Holistic Healing for Hashimoto's with Jasmine Parker

Are you struggling with unexplained fatigue, brain fog, and other mysterious symptoms? You may be dealing with an undiagnosed thyroid condition like Hashimoto's.

Many patients suffer for years before getting properly diagnosed and treated for Hashimoto's. Traditional approaches often fall short in providing true healing.

By the time you finish listening, you'll discover:

The common symptoms of Hashimoto's that are often overlooked or misdiagnosed

• How nutrition and lifestyle changes can dramatically improve Hashimoto's symptoms  
• Why mindset is crucial for healing and advocating for yourself with doctors

Jasmine's journey from struggling patient to empowered advocate will inspire you to take control of your own health. Her practical tips will help you navigate Hashimoto's and find a path to healing.

CONNECT WITH JASMINE PARKER:

Instagram: @jasmineparkercoaching 

jasmineparkercoaching.com

Chapters

• 0:00 Introducing Hashimoto's with Jasmine Parker
• 3:16 Understanding Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
• 5:46 Jasmine's Health Crisis and Symptoms
• 9:15 The Polypharmacy ER Turning Point
• 17:05 Nutrition and Lifestyle for Hashimoto's Management
• 22:38 Mindset and Self-Advocacy in Healing
• 30:40 Finding Hope and Building Your Healthcare Team

Transcript

Jasmine Parker: 0:00

It's really that aha moment for me. That's big, because I know a lot of people get frustrated in the doctor's office. I felt those things too, and remission is absolutely possible. You're not alone whatsoever and there is hope on the other side.

Dr. Tamar: 0:15

If you want to break the mold of traditional pharmacy and healthcare, you are in the right place. Welcome to the Pivoting Pharmacy with Nutrigenomics podcast, part of the Pharmacy Podcast Network. Here's a little truth bomb. We're all unique, down to our DNA, so it's no wonder we react differently to the same medications, foods and environment. Here's a million dollar question how can you discover exactly what your body needs, which medication, what foods or supplements and which exercises are right for you? How can you manage chronic conditions like diabetes without more medications? How can you lose weight and keep it off? How do you tap into your genetic blueprints so you can stop surviving and start thriving in health and life? That is the question, and this podcast will give you the answer. I'm your host, dr Tamar, lawful doctor of pharmacy. Let's pivot into genomics and bring healthcare to higher levels. Hello, welcome to Pivoting Pharmacy with Nutrigenomics. I'm your host, dr Tamar, lawful Doctor of Pharmacy and Certified Nutritional Genomics Specialist.

Dr. Tamar: 1:28

Today we are zeroing in on something that touches the lives of millions but still remains a bit of a puzzle for many Hashimoto's thyroiditis. I'm super excited to introduce Jasmine Parker to the podcast today. Jasmine is not just any guest. She's a registered nurse, a functional medicine, certified health coach, the brains behind Love your Thyroid and a number one amazing best-selling author with her book Hitting Healing. She's all about empowering women on their journey to remission from Hashimoto's by providing all the must-knows, skilled resources and tools they need.

Dr. Tamar: 2:04

So today we're going beyond just chatting about the symptoms of Hashimoto's that often get brushed off. Jasmine's going to share her personal story. It's one of those you've got to hear this kind of stories where she moves from struggling with her health to standing tall and becoming her own biggest health advocate. So if you've ever felt like you're just another number in the healthcare system, or if you're searching for ways to manage your symptoms in a more connected to nature way, this episode is definitely made for you. We'll talk about how ditching the meds for alternatives, focusing on nutrition, making a few lifestyle tweaks and shifting your mindset can literally be game changers in dealing with Hashimoto's.

Dr. Tamar: 2:42

And hey, if something Jasmine says today really hits home or maybe gives you that aha moment, snap a screenshot while you're listening, pop it on your Instagram stories and tag at Dr Tamar Lawful I'm all ears for what grabbed your attention. I am so excited to have you today to talk about thyroid and Hashimoto's. But before we dive in. Jasmine, you know your journey is incredibly inspiring. Can you share the moments when you realized that the traditional approach to Hashimoto's wasn't even enough for you? You know what? Let's backtrack. Just tell us about yourself first. How'd you even get into specifically focusing on Hashimoto's?

