Sostice Swamp Recognition

Winter solstice, 2012, end of the mayan calendar. Three friends are in Mexico or Guatemala at sacred sites for this day.  I chose to experience a forest alone.

I took the day off and drove near Palatka and hiked, wandered, stretched, contemplated and lay down in Rice Creek Swamp conservation area for 4 slow, allowing hours, celebrating solstice and the cycles of everything.

I felt blissful and grateful to be out walking among tupelo, cabbbage palms and palmetto all mossy in the morning light. I kept smiling in the sun, feeling grateful on the dewey trail. I spoke my gratitude for so many things in my life I am so fortunate to have. People in my life, my own realizations, my own capacities.  

I took photos. I saw amazing beauty and smelled, felt and contemplated so many points of life. It feels important to get close to the ground. 

I was noticing how natural it was to be there, and how fortunate I was to be in this place right now. I had not walked or hiked in months becausee of fatigue and illness. Being in the swamp was a most commfortable feeling, like I was in the place I belonged, a home.

An essay by Lane and Sarah Conn inspires me. They talk about ecological identity. I can go into a natural space on my own terms, like going out to find songbirds with binoculars, or I can just open all my senses to whatever experience might happen. The experience or recognition may be unpredictable. It is a challenge for most people to slow down from their manic overstimlated state where they have become conditioned to be talked at through sounds or pictures. A person may feel restless or worried about time they are wasting.   The Conns state "In order to open yourself to the direct experience of another being, you must shift from a precipitating to a participating mode of interaction, from making it happen to sharing in the happening. ... You can turn your gaze toward a leaf or blade of grass and allow it to present itself to you, to imagine it coming into your consciousness instead of your going out and getting it. You can allow other beings to knock on the doors of your awareness, to visit on their own terms and in their own language."

What a wonder it is to stop, look and listen to what is in that moment in that place. The most unpredictable discoveries do occur. I found an incredible fungus inside a tree trunk that was dusting spores all down the wood onto the earth. It's sister fungus was doing the same at the entrance to the hole. It was like a Missouri cavern of regal majesty, in miniature, down there at the ground.

 

Today was solstice a special day for many. New phases, new cycles are always coming. I prayed... and meditated a bit. I prayed that humans slowly do start shifting from productivity, work, intellectualism, competition, power and numbing themselves with entertainment/technology to becoming more awake, aware and connected to each other, to earth and to their own hearts. 

Other discoveries: emerging mosses, a burned out tree, red water flowing, and uncountable sensations of awe and inclinations to say Hello! as a greeting to all the beings and interim cycles of their lives I encountered, or recognized by luck or by patience, there, near the ground, or there in the air.

Hashimoto's Autoimmune Disease

A few months ago I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism. This is a disease of the immune system, not a thyroid problem per se. My immune system – perhaps triggered by Epstein Barr virus that has come out of the closet (90% of us have this) – has decided to attack the thyroid gland. The test showing this is TPO antibodies. Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) is the enzyme from the thyroid that is stimulated to be produced by TSH from the pituitary. TPO assists in the production of thyroxine (T₄) or triiodothyronine (T₃).

I am fortunate that I went to see the naturopath, Joy Bole, who recognized Hashimotos right away when a nurse practitioner had not. She also discovered the activity of Epstein-Barr virus which might be what triggered it

She immediately told me about Dr. Datis Kharrazian’s book that I have since bought and am reading. As I have seen other doctors since then (endocrinologist, internist, other nurse practitioner), I realize they don’t really get the connectedness of all our systems and don’t know about Dr. Kharrazian’s seminal work. Very few doctors are trained in his approach to treating this disease.

The endocrinologist says it’s not really ‘treatable.’  Dr. Kharrazian wrote a whole book about how to manage for it by better understanding what my immune system is currently doing, figuring out what the stimulator is that is causing my immune system to work overtime (antigens or haptens) and taking supplements that support the immune system correctly while eating a very healthy diet that reduces immune response.

According to the book the gut is the home-base of the immune system. If the gut system is not balanced and healthy, the immune system can’t be strong. Joy Bole told me I have “leaky gut.” Some undigested particles are making their way through my intestinal walls which also causes immune system attack on these foreign bodies. I had read about this before and it is not good for this to happen. See my blog on inflammation.

Overall, the population is experiencing more autoimmune diseases from environmental stress and foods. "Stress is the biggest factor when looking at the brew that makes up an autoimmune disease! Stress does many things to upset immune regulation: it suppresses immune function, promotes immune imbalances, weakens and atrophies the thymus gland, and thins the barriers of the gut, lungs, and brain. "

"Sometimes frequently-eaten food is seen as a foreign invader keeping the immune system engaged in constant battle. Then the beleaguered over active immune system can start to behave erratically and being attacking the body." If we have an allergy to a food and don’t know it, our immune system again works over time and can go into malfunction so that the immune system starts to attack the body creating the autoimmune response.

Typical triggers for autoimmune disease are: spikes in estrogen; inorganic toxic substances like pesticides or heavy metals (known as haptens); allergens like mold or foods we are allergic to (known as antigens), molds; bacterial infections.  "Physiological conditions can set the stage for Hashimotos: gluten intolerance, estrogen surges, insulin resistance, polycystic ovary syndrome, Vitamin D deficiency, environmental toxins, chronic infection or inflammation, and genetic susceptibility."

