Before you heal someone, ask him if he’s willing to give up the things that make him sick.
-Hipporates

Therefore, I ask you this simple question.
Are you willing to give up the things that have made you sick?

From the Author:
This handbook isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s hard work and you have to be willing to give up the things that have made you sick along with a drastic lifestyle change.
My name is A.L. Childers, and I am an internationally recognized published author, blogger and a Holistic Wellness Health Coach. I also dabble in freelance journalism and I have over a decade of experience in research and editorial writing. This journey that I’ve traveled on has led me to become a healer and more spiritually-enlightened. I wholeheartedly take a holistic approach to my body, mind and soul. I believe what you put out into the world, it comes back to you good or bad and we make our very own health more complicated than it should be. People have gotten lost in the basic function of how their bodies work. Our cells are cities within themselves and each have their own designed function along with being their very own conscious entities. As humans, we are each on a unique path to find that inner peace. Everything in life is a modest complication of many truths.
I’m was allergic to myself, in theory. Being diagnosed with Hypothyroidism and later Hashimoto’s hasn’t been any walk in the park. My entire body is at the mercy of my thyroid. My body’s immune system was attacking my thyroid gland – as if it was foreign tissue and my immune systems ultimate goal is to eventually, completely destroy my thyroid gland.
After being diagnosed with hypothyroidism over 25 years ago. I knew there was something more than just being labeled with a medical condition and taking a daily pill. There wasn’t a lot of information on how to heal myself and I wasn’t okay with this. I was so hungry trying to find the answer where I could be able to feel real again and I became extremely desperate to get my life back after years of living with a chronic health condition.
My doctor did exactly as he was trained to do. He evaluated me with what I presented him, asked me a few questions in return, listened to my basic body functions and gave a solution to best heal the issue at hand but I needed more. I needed him to become a medical detective to look at all the clues that I presented him and for him to investigate through blood work, my medical history, my lifestyle, my food intolerances, my environment and my vitamin deficiencies. I really can’t be upset nor blame my doctor that the root of my health issues weren’t being addressed. He was doing exactly as he had been trained to do in his 12 plus years of medical schooling plus along with his hands on clinical experience and that was to treat the symptoms that I placed in front of him.
Doctors need to rethink how they approach treating our thyroid issues by:
Analyzing a patient’s medical history and recognizing if there is a problem, performing the correct tests, properly diagnosing and treating the causes of thyroid dysfunction, educating the patient by stressing the need for a lifestyle change, a hypothyroidism style healing diet, vitamin deficiencies, food allergens and adding supplements that they aren’t getting from the foods they are consuming. Also, prescribing the right thyroid hormone replacement and dosages specifically designed for that individual person. We are all unique. You see we each have a story and its completely different from the next person.
I learned that my doctor didn’t have a whole lot of training on nutrition nor the medications they were prescribing either.
Also, what “real” clinical trials the medications went though, the adverse reactions and how they evaluated the effectiveness to the human body. I also learned that most medications were designed to only treat the symptoms not to cure the issues at hand. My best bet was to learn nutrition, learn how my body works, teach myself about herbal medicine from the earth & other forms of natural medicine.
After being diagnosed, I started to read everything that was put out there, anything that would lead me to a topic about hypothyroidism. I would research that topic- if there were text books related to that topic- I would order them and based on reading that book it would lead to me to another book or another article or another research paper. What I have learned was really shocking. There has been information out here for all of us to see. Your body simply can’t heal itself when its full of inflammation, parasites, toxic chemicals, fake foods, heavy metals, pharmaceutical poisons and refined sugars. These things are meant to destroy your health not better it.
The science is out there everywhere. People are just choosing not to look at it or many who were like I was simply didn’t know they do have a choice.
You do have a choice.