Jasmine Parker: 3:26

So for me it just had to do with my own personal experience with it and being a registered nurse and later becoming a functional medicine certified health coach because of what I went through is eventually what led into me starting my coaching practice specifically to help those with Hashimoto's, because I really identified a gap in care in the traditional setting and experienced really a way to fill that through functional medicine. And being able to bring them together to help people make the best decision for them when it comes to that autoimmune disease, when I don't feel like there's enough said about the options available or even that remission is possible, is really what got my advocacy work started.

Dr. Tamar: 4:13

I think that's great, because whenever there is a gap in any type of disease, say regarding information or treatment, those patients who may have it may go undiagnosed for years, before it's even discovered what it is that they've been suffering from. So for you to definitely want to fill that gap and bring that awareness to patients and other healthcare practitioners as well is 100% commendable. Jasmine, thank you. So let's back it up again For those who might be the first time they're hearing Hashimoto's can you explain to us what that is?

Jasmine Parker: 4:51

Yeah, so Hashimoto's is a autoimmune disease specific to the thyroid. So what it means is that it's specifically attacking thyroid tissue and it has to do with our immune system being overreactive from triggers that have been activated. Our genetic component that is involved in that autoimmune disease becomes activated because of these triggers and then it starts tearing down our thyroid tissue and destroying it, which then leads to hypothyroidism, which a lot of us are familiar with. That piece of it.

Dr. Tamar: 5:25

Thank you for explaining that so literally. Our bodies are attacking our body is attacking itself its own tissue, thyroid tissue. Thank you for explaining that. Now, jasmine, you had a health crisis of your own. Now can you reflect on that? If you don't mind me asking what symptoms were the most challenging for you and how did you navigate the initial steps toward recovery?

Jasmine Parker: 5:46

Yeah, so the biggest like monumentous symptoms for me were the brain fog. I couldn't concentrate, I couldn't remember things. It took me a while to just put a thought process together. The fatigue was really really heavy, more beyond just being tired from an exhausting day at the hospital working, and on top of that my anxiety actually was getting progressively worse, in which I was dealing with panic attacks daily, sometimes multiple times a day, and then on top of that was just the debilitating migraines that were happening. Those were really hard to make it able to just function in everyday life and to do normal things, let alone go to work or worry about that. So those were probably the most debilitating symptoms for me.

Jasmine Parker: 6:38

What really I did to navigate the? I started out with all of these. I went to my primary care doctor and so at the time for my story specifically, I was dealing with a concussion. So any symptoms that kind of came up, like brain fog, fatigue, things that are easily related to a concussion, we kind of fit it all into the concussion box. And anything else that came up or didn't fit into that concussion box, I would get sent to a specialist for this, that and the other thing to kind of figure out how to manage the symptom. Basically, those were the initial steps.

Dr. Tamar: 7:25

I can only imagine. So you had brain fog, extreme fatigue, anxiety, list of symptoms. I can only imagine that along with those symptoms, you were given medications yes, right. So could you talk about that, because you mentioned a specific moment of frustration that led you to the ER because of polypharmacy and as a pharmacist I see that all the time, especially in a hospital setting. So could you describe that experience and how it shifted your perspective on Hashimoto's care?

Jasmine Parker: 7:55

Yeah, so you're absolutely correct. It did go with medications and for me, being in my 20s, at that point, I wasn't on anything, and so that dramatically changed in such a short period of time. Because I got put on anxiety medication and then when I went into neurology I was put on eight different medications. But the way it was kind of described and I don't know if somebody will be able to relate to this but the way it was described to me is don't worry about if we don't find something that works for you, we have a plethora to choose from. And so I had eight new medications for me and we were constantly changing not to choose from. And so I had eight new medications for me and we were constantly changing not only the dosages. But I would come back and say this isn't working, it's not taking anything away, and then we would switch medications. And this was happening fairly quickly. It wasn't over months of time to change out things.

