HEALING HASHIMOTO’S: BY GETTING DOWN TO ROOT CAUSES
So you probably heard this term being used “getting down to root causes” and you may be wondering: what does that mean and how do I do it? Well in this episode I am going to talk about why it is important to get down to root causes and how so that you can do more than managing your symptoms.
My name is Georgina Szabo and I found out that I had Hashimoto’s disease after multiple miscarriages. Instead of just taking a pill I wanted to find out WHY I had Hashimoto’s to begin with so I could really heal my body vs simply addressing a condition and putting a Band-Aid on it. After working with Functional Medicine doctor Stephanie Daniel I was able to put my Hashimoto’s disease in remission within 6 months and get pregnant naturally at age 39, and gave birth to a healthy baby girl. In the process I found my true purpose, which is helping others reverse their Hashimoto’s so you can reclaim your health too and live a fulfilling life.
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HEALING HASHIMOTO’S: BY GETTING DOWN TO ROOT CAUSES – Episode 13
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Since conventional medicine offered nothing but a lifetime-long prescription of thyroid medication I started digging deeper. Somehow I knew there had to be more to it than just genes. After research after research I came across Functional Medicine and Dr. Mark Hyman. I subscribed to his newsletter and after learning about Dr. Izabella Wentz’s docuseries titled the Thyroid Secret I connected with Functional Medicine doctor Stephanie Daniel. She was referenced in the docuseries and since she is located pretty much in my neighborhood I reached out to her right away. I was eager to get down to work!
Why Functional Medicine? Functional Medicine determines how and why illness occurs and restores health by addressing the root causes of the disease for each individual. It is a very personalized approach and nothing gets overlooked.
So to give you a big picture overview, root causes also known as stressors or triggers can be either emotional, physical or chemical. Usually it’s a combination of either of them.
In my case it was mold due to living at moldy places, as well as a compromised gut and emotional burnout– the joys of living a fast-paced life where doing is more valued than undoing, and doing even more and going even faster are always considered a plus. Sort of heroic.
So in order to undo the damage I had to start working backwards. I had to learn to slow down, eliminate toxic chemicals that were taxing to my immune system as well as heal my gut. To support this process, I had to remove anything and everything that was adding stress to my body such as jam-packed schedules, inflammatory foods, toxic personal care products, polluted in-door air and water, negative thoughts, toxic people, stressful jobs–anything really that had a negative effect on my body, mind and soul. A total revamp was in order.
This sounds overwhelming at first but if we are overwhelmed just by hearing about it, imagine how our bodies are feeling after being impacted by all these stressors day after day for how many years now? I mean, no wonder so many are dealing with autoimmune disorders these days!
I love how Dr. Tom O’Bryan puts it- when our immune system is on fire, first we need to take away anything that’s adding to the fire and then we have to start putting the fire out. This is why changing over to an anti-inflammatory diet, greening our home and embracing self care practices are essential to support our immune system in the healing process. But then we need to take a step further and ask ourselves- what is our body reacting to? What caused the immune upset? What put us over our threshold?
I had no idea that most diseases take years if not decades to form. And most of the time we experience no symptoms at all until years later.
So when we talk about boosting immunity our entire family will benefit from greening our homes, changing over to anti-inflammatory diet, slowing down and moving out of a moldy place.
As for getting down to your own root causes– it really is about doing a lifestyle audit I like to call it and see how we are living our lives and how we have lived it up until now? What kinds of chemicals could we have been exposed to? Some will be very obvious but others may not- such as mercury exposure during changing out amalgam fillings that you thought was done safely. Or using makeup full of harsh chemicals even lead! Or living at a moldy house without even knowing about it since you didn’t see any visible mold on the walls. Or eating non-organic all along or every now and then when eating out, including gluten and getting exposed to pesticides, herbicides, glyphosate. Or another not so known- phthalates! You could have been exposed to this chemical for years if you regularly apply nail polish or use plastic food containers and drink from plastic water bottles. Phthalates are used to mold plastic together and it leaches into our food, water and makes its way inside our bloodstream if applied on our nails. And how about the variety of chemicals that you inhaled that were emitted as gases from your furniture or bed mattresses and beddings treated with fire retardants. And then the combination of fragrances that you were exposed to from your laundry detergent and fabric softeners, perfumes all these years? The list goes on…
So yes, as you can see, the point is we all have been exposed to various chemicals over the years that have been accumulating in our bodies for decades. I had no idea that environmental toxins accumulate in our bodies. I learned all about it from Functional Medicine doctors such as Dr. Tom O’Bryan, Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Stephanie Daniel. Which is why doing a cellular detox is so very beneficial for everyone and cannot go overlooked. I always recommend working with a Functional Medicine practitioner who can help identify your offenders and guide you through a protocol that is best suited for your specific needs. And to make sure you are doing more help than harm.
