How Hashimoto’s Disease Has Been A Blessing (Even Though I Thought it was a Curse)

Ahhh, Hashimoto’s disease…What a journey you have been.

As many of you know, I was officially diagnosed in 2012, though I had been having thyroid issues since 2007. I started sharing about my personal experience with Hashi’s on this site right after my diagnosis. You can read those posts here.

At first, I really felt like my Hashimoto’s was a curse. It was unfair. Why me? I easily fell into a victim mindset and stayed there off and on over the years.

To make it even worse, I started identifying myself AS my disease.

Hello, my name is Jessica and I AM Hashimoto’s.

I became fixated with the destination of “perfect health”, and totally lost sight of my life and the actual journey. It finally became apparent that this fixation on my end point was:

(a) causing me to miss out on my life.

and that

(b) “perfect health”, as I been imagining it, was unlikely to happen.

I was confident that if I just ate a little cleaner, took a few more supplements, got a tad more sleep, moved more mindfully, meditated a little longer, (blah, blah, blah), that I’d all of a sudden arrive at destination “perfect health” and BOOM! Life could begin.

Ummm, well, that hasn’t happened. And, honestly, it’s not going to happen.

Don’t get me wrong. I fully believe in the power of the body to heal itself, when given the right tools. I believe that chronic illness can be put into remission, or managed so effectively that it doesn’t cause any (many) problems.

But, come on, let’s face it. There’s no such thing as “perfect” anything. And, ironically, my perfectionist mentality regarding health was becoming detrimental to my actual health by creating undue stress on my mind, body, and spirit.

Funny how that happens.

The more I tried to control my stress, the worse my stress got….

This year (2016), a shift started to happen. I began to realize that my Hashi’s is actually a blessing.

A blessing in that I have learned more about myself, the human body, healing, nutrition, and lifestyle than I ever thought I would.

Without my diagnosis, I am not sure where my path would have taken me, but I am very thankful for the knowledge that I now have because of my diagnosis.

My hours of personal research and increased knowledge of all these topics is not only allowing me to help heal my own body, but it has given me the ability to help family, friends, and YOU.

And, it has instilled a desire in my core to always keep digging. If I’m not getting better, it means that there is more work to be done and more mysteries to uncover and solve. Healing truly is a journey and despite it’s ups and downs, it’s a journey that we should savor.

I have now let go of the idea that I will get to “perfect health” someday and let me tell you…I have never felt so liberated.

My mind, body, and spirit feels lighter. The pressure that I was putting on myself is gone. The pain in my heart for feeling like a failure all the time (because I wasn’t reaching my destination fast enough) is gone.

I now realize that everything I have gone through has brought me to a point where I am able to help not only myself, but more people around the world, manage their chronic illness more effectively.

Dealing With Information Overwhelm

Part of a healing journey includes lots of research, lots of information gathering, and lots of time listening to others who have walked a mile in our shoes. A simple Google search for whatever you’re looking for will leave you with hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of hits from some reputable (and not so reputable) sites.

How do you know who to trust? How do you sort through all the info and really hone in on the most important stuff?

And, if you’re dealing with chronic illness, your energy and brain function may not be tip-top (like myself), so just the thought of trying to figure out where to start may send you spiraling into a dark place of serious information overwhelm.

Been there. Done that. Not fun.

That is why I love online summits. They bring together the best of the best into one central location and allow you to glean the wisdom of their years of practical experience. All in one place. All for free. And since healing is quite costs $$$$$$$$, who doesn’t like a little free? 😉

The Healing Hashimoto’s Summit

In the United States alone, 53 million people have autoimmune diseases, and an estimated 22 million of them have Hashimoto’s disease. This summit (from one of my most trusted affiliate partners) is intended to bring people together in an effort to expand the Hashimoto’s community, gain access to support and discover new ways of healing.

Why Attend The Healing Hashimoto’s Summit?

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is also known as Hashimoto’s disease (Hashi’s for short), autoimmune thyroiditis or chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. It is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in the thyroid and a gradual destruction of thyroid tissue by the immune system.

Hashi’s occurs in 3 stages: silent autoimmunity, autoimmune reactivity and full-blown autoimmune disease–the sooner it is detected, the better your odds of getting good results from treatment.

Who Should Attend The Healing Hashimoto’s Summit?

Anyone who is dealing with thyroid issues, or knows someone who is. Or, anyone who just wants to learn more about one of the most common autoimmune diseases today.

Symptoms of Hashimoto’s don’t often show early, and can take 8-10 years to be detected, but may include:

• Adrenal exhaustion
• Weight gain
• Cold hands and feet
• Fatigue
• Dry skin
• Brittle nails
• Bloating
• Anxiety
• Thinning, brittle hair
• Muscle aches
• Joint pain
• Heavy menstrual periods
• Panic attacks
• Short term memory loss
• Constipation
• Depression
• Insomnia

Who is Speaking at The Healing Hashimoto’s Summit?

The Healing Hashimoto’s Summit is online and free from June 13-20, 2016! It’s bringing together some of the world’s leading experts in thyroid and autoimmune health, including:

• Tom O’Bryan, DC, CCN, DACBN
• Sarah Ballantyne, PhD
• Datis Kharrazian, DHSc, DC, MS, MNeuroSci, FAACP, DACBN, DABCN, DIBAK
• Izabella Wentz, PharmD, FASCP
• Andrea Nakayama, CNC, CNE, CHHC
• Mickey Trescott, NTP
• Amy Myers, MD
• Jeffrey Smith
• Dana Trentini
• Jennifer Fugo
• David Perlmutter, MD, FACN, ABIHM
• Alan Christianson, NMD
• And many more!

What if I’m Super Busy That Week / Can’t Attend?

If you can’t attend, there are a few options for you:

1. Enjoy a 24 Hour Window. You can catch each day’s talks for 24 hours, so if you look ahead and know what talks you’re most interested in, you could plan out your day so you can log on and watch any time during that 24 hour window.

2. Take Advantage of Encore Day. There will be an encore day on June 19th where every talk is going to be made live again and you’ll have another 24 hours to watch as many talks as you want before they are taken offline.

3. Purchase the Summit Now at a Discounted Price. Because the organizers of the summit know people’s lives get busy, they are offering a discounted price on the whole summit package from now through the morning of June 13th. The discounted price is currently $59 and it will go up to $79 once the summit begins. Owning the talks also gives you access to eCourses, guides, eBooks and other advice from the expert speakers, at no additional charge! If you want to check that option out, you can do so here.

I so hope to see you there! Here’s to YOUR health and wellness!