Blog Feed – Terese Millhouse – From Chronic to Cured

A Medical Mystery and Finding a Middle Ground – Thyroid And Chronic Fatigue Healing

Brief Update

It’s been six months since I started The Medical Medium’s Thyroid Healing Cleanse regime. I completed the three monthly cleanses in the Book: Cleanse A – Liver, Lymphatic and Gut Release Month, Cleanse B – Heavy Metal Detox Month, and Cleanse C – Thyroid Healing Cleanse Month. I have continued to stay on the Cleanse C program while including some aspects of the other two cleanses.

My last update mentioned that after weaning off my thyroid T4 and T3 medications, I needed to go back on T3/T4 natural compound thyroid medication, after about three weeks without any, due to severe hypothyroid symptoms. It was obvious that after having 20 years of medications and 20 years of Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) damage to my thyroid, that I would need a much longer period to heal my thyroid and cleanse the virus. The medication can keep my body at a balanced level while I continue to do this, and down the track I would like to try weaning off the medication again at a much slower pace to see what my thyroid function is like.

Current Symptoms – Chronic Fatigue

Since Christmas, I identified that I hardly have any, if at all, Chronic Fatigue symptoms (Stage 4 of EBV). It has probably been longer than that but the realisation just came out of the blue in the last month. I sleep well and wake rested. I don’t have any issues getting out of bed. I can generally think clearly and have energy to focus on self care every day and first thing in the morning especially, ie shower. I make all my own foods from scratch or can source foods with no additives, preservatives or that have the foods I need to avoid (gluten, eggs, dairy, soy, canola or corn). I am walking. I don’t need a lie down or rest or sleep during the day. I rarely feel viral aches in my body and it has been some time since I’ve had inflammation in my back and neck, causing a three day headache. I am doing well enough that I have been able to look at starting my own small home business (From Chronic To Cured). I’m finally well enough to share my health regime so it might help others, along with sharing the natural health products and tips that have been essential to my healing and self care, including making my own natural essential oil products!! So this has all been very exciting and something I would never have been able to do, let alone thing about this time last year!!

My cheeky 9 year old daughter, Eleanor and I enjoying cafe and colouring in last week 🙂

Hashimotos/Hypothyroid symptoms

So through my own health regime and in consultation with my doctor, I have been able to cure myself of Chronic Fatigue Disorder (CFD) and bring myself back to Stage 3 of EBV, thyroid disease!! Huge achievement after 7 years of CFD! My current hypothyroid symptoms are mild constipation, occasional dry skin, mild muscle stiffness or fatigue, no weight loss (but no weight gain or puffiness), some brain fog and tiredness around 5pm (but it feels like being tired after a long day at work), and some hormonal moodiness. These symptoms take me to the Medical Mystery part of my blog!!!

Medical Mystery and No More Chronic Fatigue Symptoms

I met with my GP (and integrated medicine practitioner) on Thursday after having a half way mark thyroid levels blood test. She wanted to see me straight away. I had my daughter Eleanor with me.

She couldn’t believe that the person sitting in front of her was the same person who’s blood test results she was looking at:

Thyroid Function Blood Test Results – Terese Millhouse dated 21 Jan 2020

The numbers circled in blue are the levels that a regular healthy thyroid should be functioning at. The numbers circled in yellow are my previous blood test results showing relatively normal levels (sometimes slightly high or slightly low but only mildly). I was on medication to help me maintain these levels but I had chronic fatigue and couldn’t function properly with little energy, needing rests and sleeps and struggling to eat properly.

The numbers in red are the medical mystery numbers. These are my blood test results from last week, after being on the thyroid healing cleanse for 6 months, and back on T3/T4 compound/natural thyroid medication for 6 weeks. My TSH (indicates thyroid function), is 178. It should be no more than 4!! 😱 So it’s off the charts! It’s not producing any hormones to support my body systems basically. Free T3 and T4 are low, T4 being very low. Despite these results I was sitting in front of my doctor looking well and also functioning pretty well (as per above update).

My doctor told me I basically have no thyroid function and I should be so tired and not able to think clearly or function at a basic level with the results she could see in front of her! She said to me “is that your blood??”. I said it was and couldn’t understand it myself. My current symptoms would be reflective of someone who might have TSH level of 10 or 20 maybe, but not 178!

She asked me what I’ve been doing. I said I’m still doing the thyroid healing cleanse and I haven’t wavered from it in 6 months, including not eating any of the foods to avoid. I even gave her a rundown of my daily food regime. I reminded her I was still using the natural Asea Signalling Molecules to boost my immune system and had gone back on the liquid version about two weeks ago, along with using the gel (she already knew about Asea as her sister’s integrative medicine practice in Queensland promotes the molecules). And I am still supporting my body with natural essential oils as well.

So despite being on thyroid medication again, my levels were off the charts – yet I was functioning well. How weird is that!! And when I had normal thyroid levels I was not functioning well at all prior to the thyroid healing cleanse. My doctor has suggested I still increase my meds slightly to try to bring the levels down and just to give my thyroid a bit more support while it is still healing. I can try to very very slowly wean off the meds again down the track. And I am waiting on antibodies results to see if I am still fighting EBV too, which I am very interested to find out also.

This has just confirmed to me that medication and scientific results don’t necessarily always reflect what is actually happening in your body and how you feel. I have no doubt those levels are real, but they weren’t affecting me as the doctor told me they should have been. If I hadn’t been doing the cleanse and supporting my body naturally with the oils and molecules as well, I also have no doubt I’d be very sick and bed-ridden with those results.

So there you go…a medical mystery! That’s me! I’m now more determined than ever to share with everyone what I’m doing to help myself so that others may benefit as I have, and start investing in their own health, naturally! If I can do it, anyone can! It’s not all roses but there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel.

Food is medicine, be naturally healthy while being practical with your own health. Be guided by your doctor and work with them, but if something doesn’t feel right then keep asking questions and looking for answers. Are you just treating a symptom or have you dug deeper and found the cause?

I’d love to hear about your health journeys and what has worked for you, especially around thyroid issues and chronic fatigue.

Please contact me if you’d like more information or have any questions about the incredible and natural Asea Signalling Molecules, the benefits of using natural pure essential oils and supporting your health and becoming a non-tox household. Eg, I have a special hashimotos/hypothyroid roller blend I use on my neck twice a day. If you’d like to have the Asea molecules or essential oils in your house, I can guide you through the easy process.

Take care and until next time…look after yourself! 💚

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Thyroid Healing Setbacks and Forward Gains – the good, the bad and the not so pregnant

I wanted to share this comparison photo as an example of how any healing journey can have setbacks, but in particular the powerful effects that a thyroid can have on your body when it is not functioning properly. But also how quickly it can turn around with the right awareness, decisions and care.