I felt as if I had lost control over my body and my mental health as well. It seems that I had experienced every symptom from lack of energy, anxiety, weight gain, scary heart palpitations, brain fog and this was just to name a few. I couldn’t sleep and where the hell had my eye brows gone? My hair was falling out and the regrowth was thin. I was always constipated, my blood pressure started to increase, my fingertips would get cold and numb just out of the blue, my emotions were all over the place as if I was on an emotional roller coaster. I had aches and pains that it seemed hard to explain to my doctor and my doctor thought it was all in my head. Have you ever had a new car and you just made your very last car payment or the 36-month warranty had just expired and it seems things are starting to breakdown. The excitement of that last payment but yet the disappointed of no warranty left. I felt as if I was beginning to slowly die.
My doctor wanted to give me thyroid medication, antidepressants and pain medication. I was not depressed nor did I need to be placed on pain medication.
The simplest tasks seemed like the hardest on some days. I really didn’t realize or understand the whole life impact of my “new” condition, because as I started investigating, I then began to realize that all the wide ranging symptoms of hypothyroidism that were being brushed off by my doctor at the time as being part of everyday life, stress or getting older was something more dreadfully serious.
After being diagnosed, I was relieved and excited to finally have an answer, some kind of answer, to what was going on with my body but soon I was disappointed again only to find out that the thyroid medications that I thought was going bring me back to myself only fixed a few of my symptoms and I was still having to deal with a dozen more remaining issues. I was so tired of hearing that it was all in my head, give the medication time or let’s try a different strength or brand. I wanted to scream to the world and let everyone know that my quality of life had drastically been affected and there has to be answers. I decided to stand up and fight. Little did I know this was a fight for my life.
Somewhere, Someone, Anyone at this point, hello? Help me, I feel like I am drowning, slowly dying and the world just keeps turning. Why isn’t anyone listening to me?
My body’s check engine light apparently had been on for a while but it took becoming chronically ill to wake me up.
My quality of life has been affected.
Every Cell in my body responds to the foods that I eat, the products that I put on my body to the house hold chemicals that I purchase for my home. All of these things have a direct impact on my hormones and in return my hormones have a direct impact on every major system in my body. Not to mention that my body was lacking certain nutrients that heavily influenced the function of every cell in my body.
I’ve learned in my journey that organic, whole, nutrient rich food is medicine.
I really can’t say it any simpler than that.
These bad fats, sugars, processed salts and added chemicals in our fake overly processed foods were simply entertainment for my brain and unknowingly placed me into an addictive cycle. Food addiction is real and I was addicted to fake foods which were damaging my body.
There is a major disconnection between what we believe to be healthy foods and what research tells us is healthy. In fact, many of the health foods today that people go out of their way to eat daily are extremely thyroid suppressive and hopelessly inadequate. I started to become my very own health investigator. I started researching what I need to do to start addressing what the root cause is because that lead to me to this point in my life. I certainly wouldn’t take Motrin if I got a pebble stuck in my shoe? So, why am I going to take this new medication for my thyroid if I didn’t understand how I got here?
As I began researching, I soon discovered that hypothyroidism does has a root issue. I often ignored all the underlying causes of my hypothyroidism. What was I looking for? Like an onion, I needed to see it layer by layer. I started to do a little pruning of my branches, I wanted to be healthy again. My thyroid was being influenced by so many different things.
There isn’t a one-size-fits all to hypothyroidism.
You see, the main problem with hypothyroidism is that it’s a very tricky condition and complicated illness to manage. There are no one size fits all program when you are dealing with hypothyroidism.
Around 27 million Americans and 250 million people worldwide will be affected by low thyroid function or hypothyroidism. One in 8 women will struggle with a thyroid problem in her lifetime, and up to 90% of all thyroid problems are autoimmune in nature, the most common of which is Hashimoto’s. As diseases go, you would think that it would be a cinch to diagnose and pretty straightforward to treat. Many people don’t know that the most common cause of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (or autoimmune hypothyroidism), a form of thyroid inflammation caused by our own immune system. Can you imagine? Our very own immune system has produced antibodies that attack its very own tissues.
The reason why “most doctors” don’t mention this is because it’s quite simple: IT DOESN’T AFFECT THEIR TREATMENT PLAN. Most doctors run basic blood work and won’t even test for these antibodies. There are occasions where the insurance companies will not pay the extra cost for different tests.
