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 :)

The elephant in the room

   I go to sleep every night and wake up every morning thankful of this life I've built. I truly mean that. I really try to enjoy every second. Sometimes it's a little harder when we have had to get up every hour in the night but it doesn't take us a half a breath to savor that many couples and people do not have this luxury! We really do make our family moments first.

Here's me in my first postpartum new pair of pants after baby. It took

18 tries to finally find the cut and style for my new to me body after

baby! Totally worth the effort to feel good about my body and be comfortable!

   My post partum experience has been memorable. I cannot say enough how amazing this was starting with the birth of our child at home, being the boss of our birth and our baby's entry into this realm. We savored laying in our bed, I loved not having strangers helping me with my aftercare. My mom was fantastic with cooking food and freezing it in servings and leaving the surprise in our freezer for my husband and older daughter to be able to prepare. The whole experience was exactly as we imagined it could be. It was truly wonderful. *sigh*

   What I wasn't expecting was an abdominal separation that didn't close until  the seven month postpartum....and I had enjoyed bringing three daughters into the world previously. I had a perpetual backache from about the second trimester of pregnancy until our baby turned 13 months old. I FINALLY found relief from a fellow yogi who stars on YouTube. Yoga with Adriene I'm not associated with her in any way besides if I don't feel like stacking my own yoga practice together, I can do yoga with my pooches as she does yoga with hers.
This 20 minute yoga practice for the core is an ass kicker. It truly reached places that only our Finn had enjoyed and savored for nine months. I couldn't even delve into core work until my ab separation was completely healed so I only did this particular workout when I was plenty healthy. After just a few days of this workout, my backache disappeared! Try it and you'll be in awe at the serine work you put in for yourself. I just love not running around like a mad woman to get the results I seek.

A REAL after baby photo

of sagging skin 13 months

postpartum.

   Another thing I wasn't expecting was what loose skin means...yeah yeah I have had stretch marks and had a little loose skin. The term "loose skin" doesn't quite give it justice....Imagine skin that sags, appears lumpy?  and reminds you of a elephant. It catches the craziest shadows. Finn made herself quite the home and my body was more than happy to oblige,  as it should be.  But this leftover skin....holy moly. Preparation H is coming to the rescue ASAP! If you want to know a little secret on how to tighten up loose skin temporarily to get you through a rough patch, the medication in Preparation H hemorrhoid cream or ointment tights skin and dehydrates the area. Always test out a patch to see if you have a skin irritation reaction. If it looks good, slather it on and watch the skin get back to where it's suppose to be for a little while. Your body created life, it served you then and it serves you still. It is a temple to be appreciated and amazed at. Sagging skin firms up over time, don't be hating if it takes longer than someone else. Drink plenty of water and use it as an elixir to cure your ails and keep your system flushed. Be patient :)

Blessings!

Ignite Your Flame - Celebrate with me!

A view from our front porch

Such a fantastic winter sky

   Hey peoples from near and far! I have had lots of goings on since 2018 started and I've been keeping my long term goals in mind. Those of us with autoimmune conditions tend to do just that. Sometimes we need to take a "time-out" to recoupe because life just gets too taxing....and I'm ok with that! Keeps my long term goals on my mind! Finn and I have been doing yoga daily since the year began and I will be posting more videos on my YouTube channel soon! Subscribe ... so my older kids will stop making fun of me! :)

Baby aerial yoga

   Which brings me to my latest accomplishment...DRUM ROLL.....something I have been working on and off again for over 12 whole years! I've published another children's book called, "A Princess Pirate Tea Party" that was written for our daughters when they were younger. I have dedicated the work to all of our four daughters. It is about our tea party times and how one afternoon we needed to get created so the event wasn't ruined in their eyes. Our girls spent lots of time drinking imaginary tea and all the fun that goes along with that.

   Also, I have been furthering my knowledge in the energy medicine field and am participating in classes that focus on the body's meridian systems. I'll let you in on more of that soon! It's fascinating!

   I just wanted to celebrate with you and give someone inspiration for achieving things however long it may take you! There were many times I needed to put this project on the back burner because I was sick AGAIN or too fatigued to even deal with another project, especially when life was kicking my butt. Sometimes you need to take time to deal with your health so you can enjoy the fruits of life maybe even years later. Yes it took over two years to healing to get to the place I'm in. It's completely worth it...you are worth it!

We took a business trip to North Dakota....

it was a regular -21 degrees every day,

so we swam in hot waters!

   So, please click this link, check out my new book and the others I have in my online bookstore! Write me a message on there to let me know you visited!