Health Mysteries Solved

The Case:  In the last episode, we met Liana and heard all about her issues with fatigue, digestion, hair loss, joint pain, and lack of concentration. As a person living with Hashimoto’s, she knows many of these symptoms are related but was struggling to stick to the healthy routines that could make a difference.  That’s why I decided to discuss her case with Hypnotherapy expert, Grace Smith.  In episode 139 of Health Mysteries Solved: Thyroid and Hashimoto’s Revealed, Grace busted the misconceptions surrounding hypnotherapy and explained so clearly how it works. I encourage you to jump back and listen to that episode before proceeding to learn how hypnotherapy can specifically help those with Hashimoto’s and how it helped Liana with her issues. Stress as a Trigger for Hashimoto’s There are four main triggers for Hashimoto’s: Food Infection  Toxins (environmental and food) Stress   Of these, stress is so often overlooked. And one of the causes of stress that is easy to overlook because we may not be fully

The Case:  Liana is dealing with fatigue, digestive issues, hair loss, joint pain, and lack of concentration She’s been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s and has been trying to eat right and take supplements to support it but can’t seem to stick with the routine.  She’s struggling to find a balance that includes feeling good.  The Investigation One of the things I noticed when I met with Liana was she had some limiting beliefs about her ability to feel good again and, I suspected that she was subconsciously self-sabotaging. I knew then that if we were dealing with issues on a subconscious level, we needed to start there - and more specifically with Hypnosis. Understanding Hypnosis Grace Smith is one of the world's leading hypnotherapists and I knew she was the perfect person to have on the show to address how hypnotherapy can help chronic illnesses, like Hashimoto’s, from all angles, including beliefs, fears, stressors, and traumas.  Before we could dive into how it can help, we had to address the elephant in the

The Investigation Most Hashimoto’s diagnoses come with many mixed emotions. On one hand, there is finally an explanation for all of your many symptoms, but on the other hand, the diagnosis brings on a slew of emotions like frustration, feeling lost, and uncertainty. And, for some, it can bring a devastating sense that life will never be the same again.   I get so many questions from my community like, can I still get pregnant with Hashimoto’s? Can I have balanced hormones with Hashimoto’s? Can I ever get my energy back? Can my hair ever grow and be thick again? Can my digestive issues resolve? Can I ever get rid of my brain fog?  And the list goes on and on and on. I am here to tell you that as mysterious as many of the symptoms may seem, having Hashimoto’s doesn’t have to be a barrier to you living a good, healthy life.    My Personal Experience with Hashimoto’s I was first diagnosed at 25.  Everything was so overwhelming and I worried that my health would be compromised for the rest of my life. I was so wr

The Case:  Alison has Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s and also experiences tons of digestion issues.  She often feels gassy and bloated and has trouble going to the bathroom. She’s tried taking all types of probiotics, eating super nutritious fermented foods, and done several colon cleanses, but nothing helped.    The Investigation When I met Alison, she explained that she had taken gut-support vitamins and eaten a healthy diet. However, I could see right away that she was missing a few big clues in solving her health mystery.    Gluten, Gut Health, and Hashimoto’s I’ve talked a lot about the connection between Hashimoto’s and our gut on the podcast in the past. I knew that this was at the core of solving Alison’s issues. To discuss it further, I invited Dr. Vincent Pedre, aka America's Gut Doctor, to the show.  Dr. Pedre is an internist and the author of the upcoming book The Gutsmart Protocol.  One of the first things he brings up is the connection between Hashimoto’s and gut health as well as gluten

The Case:  Amanda has Hashimoto’s and does not feel well. She is tired, experiences brain fog, and feels like she is just inflamed all over. She’s tried special diets and various supplements but nothing seems to work.    When I first met Amanda I saw how much work she’d already put in but I know that many of the approaches were too general. We were going to need to dig a little deeper and look at the mind-body connection to solve her health mystery.  Inflammation Markers for Hashimoto’s and Autoimmunity Whenever I see the body is not responding to good, healthy changes, I immediately think of the work that Dr. Mario Martinez is doing. He is a psycho-immunologist who studies the relationship between the mind and the immune system. He is also the bestselling author of "The Mind-Body Code" and "How the Mind Wounds and Heals". He’s a good friend of the show (this is his 4th appearance!) and I know that he was the right person to talk to about this health mystery. Check out the other episodes featuring Dr. Marti