Most people don’t question their doctors and they think their doctors have their best interest at heart which isn’t always true. There are some (not all) doctors who are greedy scam artists that take advantage of their patient’s vulnerabilities to make money by prescribing unneeded medications and procedures. I know we need our good, honest and hardworking doctors but in the same breath a patient cured is a customer lost.
(Let me also say don’t ever let anyone make you feel inadequate or intimidated just because they have a title in front of or behind their name. Ask questions, demand answers and follow up with your very own research. You are your very own patient advocate!)
We still have those few doctors who aren’t afraid to fight against this and will do what is best for your health. Always ask questions and do your own research before you agree to a treatment plan and take medications. I am not saying don’t do treatment plans nor am I saying don’t take the medications prescribed. I am saying be wise. Doctors are not Gods although some do have a God-like complex. There are still many wonderfully trained and fantastic medical doctors, holistic health practitioners and neuropaths working hard every day to help us and show us how to heal with what we have presented them to work with. You have the ability to independently research every medication and the advice that your doctor offers you with the most powerful informational tool in the history of mankind that is right at your fingertips. What is it called if you’re wondering? The internet along with many great search engines where all you have to do is type in a question or a keyword and it will show you many things already being researched by people. There is absolutely no excuse to not educate ourselves. We also still have this ancient thing called a library that holds many wonderfully brilliant written books. We must use our own good judgment and do the research when it comes to our health.
Congress has something called The National Practitioner Data Bank which is a computer database run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that lists damaging information about United States physicians and other healthcare practitioners. Guess who owns this data base? Congress, Insurance companies and big pharma. We won’t even get into the topic of who owns most of our Congressmen and women. The National Practitioner Data Bank keep up with what doctors are prescribing, their action for treatment and what advice they give their patients. It’s really like some of our doctors are puppets and the insurance companies along with big pharma are the puppet masters disguised under the blanket of our very own Congress. If a doctor goes against slinging their medications or were to advice his patients to go a more natural alternative route; the recourse can be many unpleasant things. Slander, destroy their private practice, find something or someone to lie and use this against them aka blackmail or even as far as losing their medical license. Sure this data base is supposed to protect the people but it does more than that and has a sinister hidden agenda laying deep within its core. People in high places don’t want the truth to be told nor their bottom dollar impacted. The truth is bigger than all of us. We are easily disposable to those in power.
Traditional medicine treats autoimmune disorders with steroids and other methods that suppress the immune system. We don’t need our immune system suppressed, we need it healed.
The number of people suffering from hypothyroidism continues to rise each year. Levothyroxine is the 4th highest selling drug in the U.S. THE 4TH HIGHEST SELLING DRUG!
Every Cell in your body responds to your thyroid hormones. These hormones have a direct impact on every major system in your body.
People are struggling with more chronic disease, chronic pain and are more obese than ever before in the history of America.
As consumers we put our trust in the research and development of scientific studies, The FDA and The CDC. Drug store chains have quota’s to meet and even some of our Doctors get yearly bonus’s to push certain medications. Little do we know that behind closed doors corporations often pay scientists and these companies to support their product for profit. Some Politicians seem to have a revolving door between the private and public sector. The synthetic chemicals we faced with every day that is in our food, water and the air is simply frightening.
Did you know that products we use every day may contain toxic chemicals and has been linked to women’s health issues? They are tricky hidden endocrine disruptors and are these very tricky chemicals play havoc on our bodies. “We are all routinely exposed to endocrine disruptors, and this has the potential to significantly harm the health of our youth,” said Renee Sharp, EWG’s director of research. “It’s important to do what we can do to avoid them, but at the same time we can’t shop our way out of the problem. We need to have a real chemical policy reform. “The longer the length of ingredients on your food or body product labels means how much unhealthier it is for you to consume or place on your skin. When an item contains a host of ingredients that most likely you can’t even pronounce or remember to spell you can bet your lucky dollar that the natural nutrients are long gone. These highly processed frank n foods or body products are very difficult for the body to break down and some of the chemicals will become stored in your body. Your body doesn’t know how to process it, so it gets stored.
