How to manage Hashimoto's when you are a workaholic.

A listener writes in about her busy life and how to get help with fatigue, achiness, weight gain and menopause. 

Good Morning Stephanie,

Thank you very much for the ‘Guide’ and for all the information you provide.

I have a topic of interest that you may be able to address.

How to manage your Hashimoto’s when you are a workaholic.

Example: I have a full time job, Mon – Fri, 08:00 – 4:30

                            Part time job, Sat and/or Sun, 07:00a – 7:00p

                            Help husband with his job, about 10hrs week.

Plus all other items relating to running a home.

I don’t have kids but I do have 5 animals. I’m a fur mom. 😊

I usually only have 3, maybe 4 full days off a month.

And – no – scaling back on work is not an option at the moment.

All thyroid labs are good. Doctor says don’t worry about the Hashimoto’s. ☹

History of thyroid cancer, left side removed. Hashimoto’s, Chronic reactive Epstein Barr, risk for Rheumatoid arthritis, and…menopause, lol.

But still very tired, sore/achy, and weight gain after watching diet, trying to get exercise, and taking supplements.

So any insight you could give pertaining to this type of situation would be great.

I’m sure there are others in this same boat as I am.

Thank you again.

You’re wonderful.

Pam

Hi Pam,

Thanks for writing in. I really appreciate it.

Sounds like you have an extremely busy life and not sure how you power through with fatigue!

First thing I would say is, let’s have a look at your thyroid labs and see if they really are optimal. They may be optimal based on the lab values given but they may not be optimal based on what a healthy persons labs should look like.

Of course your doctor says don’t worry about the Hashimoto’s because standard of care in conventional medicine is not to treat it but to up your dose yearly as your thyroid tissue is destroyed. I’ve said that a million times on here so that is old news.

Next is to see if your medication is at the right dose and kind. Many people do fine on T4 only meds like Synthroid or Levothyroxine but a lot of people don’t. It’s clear you will need thyroid meds lifelong based on the fact that you are missing half your thyroid.

Chronic reactive EBV could very well be due to stress or overworking. In this case with the very busy life you have, some adaptogenic herbs might be called for. Potentially Rhodiola, Schisandra, Ashwagandha, Holy Basil or Maca. Don’t just go throwing these in your regime though. It really depends on what is going on and starting slow with one of these like Ashwagandha or Maca first, see how you feel after a couple weeks of taking it and then add in some others. You can order these through my dispensary at https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/hfh

When you have Hashimoto’s your risk for other autoimmune disease raises by about 30% so I will say, not slowing down a bit or at the very least making sure your diet is dialed in pretty much perfectly means your Rheumatoid Arthritis risk is probably higher than most.

Having a history of thyroid cancer is a big deal as well. Make sure you are having tumor markers tested regularly - I would guess this is being monitored but you never know. It should be if it isn’t.

I’m going to do an episode on cancer in general but to make sure your cancer does not come back into the other half of your thyroid OR appear somewhere else, there is a lot you can do in your diet and your lifestyle.

I want to say that I don’t think being busy is bad, especially if you are happy and you have good relationships, especially with your husband and those close to you. Sometimes this matters more than anything else. So if you feel great, have a sense of purpose and community and are truly happy, you are one step ahead of many people in your same situation healthwise.

It would be good to know what supplements you are taking. With cancer being in your past. L-glutamine is a popular supplement but there is some risk it might feed cancer so be aware of that.

Avoiding sugar as much as possible is a good idea - sugar is the main fuel for cancer cells. Your diet should be from the cleanest sources of food that you can afford. Here is where organic matters most. Lots and lots of fresh veggies, dark leafy greens, fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi, bone broth, berries (keep other fruits to a minimum), locally raised organic meats if you can do it. I know this seems ridiculous given the cost of groceries but these are ideal for preventing a recurrence. I can provide meal plans and do so for my clients when they want them so that finding food to cook becomes much easier. Also, given your busy life, some non starchy carbs are probably needed daily to help maintain your energy.

You stated you are still very tired, sore/achy and dealing with weight gain and the most lovely menopause. The weight gain could be menopause related or it could be inflammation. It could be both. Hard to say without looking at your diet and some labs. Feeling very tired could be due to a need for T3 meds or an upping of your dose- again, those normal lab ranges may not be normal. Menopause can also cause joint pain.

If it is your joints that are sore and achy, this can be due to higher levels of inflammation and with menopause we lose some stability from decreased strength and tension in our tendons. If it is muscle soreness and aches then it could be a mitochondrial issue so we would need to look at what nutrients your body might be in need of.

A good fish oil may be in order for you and possibly a broad spectrum one that has omega 3,6,7 and 9. Designs For Health makes one called OmegAvail Synergy which again, you can get by going to us.fullscript.com/welcome/hfh which is my dispensary and gives you a 10% discount. Clients get 20% discount.

If you are not strictly gluten free, I would start with that and see if it improves any soreness you have. If not, try avoiding nightshades like tomato, potato, peppers, eggplant, etc. A quick google search of nightshade foods will help you find a whole list.

If none of this helps the soreness and aches then I would suggest and elimination diet.

