All Is Well: Heal Your Body With Medicine, Affirmations, and Intuition (25 page)

gets too intense, they let loose with a flood of intensity that turns

people off and makes them unable to hear what is being said. In

either situation, the communication style of a person prone to

thyroid illness is not effective.

Thyroid problems—whether hyper, as in Graves’ disease, or

hypo, as in Hashimoto’s disease—are often ruled by two emotion-

al centers. Because this communication pattern is very typical in

family and friend groups that are not secure, the first and fifth

emotional centers are often affected together. The first emotional

center is involved because there is usually an immune component

to certain kinds of thyroid issues. So looking at your immune sys-

tem is helpful when you look at healing your thyroid. However, in

this chapter we will focus solely on the effects your communica-

tion style has on the thyroid.

As is the case with all of the health issues we have discussed,

the key is to identify the thought and behavioral patterns that

are triggering the illness and transform them into positive, heal-

ing ones. For example, thyroid problems in general have to do

with communication but also with humiliation—feeling that you

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never get to do what you want to or always wondering when it is

going to be your turn. So if you have trouble balancing how much

you talk with how much you listen, struggle with taking turns

in a conversation, or are too passive during disagreements, you

will have an increased risk of thyroid disorders. Alter the way you

communicate by using the affirmation “I move beyond old limita-

tions and now allow myself to express freely and creatively.” The

affirmation you use will depend on the slightly different thought

patterns and behaviors that underlie your thyroid problem. So if

you have hyperthyroidism (elevated thyroid function), you likely

experience anger over being left out of a conversation. To temper

the anger and remind yourself that you are part of the conversa-

tion, repeat, “I am at the center of life, and I approve of myself and

all that I see.” On the other hand, hypothyroidism (low thyroid)

has to do with giving up and feeling hopelessly stifled. If this is

you, your healing affirmation is “I create a new life with new rules

that totally support me.”

The goal is to seek balance in your life, especially in the way

you communicate. There are moments in life when it makes sense

to take a backseat and let others lead the way. Sometimes it is wise

to keep your opinions to yourself. However, over time this lack

of assertiveness can be destructive to your health, relationships,

and financial security. You have to learn to stand up for what you

think, and think in a timely fashion, even if you’re just discussing

where to go for dinner. You need to learn when to say nothing

and when to say everything. Or something in between. It’s tricky.

Clearly, stepping into this new communication style won’t be

easy. If you’ve been quiet for years, it’s best to start expressing your

opinion in small ways and in safe places. For example, even some-

thing as simple as saying no when you ask for Coke and the server

says, “Is Pepsi okay?” can give you a taste of telling people how

you feel. It’s also good to get some supportive friends on your side.

Ask your close friends to hold you accountable when decisions are

being made. Request that they ask you what your opinion
really
is

when you initially say you don’t care what choice is made.

The people around you need to support you as you try to find

your voice. Spend less time imagining how they might react and

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Something to Talk About

more time discussing ideas. But be careful not to swing too far in

the other direction. People don’t respond well to being bullied.

Remember that with communication—as with most things—bal-

ance is key.

From the Clinic Files: Thyroid Problems Case Study

Ralph, 38 years old, was being groomed by his father-in-law,

Sam, to take over the family business. Although he had planned

to stop working earlier, Sam postponed his retirement because of

the weak economy.

Ralph had been running the company side by side with Sam

for years, but he was not an equal partner. Even when he disagreed

with Sam’s business decisions, Ralph did not have the power to

overrule his father-in-law—he didn’t even try.

After years spent suppressing his own opinions, Ralph’s health

began to suffer. He was exhausted and depressed; he had numb-

ness in his extremities, gained weight, and was constipated. By the

time we met, Ralph had been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease,

the most common cause of hypothyroidism. Ralph came to us

because he was not feeling completely better even though he was

taking his medication religiously.

We wanted to set Ralph up for complete healing, so the first

thing we did was teach him all about his thyroid. The thyroid

glands produce the hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyro-

nine (T3) that help regulate your basic metabolic rate. They also

help with the cellular function of all the muscles, including the

ones in your limbs and along the lining of your digestive tract and

your heart. In addition, these thyroid hormones help the function

of your brain, kidneys, and reproductive system.

So if thyroid hormone is low, as in Hashimoto’s hypothyroid-

ism, metabolism is slow and muscles are weak. Fatigue, lethargy,

weight gain, chills, dry hair, dry skin, and in women, menstru-

al irregularities are often signs of a problem with the thyroid.

With hypothyroidism muscle weakness comes in the form of

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constipation, stiff and cramping limbs, slow movements, and a

deeper voice.

Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism is caused by an autoimmune ill-

ness, so the first thing we had Ralph do was go to his internal

medicine doctor to verify that he didn’t have any other untreated

autoimmune illnesses that would need to be treated in conjunc-

tion with the hypothyroidism. These other illnesses include such

things as Sjögren’s syndrome (chronic dry eyes), lupus, rheuma-

toid arthritis, sarcoidosis, scleroderma, and diabetes mellitus type

1. Luckily, Ralph had none of these other disorders; we could focus

solely on the thyroid problems.

