As you might have read in the “About” section of this blog, I was diagnosed with an under active thyroid (hypothyroidism) in 2001. I have to admit that when I first heard the diagnoses, I didn’t know much about the disorder, nor did I care enough to do much research on the topic. I let my doctor’s convince me that it is a very normal occurrence among men and woman these days and that I shouldn’t be too concerned. They prescribed me Levothyroxin, which is a synthetic form of thyroxin (otherwise known as the thyroid hormone T4). I was advised to take 2 pills per day at 100 mcg. This was my routine for 5 years. Two pills a day at 50 mcg for approximately 5 years. That’s roughly 3650 synthetic, chemically formulated pills, equaling 182,500 mcg, ingested into my body. To me, the most ironic part in all of this is that I hadn’t even noticed anything wrong with me in the first place! I had simply gone for a yearly check-up and blood test, and this was “found”. It wasn’t until after I starting taking the medication that I actually noticed the “symptoms”. Was it because I felt them, or because I was told that’s what I should be feeling?

It was in 2006 that I met my future husband, Jordan. When he found out that I was taking synthetic medication for my thyroid, he suggested talking to a naturopath and looking into to some alternative options. At first, I was resistant to the idea. After all, I trusted my doctors, specialists and family who all told me that I would be on this medication for life. Once you start taking medication for your thyroid, there was no stopping. I was told by my doctor that our thyroids were unable to heal themselves. In most cases, it only got weaker with age. Jord didn’t give up on me though. He was convinced that there was an alternative approach.

In early 2007, I contacted a local Naturopath and it turned out that he actually specialized in thyroid function. (I love the synchronicity that life has for us all) Within a month, I had stopped taking Levothyroxin and I had replaced it with Nature-Throid, which is a natural form of desiccated thyroid hormone. Nature-Throid is made from the thyroid glands of pigs, and is therefore considered a “natural” thyroid product. I was prescribed 1 ½ grains (90 mg) per day. This meant taking three pills per day. After a couple of months, my symptoms did improve and I was extremely happy that I made the switch. There were a few problems though. Not only was Nature-Throid not covered by my health care plan, costing me about $30/month, it was also becoming increasingly hard to get. My Naturopath went to great lengths to bring this medication across the border from the USA into Canada and even then, this medication was becoming high in demand and the manufacturer was having a hard time keeping up with the orders. I was also becoming more and more aware of what I was putting into my body. 

In the spring of 2008, Jord and I were becoming increasingly interested in health. We began researching everything we could about how to take care of ourselves and improve our overall health. We decided to try a raw food diet. This consisted of eating nothing cooked above 118F (48C), eliminating all meats, dairy, wheat, and processed sugar. It included ample amounts of nuts and seeds, vegetables and fruits, collard greens, superfoods and smoothies. It was a difficult endeavor at first, but we pushed through and it quickly became our routine. We felt AMAZING!! We also eliminated as many toxic chemical products as we could. This included those used in our house or on our bodies (i.e. laundry detergent, toothpastes, shampoos, soaps, deodorant, dish soap, makeup, hair products... to name a few) We simply made our own alternatives or purchased a natural variety at local health stores. It’s amazing what is out there and for the most part they work the same if not better!! Eliminating all of this toxicity was an amazing feeling, but I couldn’t feel completely clean while I was still consuming three pills a day, “natural” or not. Due to the fact that I was feeling so great, I decided that I was going to try to get off my medication all together. I started slowly. I began to take only 2 pills a day. I did this for about a month and then went for a blood test. My Naturopath was happy to see that my blood levels had remained stable and that I seemed to be doing great. He warned me though about reducing the dose further. It was unlikely to him that I would be able to get away with it. I had made my mind up though and I could sense that my body was now strong enough to proceed. So I did. I reduced my dose to 1 pill a day. I did this for 2 months before going back for blood work. To my Naturopath’s surprise, my levels remained the same. I was so excited. My goal of getting off my medication was so close. For some reason, getting off that last pill was a difficult step for me. Something in my head was still listening to those doctors who told me that I would never be able to stop for the rest of my life. Thankfully, I pushed through those feelings and stopped taking my last pill. It has been over a year that I have been “pill free”, and I’ve never felt better. I know that it is because of the dramatic health change that Jord and I chose to pursue. I am thankful everyday to my loving husband, who cared enough to suggest the “impossible” and I’m thankful to myself for having the courage to listen to my own body.

Please note that this has been my experience and that we are all different. I am definitely not a doctor and I am not providing advice to anyone. The goal of this article is to hopeful inspire someone who has or knows someone who has hypothyroidism/hyperthyroidism to seek out alternative therapies.  I have seen from personal experience that it is possible for our thyroids to heal themselves; they just need a little bit of help along the way.

If you have any questions about further details or the exact methods and supplements I used in my journey to recovery, please feel free to contact us via this website.