Hypothyroidism & Hyperthyroidism Juicing as Alternative Medicine

First of all I want to say, this is my story... It has worked for me. I don't get paid if you try it so I'm not trying to convince skeptics because there will be people who disagree with things until the end of time. If you are interested and decide to try it, I would encourage you to do your own research. Don't take all of your information from one source. My boyfriend and I took 2 years researching thyroid health and nutrition and we continue to do so with juicing for many other things as well. The best resource and book that I've found which you can find on Amazon is called The Encyclopedia of Healing Juices by John Heinerman. He's a medical anthropologist and I have corresponded with him by mail. He doesn't communicate through email and I'm not going to provide his address because that is for his readers and I don't feel it's ethical to do so.

This is a personal story about my experience with alternative medicine through juicing. I have provided photos of before my thyroid disease and also some from the weight gain as well as during the weight loss so you can see the progress. None of this happened overnight and you cannot expect it to if you decide to take this route. It has worked for me and I now have a friend who recently started juicing for her thyroid as well. When she feels comfortable with showing her pics and has used the juice long enough, then I may put her story in addition to my own. If you take nothing else from this article, please know that you can take your well being into your own hands. Being a licensed Massage Therapist since 2000, I am certainly open to other forms of therapy as well as nutritional support to aid in keeping your body at optimum health. I apologize for some of the unorganized portions on my part but I thought it was important to push the picture progression to the top of the article so you can see the results because after all, most people want to see what you've done and not just hear about it! There are updates typed throughout that provide a little more detail as to how I felt or what was going on at the time. When I get to my goal weight entirely I will post more pics. As of now, I'm at 62 lbs down! I do plan to restructure the page at my weight goal and also add some more in depth information about this experience in a way that some of you who want a better understanding can go through and read without having unanswered questions to the best of my ability. Thank you for reading and for those who are only planning to skim through to see what the article is about, I will show at that point where the basic info is so you can get a good overview without getting too deep into something that may not be of much interest to you personally. I'm hoping to tell the stories of a few others in the future who have been inspired to try this alternative method. I can tell you that one person who has started this journey has lost about 7-8 lbs so far and I'm very excited for her.

All my life I've been a small, petite person. About 7 years ago, I gained about 30 lbs out of the blue. I hadn't changed my eating habits, my stress levels were generally the same and there had been no major life changes. I started dieting and lost the weight within a few months so I never thought much about it after that. I had my thyroid checked and it came back fine, but my neck always had a swollen look and someone actually asked me if I had thyroid disease because of the appearance.

Well, two years later I was going through a divorce and working a lot of hours as a Massage Therapist, when I started feeling extremely tired. I had fatigue pretty often and I also have social anxiety and panic attacks so, I basically chalked it up to one of those contributing factors. I had my thyroid checked a few times in the past because of the fatigue and it never came back bad, so on I went.

Within literally a few weeks I started feeling terrible and thought I was just going through burn out. I had tingling in my hands and feet, but once again, I'm a Massage Therapist standing on my feet, using my hands all day and I also suffer panic attacks. One night my muscles started to hurt and seemed to draw up like spasms. This happened in my sides mostly and my legs. I thought I had the flu for the first day or so and by the third day it was getting worse but no other symptoms of flu. Needless to say, I ended up in the ER after this!

I talked to the nurses and Dr, told them my symptoms and they basically laughed at me. The Dr said my symptoms "didn't seem to be consistent to anything". I replied with, "I have no medical insurance! I wouldn't be here unless something was wrong." They ran blood tests and finally came back to tell me my thyroid was low. I asked exactly what this meant and they said I would need medication. So, I'm going to have to start a medication and continue it throughout life but that was nothing... I left very frustrated.

Over the next few years I went from "natural" thyroid to synthetic listening to Dr's who decided one thing was better than the other. My experience with Synthroid doses has been starting at 50 mcg and raised all the way to 225 mcg with the addition of a T3 supplement called Cytomel 5 mcg. The longest treatment has been Synthroid because the "natural" thyroid was never in stock at the pharmacy and I read articles about how it lost it's potency and was pulled from the shelves, although the pharmacists never wanted to say anything on that subject.

My boyfriend started buying books and researching thyroid health. Eventually, we came across the book Encyclopedia of Healing Juices by John Heinerman. I honestly can't say enough great things about it. I've seen some bad reviews online and I'm wondering if those people actually tried anything from the book. Aside from finding the initial thyroid help I needed every juice I've tried so far has been a success.

Please keep in mind this is MY OWN recipe developed through researching thyroid health and weight loss. I'm not a Dr. and I don't recommend going off any medication without consulting your Dr! I started juicing on my full dose of medication. You will need to consult a Dr if you are considering any changes in your medication or diet.

