The Flu Shot: Hashimoto's and the flu vaccination

Hashi Warriors and the Flu Vaccine

Stay healthy this flu season

by amping up your immune system

with energy movement

   Much debate happens every year on whether people should or need to get the year's influenza vaccination. Quite frankly, the whole issue of vaccinations is a touchy subject in the states  among folks...a topic for another time - I have strong feelings on the side of NOT vaccinating, but that is not today's topic.
Is the flu shot necessary....does it help...will this miracle shot  save your life? Are you in the Center for Disease Control's categories of those who "probably" should not get the influenza vaccination? A really good resource on this topic is Dr. Kirk Gair who has written a few books on the subject and who started his quest to learn all he can because the information saved his wife from the devastating affects of  a Thyroid Storm. Click on his link to see what he has to say about Hashimoto's and the flu shot.
   If you are like me, whenever I received the influenza vaccination, I battled illnesses the rest of the season. I documented and have proof that demonstrated I would have one cold or virus run into another, I would catch lots of viruses and minor flus I came into contact with....it seemed to bog my immune system down. Now there is scientific evidence that supports my personal claims. Or rather, if my Hashimoto's is in hyper drive and very active, it has been found to be detrimental and is more like poking the bear living inside me...and I'm not the only one!
   According to the Holter Medical Group, "Although it is unclear exactly why some patients with these health conditions have complications(to the influenza vaccine), there are a few possible explanations. It could be related to mitochondrial dysfunction, which many of these patients have. It could also be directly related to the immune response elicited by the vaccine. One physician who has treated over 2,000 Hashimoto’s patients reports that 80% of his patients have infection with the Epstein Barr virus in their history. This is thought to play a role in the onset or exacerbation of the condition for many Hashimoto’s patients.Interestingly, there is some evidence that Influenza B may also be involved as an initiating factor. Even if it is not directly related, it affects the same part of the immune system as Epstein Barr. This also happens to be the part of the immune system that attacks the thyroid in autoimmune thyroid conditions."
   While I'm no physician or doctor, or nurse or practitioner, I am one heck of a researcher and I am an award winning journalist! In America, it's a little bit tougher to find out certain kinds of information (hot topics like vaccines or abortion that have a lot of money into the outcomes) but it is out there in small doses and under pages of professionals finally being able to piece the puzzle together.  I encourage you to look into these website addresses to look into this topic for yourself :)

Knowledge is personal power on your quest for good health! And the more we share, the more we can do what is best for each one of us and not be one of the "herd".

http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/5949/145399/fibromyalgia/
 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12428064

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12428064

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18240111

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/02/04/zinc-garlic-vitamin-d.aspx

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/02/04/zinc-garlic-vitamin-d.aspx

So if you follow my blog, you'll know how natural I attempt to be. I limit chemicals entering my body via by the food and drink or by environmental exposure and skin products. I strive to limit my chemical exposure and I firmly believe this alone helped to calm my Hashimoto's down when it was in a whirlwind.

   So how do I avoid the flu? The flu is air borne and knowing this information is half the battle! In our home, we spray essential oils in the air, we use the old pan of water and essential oils and boil that down into the air. We have hand sanitizer right by the front door when we get home from a social event, and we use it! We eat organic, healthy foods from all the food groups (even the gluten free family members). Eating processed food or food with preservatives is limited. We boost ourselves with vitamin C and echinacea, we consume elderberry and overall try to get quality sleep and quality exercise....and we laugh a lot.

Our Family.....

has fun and laughs :)

Just being happy is another trick to fostering a good immune system. We incorporate energy work, like Reiki, or Yoga, into our every day lives. Our body's energy systems need movement within them to function properly.

I hope I've helped you find some resources to help you learn and get another step into recovery for you or your loved ones Hashimoto's or other autoimmune condition!
Blessings!

Our rainbow girl being ME :)

Fluoride free, that's the way for me!

   When I was child in grammar school, I was chosen by my teacher to be a character in our class play about tooth decay. My character was called Fluoride Flossy and I got to "save the day" and destroyed the effects of the villain that caused tooth decay to the enamel of our teeth. I portrayed a superhero in the fourth grade! Fluoride has long been touted as the saver of teeth and in the United States, many of the municipalities add the substance to their water.

Hiking and swimming with some of my clan

Black Hills, South Dakota

Many Americans use toothpaste that has fluoride and dental experts all over the land recommend using products that contain it. But there is mounting evidence that Fluoride is harmful to health, especially to people trying to tame their Hashimoto's beasts.
   Since I can remember, I had "bloody" teeth every time I brushed. My parents thought I brushed too hard, maybe I wasn't brushing enough, I needed to floss more, the list goes on and on. I always had bloody teeth after brushing regardless of bristle softness or how often I brushed. This went on into my adulthood....until I ditched fluoride and went fluoride free.
   My real life Thyroid Superhero, Dr. Izabella Wentz, and no I have not in any way by paid to say this, has gone on record about the use of Fluoride and the Thyroid function. "A dose of 2-5 mg of fluoride per day was typically found to be effective for suppressing an overactive thyroid. If you live in the typical fluoridated community and you’re being a “good girl” (or “good boy”) by drinking your 8 cups of water each day, chances are, you are inadvertently taking in enough fluoride to suppress your thyroid. Most adults in these communities are ingesting between 1.6 and 6.6 mg of fluoride per day."
   My goodness, the exhilaration I felt when I spit and it wasn't red...I had to do it again and again. WONDERFUL!!! I started with off the shelf fluoride free toothpaste and after a couple of years, made my own from ingredients I had right in the kitchen!

All Gal hike,

Black Elk Wilderness Area

Black Hills, South Dakota

elevation gain of 3,900 feet

I no long have the dragon breath of a Hashi warrior, I have the healthy smile of a Hashi warrior that takes on my world!

My simple diy fluoride free toothpaste:

• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 2 tbsp. ground sea salt
• 2-3 tbsp. ground egg shells, finely ground
• 20 drops of assorted essential oils like peppermint, cinnamon, clove, tea tree
• Optional ground cloves, ground cinnamon
  

Mix well.

This simple recipe helps a Hashi's teeth and gums heal from the use of Fluoride. Coconut oil calms sore gums and is an antiseptic, the sea salt assists in rebuilding enamel as does the calcium in the egg shells. I am now a bloody free toothbrusher! You will be too if you kick the fluoride out of the picture with fluoride free toothpaste and mouthwash, watching your intake red and black tea and limiting the steep time, checking the ingredients on medications, and adding the supplement Taurine, click on the ink to learn more,  into your diet will help. I encourage each of you to look deeper into this issue of fluoride and Hashimoto's  on your own. I can only attest to what personally happened to me :)

I've got some big things in the works right now and will be keeping you posted as things unfold! Until then, I hope this post finds you and guides you to an easier day and a restful sleep!
Blessings!

"Your day will go the way the corners of your mouth do."

Post partum baby 18 months and

I'm stronger than I've ever been.
Also....I'm STOKED about my bamboo sunglasses!
It's the little things :)