Jasmine Parker: 8:50

And because of all this, added on medication, I ended up in the emergency room curled up on the bed with a thick blanket over my head, because I could not bear a single shed of light or sound. My head had so much pressure, I was crying so much. I just wanted to just take my head off and set it down for a moment, just a moment of relief. I was pleading to just take away the pain. And when I visited with the ER doctor, my husband was explaining to him that I see a neurologist for migraines. And we've done all the things. We've done everything correctly, we've taken all the medications every day. We don't skip. We had PRNs we could use for migraines and his face just his face was like I'm so sorry, but you're on too many medications and when that happens you can have a rebound headaches. And I was like, oh my goodness, I had no idea that being on so many was causing it to be worse actually and not making it better.

Jasmine Parker: 9:56

And so that was really my moment where I was like this is it? Like there has to be another way, there has to be something else other than medications to get me through this, because this is literally like imagine brain fog, fatigue, anxiety, migraines every day. You can't work already. Now imagine these medications added on top of that and you're ending up in the emergency room. I'm like life for a 20 year old cannot be this way and I refuse to allow it to be that way, and so I had to make a decision to just kind of almost muster up enough advocacy for myself and enough energy, if you will, because at that time I had none to be like. We got it. We got to find another way. We got to talk to somebody. We have to research, there has to be something else, because this, this cannot be it, because this is miserable.

Dr. Tamar: 11:47

I can only imagine, only imagine, and at such a young age too. You're on all these medications, you're having all these symptoms. The medications have side effects. You definitely are coming from. I can definitely see how you would want to be an advocate for patients, be a patient advocate, and you're doing this through your book Hidden Healing actually the full title Hidden Healing A Nurse's Path to Overcome Hashimoto's, and how you can too. So I can only imagine the wealth of information that is in your book. I know from my understanding you talk about diagnostic tests, the standard thyroid care versus the whole body approach, lifestyle and nutrition, strategies for wellness and also the mindset how that mindset is very important to have when they're experiencing this type of medical illness. Now I can tell that it's definitely resonated with your readers. So, jasmine, are you able to share maybe a personal story from the book that you think captures your journey from patient to advocate and then author?

Jasmine Parker: 12:57

Yeah, that's really the book for those of you who haven't read Hitting Healing. So I kind of walked through my personal case review for you all to understand that, even as a medical professional myself, I still was struggling so much to figure out how to manage this. I didn't know what to do. And I know that sometimes when we feel like, well, I don't have a medical background, how am I supposed to know? Even though I did, I was in the same boat, and so I take you through my case really to explain to you you know, and also relate to people and help them feel seen and heard, like I'm in this with you and you're not alone.

Jasmine Parker: 13:33

And I know sometimes when we have symptoms like brain fog and fatigue, people can't really see that and so they're just like, well, what's wrong with you? And so that can feel like an isolating journey, and so I really wanted to be vulnerable and share that story. But then also my love of learning takes over, because my duty, also as a nurse, is to educate people, and so bringing in the traditional path to help people understand what it is, what it entails, in full, and then also having them understand the path of healing that I walked through and how much more there was to understand and learn about thyroid health altogether and that it's not just your thyroid, it's a whole body thing when it comes to an autoimmune disease. And having to navigate that and to know that remission is possible really takes somebody diving into their nutrition and their lifestyle and the movement they have for their body and their stress management techniques and their mindset for sure.

Jasmine Parker: 14:34

So for me the personal story is really my own, that I share in vulnerability, but it's really that aha moment for me that's big, because I know a lot of people get frustrated. They get frustrated in the doctor's office when they feel that they're dismissed or they're being gaslit or they're not being heard or seen and that frustration kind of builds. But then as ourselves, we don't know what we don't know and so we build that frustration in ourselves and we feel like our health is out of control and we feel helpless and we feel alone. And so I want people to understand like, from my story I felt those things too and remission is absolutely possible. You're not alone whatsoever and there is hope on the other side.

Dr. Tamar: 15:21

Very encouraging words, jasmine. Now, actually, let's, let's dive deep into that. Let's talk about the journey that you went through, that journey of discovery, because you mentioned the mindset, nutrition, lifestyle changes. So how did you begin to bridge the gap in traditional Hashimoto's care with nutrition and lifestyle changes?

