By: center651 | Tags: | Comments: 0 | February 26th, 2015
My name is Jill and I was diagnosed with Hashimotos several years ago. At the time I was diagnosed I didn’t know anything about autoimmune disease or the thyroid’s function. I wanted to take the right steps for my health, so like a good patient I trusted my doctor and when he told me all I needed to do was take this little pill (thyroid hormones) and just make sure to come back and get rechecked when I was supposed to that’s what I did. That worked okay for a few years…but the artificial thyroid hormones created a facade and I was still sick. The lab work showed that I had normal levels of thyroid hormones. What it didn’t show was that my autoimmune response was increasing and my body was continuing to destroy my thyroid. Because my thyroid was still continually under attack as time went on I needed an increased dosage of thyroid hormones, and the increased dosage increased my autoimmune response, which meant I needed to continue to increase the dosage of thyroid hormones. It was a dangerous cycle.
That cycle just seemed wrong to me. But I was told that there was no cure for hashimoto’s, and that as I aged I would continually need to increase the dosage of my medication…and as long as I took my medication and stayed on top of my lab work everything would be okay. But everything was not okay. I was still sick. Even though I did everything I was supposed to my energy level continued to decrease. It got so bad that it came to a point where I could barely even walk and brain fog set in. I ended up having to close down my business because I couldn’t function and I had to lean on my family to do everything for me. This went on for nearly two years. During that time I was desperate for help and answers from my doctor but didn’t get any. It was actually suggested by my doctor that I was depressed and that was causing the symptoms and he wanted me to take anti-depressants and referred me to a psychiatrist. After visiting the psychiatrist it was confirmed that my issues were not psychological and that taking anti-depressants would actually be harmful. So I was sent on my not so merry way with another years worth of thyroid medication and no answers. I was told that I would just have to learn to live with the fatigue and brain fog. Western medicine had failed me.
I’m so glad that I didn’t accept that there wasn’t anything that could be done and I would just have to learn to live with fatigue, brain fog, and medication. I had a couple of friends that were patients of Dr. Mancini’s and he came highly recommended. I contacted the office to see if they could help me with my hashimoto’s and told them that I wanted to stop taking my medication and let my body heal naturally. After being told so many times that there was no cure and that I would just have to live with taking the medication, as well as the fatigue and brain fog, I wasn’t sure what to expect. After hearing from Dr. Mancini’s office that they had experience with autoimmune disease and hashimoto’s and that they could help me get off the medication I couldn’t get my initial appointment soon enough. I finally had hope!
Dr. Mancini had me fill out a comprehensive health questionnaire, then spent a good amount of time going over how I was feeling and goals for my health. I also attended a few training seminars which were very helpful in understanding how Chinese medicine and acupuncture works. I took a battery of diagnostic tests including thyroid and adrenal levels, autoimmune responses and food allergies. Before revealing the results to me Dr. Mancini said that they would be a very powerful tool, and he was right. I think the most shocking was the autoimmune response which is a test that my other doctor had never bothered to run. The normal range is between 0-34, mine was 456. I was shocked, but at least at that point I was armed with a powerful tool, knowledge and a plan. I was a little scared when Dr. Mancini told me that I could quit taking my thyroid pills from that point on, but that was my goal and I was ready.
From that point forward I have been medication free. I began an acupuncture treatment program to help normalize my thyroid and autoimmune response, and went through a detox protocol and nutrition program prescribed by Dr. Mancini. It was also revealed to me through the testing that I had an intolerance to eggs, milk, gluten, and soy. Another powerful piece of information that has helped my healing process.
After only four weeks a staying on the program and being medication free Dr. Mancini run another set of tests and it showed 32% improvement. Not only did I have hope for the first time in years, I was feeling great. I have my energy back, started working full-time again, started an exercise program, am losing weight, and am eating healthy. I noticed some other changes too. My ankles aren’t swollen anymore, I don’t have to run to the bathroom all the time, my periods are normal, I have color back to my skin, my eyes are bright, and I am thinking much more clearly again. My family and friends have noticed the changes and people are telling me how good it is to have me back to being myself again. I agree. It’s good to be back. As I continue following the guidance of Dr. Mancini I continue to feel better and better. Thank you Dr. Mancini and staff at Center for Integrative Care for helping me get my life back. If you have autoimmune disease and want help…make your appointment with Dr. Mancini today. There is hope!
– Jill G.
