New Hashimoto’s Resources

The truth is, while I can give you lots of information on Hashimoto’s to get you better, you’re the one that needs to take action! I’m not telling you that it’s going to be easy, but I am telling you that it will be worth it. You’re worth it! I know many of you are waiting for the right doctor, the right pill, or the right person to guide you. Please stop waiting for someone to help you and know that you are powerful and that you can make the change. You can make the biggest difference on your own, starting today!

Here’s what can happen when you take charge of your own health…

Here’s a book review/remission story for my patient guide, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause.

“I don’t normally write reviews for anything, but this book has truly changed my life forever. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s when I was 19 years old. I’ve been struggling with doctors and misinformation ever since. I have been on an ever increasing dose of Synthroid (.125mcg was the last refill amount) with doctors constantly telling me to increase my dosage every time I went for check-ups to “make me feel better.” The thing was, I felt like crap. The more I took, the more I got frustrated. Why was I the only person involved in my health that cared? Why was I being pushed to more medicine to try to mask my symptoms? (Which never helped anyway).

After reading this book, and doing tons of research for myself online and reading various other books and publications, I took my health back into my own hands. I started with my diet and supplementations. I took myself off of Synthroid (I don’t recommend anyone do that on their own… See a doctor) and after 8 months I just had my blood work done to check all my levels… I am now considered subclinical Hashimoto!!! My Hashimoto’s has been put into remission. I highly recommend you read this book if you have Hashimoto’s, but don’t just read it…. Absorb it and live it! And to Dr. Izabella Wentz, thank you.”

Forming Healthy Habits

I always wondered why it was so easy for one person to quit the things they knew were bad for them, while not so for others… Even with myself, giving up dairy/gluten wasn’t a big deal, while learning to relax has been a constant struggle.

Things really clicked for me when I went to the Bulletproof Biohacking Conference in Pasadena, CA (Picture of me using a neurofeedback machine above). I learned about a new way of breaking bad habits (and forming good ones!) from my new friend Maneesh Sethi. Maneesh Sethi invented Pavlok, a wearable bracelet that gives you positive (and negative feedback) through beeps, vibrations, posting to your Facebook page and, most notably, small shocks!

It all goes back to reinforcement!

I had never been a fan of negative reinforcement, but thanks to Maneesh, I came to realize that the reason I stopped eating dairy and gluten was exactly because of negative reinforcement. People used to tell me “Wow- you have so much willpower to say no to that muffin, milkshake, etc. ” But it wasn’t willpower. After eliminating the foods from my diet, even small amounts of them made me incredibly ill. Thus, every time I looked at a piece of bread, muffin, or dairy product, I pictured stomach pains, diarrhea, acid reflux, and bloating. So really, it was easy for me NOT to eat them. This is what habits are about when an action becomes easier to do than not to do.

But not every action gives you an immediate negative feedback. For example, not everyone has a strong reaction to dairy, and habits like not exercising don’t give you immediate negative feedback. Being stressed out gives you an adrenaline rush as does eating sugar, which can make you feel good at the time.

Maneesh got his idea after seeing that a center was using a small shock device to get people to quit smoking. People would give themselves a small shock whenever they smoked, and soon after, they no longer wanted to smoke.

This is how the Pavlok bracelet came to be. This bracelet allows you to give yourself a “negative reinforcement” whenever you partake in a habit you are trying to break. The user self-administers a beep, vibration, post, or shock every time he/she does do the unhealthy habit, and soon the subconscious mind begins to associate the habit with the unpleasant sound, post, or zap.

The bracelet can also be set up to give you “rewards” such as giving you points towards a massage when you meet your healthy habits.

For people who would like to start working out, Maneesh suggests a 4-week plan:

• Week 1: Put on your gym clothes and leave your house. Do this 5 days in a row and reward yourself with a massage.
• Week 2: Put on your gym clothes, go to your gym, and swipe your card. Give yourself a reward.
• Week 3: Put on your gym clothes, go to the gym, swipe your card, and work out for 5 minutes. Give yourself a reward.
• Week 4: Put on your gym clothes, go to the gym, swipe your card, and work out for 30 minutes. Give yourself a reward.

I got one of the prototypes of the Pavlok and will be using it to start an exercise habit. If you’d like to learn more about forming habits, you can check out his Pavlok on Amazon.

PS. You can also download a free Thyroid Diet Guide, 10 Thyroid friendly recipes, and the Nutrient Depletions and Digestion chapter for free by going to www.thyroidpharmacist.com/gift. You will also receive occasional updates about new research, resources, giveaways, and helpful information.