After having a reasonably smooth weaning process off my thyroid medication (T4 and T3 hormones), the two weeks that followed I experienced both hyperthyroid and then hypothyroid symptoms. The hyperthyroid symptoms were waking early 4am/5am and being wide awake, lots of energy, puffy eyes, mood swings and some muscle weakness. This was caused from my liver getting rid of any excess medication it had stored over almost a 20 year period.

Then after about a week I noticed I was experiencing more hypothyroid symptoms: more puffy eyes, more muscle weakness (couldn’t brush my teeth without resting my arm from lactic acid buildup), still waking early but getting tired around 4pm, moodiness, swollen and stiff hands and feet, puffy face, constipation, bloated, feeling cold, very dry skin (hands were like sand paper), no weight loss despite eating extremely healthy through my cleanse process (lots of fruit, veggies and protein), and easily bruising, ie massaging my back then having bruises. Most of these things are reflected in the left-hand side photo of me.

Why was I experiencing such severe symptoms? After being on medication for almost 20 years, the trial and error weaning process was too quick for my body to cope with. Basically the Epstein-Barr Virus was having a feeding frenzy from all the abnormal hormonal effects after coming off the medication, my immune system went into overdrive, which all contributed to the symptoms but especially the inflammation in my hands and feet, and swollen neck. There is still too much virus embedded in my thyroid to allow for normal function just yet without some medication support.

The photo on the left was posted on Facebook and I received many queries about whether I was pregnant 😂😜 I even said to Adam who posted the photo, that I looked pregnant and people would think I was! Adam took the photo down for me but I decided to use it as a comparison in my health journey.

The extremes of thyroid function/dysfunction can be seen in the above photo comparison where only two days later, I was doing much better, reflected in the right-hand side picture. I made the decision to put myself back on the active T3 medication. I also used specific essential oils to help support my thyroid and I had been applying extra ASEA Renu signalling cell gel on my neck to support my natural immune system.

Conclusion? I have had great results so far doing the Medical Medium’s Thyroid Healing Cleanse. I will continue with it, and going back on the medication will allow more time for the Cleanse process to do it’s job. I am more than aware that after having thyroid disease (caused by the Epstein-Barr Virus stage 3) for almost 20 years, I am not going to be healed over night and it could take 12-18 months at least to see normal function. Weaning off the medication was an unknown process of how it would affect me, so now I know, I will now take a lot longer to wean off the active T3 hormone, in conjunction with my GP’s advice, to give the healing foods I’m eating and drinking more time to do it’s job to starve viral cells then flush out dead virus corpse cells, and heal the damage that’s been caused over a very long period of time.

Aim? If I can eliminate EBV by at least 90% from my body, and heal my thyroid to normal function, the medication should no longer be needed, but only more time will tell.

Have you had any experiences with the Medical Medium’s Thyroid Healing Cleanse? Or weaning off thyroid medication? Or healing yourself from a chronic illness using natural means? Please share it with me, I’d love to hear your journey and results!!

The Power of Healing with Natural Essential Oils

There are a few things that I have incorporated into my daily health and wellness regime that I now feel is complete since stumbling across the Medical Medium’s Thyroid Healing book almost three months ago and started the thyroid healing virus cleanse. (I also have an exciting announcement at the end so please read on.)

The cleanse especially has been the catalyst to which I am now able to start moving and enjoying movement (not exercise, just movement which is a privilege, thanks to a great concept I learnt from Tanya Shadbolt at Elements of Strength) by enjoying walks again and actually taking in my surrounds. I took my first 15 minute walk the other day in months, and have since walked another two times this week. I am breathing more deeply and meditating. I am songwriting and recording my songs. I am laughing more and enjoying more social outings, especially finding it easier to go out of an evening (which was basically non-existent previously).

So what else, in addition to the cleanse, has helped me get to where I am now?

Essential oils!! (ASEA redox signalling molecules are another, an amazing new health technology which I go into more detail about in my blog post here, very exciting find! Depends on which blog you read first!).

Essential Oils

I have been using essential oils for a number of years as a way to relax, destress, help me sleep, relieve anxiety and boost my moods. I only had a handful of the most common oils which were mostly given to me: lavender, ylang ylang, patchouli, jasmine and cedar wood. I would diffuse the oils and apply topically depending on what I needed. The oils were most helpful in getting me through the years of caring for my late husband, Matthew, and grieving him following his death in August 2015 (this is ongoing but getting easier to manage).

A year ago I was introduced to doTerra Essential oils through a friend, and there was something about the company, their ethics and quality of their products that drew me to begin trying their oils. They do not test on, or condone testing on animals. The oils are natural, pure, therapeutic grade and sourced from the four corners of the world, while striving to be sustainable. DoTerra also give back through their charity Healing Hands, and by partnering with the Operation Underground Railroad (OUR) Rescue Organisation (rescue children from sex trafficking).

So based on the above I began ordering a few oils each month that I felt I would use to help me with my day to day health and wellbeing. NB. You can use any brand of essential oils as long as you are happy with the quality of the oils and the ethics of the company providing the oils. My personal choice is DoTerra.

I have since built up a nice little collection of oils, oil blends and other natural DoTerra products that were relevant to me, my family and my household. These products have made a HUGE contribution as I began to switch to a non-tox house. I wanted to make sure that not only was I helping the environment, but that I was being mindful of what chemicals I was using for cleaning and putting on my body, that could be affecting my health and my family’s health.

Made my own dishwasher tabs and kitchen multipurpose spray

So far I have converted the following cleaning products in my house to homemade natural ones since starting this project:

Dishwashing liquid
Dishwashing tabs
Rinse Aid
Laundry detergent
Kitchen cleaning spray
Bathroom cleaning spray
Toilet cleaning liquid
Toilet/room deodorising spray
Instant Antibacterial hand sanitiser
Antibacterial foaming hand soap
Perfumes
Cat deterrent spray (to stop clawing furniture and carpet)
Insect bite itch relief blend
Travel sickness blend

I have used DoTerra DIY recipes on their website, some that have been shared in groups, and most recently from an excellent book called Naturally Inspired – DIY Recipe Book, by Krissy Ballinger (The Inspired Little Pot), to make most of the above items (which I purchased after being lucky enough to meet Krissy and hear her speak at a recent day workshop in Hobart).

My next project is to swap our body products to non-tox natural products, whether I make them myself or source organic, additive-free alternatives.

Please let me know if you want any DIY recipes or ideas from the above content that you’d like to know more about, or you have something of your own to share! I will drip-feed more things as I come across them.

Exciting Announcement!!

I’m so enjoying using essential oils and making my own products as part of my day to day health and wellness regime, that I’m excited to announce that I am launching my own business selling essential oils here, and soon to make my own products to sell, under the From Chronic To Cured banner, along with selling redox signalling molecules in the form of gel and liquid – see blog post here for more information on the molecules, what they are and how to purchase!

Oil uses from top left: Diffusing, storage option, doTerra lemon and lavender essential oils, essential oil capsules (from food grade oils only), and topical

I am proud to be affiliated with doTerra Essential oils! I’d be more than happy to order any oils for you (plus postage if not local – Hobart, Tasmania). If you’re interested in purchasing your own DoTerra oils as a wholesaler then please let me know also, I can assist you with setting this up, so easy!! You can check out their range of oils on the above DoTerra website link and contact me to place an order.

As soon as I have homemade products (such as natural perfumes and cleaning products) available to purchase I will put them up on my Facebook page, From Chronic to Cured and share the range. Please like and share the page too!

To Sum Up…

I can honestly say I have never been so motivated to live and enjoy life to the fullest as I do right now. Everything that has happened in my life has gotten me to this point, for whatever reason, and I am not spending any more time than I absolutely have to in being chronically unwell. I’m ready to live again and even more so since turning 40 last month!! WOOHOO!

So until next time…look after yourselves 💚🥰

Update – Weaning Off Thyroxine/T3, and Third Month of Thyroid Healing Cleanse

It’s been two and a half weeks since I completely finished all thyroxine (T4 hormone) and T3 compound hormone (under direction and assistance of my doctor), and almost three months since I started the thyroid healing cleanse. I am also in my third week of Cleanse A – Liver, Lymphatic and Gut Release month.

Negative Symptoms In Last Two Weeks

The detox process off the meds has been interesting. In the last two weeks I’ve had both hyper and hypo-thyroid symptoms, the worst I’ve probably felt for some time, experiencing all of the following:

1. Back/shoulder joint pain/inflammation causing two lots of three day headaches/brain fog (one in the first week and another the second week). I walked around with an ice pack strapped to my back and had the brain function of what I can only describe as ‘zombie-like’.

2. Swollen hot hands at night and in the morning

3. Dry skin

4. Waking up at 4 or 5am and being awake

5. Restless legs

6. Constipation and diarrhoea

7. Heavy sleepy eyes/body Fatigue around 2pm onwards

8. No weight loss despite eating well

9. A mild period earlier than due date

10. Waking up really thirsty

It’s been a bit of an experience I can tell you! To get through it I had to remind myself of why I was doing this, and draw on all of my knowledge of the thyroxine detox process, the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) and the Thyroid Healing Cleanse to understand my symptoms….basically I don’t want to give EBV any excuse to stay in my body and continue to cause chaos. I want to give my body a chance to function properly without EBV, or any medications interfering in that process by acting like a steroid and masking the real issue that’s preventing healthy thyroid function, EBV.

Understanding My Symptoms

I’m on Cleanse A this month (see above pic). Thyroxine and T3 have a half life of 9-10 days (how long it takes to leave your system completely). The inflammation is the virus reacting to/feeding off the fluctuations of hormones from the detox process. My liver is releasing (and being cleansed of) almost 20 years of thyroxine. The hyper symptoms are from the excess meds coming out of the liver as it stores extra thyroxine (about 5%). The cleanse and celery help to release these meds, toxins and corpse cells from the liver, causing the initial increase in hormones a hyper systems, and then the drop in hormones as the meds leave my system. Not to mention the virus loves hormones so it has also been having a bit of a feeding frenzy. The inflammation is my immune system kicking in to full swing to fight it off.

To give my liver and thyroid extra support over the last two weeks in particular, I decided to include the thyroid healing soup every day and thyroid healing tea every day also (from cleanse c). I’m also alternating my breakfast smoothies between the Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie and the Thyroid Healing Smoothie each day. (There is no specified smoothie as part of Cleanse A.)

Improvement In My Health

Despite feeling the worst I have felt over the last two and a half weeks since starting on the cleanse, I have also had improvements (especially during this third week):

I am waking up regularly around the same time and feeling rested. (Mind you it has been between 3am and 5am but I feel rested!) If it’s early I do a meditation to continue resting before starting the day. Even while having the inflammatory headaches. (Highly recommend the 21 day meditation series from Oprah and Deepak Chopra, awesome!!)
I have had no issues getting out of bed to have a shower (other than two days while I had the inflammatory headaches where I stayed in my PJs and rested). I used to put off having a shower for as long as possible in the day, because of the energy it took, and sometimes I’d only shower every second day. In the past, after managing to get my daughter on the school bus, I’d have to go back to bed to rest or sleep.
I started walking and moving again by going on three 15-20 min walks last week and three so far this week, and actually WANTING to walk (see below pic).
I am enjoying cooking and planning meals again, which was always a huge energy zapper in the past.
I am interacting more socially, especially of an evening. I would previously have to rule out any social evening activity due to fatigue and brain fog at that time of day.
Stronger libido
My skin, especially on my face, looks healthier and clearer.
Adam and I no longer have a cleaner and I actually felt up to cleaning the bathroom the other week, for the first time in about 8 years. We also just purchased a steam mop so I could wash and steam our hard floors using only natural ingredients and water. I have done the hard floors twice now and get a kick out of doing it too!
I am feeling more naturally motivated as each day goes.

Walking along bush track near my home, tinted lenses in action!

These are the main positive changes I’ve noticed. I have not had any back inflammation, headache or stiffness in about a week. I am still experiencing hot sore hands early in the morning but that eases off before I get out of bed. Every second day this week I have still felt fatigue between 2pm and 5pm where i could curl up and go to sleep, but have managed to push though until bedtime. The other days have been pretty good and productive days. It used to be every day was fatigue.

For those that know me know that the above positive changes are major improvements in my overall health.

I still have every confidence that the longer I’m off the meds and doing the cleanse to starve the EBV and heal my body, the more settled my hormones will become. Over time my thyroid will return to its natural function with nothing holding it back. I believe this with every single fibre of my being and have done from about one month into starting the cleanse. I have no doubt it will take me 12-18 months to heal, settle and feel almost ‘normal’ again, with fluctuations along the way through natural hormones/periods, any unavoidable stress/life or inadvertent/accidental eating of the foods to avoid.

At some stage in the next three months I’ll have more bloods taken to compare to my baseline blood test results when I first started. The thyroid function tests will be especially interesting to see the results of.

Honestly, every single thing I’m doing each day with this cleanse (almost three months now), I feel is one step closer to feeling better and moving further away from all the health lows and crap. AND I’m saying this even after having the worst two weeks I’ve had since starting cleanse.

So far so good! Bring on more celery juice!!! And if you haven’t done so already, ‘do yourself a favour’ and buy the book! Thyroid Healing by Medical Medium, Anthony William, especially if you have any thyroid or chronic autoimmune issues, or you’ve had Glandular Fever (also known as Mono/EBV). Available at all good book stores and online. This is the link to the medical medium’s own website if you’d like more information. His blog posts are a wealth of info too.

Until next time…look after yourselves 🥰💚

Week 9 – Update – Thyroid Healing Cleanse

Enjoying a cocktail on Hamilton Island by the pool bar!

