Today I am happy to share some space on 8 Women Dream for a woman who helped me change my life. In 2003 I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease, a hereditary disease that lead to my hypothyroidism. I was pretty sick when I stumbled upon the website, Stop The Thyroid Madness in 2004.
Until that fateful day, I thought the way I was feeling was my fault, but the truth was that the medication protocol I was on was keeping me sick. After spending 12 hours reading everything on Janie Bowthorpe’s website, I asked my endocrinologist for Armour thyroid medicine — something more than the T4 synthetic medication I had been on.
He said yes, and my friends will tell you that changing my medication change my life. I was able to get up off the couch and take on the world. Because of this experience I decided to start 8 Women Dream. People need to be encouraged to get up of the couch and fight for their dream lives!
Coming in 2012 on my personal website, A Week in the Life of a Redhead, I am going to share my journey of exploring what it takes to get your body back after hypothyroidism takes over. We’ll do it together. I look forward to sharing this journey with you.
I want the world to understand what Oprah, Gena Lee Nolin, Linda Ronstadt, Mary Shomon, and others are going through with their Hashimoto’s disease — except have the story be told by a single mom raising her son and fighting this disease on her own. If I can do this — you can do anything!
Here’s the first of what I hope to be many shared stories from Janie Bowthorpe and her dream to Stop The Thyroid Madness —
EXHAUSTED BY THE HOLIDAYS?
Undiagnosed or Under-treated thyroid problems may be the reason
December is a time for celebration! There are gifts to be wrapped, decorations to hang, parties to attend and food to be cooked. It’s no wonder that along with holiday cheer, we also feel just plain exhausted.
But being exhausted during the holidays may not be as normal as you think. It could be your thyroid, even if your doctor has pronounced you “normal”, and even if you are already on medication for a thyroid problem.
Two reasons for the holiday blues
For years, thyroid patients have reported being left undiagnosed or under-treated due to the TSH lab test (the medical gold standard of thyroid testing), or they have been forced to cope with lingering hypothyroid symptoms by being placed on the oft-prescribed “T4-only medications” like Synthroid. (The problem with that? The thyroid makes 5 hormones, not just the one.)
Even worse, your TSH lab test can remain “normal” for years before it rises high enough to reveal the hypothyroid state you’ve had all along. So you live your life in the so-called “normal” state, yet you are tired, or gaining weight, depressed, or seeing other health issues crop up.
Once treated on a T4-only medication, a huge body of thyroid patients are left to cope with a myriad of symptoms then band-aided by more meds (i.e. Prozac for depression), in which case the holidays are only happy for the pockets of the pharmaceutical companies.
How to bring the “Ho! Ho! Ho!” back to the holidays
If the holiday hustle and bustle saps your energy or even leaves you feeling blue, the best gift you can give yourself and your family this season is an education on more effective thyroid testing and treatment. If you suspect your thyroid is an issue, don’t be afraid to request proper testing from your doctor.
How?
On www.stopthethyroidmadness.com, you’ll find out about thyroid patient experiences with a far superior medication and better labwork, plus you can learn how to discover and treat other problems related to being left hypothyroid–adrenal fatigue, low iron, low vitamin and mineral levels, and more.
Janie Bowthorpe, M.Ed., is the spearhead of a patient-to-patient movement revolutionizing the thyroid community and founder of Stop the Thyroid Madness, which started as a website and is now the number one-rated book on thyroid disorders. Visit www.stopthethyroidmadness.com
And a special shout out to PR agent, Elaine … thank you.
Catherine
Catherine Hughes is the founder, content director and editor-at-large of 8WomenDream. She is passionate about helping women step out of their own way and strike out into a world waiting for their special talents. She’s a published author and a former award-winning mom blogger. Catherine has helped companies both large and small create engaging web content, social media narratives, and unique blogging platforms. She claims to be a redhead, but don’t hold that against her.
Note: Articles by Catherine may contain affiliate links and 8WD will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on an affiliate link.
