The Seven Steps I Took To Get My Health Back And So Can You

If you have been around my website, you have more than likely read up on my journey to health. Hashimoto’s, H. pylori, Vitamin D deficiency, I had it all. Although Hashimoto’s cannot be cured, there are many things you can do to put it into remission and reclaim your health. Friends have asked me in the past to talk about what I did and how, so here I am, sharing 7 steps I took to get my health back with you today.

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I do have to say, though, the only thing I didn’t have and I wish I did was to have someone to talk to who understood what I was going through! It would have saved me a lot of heartache and bouts of depression!

Okay, so let’s get into it! Below are the seven things I did to get healthier:

1. I Took Charge of The Narrative

Conventional medicine will have you believe that there is nothing one can do to reverse autoimmunity, at least that’s what the doctors I saw said. I exhausted all avenues, running from specialist to specialist in search of answers. Once I decided to take charge, I started researching.

It wasn’t long before I was overwhelmed and depressed. There was a plethora of information out there, but sifting through it was a challenge. I don’t regret it, though; it was because of my research that I came across experts such as Dr. Mark Hyman. Although I could not access any functional medicine practitioners while residing overseas at the time, I found a wealth of actionable steps on his blog that I could apply to my daily life. His blog posts, and some others I talk about at another point, empowered me to be my health advocate and to speak up and question what I didn’t understand. To seek out other therapies and treatments when conventional ones did not work.

2 jars of chia seed pudding with strawberries and blueberries. — Chia Pudding

2. I Started to Eat Healthy

This is a no-brainer. If I have learned anything from my experience, it is that food is medicine. Wholesome, healing foods are all that you need to jump-start your body towards optimal health. You can exercise and cut calories all you want, but if the food you eat is processed and full of sugar, you are sabotaging all your hard work. Here’s what I did from the get-go:

I cut out gluten from my diet. There is ample evidence to suggest that gluten is inflammatory and can be especially problematic in people with thyroid issues.
I started drinking my greens in the form of juices and smoothies.
I started the day with warm lemon water.
I incorporated broths and soups into my diet. If you are of South Asian descent, then you may be familiar with Yakhni.
I started cooking with good oils like ghee, butter, olive, and avocado and eliminated chemically processed oils like canola, corn, and soybean.
I cut out sugar and artificial sweeteners. Not only did I have a mean sweet tooth, but I used to guzzle down several glasses of Diet Coke in one sitting!
I started fasting twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. Intermittent fasting is an excellent tool to heal your gut and
The black seed, which is anti-inflammatory, was part of my morning routine. I would take 1/4 teaspoon every morning before breakfast.
I scoped out the best honey vendor in town, often paying close to $60 for a small jar of Sidr honey from Yemen. I would eat at least a teaspoon of honey every day, sometimes mixed with the black seed. I also used it as my sweetener of choice when baking.

3. I Educated Myself

We are so lucky to be alive in an age where information is literally at our fingertips. My research led me to inspirational accounts of regular people curing themselves and sharing their stories. One such story belongs to Joe Cross. I remember coming across his movie, Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, on Netflix. In the film, Joe talks about his struggle with autoimmune disease, obesity, and a host of other diseases, and how he cured himself of them. I was so excited that I had my whole family watch it with me! I remember thinking that there was hope after all.

4. I Got Moving

I started doing Jillian Michaels’ 30-Day Shred program right around the same time, and that helped me sweat out the toxins from my body. For accountability’s sake, I joined a group of friends who motivated me to make time to exercise. This has been the best thing for me to do, as I update this post in 2022, I am part of another friend’s group and the accountability is like no other.

5. I Cleaned Up My Skincare And Beauty Products

When we think about what we put into our bodies, we often overlook that what we put on them matters too. Our skin is the single largest organ of our body. It absorbs carcinogens (formaldehyde, phthalates, and parabens) present in our makeup, moisturizers, and hair products, potentially leading to endocrine disruption. I started checking my makeup and personal care products for problematic ingredients. I switched to natural alternatives such as coconut oil for moisturizing and henna-based color to dye my hair.

6. I Prayed

By far the most important ritual for me. Although I pray regularly, I took stock of the quality of my worship. I spoke to God as if He were in front of me. I was desperate, and I needed Him to heal me.

I remember waking up pre-dawn and just sitting on my prayer mat for what seemed like hours, speaking to Him.

7. I Subscribed to Different Blogs and Experts

This was instrumental in keeping me up to date on the latest research and news. I have these blogs and experts to thank for always providing information that increased my knowledge, gave me hope, and made me proactive rather than reactive when it came to my health: