Aa
LONG LONG POST HERE - In Oprah's words on her hypothyroid condition.
OK I am very upset after reading this and no wonder why a "real " thyroid patient has no backing from her. If anyone is interested in this article I copied - great! -
I particulary love the part where she states she retreated back to her Hawaii palace and rested - dined and walked her dog to relieve her thyroid stress.
Now I know why so many found this thyroid patient off a bit. Here is the article from O magizine.
What I Know for Sure
My body was turning on me. First hyperthyroidism, which sped up my metabolism and left me unable to sleep for days. (Most people lose weight. I didn't.) Then hypothyroidism, which slowed down my metabolism and made me want to sleep all the time. (Most people gain weight. I did! Twenty pounds!)
The thyroid, one of many body parts I'd never given a thought to, is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of your neck, just below your Adam's apple. It influences everything from digestion to metabolism to reproduction. When the thyroid is out of balance, so are you.
I craved balance. I was desperate to be somewhere in the middle of hyper and hypo—where, obviously, I'd been my whole life, taking it for granted because I didn't know any better. We often need a malfunction to appreciate all the things that function.
I decided to give myself July. Yes, the whole month—dedicated to myself, for myself. To regroup. Rejuvenate. Restore my soul.
By the end of my show season, in May, I was so exhausted, I was numb. But I still had commitments I needed and wanted to fulfill, like being in South Africa to take my girls to see their first stage play, The Lion King. That was a treat worth traveling for. One of the girls—Thando, whom you may remember if you watched our special—wants to be an actress. After seeing The Lion King, she told me, "It was so spectacular, my eyes didn't know where to land."
So I spent June with my 150 daughters, who are happy and thriving. But in July, I actively worked at doing nothing. I had no schedule. I told my office, "Call me only if someone or something is dying or burning."
I flew from Africa to Hawaii, which involves a 12-hour time difference that takes some adjustment even when you're well-rested. I made the transition by sleeping and waking when my body wanted to and not a moment before. It took a week for my internal clock to reset itself. I took vitamins. Drank soy milk. Munched on golden flaxseed. I ate only fresh foods: grilled fish, corn, tomatoes, spinach, artichokes, broccoli from the farmers' market, mangoes from my neighbor's tree. I hiked with my dogs (who daily rolled in cow poop along the grassy trails), then came home and bathed them. I actually read the stack of books I'd chosen to read by summer's end. I dozed. And drifted into the afternoons waiting for the sun to set. I watched 28 consecutive sunsets. Took pictures and marveled at how each one was so different.
After 14 days, I started to feel my self returning. Not fully—just an awareness that I wasn't as tired and rote as I had been. By the end of the month I'd given myself, I was better in myriad ways. Not only was my physical health improved but I'd also become mentally stronger.
I won't tell you how many people challenged my decision to give time to myself. I have never gotten more requests to do something or be somewhere than I did the moment I declared that I was going out of circulation. And these were from people I normally would have said yes to. But I was steadfast in my commitment to finding balance and reordering my life's priorities. So I said, "No, I can't come to Italy." And, "No, I can't be in Boston no matter how important you think it is." And, "No, I won't have you fly to Hawaii for a meeting here."
I may have lost a few friends, but I know for sure I saved myself. And learned that making the decision to look after yourself is the ultimate in healthcare.
As I write this, I'm wrapped in a blanket on the back of a friend's boat off Vancouver Island sipping a glass of nice red wine…watching the whales swim by. The earth has rotated to yet another sunset, and my balancing act continues.
Cheers!
Ok - what do you all think - Maybe my trip to Hawaii in Jan 09 will cure me! LOL
I particulary love the part where she states she retreated back to her Hawaii palace and rested - dined and walked her dog to relieve her thyroid stress.
Now I know why so many found this thyroid patient off a bit. Here is the article from O magizine.
What I Know for Sure
My body was turning on me. First hyperthyroidism, which sped up my metabolism and left me unable to sleep for days. (Most people lose weight. I didn't.) Then hypothyroidism, which slowed down my metabolism and made me want to sleep all the time. (Most people gain weight. I did! Twenty pounds!)
The thyroid, one of many body parts I'd never given a thought to, is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of your neck, just below your Adam's apple. It influences everything from digestion to metabolism to reproduction. When the thyroid is out of balance, so are you.
I craved balance. I was desperate to be somewhere in the middle of hyper and hypo—where, obviously, I'd been my whole life, taking it for granted because I didn't know any better. We often need a malfunction to appreciate all the things that function.
I decided to give myself July. Yes, the whole month—dedicated to myself, for myself. To regroup. Rejuvenate. Restore my soul.
By the end of my show season, in May, I was so exhausted, I was numb. But I still had commitments I needed and wanted to fulfill, like being in South Africa to take my girls to see their first stage play, The Lion King. That was a treat worth traveling for. One of the girls—Thando, whom you may remember if you watched our special—wants to be an actress. After seeing The Lion King, she told me, "It was so spectacular, my eyes didn't know where to land."
So I spent June with my 150 daughters, who are happy and thriving. But in July, I actively worked at doing nothing. I had no schedule. I told my office, "Call me only if someone or something is dying or burning."