Jasmine Parker: 15:42

So what I learned through research and study as well is when it comes to traditional care. Study as well is when it comes to traditional care. If you guys are not familiar with Hashimoto's and you might know this as well to Mart with medication specifically. But when you are diagnosed with Hashimoto's in a traditional setting you are given Synthroid-Levothyroxine. That is the only treatment option traditionally for Hashimoto's. And what I learned through that and experienced as well is it does nothing to actually address the autoimmune part of Hashimoto's and so it's basically we're waiting and allowing the thyroid tissue to continue to be destroyed, in which again it's creating that hypothyroidism, in which that medication will just keep increasing. So there's no addressing the autoimmunity to get the medication down further, to get possibly off the medication. And so the gap was understanding in a whole body approach that truly addressing our lifestyle right and our nutrition and our movement and our stress could decrease our thyroid antibodies in order to stop the aggressive attack on our thyroid, so that our hypothyroidism wasn't getting worse or there was chances for it to heal if it wasn't destroyed enough so we could lessen our medication. And so it was really this advocacy point of hey, this is your health and you have to take control of it, and so that starts with auditing your health and wellness, looking at lifestyle, doing a toxin audit, if you will all of the chemicals that we are exposed to Some we cannot control. A lot of others we place into our environment. So it was becoming more aware of our surroundings and what truly we were putting into our body when it came to food and water. It was the same thing, assessing the toxins in our food and water. What food quality are we choosing every single day? Are we eating a lot of processed, high inflammatory foods, or are we choosing things that are organic and clean and healthy for us, without being sprayed with pesticides and herbicides that are leading to more inflammation?

Jasmine Parker: 17:58

And then it came to the stress management part of it, that understanding all of these components. The big link here is going to be inflammation. The more things we add onto our plate that create inflammation are keeping our immune system in overdrive, and then it's just perpetuating the cycle of attack on our thyroid. And so it was really about diving in to just overhaul the inflammation and bring as much down as possible, and it was really nutrition for me that significantly did that, because my first step and there are a lot of first steps so you don't have to just do what I did. But there's a lot of first steps and for me like I share in the book is I did an elimination diet where you're basically going back to very clean, simple basics. If an ingredient, if you look at a label, an apple is an apple, there's nothing else in it, and so that's how basic it was. But it drove down such inflammation that I started to feel better the quickest, so it was definitely in the nutrition piece for me.

Dr. Tamar: 19:00

Yeah, nutrition goes a long way. Out of curiosity, Jasmine, how long would you say it took before you started feeling a difference after making those changes, especially with nutrition?

Jasmine Parker: 19:25

temporary, it is not a lifelong sustainable thing. But the elimination diet I did for two months and then I started to add slowly the categories back in. So for me I overhauled it for as long as I possibly could sustain before adding things back in, so I would say over a couple months.

Dr. Tamar: 19:38

Yep, that's good Cause I I in my experience working with my clients, I noticed that they get results really quick. They start feeling better relatively quickly once they start changing their nutrition and eating more clean. It really doesn't take that long to see improvement.

Jasmine Parker: 19:55

Yeah, and it's so true too, because when you look at the lifestyle and sense of nutrition and what you've been eating, it's eliminating. Everything was essentially resensitizing the body to things, so that I was able to identify is it gluten causing these symptoms? Is it dairy? What is happening and why is it happening? And at that point it made it fairly easy for me to just be like okay, this is something I need to keep an eye on. There's too much of this. I have to, you know, scale back on this, but it happens fairly quickly. I know two months can seem like a long time to some people, but I am telling you, when you get to a point of a chronic disease, it has built over a lifetime. So it's going to take some time to get back to your body feeling well, but two months was, I mean, that's still incredible to me. So, very quickly.

Dr. Tamar: 20:50

Yeah, and the elimination diet is a great way to to like calibrate, calibrate your body. You're removing things from it and then slowly, gradually, adding it back, as you mentioned. As you add it back, your body is going to react. It's like, wait a minute, something is off, whereas before the elimination process you did not feel it at all. You didn't feel it. So, yes, your body will let you know for sure whether or not you should be eating that.

Jasmine Parker: 21:16

I know for those of you who don't know or haven't heard, because, again, part of the gap is there's not a lot of education given to us after we're diagnosed with Hashimoto's. But what I learned through my research is, you know, it's a very controversial topic, this one, but people constantly ask if you have to eliminate gluten and dairy when you have Hashimoto's, and the thing I like to say about that is we have to be careful because we don't want to create food fear with people and we don't want people to go on a restrictive diet. With that being said, gluten and dairy, specifically, are very inflammatory foods and so, again, when we talk about that inflammation piece, but also there are proteins in both of them that mimic thyroid hormones, and so the attack because of them is a lot. You have a higher chance of it, which is why you're told to take it out of your diet. But, like Tamar said, I just use it in the same way as an elimination tactic Take it out, add it slowly back in and find out what symptoms are coming because of this food specifically, and I know for me personally and I share this in my book as well gluten.

Jasmine Parker: 22:22

I have tried over several years to re-add it back in and I just can't. So I personally choose not to have gluten, but I'm also aware that it upsets my stomach. It does cause gluten headaches for me, so I just keep it out. So it's all about just bringing that body awareness back to yourself.

Dr. Tamar: 22:39

That is a good point. It's kind of like bio-individuality.

Jasmine Parker: 22:43

Yeah, we are, and that's where my specialty comes in with genetics. Genomics is part of things where we are different. We're unique, so we're not all going to respond the same way. But at the same time, you're absolutely correct. There are foods that are inflammatory foods. Bottom line Genetics or no genetics, it's going to be inflammatory. So if you have an autoimmune disease that is an inflammatory process, then you would want to Hashimoto's, and there is not one. However, research does show us that those diets that are also anti-inflammatory are going to be the most friendly to you. So, of course, the most heavily recommended one is going to be the Mediterranean, as more of a lifestyle diet, whereas, like the elimination diet is something very temporary, just to understand your body and its reaction to food.

Dr. Tamar: 23:45

essentially, Now I want to pivot slightly, jasmine, because you do emphasize the importance of mindset before starting a healing journey. So how did you identify and shift your mindset? What advice would you give to others who are looking to do the same?

Jasmine Parker: 24:01

Yeah, I always like to say there's a reason I left mindset as the last chapter in my book, and that's because sometimes when we finish reading something, it's always the last thing, that kind of sticks with us. But for me, when it came to a healing journey, why I say mindset is a really important component of that is because we have a lot of fads and a lot of trends that are happening and we like to just jump on something because we want to result really, really quickly. And then we sometimes don't see change with that, and so part of the mindset comes in. When we set a goal, whether it comes to our health and wellness or something else, we really have to understand why do we want to change this for us? Why do we want to change this for us? And that goal cannot be born out of judgment, out of guilt, out of shame, out of what other people have said to you about you. It can't be for anyone else, it can only be for you.

Jasmine Parker: 24:57

Why do you want to change your health and wellness? And it's really identifying your motivation, your why, because that why has to be strong enough to carry you through these changes. Going through a health journey requires a lot of changes, a lot of time and attention and coming back to yourself and if it's for population, but they're not individualized, and so it's really coming back to you and figuring out your why for doing something, your purpose for doing it in the first place in order to really start. But you're also addressing at that moment are you ready to make these changes? And your why helps you identify if you are ready to make changes, especially when it comes to health and wellness, if you are ready to make changes, especially when it comes to health and wellness.

Dr. Tamar: 25:45

I love that, because most people would our coaches tend to do the mindset thing first, right, but you addressed that towards the end, and it's so true. We have to be in our health for ourselves yes, for ourselves, and it's empowering. I love how you said that. It's very empowering and inspirational and no doubt transformative for those that you work with. Now, when it comes to advocating for yourself, especially in the medical setting, it can be daunting because, especially you don't have a medical background. I know even some people who do have a healthcare background. They don't ask the questions that they need to ask or that they should ask. Are there any strategies or tips that you can share with the listeners to promote a clear communication with their providers?

Jasmine Parker: 26:42

Yeah, so this one is so huge, right, we're all like I've tried to say something and it's not working Right. But, like I said earlier, it sometimes we think those with medical background have an easier time doing it, but that's not the case. Sometimes it's still very hard to get across to somebody. You know that you have concerns and when you feel dismissed it's really hard to use that internal voice to stand up for yourself and say no, hey, I'm actually concerned, something is wrong. And usually for us women, we suffer for a long time before we even ask for help, and then when we get dismissed, we just kind of brush ourselves off and say, oh, nothing's wrong, it must be in my head, I guess I'm okay. And the symptoms get worse and worse and worse.

Jasmine Parker: 27:31

And so my biggest piece of advice when it comes to advocating is knowing that you are with your body 24-7.

Jasmine Parker: 27:41

You know when something changes, you know when something is wrong, and you need to trust that intuition.

Jasmine Parker: 27:48

And if somebody is not listening to your concern or you don't feel like you're being heard, that is truly why we say go get a second opinion or a third, or find a different provider who is going to be on your team and working with you and making you feel seen and heard, because we have seen far too many stories happen where somebody keeps saying, hey, something's wrong, something's wrong, and months later it's just something debilitating that could have been caught earlier.

Jasmine Parker: 28:14

So don't stop advocating for yourself and this is also the part with my experience understanding that you're the most important person on your health care team. You build your healthcare team, so if you don't feel like you're being listened to, you can change that. You can find the people that will be there for you. And in addition to building your healthcare team, having gone through what I've gone through, I would recommend keeping it diverse, and for me that means adding a functional medicine practitioner or somebody who's going to take a whole body approach onto your team, because they really truly just view it through a completely different lens than traditional medicine. So it's just having a variety of practitioners to go through things with you.

Dr. Tamar: 28:57

That is so true. I love that. Like you're the boss, it comes to your health pretty much right. You're the boss. You make your team who's going to work for you to help you get your health in order. It's in your control. It's in your control Absolutely. Love that, jasmine. Now, lastly, for those listening right now, if there's someone out there that's feeling hopeless about their Hashimoto's diagnosis, they are going through what you went through before. You were really able to get on a path of controlling and reversing. What words of encouragement would you offer them today, jasmine?

Jasmine Parker: 29:36

The biggest ones that I stick to are really helping people to understand that you're not alone. I see you, I hear you, I've been there, I understand and remission is possible. I think it needs to be said over and over to people that remission is possible because it is that hopeful piece. And after you get diagnosed, there's always that question of, well, now, what Does my life look like this forever, or is there something else? And then we start to question, well, what can I do if I don't wanna live this way anymore? And so for me it's just having people understand you're not alone, there is hope and remission is absolutely possible.

Dr. Tamar: 30:15

Definitely words of encouragement and hope. Thank you so much, jasmine. Thank you for sharing your journey and your insights with us today. I absolutely love it. Jasmine, thank you for sharing your journey and your insights with us today. I absolutely love it and we learned so much from you. Where can our listeners find more about you and your work, Perhaps get in touch with you for your guidance? Where can they get your book?

Jasmine Parker: 30:33

You can get Hidden Healing A Nurse's Path to Overcoming Hashimoto's on Amazon, and you can find me at jasmineparkercoachingcom and on Instagram at jasmineparkercoaching.

Dr. Tamar: 30:44

And that wraps up our deep dive into Hashimoto's. A huge thank you to Jasmine Parker for joining us today. Friend, remember this journey is about taking steps, big or small, towards better health, and you don't have to do it alone. If Jasmine's insights have sparked something in you, or if you want to continue the conversation, drop me a line, screenshot this episode, share it on your Instagram and tag me at Dr Tamara Lawful. I can't wait to see your posts and hear all about your takeaways. And, before you go, follow and subscribe to Pivoting Pharmacy with Nutrigenomics. Wherever you listen to podcasts, if today's conversation resonated with you, consider sharing the episode with someone you think could benefit from hearing about Jasmine's approach to managing Hashimoto's and leave a five-star review. Let's spread the knowledge and support each other on this path to wellness. Friend, talk to you next Friday. Until then, always remember to raise the script on health, because together we can bring healthcare to higher levels.