No wonder our bodies are completely bombarded and overwhelmed with the constant exposed to toxic chemicals through the air that we breathe, the water we drink, the foods we eat, and the personal care products and cleaning products we use.
Have you heard of gene mutation? It’s when the cells are changed by chemicals they are either damaged, lost or copied. These processed foods that are full of man-made chemicals, fluoridated municipal tap water, genetically modified foods, refined oils, herbicides like roundup, Artificial sweeteners, vaccines and the yearly flu shot – often contain mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde and MSG, Pharmaceutical medications and a lot of the Pharmaceutical medications are loaded with fluoride, OTC (over-the-counter) medications for colds, allergies, headaches and fever – often contain heavy metal toxins, artificial sweeteners and toxic industrial-based food dyes. Let’s not forget to mention the over use of antibiotics, antacids, aspirin, and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) which completely change the environment in our gut.
It’s not enough to be aware of all the outdoor chemicals that we are exposed to everyday but inside our homes we can have more power and control. Did you know that commercial products are laced with unknown and harmful body damaging ingredients? We have to be more aware about using chemical cleaners, paints, glues, body lotions, toothpastes, underarm deodorants, hair products and pesticides. Instead start using products that don’t pollute our very own bodies. We must do our own research, begin making our own products and become smarter shoppers by reading labels. I can’t stress this enough. Again, we must take a stand for our health.
Sometimes we have to do a little pruning of the branches, in order for the tree to be healthy again. A number of things can be the reason why you have hormonal imbalances, food intolerances, thyroid issues, adrenal fatigue, weight gain, insomnia, personality changes, leaky gut, depression, an autoimmune disorder, chronic pain, no metabolism and low sex drive, bloating, anxiety, menstrual problems and infertility. It starts with becoming aware and how your health can be influenced by all these different circumstances.
So, you see, my friends, this is how my quest began. I became my own patient advocate and started raising the bar on my thyroid care while helping others take back their lives from hypothyroidism, autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. I believe that knowledge is power. Long hours of research, where I have educated myself and started finding the answer to my health care needs. We each have the capability to heal ourselves. We can become stronger and more confident, especially in controlling our lives with natural solutions, instead of surrendering to life-altering chemicals that we are being bombarded with from every direction. I do believe in some situations there’s a time and place for pharmaceuticals, but it shouldn’t be our first answer, nor the only form of treatment. Wisdom is a wonderful thing to seek. Every day we INDIVIDUALLY take different paths, come into contact with different chemicals and have different stressors in our lives. Every day we make choices that will impact our future positively or negatively.
As humans we are troubled by so many things. Sometimes, when I sit down to write, I have no idea what I am going to say. I start to begin anyways on a blank word document and eventually the words start following right out of my fingertips where it’s hard for me to keep up. As I am writing, I think about the women who will read my written work and become inspired, what has brought them to this point in their life and I often wonder how this will bless her and help her in her life. Honestly, everything that I write, I start out writing it for myself.
My new purpose is to empower people to embrace who they are, to add value to their life, to inspire them and to connect with those who are struggling with hypothyroidism. You need to realize that you have to invest in your health. You are worth investing money into yourself and take charge of your health. Will it “hurt” a little? You bet, but it will change your life. The choices you make every day has a direct impact on your life. I want you to learn the true meaning of being healthy and HELP give you the resources to where YOU become successful in your healing journey. You have to start to focus on healing your body naturally from the inside out.
I wish somebody had given me a step-by-step road-map guide back when I was first diagnosed with hypothyroidism. The solutions in many of my books have helped so many people. I am not promising to cure you either. You have to do the work. I’ve done my best to pull from other professionals in this field, as well as my own knowledge and clinical experience. I want to make it easy for you to find the answers quickly, all in the one place, because I’m all too familiar with that awful side effects of hypothyroidism. I certainly don’t want you to have to spend years finding solutions, like I did. I also want you to understand that there isn’t an easy “one pill” solution, but the “one pill” approach that our current medical system is using is NOT WORKING because the underlying cause for hypothyroidism is not being addressed.