This time of year, it can feel like everyone around you is getting sick. Whether it’s a cold, the flu, RSV Covid, Strep, or some other virus - it can feel a bit like it’s impossible to stay healthy during this time of year.  This is especially daunting for those who have autoimmunity, Hashimoto’s and thyroid issues because the standard advice about boosting your immunity could actually lead to a flare up. This is certainly the case for those with Hashimoto’s.  Staying up to Date on Immune Protocols I’ve shared my immune protocols that are safe for Hashimoto’s and other autoimmunity in the past but there are always new ways of looking at things, new research, and new ideas to consider. So, in this episode, I’m sharing my MOST up-to-date Hashimoto’s-safe immune protocols to help you stay healthy this winter.  It’s important to stay on top of things and I’m thrilled to be sharing these Hashimoto’s-safe immune boosting strategies with you.  Don’t Follow Generic Immune Advice Anyone with Hashimoto’s or autoimmunit

It’s time to park the usual health and lifestyle resolutions and access something much more powerful.  When I talk to my thyroid clients about what they want for their health, they will often mention what they don’t want. They say things like: I don’t want to feel tired I want to get rid of my brain fog I need to lose 10 pounds, or  I want to stop losing so much hair! It may be easier to talk about what’s wrong but focusing on what we don’t want doesn’t always help us.  Shifting Perspectives for Positive Change When it comes to solving our thyroid issues, we need to shift our perspective to the health we want instead of what we don’t want. Think about it this way, if you are planning a trip and you go to a travel agent and you tell them, ‘I don’t want to go to California’ they might struggle with figuring out what to book for you! However, if you walk in and tell them you want to go to Texas, well then they can start figuring out some of the logistics around how to get you there or when you want to go.  It’

Listen to hear how you can win access to the Thyroid Mysteries Solved Course! Super simple tips to protect your thyroid health over the holidays. This is a quick happy holiday episode with 2 tips on staying present and helping your thyroid. I will be back with new and exciting episodes on Jan 5th where we will be revealing all things thyroid, Hashimoto’s and autoimmunity and I can’t wait to connect with you more then! Happy Holidays! See you in 2023! Thyroid Mysteries Solved Course https://www.thyroidmysterysolved.com/ Follow me on Instagram and Facebook

The Investigation It’s common for people with Hashimoto’s to feel like their thyroid is to blame for their issues. But, it’s not the thyroid - it’s the immune system. The immune system is attacking the thyroid and causing it to function less than optimally. It’s the same with other autoimmune diseases - the immune system is what is malfunctioning.  So, if you have an autoimmune disease and you want to feel better and healthier then you need to support your immune system in a very specific way so that it will stop or slow attacks on your thyroid or any other organ.  As well as supporting the thyroid or other organ involved. In this episode of Health Mysteries Solved, I share more details on this two-fold approach for supporting the thyroid and the immune system. It’s definitely for you if you have Hashimoto’s but please note that these tips are useful for anyone dealing with autoimmunity.   I also offer a more in depth training on this twofold message. Please be sure you are following me on Instagram so you ar

The Case:  Cindy is experiencing hormone imbalances, fatigue and a low sex-drive She has consulted with a gynecologist but was dismissed and told it was common for her age She wasn’t willing to accept that she just had to get used to having a low libido so she came to see me Investigation While it is true that hormonal shifts in peri-menopause and menopause can cause a decrease in a woman’s sex drive, there is more to take into consideration. I knew that we had to look a few different avenues to get to the bottom of her health mystery, and find a solution that would reinvigorate her sex life. Shifting Views on Intimacy Susan Bratton is an intimacy expert and an advocate for shifting how we talk about and approach desire, intimacy and passion. She’s a best-selling author and has published 34 books and programs on the subject. She advocates for better experiences not only for those like Cindy, who are experiencing low libido, but for all women.  She does this through her work teaching passionate lovemaking te