Well I’m still here and I’m still going! I’m on my last week of the Medical Medium’s Thyroid Healing Cleanse Heavy Metal Detox Month, which I am doing an extra week of after spending a wonderful five nights on Hamilton Island for my 40th birthday, in the second week of October. Adam and I travelled with five close friends to enjoy a kid-free holiday break.

Quick Summary of Hamilton Island Trip and How I Managed My Nutrition

Loved Hamilton Island! The weather, the nature, the friends, the locals, the snorkelling/turtles, the pools and the cocktails! It won’t be my last time there that’s for sure. I managed to stay relatively close to my cleanse regime by remaining gluten, dairy, pork and egg free (other than some garlic aioli that I may have forgotten is made from egg yolks even though they said it was dairy free…doesn’t alway include eggs!). Corn, soy and canola were harder to avoid but I did my best. I also managed a fresh celery juice every morning courtesy of the Marina Cafe which was awesome.

Adam and I stayed at the Reef View Hotel (highly recommend), which had an excellent breakfast buffet included in our accomodation package. It allowed me to have a good breakfast every morning of homemade beans, hash browns, mushrooms and fruit. It was difficult to have a heavy metal detox smoothie while away (other than smuggling in ingredients on the plane!) so I didn’t worry about it and added the extra week on to make up for it.

There was an IGA Supermarket on the island so I was able to buy fresh fruit/veg, snacks and meat where I could check what was in them for the foods to avoid including soy, corn and canola. Eating out was a bit harder hence just sticking to gluten, dairy, pork and egg free. I found there was always one or two options I could have on menus though.

My alcohol consumption mainly consisted of fruit cocktails with no added sugar and low calorie spirits like vodka and gin. I paired this up with lots of water.

Overall my thyroid cleanse food regime while on Hamilton Island (although still strict), was quite manageable and it allowed me to thoroughly enjoy my time without compromising my health too much. It was a huge bonus to have the celery juice every morning as a baseline cleanse item.

How is my current health?

Medication

It’s been about four weeks since I posted my last update (read here). In that time I have consulted with my doctor, Sally Chapman regarding whether I should wean off my current thyroid medication, Thyroxine (T4 hormone replacement) and a compound T3 hormone replacement.

There is a whole chapter in the Medical Medium’s Thyroid Healing book dedicated to thyroid medication and whether it is a help or a hindrance to our body and our thyroid’s function. Here are two excerpts from that chapter just to give you an idea of what Anthony William is suggesting (Chapter 8)…

I scanned the whole chapter and sent it to Dr Chapman so she could see the reason behind my request for weaning off my thyroid medication. I told her that if it is something that is potentially going to benefit me in the long run then I would be happy to be a ‘guinea pig’ test subject, and record my results. Two weeks prior to this request, I had all my bloods done as a baseline, to measure against down the track.

Sally replied back saying I could wean off my thyroid medication and suggested a 4-6 week regime of weaning. I am currently in week 4.

Current Symptoms

So, keeping in mind that I am in week 4 of weaning and detoxing from almost 20 years of taking thyroid medication, my symptoms have evolved as follows over the last four weeks since my last update:

On Monday 30 September 2019, which was also the first day of school holidays, I started reducing my Thyroxine (T4 hormone replacement medication). By Thursday I was getting more tired and my hands had become hot and swollen again in particular. This had improved somewhat prior. Adam, myself and the kids had spent the Thursday down on Bruny Island fishing. The morning was fishing and the afternoon consisted of me having a siesta on the outdoor couch at our block/shack while Adam took the kids fishing some more. By the weekend I had experienced a couple of days of being moody and short-tempered, a bit like ‘PMT’.

The second week of October (on the Monday) saw us head to Hamilton Island. I was on the same reduced T4 hormone dose. Looking back I found I did not need any day sleeps at all during the trip, and I wasn’t tired until after 10pm. I also woke up around 5.30am every morning feeling quite fresh and rested. There were no feelings of moodiness either. It could have also been the ‘tropical island holiday effect’ 😜🏝 Mind you on the Thursday of that week we all went Go-Kart Racing, and after sliding into the barrier side-on around a hairpin turn, I had a very sore right rib area. It became worse at the day and days went on. Adam and I arrived home late Saturday evening and I still felt ok in spirit on Sunday without feeling the usual down you can get from a holiday ending (or needing a holiday to recover from the holiday!). But I went to see my regular GP on the Monday who diagnosed a broken rib! I was happy that I broke my first bone in a ‘cool’ way but was not liking the pain every time I sneezed, coughed or breathed in!

In the third week of October (starting Monday 14 October) I completely stopped the T4 hormone medication and just stayed on T3. I continued to celebrate my 40th birthday that night at dinner wth family and friends back home in Hobart. I enjoyed a lovely steak and also indulged in a glass of Sauvignon Blanc wine, which caused my back to become sore, inflamed and I got a headache. I also didn’t have my wine drops that I usually put in, which neutralises the effects of sulphites in wine. In the past these symptoms would also have caused brain fog and lasted for at least three days. But I woke up on Tuesday morning feeling much better with no sore back. This was worth noting as a big improvement in my overall health and speedier recovery.

I officially turned 40 on Wednesday, 16 October which was a lovely relaxing day. By Friday though I needed to go to bed and sleep at around 5.30pm and I didn’t even feel like dinner. I slept for 12 hours. I felt a bit more refreshed on Saturday morning, ready to celebrate a friend’s 50th birthday with wine tours in the afternoon and a dinner party in the evening. I tried one Sauvignon Blanc at the first winery WITH my wine drops this time. Interestingly I still developed a sore inflamed back and bad headache by that evening and didn’t have any more to drink other than lots of water and food. Adam and I had to leave the dinner party shortly after they did the cake, unfortunately, due to my bad headache. I came home and took an aspirin and put a cold pack on my back, and within 30 minutes I already felt relief which was amazing!

Summary of Overall Health To Date

So I’ve basically learnt that through this cleanse and clean eating process, I am more sensitive to something in wine (most likely sulphites) but my recovery time has improved from three days to basically overnight. Whether this has anything to do with my weaning off the thyroid medication or not I couldn’t say. I probably won’t try a wine again for some months though. I don’t have any issues having a vodka, fresh lime and soda water thankfully 😅

The weaning process has seen my fatigue and moods be very up and down in the initial weeks of the change in dosages. This has been expected though as the hormone medication works its way out of my liver and body, and the healing process takes over.

In the last two weeks I have noticed my hands have not been hot and swollen at all really but I still have some mild stiffness in the mornings and evenings.

I needed to have a rest and catnap yesterday afternoon after ‘hitting the wall’ physically around lunch time. My rib injury was also particularly sore yesterday and I found I struggled to drive, which I hadn’t experienced since the first week of the injury.

Today I got through a relatively busy day without needing a rest, which was a pleasant surprise. I am noticing this more and more as time goes on.

What’s Next?

