I always seem to go on health food kicks and then slip back into our old routine. There's so much information out there these days on what is and isn't healthy. No carbs, no sugar, no grain, raw, organic. I always pick something and jump in with both feet.
I've been on a mission to correct my health problems since I was a teenager. I've always been sickly. As a child, I was in and out of the hospital with pneumonia. I always had bronchitis or strep throat. At an early age I was diagnosed with asthma (and of course allergies because they seem to go hand in hand). By the age of 10, I was so sick and a mass in my chest was discovered. Fearing that I had cancer, the doctors removed part of my thymus only to have it biopsied and find out that it was benign. After that, my thymus shrunk, but I still had health problems. At the age of 12, I was diagnosed with Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. My list of daily medication increased and I started going to physical therapy three times a week. But I didn't really feel better. A year after that diagnosis, the doctors realized they were wrong and I didn't have JRA. So they gave me a new diagnosis- fibromyalgia. Even at a young age, I knew that fibromyalgia was thought of as a joke. A box you're placed in if there's no other explanation for being in pain. A box that is often labeled with "it's all in your head." After a couple of years of being on medication for asthma, allergies and fibromyalgia, I decided I had enough. I was sick of taking medicine and being bloated and pale and still not feeling well. I started to exercise daily and I change my diet. I began to feel better, but then I found out I have a multinodular goiter. And along with it I have hypothyrodism. I don't like to talk about my health issues, because I don't like to think of myself as not being well. I still have a hard time saying I have fibromyalgia because it's still such an unknown condition. But that doesn't change the fact that I have flare ups sometimes. In the past month or so, I just haven't felt well. My asthma is so bad, I have to use my rescue inhaler several times a day. I've been breaking out in hives. My hips and lower back hurt so bad, it's hard to even walk sometimes. And my lovely goiter has swollen to the point where sometimes I feel like I'm being choked.
So back to all of the health information out there. I've done a lot of research and I'm sure that I would benefit from a gluten free, sugar free diet. I've read how gluten is linked to so many diseases, especially thyroid problems. I've actually tried going gluten free a few times, but without knowing for sure that it would help me, it's difficult to make a life change like that.
Instead of jumping in with both feet, I've decided to start with a few things to improve my health-
1) Apple cider vinegar. Whenever I skip on the ACV, I can really tell a difference. I'll admit, I haven't been taking it as often as I should, so I'm going to start taking two tablespoons in hot water twice a day. I've always had good results from ACV.
2) Chicken stock. I'm reading so many health benefits from stock. It's so cheap to get an organic, free range chicken, roast it and have dinner for the family one night and stock by the next day. It's quick and easy and my whole family can enjoy the nourishment.
3) Oregano oil. A friend of mine told me that oregano oil is great for sore throats. I looked it up and was surprised to see that it also treats asthma. I'm willing to try anything to get my asthma under control. Inhalers are expensive and I hate having to use it so much.
4) Raw milk. Another thing my friend said was great for your health. She actually brought some over and it was delicious. It takes a little planning to make sure you're purchasing it every week, but I really believe that the health benefits will be worth it.
I would love to hear if anyone has any suggestions on naturally improving health conditions!
3 comments:
My mother-in-law has fibro and hypothyroidism too. She says she absolutely has to exercise daily, and couldn't take fibro drugs cuz they made her feel worse. She always begs people not to get on synthroid because it overrides the thyroids natural ability to work on its own, making people dependent. She has taken Armor Thyroid (natural but get it pharmacy, kinda different) and GTA by Biotics Research (from chiro). The GTA seemed to help more, but she didn't know if her dosage was correct W/ Armor. Josh was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in the last year and GTA helped him too. Both Josh and his mom were told that a gluten free diet would help a lot. We've made the switch in the last year and seen a big difference. I would be happy to share tips and recipes any time!
A very simple thing though is to use a nettipot every day. I don't have allergies/asthma, but it helps me get over sinus infections soooo much quicker. We have an extra one (new, lol) if you would like to try it.
I'm kindof a health junkie (although sometimes more in thought than practice, lol) and love chatting about this stuff, so if you ever feel like talking about it, I'm here! :-)
Thanks for the info, Carolyn! I was on synthroid for a couple of years, but switched to Armour after I read about the side effects of synthroid. I take a natural thyroid replacement now that isn't Armour since we don't have health insurance. It's so hard to know where your thyroid levels need to be.
I've never heard of GTA. Do you only get that through a chiropractor? I would be interested to learn more about it (:
And I do think I'll give gluten free a try. Any recipes you have to share would be great!
And I agree with your mother-in-law- exercise is key to feeling good. I used to use a neti pot, but I haven't used it in a couple of years. I think I'll bust mine out today! (:
No problem! And yes, the GTA is from our chiropractor, though I'm sure it's available other places. He can order blood work so he can establish the correct dosage for you.
I know how hard it is to go gluten free. I struggled with it for a couple years probably. I'm really sensitive to it but would cave when it was inconvenient or if I had a craving for bread. Then when Jonah was born I discovered that if I ate it, he would vomit (a lot). So I stopped. Funny how it's easier to do things for our children than it is to do things for ourselves sometimes. I found it easiest (and cheapest) to eat things that are naturally GF, then branched out from there. It's hard to find baked goods and breads that are decent store bought, and they are ridiculously expensive. I will forward you some of my fave recipes. And if you're craving something that feels normal, try glutino oreos and pretzels. They're better than their glutanimous counterparts! Good luck!!
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