Radishes will help naturally level your thyroid. The amino acid Raphanin contained in radishes, is what helps regulate thyroid whether it's hyper or hypo. By keeping a concentrated amount in your bloodstream you will be able to reap the benefits of radishes instead of pharmaceutical drugs. Now, I've been able to cut my meds in half also, but I don't recommend it without working with your Dr. (As of the past 3 months I've been completely off my meds using only alternative medicine with success! Updated July 14 2011)

(Update September 2011, still doing great off my thyroid meds completely and continuing to lose weight slowly but steadily. Just wanted to check in and let you know how things are going. After several updates I will restructure this page)

This isn't something that you can drink once, it's something I will continue to drink every day of my life but to me it's completely worth feeling better and getting back to my regular size before letting thyroid disease take over!

I do this juice 2x daily but you could do the dose doubled which would be 8 radishes in one dose. I do the same amount, it's just separated into 2 doses and seems to make me feel better this way. Your most important ingredient to maintain your thyroid health is radishes. The other ingredients help boost weight loss. I used to have garlic added but personally, I just eat a fresh clove every few days or if I feel a cold coming on and have stayed much healthier the past few years. (2 yrs without needing an antibiotic for anything, which is a big deal for me!)

• 4 radishes (I have experimented with different amounts of radishes but 4 2x daily is what has worked best for me. It's really about keeping a high enough concentration of the amino acid circulating in your bloodstream.)
• V8 Low Sodium or a generic version of a vegetable juice. (use enough to dilute your radish juice. I would recommend about 25% of the V8 or veggie juice in a mixture but you can add more if you'd prefer to adjust it for taste)
• Hot Sauce (I use Tapatio) To taste (optional and this would be for hypothyroid and promoting weight loss due to the capsaicin)
• Cayenne Pepper (Put an amt you are comfortable with drinking!) (again the peppers contain capsaicin as well as the hot sauce so this would also be to aid in weight loss for hypothyroid)

Do not attempt to drink straight radish juice! It is too harsh for you to consume without mixing. No matter how strong you think your stomach is, there are reasons it should not be taken without mixing.

I juice (with a juicer), and add the liquid ingredients. I'm not a Dr. and I won't tell you this is a cure, but in my own experience I can say it worked for me! I've lost weight and kept it off for the first time since I've had this problem and felt more energetic. I wanted to share my story so that people like me who feel desperate for something to work could give this a try because it has changed my life and anyone who has gained a significant amount of weight and lost it will know exactly what I mean by that!

*The reason you can't just eat radishes to get the same results is because you must break down the cellular walls of the veggie that would otherwise digest too quickly to absorb the contents. I'm not going to get too scientific here but you can take my word for it or look up why the cellular walls need to be broken down for yourself to see the full details. =)

Hey guys, thank you so much for reading and I plan to go through this again soon and really get a little more specific on some things but first I just wanted to update you on how things are going!

I've lost 3 more lbs recently. I know this isn't a great amount of weight but the big deal is it's staying off and not a yo-yo back and forth weight change! I'm getting toned a little more and feeling more energy. I have added a few things. I do take a healthy dose of vitamins

• Multi vitamin
• Kelp (very important to give you iodine you need for thyroid health) This is a natural source of iodine and since you shouldn't try to get that from salt because of the sodium issue, it's a great way to incorporate it into your diet! The one I take is Icelandic Kelp by Nature's Life It has 225mcg of Iodine (as Kelp) and Kelp (Laminaria digitata) 41 mg (that's exactly how it's written on the bottle.) They are 1 daily.
• B12
• B complex
• Zinc
• Vit D3
• Vit C
• Folic Acid

If you read a lot about thyroid problems you will find that it's common to have a deficiency of some of the vitamins listed above. I can't tell you that is definitely linked but in my research a few of them have seemed to coincide. Some of those are vitamins I take for unrelated reasons. The main one you need for thyroid health is Kelp to give you iodine. (I will research more on the vitamin deficiencies and possible links. There's a lot of information spread out over the internet to sift through and double check. I can only tell you what works for me and hopefully some of what you get from my article will help you as well.)

* I'm also checking into a powder form of the ingredient Raphanin (the amino acid in radishes that makes treating thyroid successful) I'm gonna take the plunge and give it a shot soon and will let you guys know how it works and compare it to the juice itself. Thanks! =) As of Jan 2012, I'm yet to find a powdered form of the amino acid in radishes that I have enough trust to use. Most companies that offer it cannot tell me it's concentration or the shelf life, let alone answer any other questions that are more in depth. As soon as I find out I will make sure to post because it would be such a great alternative if you could simply stir in a mixture; however, at this point I'm seeing little to no hope of that. I will let you know if anything changes.

Update on July 14th (2011) I have lost 35lbs of thyroid weight!!!