Next week I stop taking the T3 hormone as well so it will be interesting to see how that evolves. I also start the thyroid healing Cleanse A – Liver, Lymphatic and Gut Release Month. This cleanse is the most gentle and easiest in regards to cleansing and food/juice preparations.

My next post will be all about the other two health items I have discovered and been using over the last year or two, to help with my recovery that I can’t wait to share with you all!

Until then, look after yourselves 🥰

Week 5 Update – Thyroid Healing Cleanse

Four weeks down and I have finished the Choice C Thyroid Healing Cleanse month from the Medical Medium’s book Thyroid Healing! This was the hardest and most involved month as far as food prep and consumption goes, but it is also the most hard-hitting to kickstart the process of ridding my body of the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV).

Yesterday I entered Week 5 and started the Choice B – Heavy Metal Detox month (pictured below). There are no teas or soups this month but I will continue to have the Thyroid Healing tea from Choice C, as part of my morning tea routine, along with the Thyroid Healing broth as well.

How am I feeling?

Week 4 was a tough and interesting week as far as my health and activities went. I rarely have evening outings and when I do it is usually to see a movie or go out for dinner which will only be once a fortnight maybe. But last week, commitments all happened to fall in the one week! I went to see Downton Abbey The Movie on Tuesday night in Gold Class (which was thoroughly enjoyable), then a Matthew Millhouse Salute meeting on the Wednesday evening, the ASC Hobart Songwriting Circle gathering on the Thursday evening AND the Be Hers Formal ball on the Saturday evening!

I had major fatigue before those events even took place when I woke up last Monday. I had my celery juice then had to go back to sleep for two hours before heading into my daughter Eleanor’s school for a student led conference after lunch. Then I ended up back in bed when I got home. I felt ok mentally but was just extremely tired.

I felt a bit better on the Tuesday but experienced brain fog. I couldn’t even work out how to get into the Cinema carpark that evening as the green button wasn’t obvious enough for me! I reversed back out and did a blocky while needing my sister-in-law to come down and help me get in to the carpark. Then i got confused about which direction to go in the carpark to find a visitor’s park as there were too many permit parking spots!

I managed to get to Friday with only needing ‘lie down rests’ on the previous days, but I had to sleep for most of Friday, I was quite irritable and was in bed early Friday evening.

My hands and fingers were very swollen, hot, stiff and sore on Thursday and Friday nights and the following mornings. I needed to put an ice pack on my hands on the Friday as they were that sore and hot. On Saturday I also needed a day sleep before heading out to the Be Hers dinner with my girlfriends. My hands were a little stiff but felt better. I thoroughly enjoyed myself while there and the food options were ones I could enjoy while also having a glass or two of white wine (with wine drops – best invention ever if you can’t have sulphites!).

I felt ok on Sunday after a sleep-in until 10am. Interestingly I found it hard to get to sleep on Sunday evening and last night at my normal 9pm/10pm sleep window. It was after 11pm on both evenings. Yesterday morning and this morning I have woken well though, felt alert and not experienced any real fatigue symptoms so far. I have had to sleep with my hands outside of the doona so they don’t warm up/swell up and ache.

Overall Thoughts So Far

I am not worried about my symptoms flaring up while I’m doing the cleanse. It is a normal and natural response as I have been at chronic levels of unwellness for some years, and it will take time for my body to heal and flush out EBV. The virus will also keep trying to fight my immune system throughout this process but the longer I’m doing the cleanse and consuming thyroid healing and antiviral foods, the better the odds are in favour of my natural immune system to win the battle and reduce my symptoms over time.

There is an excellent Chapter in Thyroid Healing called ‘Your Symptoms and Conditions – Explained’. Please see below excerpts of explanations given by Medical Medium Anthony William, about some of my symptoms, for your information. There are many others listed and I HIGHLY recommend you buy yourself this book and others in the Medical Medium series if anything in my blog rings true to you. They are available at any good bookstore or online.

So until next time…look after yourselves!

What To Eat When You’re “Everything-Free”!

Since my preparation week for the Thyroid Healing Cleanse almost four weeks ago, I’ve been on the lookout for alternative options to the foods I need to avoid during the cleanse, which includes gluten, dairy, eggs, pork, soy, corn and canola oil (see my previous blog post here for background information on the cleanse and foods to avoid).

For someone who is not a ‘chef’ and only has moments of enjoying cooking, I’m finally getting into a good routine with all the additional food and cooking preparation that’s been required during my cleanse Choice C month. My aim is to starve the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) from my system (that could be causing my chronic symptoms) and cleanse my body of dead viral cells, heavy metals and other toxins that have built up. So as such, I am eating a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables and healthy proteins as meals, juices, teas, soups and smoothies, while avoiding the above-mentioned foods. It has been a tiring process and I have to give my supportive and patient fiancé, Adam, props for allowing me to focus just on what I need to eat, while he has been cooking for himself and the kids. Thank you Adam 🥰

Despite it being a tiring process, I am being driven by the hope that I can feel much much better and essentially eliminate my Chronic Fatigue and thyroid issues.

Firstly I’d like to point out that you don’t necessarily need any alternative foods to dairy, gluten etc. You could just stick to clean eating with fresh fruit, vegetables, spices, herbs and protein that’s not pork or eggs. I myself, enjoy yoghurt and bread and pasta, and decided that if there were healthy alternatives out there then I would like to have them in my diet.

Alternative Foods to Dairy Products

So dairy alternatives….there are heaps of healthy alternatives out there now due to the Vegan movement. I am not a Vegan personally but I certainly have no issues with Vegans or the products made for them. Here are some products that I have discovered that are delicious and healthy and available at major supermarkets…

Coconut cream and milk, natural and vanilla coconut yoghurt, almond milk

As soy is a food to avoid in the Thyroid Healing Cleanse, I have found coconut and almond based dairy products to be a great alternative for breakfast, smoothies, hot drinks, curries and even as a sour cream alternative (natural coconut yoghurt) to add to baked potatoes or home made Mexican or Greek food. There’s also no added sugars in these products for those watching their sugar intake, although sugar is not a food to avoid in the Thyroid Healing Cleanse, either is caffeine or alcohol (which I address further down).

Initially I couldn’t source any cheese alternatives that didn’t include any of the foods to avoid, including corn starch (like Bio Cheese). Then I received a great tip on Facebook to check out Artisa Vegan Cheese, which is a Tasmanian-based company where I happen to live! Out of the cheeses and butter (with ingredients listed online), the only ones not suitable for the Thyroid Healing Cleanse are the vegan butter and The Marinated St Clair which both have canola oil in them. Below is a photo of their cheese called Meltable that is quite suitable and seems awesome for pizza:

You can order Artisa cheese from their website and quite a few local businesses in the eastern states of Australia stock their products also, under Where To Buy on their website.

I’ll be trying Artisa cheese as well as another Vegan cheese business I found when searching for Artisa, called Lauds (also based in Tasmania).

