I hope this post finds you all well and enjoying the changing weather where you are. It’s been over a month since my last newsletter – sorry about that.
My precious dog-pal Finnegan almost died last month. Long story short is that he had to have an emergency splenectomy because he was bleeding internally from a tumor on his spleen. If that wasn’t bad enough, the tumor was found to be cancerous, but it had not yet spread anywhere else. He’s undergoing treatment for that and is responding really well! In fact we went to run around on the beach yesterday and it’s like nothing ever happened! Dogs are really in the present moment like that. A good lesson 🙂
So life has stabilized for us both and it’s time for me to get back to work.
I’m continuing to offer my “Empower Yourself with Knowledge” blood test reviews. Check it out below.
Today’s article addresses a personal healthcare issue I’m going through that also happens to be part of an epidemic occurring in our country. I hope you find it helpful if you or a family member is going through it too. Also, I highly recommend the AutoImmune Summit, a free online event starting next week. See the link below the article.
Now I’m off to vote!
Blessings for your health,
Colleen
Today’s Article:
Have you ever felt like life was passing you by?
I have.
This past summer I was feeling like that a lot. Feeling really tired, even though I wasn’t doing much, dizziness and fainting spells, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, brain fog, allergies… the list went on.
But more troubling than these physical symptoms was this awful feeling that life was passing me by….that I would never feel well enough to do what I wanted to do in life…that I would forever be stuck on the couch and wondering how to take my dog for a walk, or even make myself dinner.
I felt really sorry for myself because I thought I was doing everything “right” to care for myself, but something was definitely wrong. I wasn’t myself.
I already knew I had a hypothyroid condition (which explains some of my symptoms), but with the help of a colleague, I started digging a bit deeper and did a full thyroid panel blood test.
There was a reason! I wasn’t crazy!
I found out I have an auto-immune condition: Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis or Autoimmune Thyroid.
All of my symptoms made sense now. So I went on a deep educational immersion into this condition, and autoimmune disease in general. I found out:
Up to 90% of people with hypothyroidism may actually have Hashimoto’s (named for the physician who discovered it). 90%!
Hashimoto’s disease is the most prevalent autoimmune disorder in America.
Autoimmune disorders affect up to 50 million Americans – that’s 1 in every 5 people (whereas heart disease affects only 25 million and cancer just 12 million).
Chronic illness is the number one cause of death and disability (not heart disease or cancer) and most autoimmune diseases are chronic.
There is an Epidemic of AutoImmune Disease and the numbers are only increasing.
It’s difficult to get diagnosed and many people suffer for years before getting help.
Here’s a list of some of the more common autoimmune diseases:
Multiple Sclerosis
Type One Diabetes
Celiac Disease
Crohn’s Disease
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Psoriasis
Lupus
Ankylosing Spondylitis
Now, back to my journey, and what I did to stop my immune system from attacking my thyroid.
The most important thing I did was eliminate foods that cause inflammation. It sounds too simple, but it’s deceptively simple, because autoimmune conditions are conditions of inflammation.
My diet is now rich in real food (mostly meat, fish, fruits and vegetables) and absent of dairy, grains and legumes. There is a plethora of research available showing the benefits of this kind of diet. “Paleo” is another name for it, but there is a more specific “autoimmune paleo” diet that works for me. The sweet potato has become my new best friend 🙂
Another important part of my recovery is taking high dose anti-inflammatory substances like turmeric and resveratrol. These tools have helped me reverse my symptoms – I feel like myself again and I can’t tell you how great that is! I want this for you too. You don’t have to suffer.
If you’re “lucky” enough to even get a diagnosis, most physicians will prescribe synthroid or other thyroid medications for life for this condition, which can help, but they can also make symptoms worse. I do sometimes prescribe thyroid support, but the key area of treatment is first dietary. It’s important to get to the root of what is causing an autoimmune condition – it’s different for everyone, but a lot of the treatment is the same. You don’t just treat the thyroid, becausethis is an immune system disorder. Stress levels, genetics, gut health, and internal and external toxins all play a role in developing an autoimmune condition.
Why are autoimmune conditions such an epidemic right now? In a nutshell, our bodies have tolerated so much for so long that they finally just hit the wall. Years of breathing and ingesting chemicals and toxins, overuse of antibiotics that damage the gut, infections, eating foods that lack nutrition or even inflame the digestive tract, constant stress… Our bodies are overloaded and if you have the genetic marker for autoimmune conditions, these issues “turn on” the gene and the disease starts to manifest. (However, not everyone who has the gene will manifest the disease – it depends on the triggers above). It may hit your thyroid, it may hit your skin or joints, or it may hit your brain.
So treatment is aimed at healing many layers at once. It’s what I did (and am doing) to reverse my condition, and it’s what I can help you with too. You don’t have to suffer with your symptoms, letting life just pass you by. You want more out of your life, right?
If you or a loved one has an autoimmune condition, or if you just suspect you might, I highly recommend finding a functional medicine practitioner to work with. There is help available for you!
If you want my help, hit reply to this email or pick up the phone and call me at (505) 501-5228.
I’m stretching out the functional medicine arm of my practice to empower you with information that can help you if:
Your numbers are out of lab range but this hasn’t been addressed, or
Your numbers are in lab range but you know you could feel better
We’ll look at:
Possible blood sugar imbalances / pre-diabetes tendency
Immune system functioning
Liver and kidney health
Anemia possibility
Thyroid health and other hormones (if tests performed)
Inflammation (involved in any disease)
and more, depending on the results you provide me
In this 30 minute phone consultation I will review your latest blood chemistry results with you (emailed to me in advance) and identify any potential issues that your body is leaning toward and how to ward them off.
Specific treatment and/or nutritional recommendations, lifestyle adjustments and next steps will be provided.
Special Price: $55
Want Power? Just reply to this email and we’ll get you scheduled. Or call me directly at (505) 501-5228.
If you don’t have any recent blood test results, I can order them for you. Contact me for more information.
Your modern day medicine woman, Colleen Burke, has many tools in her medicine bag. She is an acupuncturist, doctor of oriental medicine, functional medicine practitioner, herbalist, aromatherapist, medical dowser, and energy healer. She is available for phone sessions and in-person sessions in the Santa Cruz, CA area. Her passion is helping difference-makers (yes, that’s you) overcome the physical and/or emotional issues preventing them from enjoying their life and from doing the BIG work they are meant to do.
Facebook
Speak Your Mind