If you want to go deeper into this topic and learn more on how to test and identify triggers I invite you to tune into a FREE science-based video with my Functional Medicine doctor Stephanie Daniel by clicking on the green button below:
I also put together a short video sharing how I identified toxic products in my home, look for the link to it in the notes below. I share all my resources on my blog too under the Resources tab, feel free to check it out.
Furthermore, if you are interested in transitioning over to an anti-inflammatory diet and are currently looking for meal options, I encourage you to add yourself to the waitlist of nutritionist, plant based chef Karin Collins’ next smoothie reset. It is a wonderful way to pick up not just anti-inflammatory smoothie recipes but plant based meal recipes that are nourishing and gut healing too while giving our digestion system a break so the body can start detoxing, healing. Karin runs it quarterly and I join each time to aid ongoing detoxification and to pick up new recipes! Find the link to it in the notes section below.
“You can’t live the same lifestyle and expect a different result by taking a pill.” – Dr. Tom O’Bryan
Resources Mentioned That Will Help Healing Hashimoto’s
Upcoming Smoothie Reset – Add Yourself to Wait List Here
I learnt most of my immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory superfood smoothie recipes from Nutritionist Educator, Gourmet Raw Food Chef Karin Collins. Her Smoothie Resets are perfect for anyone just starting out with smoothies or advanced smoothie lovers alike. Hosted online, Karin will teach you in the comfort of your home how to make delicious superfood smoothies that are Hashimoto’s friendly too! You will walk away with 10 delicious smoothie recipes and knowing how to make your own superfood smoothies in less than 5 minutes! *BONUS: Karin shares simple, quick, healthy snack and meal ideas too as part of the reset. Your body will feel nourished vs deprived throughout the entire reset! Plus, included various online wellness classes allow you to tend to your mental, emotional and physical being while giving your digestive system a break so it can reset & optimize. Being part of an online community will provide accountability along the way ensuring you to stay on track if you loose focus or need more motivation. Her resets are such a fun and easy way to make healthy habits stick and become rituals!
Ditch Toxic Products (Video) – Learn More Here
I made a short video to show you how easily you can identify toxic products in your home and to share a convenient & budget-friendly way to switch over to safe products. Don’t delay, your entire family will benefit from this simple yet critical step! Just click on the link above.
The Thyroid Secret (Docuseries) – Learn More Here
Dr. Izabella Wentz traveled all around the country interviewing over 100 experts who help their patients overcome thyroid disease and throughout each episode; they share how they did it – and how you can too. As you delve into this beautifully laid out series, you’ll start absorbing dynamic truths that will propel you forward and help you discover life-changing interventions that you might otherwise miss.
The Autoimmune Fix (Book) – Learn More Here
In this book Dr. Tom O’Bryan explains the whole picture of autoimmunity. Where it comes from, why it’s happening to you, what is the platform of understanding that you have to come from to deal with this. So much to learn it’s overwhelming, and that’s why the book lays it out little by little. The book is not the answer to your disease, it is the path so you can find the answer to your disease. You will know the questions to ask in order to figure out what it is that is triggering the inflammation in your body that is causing the autoimmune disease that you are manifesting. That’s what you have to figure out.
Healing Hashimoto’s Naturally and Get Your Life Back (Video) – Watch It Here
In this short video Dr. Stephanie Daniel discusses how Hashimoto’s develops and what can be done to reverse it. I worked with Dr. Daniel and absolutely love her approach and the way she explains the entire process. In fact, with her guidance I was able to put my Hashimoto’s in remission within 6 months of working with her. As a result I was able to get pregnant naturally at age 39, and gave birth to a healthy baby girl. This convenient format fits any busy schedule- tune in while you drive to work, do dishes or go for a walk. If you have time to watch/listen to one thing, let this be it!
Whether you just got diagnosed with Hashimoto’s or have had it for a while, I would love to hear from you. Drop me a comment below to say hello and ask me a question you would like help with.