Next Ralph’s doctor looked at all the possible physical causes

that could be driving his thyroid hormone levels downward, in-

cluding taking medicines like lithium, tamoxifen, testosterone

replacement, interferon alpha, or large doses of steroids or estro-

gen. This could also be caused by a pituitary or hypothalamus

disorder. Ralph wasn’t on any of these drugs, nor did he have a

pituitary or hypothalamus disorder, so his doctor looked at the

medication he was currently taking for his thyroid problems to see

if this would provide a clue. And it did.

Ralph was only replacing the T4 hormone. Some individuals

will respond to this version of supplementation; however, some

need both. More potent than T4, T3 is said to be more readily used

by the brain. Ralph began taking both T4 and T3 supplementation.

Since it takes time for T3 to regulate brain serotonin function,

we suggested that Ralph consider asking his physician whether

it was all right for him to take a few supplements to help further

boost his serotonin levels. Ralph started taking 5HTP. If this didn’t

give him enough relief, he could try SAMe instead.

Next, Ralph needed to address the autoimmune problems that

initiated Hashimoto’s disease in the first place. His hypothyroid-

ism was caused by his body’s immune system making inflamma-

tory antibodies against his thyroid gland. This could be triggered

by a number of things but the most common triggers are a virus or

food allergies. However, Ralph told us he would not deal with any

restrictive diets, so he didn’t want to go for allergy tests.

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Something to Talk About

We also had Ralph go to an acupuncturist and Chinese herb-

alist to get additional support in healing both his immune sys-

tem and his abnormal thyroid gland. He started taking kelp, radix

polygoni multiflori, Fructus jujubae, and pinelliae, all of which

helped his constipation, fluid retention, fatigue, and weakness.

Finally, we sent Ralph to a coach who would teach him to

be more assertive and skillfully have a voice, especially in heated

business situations. Ralph also requested the help of his oldest

and dearest friend, who took his task to heart, specifically putting

them in situations where Ralph had to express his opinion.

Ralph started working with the affirmations for general thy-

roid health (I move beyond old limitations and now allow my-

self to express freely and creatively); hypothyroidism (I create a

new life with new rules that totally support me); and depression

(I now go beyond other people’s fears and limitations. I create my

life). We also had him use affirmations for some of the symptoms

he was feeling as a result of his thyroid problems—fatigue (I am

enthusiastic about life and filled with energy and enthusiasm);

numbness (I share my feelings and my love. I respond to love in

everyone); and being overweight (I am at peace with my own feel-

ings. I am safe where I am. I create my own security. I love and

approve of myself).

With a little training and some guidance from his health

team, Ralph learned when to speak up and when to hold back. He

got back on track with his health and his life, and he even started

standing up for himself more at work, which convinced his father-

in-law that perhaps it was indeed time to retire.

All Is Well in the Fifth Emotional Center

You have the power to create a healthy neck, thyroid, and

mouth using medicine, intuition, and affirmations. If you have

trouble with assertiveness—either being overly aggressive or too

passive—you may already be suffering from health issues in these

areas. By listening to your body and then altering your thoughts

and behaviors, you can learn to hone your communication skills,

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heal your body, and change the way you approach relationships

at the same time.

Figure out how to speak to your family, children, mother, fa-

ther, and boss so that you are understood. If you are having com-

munication problems, it’s important to pinpoint just what they

are so you can figure out how to address them and move on to

have health in your fifth emotional center.

The world is listening. All is well.

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The Sixth Emotional Center:

Brain, Eyes, and Ears

The sixth emotional center is the center of the brain, eyes,

and ears. And the health in this center depends on how well you

are able to take in information from all realms—both earthly and

mystical—and use this information in your life. It depends on

how flexible your mind-set is and how you can learn from per-

spectives different from your own. To create health in your sixth

emotional center, you need to be able to bend and sway with the

winds of change, moving from a dig-in-your-heels, stay-the-course

stance in some situations to a more exploratory, free-form mind-

set in others. This balance allows you to grow and change with the

times, focusing on what is happening in front of you instead of

clinging desperately to ways that have passed, wishing you could

turn back time.

The health issues related to the sixth emotional center span

from ailments of the brain, eyes, and ears to broader themes of

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learning and developmental problems. As with the other emo-

tional centers, if we are discussing a part of the body, the illness is

often caused by certain thoughts and behavior patterns. However,

when discussing the larger themes, the thoughts and behaviors

do not stand as the cause; they are merely a factor that exacer-

bates certain tendencies, such as ADHD or dyslexia. We will get

more specific as we work through the body parts and issues later

in this chapter.

People who struggle with health in the sixth emotional cen-

ter have an imbalance in how they see and learn from the world.

Some are rooted in the earthly realm, with no connection to the

greater universe, and others are totally connected to the mystical

realm without a foot on the earthly plane. Finding a way to bal-