Update on September 18th (2011) I have lost a total of 37lbs. I will update as often as possible and any new info I get I will be sure to share with you! (If your weight changes slightly between 1-5 lbs, don't get discouraged because this can be from water weight or if you are female, your cycle will obviously effect your weight.) As long as you continue to make progress and your symptoms are subsiding, that is the main goal. It's great to lose weight from hypothyroidism but your main focus has to be to get your levels under control and maintain them. Also, you have to try to stay on a healthy diet to help keep your weight goal. Although this is centered around hypothyroidism, please keep in mind if you have hyperthyroidism the radishes will still apply to you but you won't be interested in the juice ingredients that aid in weight loss. I'm hoping this can also appeal to hyperthyroidism and if you try the radish juice and it helps please write me and tell me about your experience. I may even use your story on this page in a separate section if you'd be interested.

Update on September 27th 2011

Today, I'm 40 lbs down!!! Still gathering info to restructure this page and provide more info. Hope everyone is doing well!

October 28th 2011 47lbs down!!!

I recently got to 52lbs down!!! It's been a long road but I'm now back in size 5's and 3's. I'm originally very petite framed so this is a healthy weight and I feel much better. I have noticed that when I skip my vitamins I feel a big difference. Many times, lots of health issues go hand in hand with vitamin deficiencies. I'm not saying everyone has them but I know that I at least have a B12 def. bc I actually get bad nose bleeds without it and my dad also has the same deficiency and has been prescribed B12 for several years. This is something you have to stick to. You can't be a slacker when you are treating this juice as your medication because it is, in fact, a form of alternative medication. I would not advise that when you feel better to just stop it! I don't think that is safe and it would be the same as stopping a thyroid med no matter how little it helped if you had bad results you wouldn't want to stop it without supplementing it in an alternative form. Again, this is my story, but my story has obviously proven itself in my situation. You can take it at face value but you can definitely see weight loss and most importantly my side effects have diminished!!! That is the most important part of this journey. Yes, most of us want to lose weight and be back to our old selves or even smaller for the first time if you've had a life long problem with your thyroid but your health should always come first. This is one reason I didn't do an extreme diet or exercise with the juice. I wanted to make sure that my results were coming from this source and they did. If you decide to try this and you actually stick to it, and I'm not talking a week, then please write me and let me know what's going on with you and the results you're having. Nothing happens over night. I didn't wake up 52 lbs lighter but we all have a choice in life and mine was to take my well being into my own hands through research I found over 2 years time and get back to being me. I can finally say that even at this weight, although I have a little more to go, I am happy and healthy again. That is priceless and way better than popping a pill that never helped me to begin with! I wish you the best and all I can say is you will get what you put in. If you do your juice every day then you will see results. If you stop and start again all the time don't expect to see the results I've gotten. There are times when you're lazy or slacking but you can't slack with this so be aware of that if you're not in it for the long haul because you will be wasting your time! That being said, I searched everywhere to find any stories like mine and I never found any... If this can be inspiring to one person I will feel good about posting and updating because I know how much I would have appreciated it myself.

ALTHOUGH I KNOW THAT THIS HAS BEEN A SLOW PROGRESSION, YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THIS IS NOT A FAD DIET OR ANYTHING EXTREME AND THE MAIN OBJECTIVE IS GETTING YOUR THYROID HEALTH BACK. OF COURSE, LOSING WEIGHT IS A GREAT THING BUT ALSO NOTE THAT EVEN THOUGH THIS METHOD WASN'T A FAST WEIGHT LOSS IT ALSO DIDN'T INVOLVE YO-YO BACK AND FORTH AND YOU CAN SEE NOT ONLY A DIFFERENCE IN MY NECK BUT MY SYMPTOMS ALSO SUBSIDED. THOSE ARE ALL THINGS TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING EASY, THIS ISN'T IT. IT TAKES DEDICATION AND FOLLOWING THROUGH WITH YOUR DOSES OF JUICE EVERY SINGLE DAY AND TREATING IT LIKE MEDICATION BECAUSE IT IS, IN FACT, ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE AND SHOULD BE TREATED THAT WAY. I WILL ALWAYS DRINK THIS JUICE. AM I EXCITED ABOUT THAT? IN A WAY, NO BUT TO SEE THE DRAMATIC RESULTS AND TO HAVE MY HEALTH AND MY LIFE BACK, ABSOLUTELY!

Please feel free to comment and ask questions! Also, If you've tried juicing and it didn't work for you instead of only posting that info please let my readers know about your experience. Some key things to include:

• how many radishes did you juice
• did you juice daily
• did you stop your meds all at once or taper off
• how long did you give the juice to work

This is extremely important information because just as traditional medications, alternative medicine takes time as well. It's not a one time fix and there is very limited info out there about juicing for thyroid so please be fair to others who are trying to absorb this info and if you've had a bad experience by all means tell us all about it, but if you only tried it once or for a few days without taking the time to research please don't leave a negative view for the readers about something that can be an amazing thing. Thank you so much and I look forward to hearing from you. I'm here to spread the word about thyroid health and juicing and I've invested a lot of time and research before not only writing this article but proving through my own success that it can work! We are all individuals but let's be educated before knocking something unless we've tried it and can share our experience with everyone. =)