I’ve frequently thought about visiting a homeopath, but never really found a reason to do so—until recently that is.
A few months back I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid gland makes too much thyroid hormone, and your bodily processes start to run at high speed. I was losing weight rapidly and not feeling great. I followed the traditional medical route and took medication to slow things down, although that only seemed to address one of the issues—fixing the actual thyroid.
Since then I’ve learned two things:
1. Thyroid diseases are autoimmune disorders, which made me think: Why are we ignoring the all too important immune system in this treatment?
2. When things are going at high speed outside the body (you know that feeling of always rushing somewhere?), it’s not surprising that things would speed up on the inside.
At my last visit to the doctor, she told me we would probably over-treat my thyroid until it became underactive, and then we would switch my medication. When I asked about lifestyle changes, she said there weren’t any.
I don’t have a medical degree, but this just didn’t feel right to me. That was when I decided to visit a homeopath and see what other options were out there and what I could do to help the process.
Right away we discussed the immune system’s role in this debacle, as well as the stress in my life. I started an anti-inflammatory diet, began taking some supplements (vitamin D among others) temporarily to support my body’s natural tendency to heal and started to address the need for more relaxation in my life. The homeopath did not tell me to go off my medication and encouraged me to continue seeing my MD.
It felt good to be heard and to be examined holistically. Since changing my diet and adding some relaxation practices to my life, I do feel better, and it’s nice to be able to have an active part in the treatment plan. I always believed I had the tools to heal myself; I just wasn’t sure of how to use them, and now I’m learning.