Your body simply can’t heal itself when its full of inflammation, parasites, toxic chemicals, fake foods, heavy metals, pharmaceutical poisons and refined sugars. These things are meant to destroy your health not better it.
We need to change the way we eat. If we are what we eat, then what are you made of? Food is also just one part of the equation. We need to change the chemicals we use on our bodies and change the chemicals we use in our homes. We have to get back to clean eating, non-toxic cleaning and advoiding chemically loaded body products.
Eat to feed your thyroid. Eat to feed your life. Eat to heal.
Begin cleaning up your environment without adding unnecessary chemicals on your skin without endocrine disrupting products. Could it be that simple? I think so, YES! Chemicals, additives and GMO foods are added to most of all the foods that are readily and easily available on every supermarket shelves. We are so unaware of the things that are added to our foods like hormones, antibiotics, plastics, extra chemicals, addictive’s, cancer causing preservatives, dyes, coloring agents and why? Why would our FDA allow this to go on? To continue slowly poisoning us. Why do we trust the FDA and take a chance on our health, our livelihood and our future?
I’m not going to lie to you. Eating healthy is hard but it’s worth every mouthful! Reading labels, making your own cleaning products and body lotions is time consuming.
I know, there is so much information overload that most people are confused as to where to start. You can start by taking ownership of your health. Everything has a part to play in your body. Everything has a job to do in your body. I am on a path to help you, lead you and inform you through this time in your life. Being diagnosed with hypothyroidism isn’t just here take this pill and it will fix your issues. Hypothyroidism has a root cause. Once you start addressing the root of your problems then your body can start healing itself. Your body is an awesome design but there is a complex balance between everything.
Like anything else in life you get back what you give. This is the same for your body.
I want you to know that I see you reaching for the answers to your health. Trust me, I hear your cries and I’ve seen your tears. But, make sure you’re listening. Remember this is a journey and “You’ve got to go through something before you can understand something”. “You’ve got to know where you been to understand where you are going”. Are you following me? You may not understand it right now but it’s all a part of you understanding what it’s going to take to make YOU healthy. I can’t just place you there, but I can begin to guide you and you must be willing to go through the steps.
You have to start addressing what the root cause is of your health issues. I say this again, my friend, “Would you take Motrin if you got a rock stuck in your shoe?” Your health issue has a root cause. We often ignore the underlying cause of health illnesses. Sometimes we have to do a little pruning of the branches, in order for the tree to be healthy again. A number of things can be the reason why you are going through what you are going through with your health. It could be a wide range of things from celiac disease, Hashimoto’s, leaky gut, autoimmune disease disorder, nutrient deficiency’s, adrenal fatigue, exposure to chemicals, gluten or other food allergies, and hormonal imbalance. It starts with the foods we eat to the chemicals in the environment. Your body can be influenced by many different circumstances.
Many of our “conditions”, “disorders” or “labels” that are put on us can also be linked back to a lack of the proper nutrition and/or vitamins and minerals. Let’s not forget the heavy use of environmental chemicals that is in our water, our air and the products that we use for our body plus homes. Why not do a little research and find what is causing your disorder? Look up what nutritional steps you need to start taking. What environmental things have an effect on your disorder and start avoiding that. Why not give your body a fighting chance to heal the issue at hand with herbs, specific vitamins & other natural supplements? In each stage of our lives our bodies change and we must learn to adapt and adjust what it needs. Trust me when I say, there certainly isn’t a substitute for figuring out the real underlying reason for your “condition”. I am not saying try this solely on your own I would recommend that you get qualified holistic health practitioner or a Naturopath Doctor in your area that will be able to order the appropriate tests for you, and also help you interpret them. Looking at the big picture. Like an onion, you must start to work on each layer and see what needs to be addressed, peeling it back, layer by layer.
I want to arm you with tools that you need to help you start managing your hypothyroidism condition but you have to be willing to give up the things that have made you sick in order to be healed.
The only magical pill for you to swallow is your lifestyle changes. That is where the magic truly happens and it is within yourself.
You have the power to make a difference in your life. You’ve always had the power. No one can force you to become more aware of what you put on your body and what you put in your body. What you eat is just as important as what you put on your body. Adjusting your life, reading labels and catering to your specific health needs isn’t easy but it will benefit you in the long run. This is one of the smartest decisions that you can make. Not only will you start to look and feel better but think of the medical cost that you could be saving your future self.
How would you define good health? Logically one would define good health as absence of a disease or following some sort of ground rules that avoid developing a disease. I wrote this book to help you learn how to get out of Survival Mode with Hypothyroidism and to start guiding you in the redevelopment and healing of your body. Your health doesn’t have to be a difficult situation but a positive realization that things need to change. Do I have all the answers? Absolutely not but what I have written in this book along with the tips to guide you has worked for me plus many of my clients, colleagues and friends.
This new lifestyle change has many parts to it and I hope you will embrace not only the physical and mental but the spiritual awakening. You must place yourself in the right headspace and be willing to do the work. It certainly would be nice if one diet, lifestyle change or exercise would work for us all but it won’t. We are all uniquely wired and biometrically created differently. None of us are the same. We may have similar issues but we are completely different. No matter what, give it your all because deep down you are strong enough to find what works and make it successful for you!
Knowledge is power, always educate yourself and find the answer to your health care needs. Wisdom is a wonderful thing to seek. I hope this book will teach and inspire you to take leaps in your life to educate yourself for a happier & healthier life. The best patient to be is a well informed and an educated patient. The research that I have done for my blogs and my books can make the difference between you having the energy to live your life as you want, or merely dragging yourself through life. Nobody will do more for yourself than you.
You must want to change, be ready to change to start the change.
Everyday small adjustments do equal long term lifestyle goals and changes.
Just think how great it’s going to feel when you are as healthy on the inside as you look on the outside! The ultimate goal isn’t to look fit but to be healthy from the inside out.
You have to take ownership of your health.
One of the most powerful tools to change your health is your fork.
As you read the pages written within the walls of this book you will see that I value natural solutions, authenticity, integrity, family, community and most importantly simplicity.
After 25 years on medication, I am living medication free and my blood work are all within normal ranges. You don’t have to become your diagnosis.
May you have abundant Health, Wealth and Blessings,
A.L. Childers
Xoxo

A Women’s Holistic Holy Grail Handbook for Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s: How I healed my Hypothyroidism and Autoimmune Disorder with Personalized Nutrition

Poisoned Profit

Your entire body is at the mercy of our thyroid. After being diagnosed with hypothyroidism over 25 years ago. I knew there was something more than just being labeled with a medical condition and taking a daily pill. I was frustrated, overwhelmed along with feeling fat, foggy and fatigued. There wasn’t a lot of information on how to heal myself. A sluggish thyroid has an incredible impact on our health. One in 8 women will struggle with a thyroid problem in her lifetime. As diseases go, you would think that it would be a cinch to diagnose and pretty straightforward to treat but it’s not. My main goal is to help lead people towards good health, boosting wellness and a longevity loving life. If you’re a “quick fix junkie” then this book isn’t for you because you won’t find any of those unreal ramblings written within the pages of this book. This book advocates a clean and healthy lifestyle. I’ve been a mess-in-a-dress struggling with daily life and I can show you have to make the modifications according to your own body’s needs. If you are ready to see a tremendous transformation within yourself and erase years of neglect, then you’re ready to explore what has been written within the walls of this extraordinary life changing book.

Below you will see exactly what we discuss in the book & there is much, much more.

*Dedication
*My story
PART ONE: THE PROBLEM
*What tests should I have run for my thyroid?
*Disease Doesn’t Just Happen- culprits, causes, exposure and genetic disposition
*Sneaky Thyroid Disruptors
*Hormones that control your weight
*How to fight those Hormones that control your weight
*The importance of your pituitary gland and HAT- Hormones, Adrenal and Thyroid

PART TWO: THE SOLUTION
*Healing Your Gut
*The Lymphatic System and Your Health
*Parasites, Candida Yeast and Heavy Metals
*Blood sugar, leptin, insulin levels, Insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and halting inflammation.
*Best exercises for hypothyroidism patients