If you’ve ever reached rock bottom with hypothyroidism 

where you can’t keep your eyes open and function each day,

you already know there are no words that will ever come close to describing it.

I am a bookworm. I have been all my life. When I was a little girl my mother was always telling me to go outside and play, while I hid in my room to read my books. At night when the lights were out, I would read with a flashlight under the covers.

Now I am a woman with my head forever buried in books.

So when I reached my lowest point with hypothyroidism and worried I would never get back up, how did I climb out of that dark hole?

How did I finally get to this point where I feel great despite hypothyroidism?

Books, of course.

The Book That Started It All

I lost my unborn baby needlessly to hypothyroidism.

At that time, I did not do my own research. I completely trusted my Ivey-league medical school trained New York City doctors to manage my hypothyroidism. I failed to be an advocate for myself and my child.

I will live with that regret the rest of my life.

Living Well with Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctor Doesn’t Tell You…That You Need to Know by Mary Shomon

The day I stumbled upon Mary Shomon’s book Living Well with Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctor Doesn’t Tell You… That You Need to Know (Revised Edition) was a miracle. Following my miscarriage, my hypothyroidism symptoms worsened so dramatically that I struggled to stay awake to care for my young son. I felt like I had been dropped in a deep dark hole.

This book was my gut-wrenching ‘Aha!’ moment. I realized that I lost my child all because my doctors did not properly treat my hypothyroidism. I sobbed for days.

This is the book that started it all. I’m now living well with hypothyroidism.

The Book That Will Save Babies

The day I lay on a medical exam table on a cold winter day in early 2009 waiting for the D&C to remove my unborn baby from my body, I stared up at the ceiling tears streaming down my face. I vowed that moment to research all I could about thyroid disease in pregnancy and warn women everywhere.

Your Healthy Pregnancy with Thyroid Disease: A Guide to Fertility, Pregnancy, and Postpartum Wellness by Dana Trentini & Mary Shomon

My vow was fulfilled the day my new book Your Healthy Pregnancy with Thyroid Disease: A Guide to Fertility, Pregnancy, and Postpartum Wellness released in June 2016 from Perseus Books/Da Capo Press.

There is currently NO universal thyroid screening in pregnancy despite mounting evidence that thyroid disease is a danger to mother and fetus in pregnancy. It’s time to stand up and say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

I can’t go back and change what happened to my child no matter how much I long to do so, but what I can do is save babies in memory of my child.

The day I signed the contract with Perseus Books/Da Capo Press along with my thyroid hero Mary Shomon my eyes were overflowing with tears that I could barely read the words. My book contract is filled with markings from my tears of sorrow and joy.

With 750 million thyroid sufferers, majority women, around the world, and over half undiagnosed, there is a good chance you know people that need this book to protect their babies. Please help us save babies by sharing news of our book.

Thyroid Treatment

The mainstream medicine protocol for testing and treating hypothyroidism focuses on TSH and Levothyroxine drugs like Synthroid. While this approach may work for some patients, it fails for many of us. We are all individual in terms of which treatment works best for us. Do your research.

Thyroid Healthy, Lose Weight, Look Beautiful and Live The Life You Imagine by Suzy Cohen

Congratulations to Suzy Cohen, aka America’s Pharmacist, on her new book Thyroid Healthy, Lose Weight, Look Beautiful and Live the Life You Imagine Suzy has appeared on Good Morning America Health, The Dr. Oz Show, The 700 Club, The View and The Doctors. Thank you Suzy for mentioning Hypothyroid Mom in your book.

Stop The Thyroid Madness by Janie Bowthorpe

Janie Bowthorpe, author of Stop The Thyroid Madness, personally went from 20 years of T4 only hell to having the energy of a teenager thanks to natural desiccated thyroid and dosing not by TSH but according to the complete elimination of symptoms.

Hypothyroidism, Health & Happiness: The Riddle of Illness Revealed by Dr. Steven Hotze

In the book Hypothyroidism, Health & Happiness: The Riddle of Illness Revealed Dr. Hotze reveals how commonly hypothyroidism is overlooked, misdiagnosed, and mistreated in women and men. Individuals with all the signs of low thyroid are often told their blood work is “normal”. Dr. Hotze explains why hypothyroidism cannot be determined by blood tests alone.

Hypothyroidism Symptoms

Hypothyroidism can affect every part of the body. It can cause chronic fatigue, weight gain, headaches, constipation, chronic infections, skin problems, hair loss, chronic pain, menstrual issues, pregnancy complications, bipolar, anxiety, depression. It can also be a major factor in heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and cancer.