Lauds also have some suitable cheeses available without the foods to avoid, including their meltable cheese called Original Oat Melt ** pictured below:

There are cheeses in the Lauds range that include soy so check the ingredients before purchasing. You can order online or buy from the local businesses in Tasmania listed on the Where To Buy page on their website.

** If you are Celiac or Gluten-Free due to allergies and are unsure whether you can have oats, please see the Laud’s FAQ page which addresses this question quite thoroughly. Pure oats are gluten free but have a protein called avenins that an individual’s body could react to like it is gluten. Some oats are also processed in the same factories as wheat etc and therefore can’t be classed as gluten free in Australia. The USA food guidelines show oats to be gluten free. I spoke to Dani at Laud’s. The oats that Lauds use are Kindred Organic Oats which aren’t processed with any other gluten based product. Dani has found (in her experience) that it has been 50/50 as to whether celiac sufferers react to the oat cheeses or not. In short, it is up to each individual person to know whether you can eat oat-based products, and best researched in consultation with a health professional. For the purposes of thoroughness, click here to see what Coeliac Australia has to say about oats.

I personally have no reactions or issues when eating oats or oat-based products, and for the purposes of the Thyroid Healing Cleanse, oats are ok to include in your diet as long as the oats product says “gluten free”. Quite a few product options come up when you do a google search for ‘gluten free oats’.

Nuttelex brand spreads have been awesome as an alternative to butter/margarine and come in many different types. I use the Olive Oil Nuttelex pictured below:

Gluten alternatives

Gluten alternatives had proven difficult. I have been gluten-free for over a year now but my regular gluten-free breads and pasta options are now not suitable for the Thyroid Healing cleanse as most of the gluten-free products also contained dairy, eggs, soy, corn and/or canola! I had pretty much decided I would just not worry about bread all together after standing at the gluten-free bread isle in the supermarkets for quite some time reading all the ingredients in each brand of gluten-free bread! (Yes I was determined and I really love toast with smashed avocado!!) This process actually proved easier and quicker than any google search (which came up nil using my search criteria)! In Hobart I went to Coles, Woolworths and IGA with no luck. I even rang Eumarrah Health Food store in Hobart City with no luck. Until I decided to check out Salamanca Fresh in Bellerive to pick up some fruit and veg close to where I live, and found they also sold gluten-free breads. After a minute of browsing, I came across these two bad boys….

Winner winner chicken dinner!! Vitality Gluten-Free Breakfast Bread and Natureen Flaxseed Wraps with no gluten, soy, canola, corn, dairy or eggs!! I did have to check where tapioca starch came from as I thought it might have been corn, but corn starch is actually maize so all good there! AND the breakfast bread is delicious! I would describe it as half way between raisin bread and normal grain bread in flavour. The paleo wrap is not as nice to eat as a fresh wrap but perfect as an alternative for a pizza-type meal (without cheese of course), or toasted to have with dips.

For gluten-free flour alternatives in baking, I have been using almond flour/meal, rice flour and/or coconut flour with baking powder as a raising agent (all found at major supermarkets).

For pasta alternatives, again this proved a bit harder as the regular gluten-free options I’ve had in the past also had corn flour/starch in them. Even the vermicelli rice noodles! So I have been cooking regular rice instead if the meal goes with rice, or making vegetable noodles, eg zucchini. But for those that really cannot do without their pasta/noodles like me, I did come across the below product in the gluten-free aisle at Coles and Woolworths: Slendier Calorie Clever Noodle Style (there is also a spaghetti variation also).

This product is made with an Asian vegetable called Konjac. The noodles don’t really have a flavour (just watery if anything due to being 95% water) so when you add your pasta sauces to it, it blends in well and doesn’t stand out while still giving you the ‘illusion’ of having pasta!

And finally instead of having any roti or naan bread with my Asian dishes, I have been enjoying good old fashioned pappadams!

What about soy, pork, eggs and canola alternatives?

Canola Oil

The Thyroid Healing book promotes coconut oil, sesame oil and olive oil as great healthy oil alternatives for cooking, as would most health professionals I’d say.

Soy

Soy on the other hand seems to be in so many packaged foods so if I want to have Chinese meals for example, I have just been making it from scratch using fresh garlic, salt, sugar and sesame oil as a basic sauce and adding other flavours depending on the meal, like ginger or homemade satay. Thai and Indian foods are the best meal options as they can pretty much be cooked normally without any of the foods I need to avoid, by using coconut milk/cream for example.

Pork

So pork is a food to avoid as it is the fattiest of the animal meats. For me, pork has been the easiest to remove from my daily diet and there are obviously heaps of protein alternatives that I can eat instead of pork. I do miss ham and bacon though. Protein alternatives that have a lower fat content are chicken breast, lean beef, lamb, kangaroo, venison, beans, lentils, quinoa and fish* to name a few.

* If you are doing the Choice B Heavy Metal Detox month in the Thyroid Healing book, then avoid tuna, swordfish and bass also.

Eggs

Eggs have been so hard for me to avoid, I LOVE eggs! So to not have poached eggs on toast, scrambled eggs or omelettes as an easy go to meal option has been very hard! I didn’t think there were any alternatives to eggs until I did a google search and came across this article (click on link) which has some great options for baking and cooking without eggs. Obviously if you’re doing the Thyroid Healing cleanse, only use the egg alternatives mentioned that don’t contain soy, corn and dairy.

What about Eating Out or Takeaway?

Throughout this cleanse process, I have found it easier to take my own food to friend’s houses (who know I’m doing the cleanse and won’t mind) or eat beforehand if going to a social outing.

The only takeaway options I’ve found here in Hobart so far that have options to meet all my ‘foods to avoid’ criteria, are Burger Haus and Taste of Asia. Taste of Asia is definitely my favourite of the two. Basically all their meals are soy free, gluten free, dairy free etc including the pappadams. I highly recommend the chicken massaman, mango chicken and yellow beef curry! Adam recommends the Thai green chicken curry 🍛. Burger Haus has lettuce cups as alternatives to bread rolls. So most burger or Thai/Indian places are your best bets for takeaway, and if in doubt then just check their online menus or ring beforehand.

Eating in at restaurants has meant investigating their menu online before going and/or ringing them prior to see what alternatives they offer. Do what you need to do I say! Most restaurants nowadays are quite accomodating to the various eating preferences out there, and they’ll soon tell you if they’re not! I recently had a chef at a local pub-style restaurant called The Foreshore in Lauderdale, Hobart, make up a vegetable curry for me which was delicious! Plain steak or grilled chicken and salad/vegetables are also a good and mostly safe “everything-free” option (check first before ordering just in case). AND if worse comes to worse, the good old potato or sweet potato chips with salt and pepper are a great alternative to going completely hungry if you find yourself stuck, so long as they’re gluten-free/corn flour free and cooked in oil other than canola. Some places like Italian or Chinese restaurants are going to be really hard to find alternative meals that don’t include the foods you need to avoid. So for a social occasion at a restaurant like that, I suggest ringing beforehand to see if they’re happy to reheat a meal you bring along so you’re still eating with everyone else. Otherwise eat beforehand and then enjoy a drink instead at the restaurant so you’re still doing the social thing.