The Case:  Julie has digestive issues, headaches, lots of skin rashes and irritation, brain fog, and fatigue She is also very sensitive to environmental triggers like fragrances, smoke, and chemicals.   She eats and lives as clean as possible but nothing seems to help.  She’s seen a dozen doctors who have prescribed a variety of medications but nothing helped.  It’s so common for conventional doctors to focus on treating the symptoms as if they are unrelated instead of considering what the collection of symptoms might mean. Julie knew that her symptoms had to be connected which is when she reached out to me. My feeling was that this was a systemic issue and we got to work investigating the root cause of her problems.  The Investigation With my suspicions of a systemic issue, I knew that Beth O’Hara would be a great source of information. She’s been on Health Mysteries Solved before to speak about Oxalates (episode 67) and Histamines (episode 81). This time, I wanted to dive into the topic of Mast Cells and

The Case:  Lisa is 49 and dealing with irregular periods, hot flashes, and vaginal dryness. She is also gaining weight around her abdomen that she’s struggling to lose. Her doctor told her it was menopause and to get used to these menopause symptoms as the new normal. The Investigation While menopause is normal for someone Lisa’s age, suffering through the symptoms doesn’t have to be. There are many things that can be done and I knew that we needed to explore the options.  Esther Blum is an integrative dietician, high-performance coach and the author of many books including her latest, See Ya Later, Ovulator. She joined us on Health Mysteries Solved episode 101 to talk about a weight loss mystery so I knew that she was the perfect person to talk about Lisa’s case.    Demystifying Menopause: Quick Facts About Menopause A woman is considered in menopause when she has gone 12 consecutive months without a period. Perimenopause is the phase of life that happens before that (and can last up to 10 years).  The av

The Case:  Liz has hashimoto’s and is experiencing joint pain, brain fog and generally doesn’t feel well.  She knew she didn’t want to take antidepressants or pain medication so she started down the path of supplements. Her results weren’t what she was hoping for and she knew she needed a more customized approach.    There are so many things that go into a proper supplement regime because everybody is different so I was happy that Liz came to me so we could trace the root cause of her issues instead of treating her symptoms.  The Investigation When I met with Liz I looked at what supplements she was taking and took a detailed health history. I’m a big fan of supplements but often, they are a part of the solution not the whole solution. When I saw that Liz didn’t do a lot of cooking, I knew that there was a clear path we could explore. Adding Anti-Inflammatory Foods with Ease All too often we think about what foods we should be avoiding but sometimes, it’s the foods we add into our diet that make all the dif

The Case:  Joanna is dealing with chronic fatigue and nausea and nothing seems to help She heard an episode of Health Mysteries Solved with Kasia Kines and wondered if she might be suffering from EBV or Epstein Barr Virus Her doctor ran a test and informed her that she did not have EBV so she was back to square one. Not satisfied with this, Joanna came to me. I took a look at the labs that her doctor had run and saw that he hadn’t run a full EBV panel. This is common with conventional doctors because they may not be aware that in the last few years LabCorp has changed their panels to exclude an important marker unless the doctor specifically asks for it. As a result, Joanna was not tested for this marker and I knew this was the first step in us solving her health mystery.    The Investigation - Changes to EBV (Epstein Barr Virus) This all started because Joanna had heard my conversations with Kasia Kines (episode 4 and episode 43). I’m not surprised because these are some of the most downloaded episodes! I

The Case:  Evelyn is struggling with digestive issues as well as dental infections, tooth sensitivity and chronic bad breath. She brushed and flossed regularly, saw the dentist regularly, and tried all of the oral health products her dentist recommended She even tried natural toothpaste but nothing helped her teeth sensitivity or bad breath.   The Investigation After meeting Evelyn and learning about her challenges and health history, I knew there had to be other pieces to this puzzle! I suspected that we needed to investigate a few more areas of her oral care and her nutrition.  Understanding the Vital Importance of Oral Health Our mouths are so important to our overall health and often we disregard it. Youn Chang is the founder and CEO of OJOOK, an oral care company with a mission to help people develop mindful rituals that create harmony between the mind, body, and the environment. The concept for the business comes from her Korean heritage where mouth health and spine health are considered the key to vi