For Hashimoto’s patients, gluten is a big deal. Not only because 81% of Americans have a genetic predisposition for gluten intolerance, but because gluten molecular structure is a lot like a thyroid molecule! So if we eat gluten and have some intolerance, the immune system attacks that and the same function attacks the thyroid cells! Kharrazian says: “It is wisest to simply remove all gluten from your diet if you wish to preserve your thyroid gland.”  He says we cannot even have a molecule of it once we have stopped and are recovering, because even slight gluten contamination in a food can trigger an autoimmune response that can last for months.

Hashimotos is the #1 autoimmune disease in country. "It is not a gland disfunction it is an autoimmune disease. If a patient takes thyroid hormones, the inflammmatory mediators generated (cytokines) can block thyroid receptor sites, but the hormone might be in the blood, making the regular blood tests look normal." Taking hormones as a treatment just makes lab tests look good and might boost energy for a little while, but doesn’t help stop destruction of the thyroid.

"Vit D deficiency is associated with numerous autoimmune conditions including Hashimoto’s, and autoimmune rates have been skyrocketing in recent years. Enough vitamin D helps keep the immune system balanced. Studies show more than 90% of people with autoimmune thyroid have a genetic defect affecting their ability to process vitamin D. Therefore many people need higher amounts of vitamin D to maintain healthy even if a blood test shows sufficient vitamin D. Blood levels of vit D of my labs should be in the high-normal! The Vitamin D council recommends levels be between 50 – 80 ng/mL, and a supplement of 4000-5000 iu per day of cholecalciferol."  Kharrazian recommends 5,000 – 20,000 IU of emulsified Vitamin D for his Hashimoto’s patients.

Dr. Kharrazian’s book is so good because he explains how our immune system works, how our thyroid system works and other endocrine components, he explains how lab tests can be interpreted, and he describes his protocols and treatmens for different kinds of patients. He tells you where you can get tested for different things, so you can figure out a lot of things before you go see the doctor. He also describes a fast and elimination diet system to discover what your body is reacting to.

How to take care of myself?  Support the autoimmune system and eat right. Avoid anything inflammatory (see my blog on inflammation). Take emulsified Vitamin D.

DIET

• No gluten
• Strongly limit dairy
• Strongly limit alcohol or sugar
• Strongly limit coffee/caffeine (most difficult)
• Limit dried fruits and nuts
• Limit foods I am attracted to eating a lot (honey and almond butter)
• Limit intake of goitregenic foods; Cooking these reduces gointregenic effects
• Brassica vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, mustard, rutabagas, turnips, cabbage, kohlrabi (they contain isothiocyanates) – so much for my garden.
• Soy (contains isoflavins) goitrogenic activity of soy isoflavones can be partly “turned off” by cooking or fermenting
• isothiocyanates  and isoflavins appear to reduce thyroid function by blocking thyroid peroxidase, and also by disrupting messages that are sent across the membranes of thyroid cells
• Millet (I love gluten free millet bread)
• Peanuts
• Radishes
• Spinach
• Eat fermented foods (I have goat yoghurt with probiotics added, sauerkraut, probiotic pills, and drink beet kvaas that I make)
• Have chicken broth in soups
• Eat fish and flax oil for more omega 3 to build the essential fatty acids to build hormones
• No iodine, it is known to trigger autoimmune thyroid response

SUPPLEMENTS        

• Emulsified Vitamin D3
• B-Complex, more B12
• Vitamin C
• Milk Thistle
• Fish Oil, Flax Oil
• Probiotics
• Ca/Mg
• …. turmeric?

LIFESTYLE AND TREATMENTS

• Salt Baths
• Acupuncture
• Chiropractor
• Reduce stress - do and plan less; simplify; say no to some invitations.
• Meditate
• Qigong. I am doing this almost every day
• Study about hypothyroid, autoimmune
• Find new recipes and cook (today made coconut almond flour biscuits)
• If I take thyroxil someday, watch out for the filler that comes with the med that my immune system might react to

This has been a very sobering journey. I have always felt blessed with the health and body of an ox, capable of hard physical labor, with strength and stamina. I experienced extreme fatigue, burny legs and joint aches for about 3 weeks in October.  Before that, I had noticed general tiredness beginning in early evenings since about January. The 3 weeks of crazy fatigue in October ended when I took herbs from Joy Bole to combat the Epstein Barr virus. I also cut out gluten. But I continued coffee, honey, chocolate sometimes, grain products, some cheese, and milk in the coffee.  I had a lot of tired days with a lot of fatigue most evenings.

As of yesterday, I have dropped coffee, chocolate and dairy products.  I feel even better. I was encouraged to go grain-free. I have cut grains in half (less millet toast). I also started a new herbal protocol of 4 herbs - a subset of the Cowden protocol - created by a naturopath but recommended to me by an MD. The herbs are Pinella, Burbur, Samento, Banderol. It is designed to kill bacteria, and support the immune system. That might be another reason I am feeling better these last 2 days.

Since quitting coffee I feel more quiet and calm and true in my level of constitutional energy. The coffee was maybe masking what was really going on for me with energy. So I really miss that soothing cup but am feeling that my long term health is standing victorious over that addiction… for now. They always say, one day at a time. : )

The next steps are to visit the rheumatologist and Dr. Hall in Ocala who has studied Dr. Kharrazian’s methods for managing Hashimoto’s disease. I am learning so much about medicine and doctors and a lot of the foolishness thereof. Luckily, I have good insurance covering most of this including acupuncture and chiropractor visits. 

So my spirit is rising up to tell me something with all of this. Perhaps it is saying to be still more.  That reflection is continuous.
I close with a quote from Hippocrates because I know I can help myself most with what I eat and don't eat: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”