What about caffeine, sugar, salt and alcohol?

The Thyroid Healing book doesn’t include caffeine, sugar, salt and alcohol as foods to avoid as they don’t fuel EBV. While they are not foods to avoid though, the Medical Medium, Anthony William (along with many other health practitioners), highly recommends keeping the consumption of them to a minimum, but especially while doing the Thyroid Healing cleanse, to keep yourself well hydrated and the blood thin to effectively cleanse your body of EBV and other toxins. Please read this blog post from the Medical Medium’s website for further details.

So that’s all folks! If I discover anything else I’ll edit it in as I go. I hope you have found this blog helpful. Leave a comment below with any alternatives you’ve discovered!

Until next time…take care of yourselves!

Two Weeks In…Progress Report!

Two weeks into the Thyroid Healing Cleanse and I can report that I no longer need to hold my nose to drink the celery juice, AND I am having the full 450mls (16 oz) of juice every morning with some ice cubes!

I am doing Choice C of the cleansing months first, the toughest and hardest hitting on the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV). (Pictured right) So far I have noticed that I am sleeping better and waking ready for the day without feeling incredible tiredness (in bed asleep by 10.30pm and waking around 6am). I have also noticed I am able to do a bit more during the day without the usual tiredness that comes in the afternoon and needing a rest or a sleep, on most days.

I still had incredible tiredness last Wednesday just before it was ‘that time of the month’ and I needed to sleep for 2 hours on Wednesday afternoon as I couldn’t stay awake. I believe that the surge in hormones may have fed the virus, triggering an immune response and making me tired (see above picture of a reference from the Thyroid Healing book under ‘Triggers’). As I would be at Stage Four of EBV, a general monthly period causing a surge in hormones could be enough to create the symptom of fatigue, more than usual. I have had it more over the last few months. I used to get inflammation in my back and a bad headache every month as well but then I changed contraception to the mirena which stopped the headaches. Not the fatigue though.

Other than the above, there haven’t been any other real improvements in my symptoms as yet (outlined in my post ‘Baseline…’ here) but its better than nothing, and it’s also only early. My hands have been quite swollen and hot in the last two weeks which I think is my body fighting the virus more. Symptoms always get worse right before getting better (refer to below picture referencing inflammation in the Thyroid Healing book).

My clothes fit a little easier also but I haven’t introduced any rigorous exercise yet, only the Powerfit vibration platform that you stand on that simulates walking and running. I hope to start walking by the end of this first month of the Choice C cleansing month. Any form of movement and exercise, as is well known, helps to improve health and wellbeing so it is definitely on the cards throughout this process. I also hope to start gentle swimming too.

I saw my GP, Dr Sally Chapman today, and she was very interested in the Thyroid Healing book. She had heard of it and was pleased with the changes I am making to get myself well. I also got a full blood work done including thyroid hormone levels, to have a baseline to compare for down the track.

As for the cleanse foods, I am enjoying the celery juice, the Thyroid healing tea, the Thyroid healing smoothie (my favourite), the lime water, the thyroid healing juice, and the Thyroid healing broth. I am struggling with the ginger water as I really do not like the flavour, even with honey added as a hot tea. So I am adding extra ginger in the juice and smoothie and also taking a couple of drops of ginger essential oil to accomodate for it.

I bought an awesome large juicer from Kmart for $59 which made the juicing much easier than using the NutriBullet and its attachments.

That’s all for now. Keep an eye out for my next blog about what to eat when you are “Everything Free” LOL! I’ve got some great tips and ideas on where to source products that don’t have what you can’t eat.

Baseline! Pre Thyroid Healing Cleanse Symptoms

If I am going to track my progress properly then I’d better record what symptoms I’ve been experiencing prior to starting the cleanse last week hey!

Main Symptoms Over The Last Five Years

I have not been able to work since May 2013 due to caring for my late husband, Matthew, while also dealing with CFS and depression. Symptoms became worse after Matthew passed away. (A more detailed background about me is in my first blog post here).

I would sleep a full night and wake up tired, barely able to roll out of bed. I would need a sleep around 2pm before picking my daughter up from school. I rarely had the energy for a shower. I could not deal with doing more than one or two outings a week. I could barely concentrate on making meals. I had brain fog, body aches, stiff joints and muscles, vertigo, back inflammation, headaches/migraines, and began to have sore and stiff hands a couple of years ago also. I would be lucky to get 15 minutes of walking in a day which only constituted walking my daughter to and from school. Even though school was 150 metres down the street, I would often need to take the car to school rather than walking. And I had family and friends help with Eleanor when I was particularly unwell.

Improvements/Changes Since May 2018

My general symptoms for Hashimotos and CFS have improved since I have been seeing my Integrative Medicine doctor, Dr Sally Chapman at Health Change for over 12 months.

I have been gluten free since August 2018 and taking T3 hormone supplement, zinc, magnesium and vitamin B also. My zinc levels especially were very low. I went through a gut cleanse between May and August 2018, as i only had three out of seven healthy bacteria that I should have had in my stomach, along with an overgrowth of streptococcus. Very acidic. So I also went sugar free for two months (including fruit except blueberries) to starve the overgrowth, along with taking pre and probiotics to balance the gut flora and allow my stomach to absorb nutrients properly again.

I was experiencing regular stiff and sore hands, where my fingers would also swell and become very hot, so Dr Chapman tested me for the Rheumatoid Factor which came back positive. This meant that if I’m not careful I could develop full Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Since implementing the above changes I have begun to feel a bit more energy each day, sleep better and only wake up tired every few days. Brain fog is not as regular but still there along with vertigo and body aches. My zinc levels and T3 levels improved. I haven’t needed as many day sleeps. My sore and swollen hands/fingers have not improved though, either has my back inflammation which seems to flare up after eating something but I haven’t worked out what yet. I used to think it was gluten but couldn’t confirm.

Symptoms Just Prior To End Of August 2019

This brings me up to the symptoms I have been experiencing just before last Monday when I started the cleanse. I traveled to America with my family in May 2019 for almost three weeks. This was a wonderful trip, went to Disneyland and got engaged! I managed to cope quite well while over there, only needing a couple of rest days and finding quite a few gluten free options.

But I have been sluggish since coming back. More tired and found it harder to eat properly. I have remained gluten free but found I was eating high fat gluten free options like hot chips and gravy when I was tired as it was quick and easy food. It became a vicious cycle as the chips were likely also contributing to my sluggishness and fatigue. I have had brain fog and confusion with remembering words and dates more in the last two months. I started to get bad vertigo too a week and a half before I started the cleanse, along with blocked ears.

