I am a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a business woman. In 2018, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disorder in which antibodies are directed against the thyroid gland leading to chronic inflammation and underproduction of essential thyroid hormones. Not only is our normal metabolism which regulates body weight effected, but also that of all the cells in our bodies. Not good news.
Internists and endocrinologists often prescribe hormones, and disease symptoms can be successfully managed. I, however, was not comfortable with not knowing why my immune system had turned on itself and with taking medication for the rest of my life, while my thyroid shut down over time. So, I started a quest to reduce my thyroid antibodies, to go off hormones and to have my thyroid function return to normal. I have been successful and hope to continue to be.
Here are my beliefs – which have guided my journey.
- Find the root cause
- Do not simply put a ‘plaster’ on symptoms
- Medications are good when necessary
- Treat food as medicine
- Biological healing can happen
To find new doctors, diets, vitamins, routines and to educate myself about this disease and auto-immune conditions in general was incredibly time-consuming. Through Peel the Onion, I want to share what I have learned and to engage in a dialogue with others. Hashimoto’s affects 14 Million people in the US alone – and 1 in 5 people are diagnosed with an auto-immune disease — so it is fairly common. I hope that we will save time, learn to ask our doctors better questions, challenge the status quo of accepting medication for the rest of our lives, adopt new protocols, feel empowered and actually heal.
Carolin Greiner, Founder & Editor, Peel the Onion