The Investigation Being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s is the beginning of a long journey that can sometimes be overwhelming. There is a lot of information, which is good, but when it comes to Hashimoto’s it’s important to first know where you are getting information to make sure it’s correct. You also need to know what to do with all of that information. This episode of the Health Mysteries Solved podcast is dedicated to helping you figure where to start and what to do next if you aren’t getting results.  Supporting Hashimoto’s with a Twofold Approach  Before we dive into the twofold approach for supporting Hashimoto’s we need to remember what’s actually going on. Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attach the thyroid. Under attack, the thyroid becomes slow and will eventually get destroyed.  It’s common for those with Hashimoto’s to have many different symptoms as a result of the slow thyroid and from the dysfunctioning immune system.  In order to support Hashimoto’s we need to

The Case:  Anna is experiencing IBS, fatigue, anxiety and generally doesn’t feel well.  She was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s years ago but doctors did not offer real solutions. She wanted to try adjusting her diet but research led her down a deep rabbit hole that left her confused about the best diet for her IBS, autoimmunity and other symptoms. The Investigation There is a lot of information on the internet and some of it is conflicting which makes it very hard to figure out which one to try. This inundation of sometimes conflicting information can be overwhelming and that’s exactly what Anna was experiencing when she came to me. There were a lot of things to take into consideration in finding the right nutrition plan for Anna. Joining me on the show to talk more about the overwhelming amount of diet information is Risa Groux. She’s a Functional Nutritionist, Certified Autoimmune Coach and author of  FOODFRAME: Diet is a Four-Letter Word.  It’s a comprehensive guide to using functional nutrition guidelines t

The Case:  Kristy is exhausted because she can’t sleep and it’s stressing her out. She has meticulous sleep hygiene and takes every supplement to support her sleep. She tried everything she read or heard about but still couldn’t get enough sleep. The Investigation When I met Kristy and got to know her a bit, I knew that while biochemistry was part of it, there was something else going on additionally and we needed to figure out which came first and what was driving things to her health mystery. Navigating all of the Sleep Advice When it comes to sleep, there is so much information out there. The internet is packed with tips and ideas because so many people struggle with sleep (and it’s so essential to good health). That’s why I wanted to speak to a true sleep expert while investigating Kristy’s case.  Devin Burke is an international and TEDx speaker, the bestselling author of “The Sleep Advantage,” the founder of Sleep Science Academy, and one of the top health and sleep coaches in the world. His books, key

The Case:  Eleanor has trouble losing weight and has discovered that it is not a thyroid issue.  She follows a strict Paleo / AIP clean diet plan but can’t seem to shed the pounds When she does slip on the diet, any weight she has lost comes back with more.   The Investigation Far too often we focus on following a specific (often strict) plan or we think the only way to lose weight is by counting calories. But weight loss requires a much more holistic approach. To discuss this approach further, I invited Brian Keane on the show.  He’s a personal trainer, certified strength and conditioning coach, and a sports nutritionist. He’s also the host of the Brian Keane Podcast and is the author of two best-selling books, ‘The Fitness Mindset’ and ‘Rewire Your Mindset’.   The Importance of Custom Diet Plans Brian has seen a lot of people struggle with their weight loss and he chalks it up to the idea that a diet or eating plan is a one size fits all.  So many people try to make a nutrition plan fit into their schedul

The Case:  With Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism she knew she had to watch out for triggers She worried that the toxic chemicals in her hair dye could become a trigger but she wasn’t ready to go gray She looked at organic options, but realized they all STILL had harsh chemicals and the substitutes were even worse.    Full disclosure, this week’s case is about ME and my struggle to find a healthy way to stave off the grays without triggering and worsening my Hashimoto’s. I was determined to find an answer and I did.  The Investigation I was shocked to discover that there are many hair dye options that present themselves as a healthy option but that still contain many chemicals. Several ‘ammonia free’ options have chemicals that could be potentially worse. And, the addition of ‘organic’ to a label or name does not mean there aren’t chemicals, it just means some of the ingredients are organic. How frustrating! Luckily, I did find a solution that is safer and still works. It’s called Hairprint. Like with most thi