So I have basically only been able to get myself to a certain point of wellness and have plateaued. I’m hoping this cleanse process will help to improve these remaining symptoms. Potentially the foods that fuel the Epstein-Barr virus have been causing these lingering symptoms. Time will tell!

Thanks for reading, and until next time, look after yourselves!

Celery Juice Is Not Drunk For The Flavour! Week 1 of Thyroid Healing Cleanse

Day 1 of the Thyroid Healing/Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) Ridding Cleanse! And it definitely isn’t about how much I LOVE celery juice! Celery juice has a bitter savoury flavour that will be an acquired taste. I am starting by holding my nose, drinking and having a water chaser!

What is the Thyroid Virus or EBV Cleanse?

Medical Medium, Anthony William recommends this cleanse if you have symptoms of the EBV virus (see earlier blog for more information on EBV and Anthony’s views).

There are three parts to the cleanse:

1. Choice A – Liver, Lymphatic, and Gut Release Month
2. Choice B – Heavy Metal Detox Month
3. Choice C – Thyroid Virus (EBV) Cleanse Month

Choice A is if you want to gently start the healing and cleanse process and ease your way into it. This month gives your thyroid a rest. Choice B revs things up a bit more by also helping cleanse your body of any toxic heavy metals which EBV feeds off. Choice C is the hard hitting cleanse month that really targets EBV while taking healing of the thyroid to the next level.

The decision of which one you start with is completely up to you. I am choosing to start with Choice C and get straight into it with no mucking about! I am fortunate to have the time at the moment to be able to focus purely on the cleanse process and get myself into a good routine.

Choice C – Thyroid Virus Cleanse Month

Last week I already began to take out the ‘unproductive foods’ which fuel EBV: eggs, all dairy, gluten, soy, corn, canola and pork. I am not worrying about replacing bread at all throughout the cleanse process as there are not many soy free, gluten free, dairy free, egg free pre-packaged bread options out there! I did find I could have rice papadums and of course there’s iceberg lettuce leaves as alternatives for Indian, Mexican and sandwich/burger foods. Almond milk and coconut based milks, creams and yoghurts are awesome and yummy alternatives to dairy and all easily available at your local supermarket. I also chose to have Nuttelex Olive Oil spread as a replacement to butter. It is ‘everything-free’ and tastes yummy too. I will miss eggs very much but in theory this is only a temporary process until EBV is gone. Olive oil is a wonderful and healthy alternative to canola oil which we already cook with and again, readily available.

Along with eating regular main meals and snacks (minus the foods to avoid) in your day, this month I need to add the following to my day…

Celery Juice

On an empty stomach first thing every morning, drink 16 ounces or roughly 450mls of celery juice (one bunch of celery). Enjoying my first cleansing celery juice this morning is pictured above under the heading…what an interesting experience! Anthony suggests you can work your way up to 450mls by sipping smaller amounts or even adding one cucumber and/or one apple to the celery juice. I used my preparation week to work up to 450mls of straight celery juice but I still need to hold my nose to get it all down.

Even though the taste is an acquired one, I am more than happy to drink celery juice because of the benefits it should have to my body. Anthony describes these benefits as: “strengthening hydrochloride acid in the gut and helps the liver produce bile to break down food, provides mineral salts that are anti-EBV and help support the central nervous system with powerful electrolytes while they stabilise and support the adrenal glands. Celery has the ability to cleanse the thyroid of EBV toxins and bolster the production of the thyroid hormone, T3.” Extract from the book, Thyroid Healing by Anthony William.

Thyroid Healing Smoothie

Pic from Thyroid Healing by Anthony William

See above pic for recipe. The smoothie is a great option for breakfast or if you don’t like smoothies you can consume the ingredients separately over the course of the day. I chose to have it for brekkie this morning also and I added spinach and coriander (cilantro). It was delicious and refreshing!! The benefits of mangoes and bananas to the body as described in the Thyroid Healing book are as follows: Mangoes have carotene to restore the liver and spleen, feed the brain and purge the lymphatic system, along with having bioactive magnesium and glucose to calm nerves to aid in sleep issues caused by EBV. Bananas provide amino acids and the right kind of potassium to rebuild neurotransmitters after they’ve been burnt out by EBV’s neurotoxins, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties, source of calcium, and fructose that is a critical brain food and bonded to amino acids and minerals.

Lemon or Lime Water

Drink roughly 450mls (16 ounces) of lemon or lime water at midday or early afternoon each day. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon or lime per 450 mls. The benefits described in the book are: improves digestion by raising levels of hydrochloric acid (good acid) in the gut, tone intestinal lining, cleanse liver, offer replenishing calcium, and improves neurotransmitter activity hampered by EBV neurotoxins causing brain fog and other symptoms.

Ginger Water

Sip one cup of ginger water at any point each day. According to Thyroid Healing, Ginger helps with nutrient assimilation and relieves spasms associated with EBV and an over abundance of stress, has its own signature variety of bioavailability vitamin C, is a powerful antiviral against EBV, and provides a balance and homeostasis to the thyroid by lifting it up if it’s hypo and calming it down if it’s hyper.

Thyroid Healing Tea

Sip one cup of tea at any point in the day. Summary description from Thyroid Healing: Thyme is a strong antiviral to help fight EBV and relieve symptoms. Fennel is high in vitamin C and other strong antiviral compounds to fight EBV, along with having an aspirin-like compound that acts as an anti-inflammatory to a thyroid flared up by EBV. Lemon balm is a powerhouse herb against EBV and its cofactor strep. It kills off and repels viral and bacterial cells in the thyroid, liver, and spleen with its alkaloids and other key phytochemicals, while also helping to strengthen lymphocytes so the immune system can fight off the virus. Honey is the best replenishing fuel there is to feed and revitalise the thyroid with its glucose and other nutrients. It also acts as an antiviral with its zinc content.

Thyroid Healing Broth

At any point each day, sip one cup of Thyroid Healing Broth, either as a broth, chunky or puréed. It’s antiviral and mineral rich ingredients helps to rid the thyroid of EBV and restore the thyroid and its function. I am yet to source Atlantic Dulse Flakes or kelp powder locally in Hobart, so I will make and have the soup without it until I can find these ingredients, most likely online.

Thyroid Healing Juice

Drink at least 450 mls (16 ounces) of Thyroid Healing Juice every evening, or if needed a another time of day.

What’s My Approach To Including The Additional Cleanse Items Each Day?

The celery juice needs to be drunk on an empty stomach first thing each day. So if I haven’t prepared the juice the night before then I’ll do it first thing. I am also investing in a good juicer to make the process easier, which I’m shopping for today. I will have the thyroid healing smoothie for brekkie and alternate the additional items to add to the smoothie each morning, the thyroid healing tea for morning tea time, the ginger water at lunch with the thyroid healing broth (and something else for lunch if needed), the lime water early afternoon and the thyroid healing juice with my dinner or afternoon tea if I don’t have a snack. This will be my daily routine for the next four weeks!

So on that note, look after yourselves…until next time!!