You may also want to support your immune system. Looking for nutrient deficiencies is a good first step so that we can identify what your body needs. Things like vitamin A, C, D, or zinc. Maybe you need nutrients to support your mitochondria like B vitamins or maybe you are anemic? There might be more questions than answers here but it gives you something to think about. Here is also where being gluten free will be helpful along with figuring out if there are other food sensitivities. An elimination diet is the best way to know if you have a sensitivity as there is not one really good blood test for allergies or sensitivities.

You stated you are trying to get exercise. What does that look like? I imagine if you are fatigued that exercising is the last thing you want to do. When you have Hashimoto’s or any autoimmune disease, exercising can cause more fatigue if not done right. We have to not over do it. In your case, you might be working so much that exercise of any kind will send you over the edge. I would try for some restorative yoga if that is the case. It is the most amazing kind of yoga where you lie down in specific poses made to help restore your body and energy. And it is worth doing if you can do nothing else.

If you are doing a lot of sitting at your day job or the weekend job then I would make a plan to do some standing when you can. Get a standing desk to do some work at. Walk at lunch during a couple days a week. When you go to the store, park far away and walk from the back of the parking lot. Take the stairs when you can. All of this adds up and is a great first start to exercising when you can.

I hope this helps a bit. I can’t give specific details about what you should be taking as far as supplements go because that would be irresponsible.

Thanks for sending in your question. I love when you guys do that.

I created a new guide for you all called the definitive guide to Hashimoto’s which you can get by signing up for my newsletter. Use the pop up form on my website to be sure you get access. I am not sure the other sign ups on my site have it attached. If you sign up for my email list and it doesn’t show up, email me and I’ll send it to you!

Thanks so much for listening AND for tuning in! I am so so grateful to all of you.

Please share this with anyone you know who is dealing with Hashimoto’s and if you could be so kind to leave a rating and review, it helps more people find the podcast in the sea of millions of podcasts out there.

Thyroid Cancer with Tiffany Flaten of Rock Bottom Wellness

Hi there and welcome to episode 87!  This week I am talking with Tiffany Flaten of Rock Bottom Wellness.  She is a certified Nutrition Specialist (she is currently supervising my CNS hours) M.Ed., MSN, CNS and a thyroid expert in nutrition. As founder of Rock Bottom Wellness, Tiffany helps thyroid patients improve their symptoms through proper nutrition education. She’s helped hundreds of women and men get to the root cause, find a way up from rock bottom, be their own best advocate, and shortcut the path to an amazing life. Rock Bottom Thyroid Treatment: An 8-Week Thyroid Diet for People with “Normal” Thyroid Test Results to Thrive Not Just Survive is Tiffany’s first book. Meet others on the journey to better thyroid health at www.rockbottomwellness.com/group. Book a free Thyroid Breakthrough Session with Tiffany at www.rockbottomwellness.com/breakthrough to get a personalized plan for the next leg of your thyroid journey.

We recorded this in January and the audio is a little choppy on her end in some places but it is a great conversation with some great info about how she dealt with her thyroid cancer diagnosis. Here is a little bit about her book: 

If Your Thyroid Numbers Are Normal But You Feel Terrible, Read This Book

Tiffany Flaten knows what it’s like to feel sick. For ten years, she felt depressed, irritable, and hopeless. And tired. Crazy tired. Like pregnancy fatigue every day. By her first baby, Tiffany was overweight and had high cholesterol. So why did her thyroid test always come back normal?

In 2007, Tiffany was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, the “best” cancer to have. Doctors advised “easy” treatments like thyroidectomy, radioiodine, and prescriptions for the rest of her life. Then the cancer came back, and Tiffany hit rock bottom. Would she ever feel normal again?

Yes! All thanks to proper nutrition. When Tiffany learned how nutrient deficiencies contributed to both her thyroid health symptoms and causes, she cured her depression, lost weight, got her energy back, and finally felt like herself again. She went back to school to earn her Master’s of Science in Human Nutrition and Performance and become a board certified nutritionist (CNS).

Today Tiffany teaches proper nutrition to alleviate thyroid symptoms. Her secret to helping thyroid patients turn their health around is an eight-week thyroid reset diet, a personalized thyroid eating plan and thyroid cookbook with thyroid friendly recipes for people who’ve hit rock bottom. Tiffany’s first book, Rock Bottom Thyroid Treatment: The 8-Week Thyroid Diet for People with “Normal” Thyroid Test Results to Thrive, Not Just Survive, helps people with thyroid disorders:

• Translate medical mumbo-jumbo into thyroid essentials

• Advocate for your own thyroid healing

• Feel better with nutrition, the natural thyroid cure

• Help your thyroid function optimally

• Balance your blood sugar

• Get off the mood roller coaster

• Give up food rules (and cravings)

• Get better sleep with thyroid balance

• Lose weight and lower your anxiety

• Experience thyroid and adrenal balance

• Choose the right thyroid glandular supplement

Rock Bottom Thyroid Treatment is the last hope for thyroid disease patients and the first step towards better thyroid health. Whether you’re going through cancer treatment or are simply concerned about “normal” thyroid numbers when everything feels off, Rock Bottom Thyroid Treatment gives you the answers that neither your doctor or Google will.