I flew from Africa to Hawaii, which involves a 12-hour time difference that takes some adjustment even when you're well-rested. I made the transition by sleeping and waking when my body wanted to and not a moment before. It took a week for my internal clock to reset itself. I took vitamins. Drank soy milk. Munched on golden flaxseed. I ate only fresh foods: grilled fish, corn, tomatoes, spinach, artichokes, broccoli from the farmers' market, mangoes from my neighbor's tree. I hiked with my dogs (who daily rolled in cow poop along the grassy trails), then came home and bathed them. I actually read the stack of books I'd chosen to read by summer's end. I dozed. And drifted into the afternoons waiting for the sun to set. I watched 28 consecutive sunsets. Took pictures and marveled at how each one was so different.
After 14 days, I started to feel my self returning. Not fully—just an awareness that I wasn't as tired and rote as I had been. By the end of the month I'd given myself, I was better in myriad ways. Not only was my physical health improved but I'd also become mentally stronger.
I won't tell you how many people challenged my decision to give time to myself. I have never gotten more requests to do something or be somewhere than I did the moment I declared that I was going out of circulation. And these were from people I normally would have said yes to. But I was steadfast in my commitment to finding balance and reordering my life's priorities. So I said, "No, I can't come to Italy." And, "No, I can't be in Boston no matter how important you think it is." And, "No, I won't have you fly to Hawaii for a meeting here."
I may have lost a few friends, but I know for sure I saved myself. And learned that making the decision to look after yourself is the ultimate in healthcare.
As I write this, I'm wrapped in a blanket on the back of a friend's boat off Vancouver Island sipping a glass of nice red wine…watching the whales swim by. The earth has rotated to yet another sunset, and my balancing act continues.
Cheers!
Ok - what do you all think - Maybe my trip to Hawaii in Jan 09 will cure me! LOL
Oprah is full of it. First of all if she had my pain she could not walk her dogs and then bathe them. Second, soy products is she kidding for thyroid problems. Third, how could she be healed of thyroid problems in three weeks. Did she really even have a serious problem? I guess that is why I never watch, listen or ead anything by her!!!
I would bet you a million dollars if Oprah had any of our problems she would have done a show about it. Low iodine diet? She'd have some diet guru telling us how to eat. Weight gain from thryroid? A "thyroid exercise guru." Hyper/Hypo? Well, there will be someone on there telling us how to "deal" with the pain by "relaxation and meditation" or maybe make a chart and put it out there for the universe to fix. Or better yet...she'd teach us how to ask the universe to heal us because according to her...if you want it all you gotta do is ask the universe!
I think we should write or call into her office and ask her to do a show on the "REAL THYROID MADNESS" and have people like ourselves go on the show and show her the other side to thyroid disease.
We can gripe on how hard it is to get a good Dr...
How hard it is to get them to listen...
Get an appt or get a return call....
Not draw the right labs to begin with...
Tell us we are just depressed and start exercising more etc....
We can gripe on how hard it is to get a good Dr...
How hard it is to get them to listen...
Get an appt or get a return call....
Not draw the right labs to begin with...
Tell us we are just depressed and start exercising more etc....
Wow! I don't even know what to say, other than the same thing everyone else has already stated. When someone like that has so much power (tv show and major magazine) and then using those medias to say THIS....well...I just wish they would use it for something better. I am self employed and work 50 hrs a week...and only get one day off...Sundays. I'm actually thinking of closing my business cause I need more time off, but don't have the money to hire help to run this place full time for a month! LOL It'll be good to get a major stress out of my life, but I'll still need thyroid meds for the rest of my life. I know rest can really help but...not everyone can go to Hawaii for a month! I'm hoping to take a few weeks off...then go back to working for someone else...too much stress in this economy for me to run my own shop. I already burnt my adrenals out. But hey, according to Oprah...I ought to be cured when I close my shop up!!
She's in such deep denial.
I don't particularly care for Dr Northrup either. This is the same woman who blames women's lack of self attention solely for their physical illnesses. She says that women are suppressing their true feelings and therefore develop thyroid and other diseases. While I do feel that mindset does play a large role in how we feel, it isn't the only cause of physical illness and certainly doesn't take genetics, bateria, viruses, metabolic disorders or ANY real cause for illness into account.
Her advise is If they only spoke their minds, took a bubble bath and mastubated, they'd get better. She's full of ****! She also advocates large uses of soy products. That's dangerous!
Mary Shomon has her number. The full rebuttle article is here:
http://thyroid.about.com/b/2007/10/16/an-open-letter-to-oprahs-viewers-about-thyroid-disease-your-thyroid-condition-is-not-your-own-fault.htm
or here (easier to cut and paste): http://tinyurl.com/yusw8g
I don't particularly care for Dr Northrup either. This is the same woman who blames women's lack of self attention solely for their physical illnesses. She says that women are suppressing their true feelings and therefore develop thyroid and other diseases. While I do feel that mindset does play a large role in how we feel, it isn't the only cause of physical illness and certainly doesn't take genetics, bateria, viruses, metabolic disorders or ANY real cause for illness into account.
Her advise is If they only spoke their minds, took a bubble bath and mastubated, they'd get better. She's full of ****! She also advocates large uses of soy products. That's dangerous!
Mary Shomon has her number. The full rebuttle article is here:
http://thyroid.about.com/b/2007/10/16/an-open-letter-to-oprahs-viewers-about-thyroid-disease-your-thyroid-condition-is-not-your-own-fault.htm
or here (easier to cut and paste): http://tinyurl.com/yusw8g
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