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{Note from Jessica: Today’s post is shared by my sweet friend Jess Kuh. Jess is a fellow real food lover with a passion for natural living, herbs, and anything that keeps her family and home healthy.}

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Growing up I never really considered what it would be like to live with chronic illness. I completely took for granted good health.

My good health came crash down around after a second miscarriage and it took months to find a doctor that would run a full thyroid panel.

After fighting to get a diagnosis of Hashimoto’s, I realized the fight had just begun … the fight to regain my health.

It has been an uphill battle with setbacks and victories and even though my body doesn’t always cooperate, I’ve learned so much…and I have much to be thankful for.

Hashimoto’s and I have had to learn how to coexist for the most part. Or, at least I’ve learned not to fight the signals my body puts out.

I used to be able to run circles around others. I could keep my house spotless, make meals from scratch, have a weedless a garden, can my garden produce, and entertain my oldest son.

Even after my second child, I was still able to ‘do it all’. Then, after the second miscarriage, that all went out the window and I felt like the air was let out of my sails. I actually had to let someone come over and clean my floors for me when I had no energy to do it. It was hard for me.

I was so grateful for the help but I hated that I needed that help.

In that rough time and the months to follow, I realized that others wanted to help me and it was my pride that fought it. I accept help gratefully now when offered.

I learned that the world doesn’t stop if my dishes aren’t done before I go to bed. They will be there in the morning. Reading my kids bed times stories is a sweeter job.

Paper plates aren’t so bad. Some times it just saves my sanity to know that I don’t have a load of dishes after a meal. I can spend my time making nourishing meals with the energy I have, not cleaning up after them. 

This illness that knocks me down some days made me realize that it isn’t so bad to slow down. Time goes by so quickly, why do I push it along?

Hashimoto’s taught me to take in each moment and enjoy the fun. My kids don’t care that we didn’t make Pinterest crafts, they are just happy to have me lay on the floor and spend the afternoon playing Sorry and Memory.

Looking at my life now, I am sure Hashimoto’s was the wake-up call I needed to be able to see the joy of the simple things. I will never have this time back, why did I ever feel a need to rush through it?

Lessons in thankfulness: what I've learned living with Hashimoto's

I have also learned that taking care of myself isn’t a selfish act. If I can’t function then I can’t take care of my family. I listen to what my body tells me I need and I try to yield to it when I can.

So, in this midst of the crazy and at times scary storm, I’ve come to a place where I can live, function and flourish. Even when I get completely overwhelmed, I can stop, look back, and see how far I’ve come.

And I look forward with HOPE. 

Supporting the Thyroid & Adrenals Through Herbs

When it comes to supporting the adrenals and thyroid (because they are very closely linked), caffeine may not be your best friend. While those with sluggish adrenal glands tend to feel run down and in need of a regular pick-me-up (like coffee and other caffeinated beverages), in the long run, caffeine can do more harm than good while you are healing. I go into the “whys” around caffeine and your adrenals in this detailed post here. In addition to the caffeine, there are other constituents, molds, and mycotoxins that can show up in coffee that some people find they react to.

When I was diagnosed with autoimmune disease and adrenal fatigue, one of the first things that had to go was coffee. To be honest, I never drank coffee because of the caffeine. I drank coffee for the taste and aroma, as well as the emotional experience I felt to my morning cup of joe. For me, it was a ritual that I looked forward to every day (and sometimes multiple times a day). Whether I was brewing it at home or going to my local coffee shops, the experience was one that I clung to tightly.

But, when I was faced with new health struggles, I knew I had to do whatever I could to support my body and give it the tools it needed to heal. Giving up coffee and caffeine was one step in this direction.

And it sucked.

I turned to the coffee substitutes on the market in a desperate attempt to recreate the ritual I had grown so fond of, but nothing ever tasted the way I wanted it to. Nothing ever gave me that same experience that my cup of “real” coffee did. I knew there had to be something better, but I simply could not find it on my health food store’s shelves.

Necessity is the mother of invention so that is why I created my own coffee substitutes. They were made with organic, sustainably harvested herbs with zero grains, zero gluten, and zero caffeine. Just herbs. Herbs that not only tasted delicious but supported my body’s function, like liver detox, bile production, digestion, etc. In my mind, if I can get something to not only taste amazing but do amazing things for my body, then it’s a no brainer!

I sold these pre-made blends on Etsy for awhile and the demand was more than I could keep up with. People literally LOVED these blends and were stunned at how much like coffee they actually tasted. Customers who had been dealing with a variety of chronic illnesses had given up coffee to heal their bodies, but like me were deeply missing their morning cup of joe ritual.

After careful consideration and work with some highly experienced advisors, I decided to stop selling the pre-made blends and instead share my proprietary recipes in the form of an eBook. That way I could arm people with the knowledge and recipes they needed to make their own caffeine-free, gluten-free, grain-free blends in the comfort of their own home. 

That is why I created the best-selling DIY Herbal Coffees eBook: A Complete Guide To Making Delicious Herbal Coffees to Support Healing & Stress Relief. Now in its second edition, this ebook features all of my proprietary herbal blend recipes to you can craft a homemade herbal cup of “coffee” at home.

In addition, you get a ton of researched information about coffee’s impact on the health of those dealing with issues like adrenal fatigue, blood sugar dysregulation, autoimmune disease, thyroid disease, and any other chronic illness.

Lastly, you get access to your own personal coffee shop. I show you how to recreate your favorite coffee shop drinks and pastries with wholesome, nourishing real food ingredients. No junk here.

This book truly is a comprehensive guide to supporting your health, reducing your stress, and bringing a little something special back into your healing journey. You can learn more and download your own copy of this revolutionary wellness guide here, or simply click on the image below.

Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle 2015 // deliciousobsessions.com

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