was made for a specific reason. I went gluten-free because gluten coats the lining of the intestinal tract and can interfere with proper absorption. Eliminating gluten helped improve absorption and allowed my body to get the nutrients from the food I ate. I removed MSG because … well, MSG is bad for you! I removed corn and soy from my diet because they are the top-two GMO crops in the United States. The latest research on the long-term effects of GMOs does not paint a pretty picture and in the interest of improving my health, I needed to make an effort to remove GMOs from my life. GMOs ARE BANNED IN NEARLY 40 COUNTRIES and yet the USFDA freely allows GMO production and consumption. It is no wonder why our healthcare costs are skyrocketing! In addition, soy can interfere with the hormones that promote healthy thyroid function. I have a thyroid condition and I know I have a sensitivity to soy so removing this from my diet was an easy and logical choice.
These were not the only changes I made.
- I also starting taking quality vitamins and minerals and other supplements my body desperately needed and made a number of other changes (slowly and over time) to my life and home. Here is a link to that series if you want to read more on that topic.
- I went on the Keto Diet in hopes of bringing further healing to my body. Things are going very well so far and I plan to do a post on Keto in the near future so be on the lookout for that!
So, to answer the question, “where am I now?” Well, it has been many years since this journey started and I even though I am not where I want to be quite yet, I am heading in the right direction. A few positive things that have happened include:
- My Synthroid dose has remained steady for several years
- I have dropped over half of the weight I gained while the doctors experimented on me with my Synthroid dose
These things may not seem like a big deal to you but for me, they are huge! One thing I learned through all of this is that healing your body does not happen overnight. We have to remember we did not get sick overnight – even if it feels that way sometimes. We all want a miracle – the change that happens in an instant; but a healing takes time. Short of a miracle, lifestyle changes require hard work and dedication. This is a journey, after all.
If you want to be successful on your journey, I believe the changes you decide to make should be permanent lifestyle changes. Remember, you have to be able to live with and accept these changes and be committed to improving your overall health. It can be difficult at times but let me encourage you to keep at it! Your hard work will pay off!
Still striving towards a healthier and greener lifestyle,