Hypothyroidism: The Unsuspected Illness by Dr.Broda O. Barnes and Lawrence Galton

Dr. Broda Barnes was a thyroid pioneer. Hypothyroidism: The Unsuspected Illness provides a comprehensive look at how low thyroid affects the entire body. It offers detailed case histories of patients, often thought hopeless, whose problems were discovered to be related to hypothyroidism. When I read this book, my jaw dropped. I felt like he was describing me and my lifetime of symptoms!

Hypothyroidism Type 2: The Epidemic by Dr. Mark Starr

Dr.  Starr is a pain specialist. During his quest for the answer to his own chronic pain, as well as his patients’, he discovered that hormone problems, chiefly hypothyroidism, are not only responsible for chronic pain but also responsible for the majority of chronic illness in modern society. Unfortunately most doctors have not heard of type 2 hypothyroidism where blood tests are normal but the patient is still hypothyroid. This book Hypothyroidism Type 2: The Epidemic highlighted for me that we are more than just lab numbers.

I was particularly fascinated by Dr. Starr’s discovery that chronic pain and fibromyalgia were often linked to undiagnosed or insufficiently treated hypothyroidism in his patients. So many Hypothyroid Mom readers contact me about chronic pain.

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is the most common cause of hypothyroidism, yet thyroid antibodies are not routinely tested. Be an advocate for yourself and insist on thyroid antibody testing.

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause by Izabella Wentz

Hashimoto’s is more than just hypothyroidism. It is a thyroid autoimmune condition where the body mistakenly attacks its own thyroid gland. There are many potential triggers underlying Hashimoto’s that should be tested and treated including blood sugar imbalance, food sensitivities especially to gluten, adrenal issues, nutrient deficiencies, leaky gut, inflammation, heavy metal toxicity, and chronic infections. With this excellent book Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause every person will have the information they need to take charge of their Hashimoto’s.

Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal by Dr. Datis Kharrazian

This is the first book I ever read on Hashimoto’s. It was the first time I read about the importance of eliminating gluten from the diet and many of the other triggers for Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism. Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? when My Lab Tests Are Normal: a Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Hashimoto’s Disease and Hypothyroidism provided me with a foundation to understand the autoimmune condition at play in Hashimoto’s.

You’re Not Crazy And You’re Not Alone: Losing the Victim, Finding Your Sense of Humor, and Learning to Love Yourself Through Hashimoto’s by Stacey Robbins

You’re Not Crazy And You’re Not Alone: Losing the Victim, Finding Your Sense of Humor, and Learning to Love Yourself Through Hashimoto’s shines a flashlight on the emotional, physical, and spiritual journey within women with this autoimmune disease. With honesty and humor, Stacey tells stories that inspire readers to look at this autoimmune disease differently–and to consider loving themselves as part of their treatment too.

A Thyroid Advocate I Love

Beautiful Inside and Out: Conquering Thyroid Disease with a Healthy, Happy, “Thyroid Sexy” Life by Gena Lee Nolin & Mary Shomon

Actress and model Gena Lee Nolin has gone public with her struggle with Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism. She is the first internationally-known celebrity to tackle worldwide thyroid awareness as a personal mission. Her Thyroid Sexy Facebook page ROCKS! When Gena teamed up with thyroid superstar Mary Shomon to write Beautiful Inside and Out: Conquering Thyroid Disease with a Healthy, Happy, “Thyroid Sexy” Life, I knew this was a book I had to read. What an honor to see Hypothyroid Mom mentioned in their book.

Thyroid & Weight Loss

Hands down the number one question I hear from Hypothyroid Mom readers is how to lose weight.

The Thyroid Diet Revolution: Manage Your Master Gland of Metabolism for Lasting Weight Loss by Mary Shomon

The Thyroid Diet Revolution: Manage Your Master Gland of Metabolism for Lasting Weight Loss is a New York Times bestselling book that every person with hypothyroidism struggling to lose weight should read. The thyroid gland is a major player in regulating your metabolism, therefore optimal thyroid health is essential for weight loss.

The Book I’m Reading Now

Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome

Last year I had a sudden onset of hair loss. Looking at the balding areas at my temples and over my ears was so devastating to me that I set out on a mission to win back my hair. In the article 10 Things That Stopped My Hair Loss, I write about how I was going through a great deal of stress at the time of my hair loss and that adrenal testing was one key factor to regaining my hair.

The body relies on the adrenal glands located on top of each kidney to manage stressful situations. Our thyroid and adrenals are so intricately connected. Saliva testing for my cortisol levels revealed that I was struggling with adrenal fatigue. I recently finished reading a fabulous book by Dr. James Wilson and not only has it helped my hair loss but my energy levels have been improving day by day. Are you being treated for hypothyroidism, but you still don’t feel well? The adrenals are an important piece of the thyroid puzzle you should read about in Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” ~Dr Seuss, I Can Read with My Eyes Shut!