People have been asking, how do I get started? What do I do first?
The following information is based on what patients report is successful.
We don’t follow any one size fits all protocol, so there is no one answer to that, everybody is individual and faces their own challenges, what I can share is some helpful things that will start guiding most people in the right direction.
So what is the first step? In addition to learning, the first step is to get some testing done, so you can learn more about what is going on in your body.
Adrenal issues and thyroid issues go hand in hand in the overwhelming majority of cases. Many have had some thyroid testing, some may even be on meds, either way, getting a full picture of what is going on with your thyroid is often very helpful.
****Step #1 Blood tests:
If your doctor won’t order these, in most states, you can order them yourself. If you self order a full thyroid panel is around $100, full iron is about $40, copper, zinc and cp are around $100. Both Vitamin D around $100.
If finances where limited, I’d start with the thyroid and iron panels myself, which are going to be around $150 together with the lab fee.
Main Thyroid tests include:
Free T4
Free T3
Reverse T3
TSH
TPO
Thyroglobulin
Iron labs;
Serum Iron
TBIC
Saturation
Ferritin
Copper
zinc
ceruloplasmin
Vitamin D – active and storage.
If your doctor is running the tests or cost isn’t a concern, I would also consider these:
Aldosterone & Renin (read this before testing: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/aldosterone/ )
RBC Potassium
RBC Magnesium
****Step #2 Saliva test:
Once the blood work above is done, looking to adrenals, a 4 point saliva test is what patients have found is far and away the most useful tool to see what is going on with cortisol. It’s very important to prepare properly for testing, please study this page:
https://adrenalfatigueandthyroidcare.com/2018/01/09/what-patients-have-learned-about-saliva-testing/
****Step #3 Hair testing:
I only mentioned a couple labs above for minerals, this is because we prefer a hair test, called an HTMA, which gives you a bit of a longer snapshot for minerals, including testing for more minerals. We strongly suggest you work with a trained practitioner for hair testing as there are complexities to the results. This is who we prefer:
sassyholistics.com/2016/01/31/sassy-holistic-services/
They also have a companion group called Mineral Mavens that we suggest you join. As part of your hair test, you will have a consultation that focuses on how to restore and balance your mineral levels.
*****Step #4: What can I do while I wait for my test results:
A: Look at your diet and gut health. Gut health is HUGE for many things. Please study these pages:
https://www.sassyholistics.com/2015/10/02/leaky-gut/
https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/stomach-acid/
https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/10-gut-health-questions/
Especially for people with hashimoto’s, we have found diet changes are often very impactful. Many report benefits from being gluten and dairy free.
B: Consider herbal infusions for vitamins / minerals:
C: Lifestyle: Look at things that you can do to reduce stress and improve your sleep. Get off electronics at night if possible. Consider a pair of orange glasses at night to block out blue light (They are under $10 on amazon). Consider a hot bath at night with some lavender oil in it.
Also, you can add a screen filter to your phone and computer to make it more red and dimmer at night. This helps avoid the blue light exposure that stimulates your body.
D: Liver support. In this toxic world, just about all of us could benefit from some liver support. Take at look at some of the options in this article:
http://www.sassyholistics.com/2017/07/15/liver-support-vs-liver-detox/
I’m sure we will think of more, but this is a place to start. 🙂