During a routine appointment for my daughter in 2006, the doctor asked me if I had ever had my thyroid tested because she noticed that my eye was looking abnormal.
But I thought I was in decent health. I didn't think that my thyroid was out of sync because I had not lost an abnormal amount of weight, and there was nothing else drastic going on. In fact, I thought my eye abnormality was a hereditary condition, as my brother has a similar condition that has nothing to do with his thyroid. However, the doctor's concern got me thinking, and as a precaution, I went for blood work.
Sure enough, the test showed that I had a hyperthyroid condition. I was later diagnosed with Graves' disease. In addition to an enlarged eye, the right side of my thyroid was three times larger than it should be, I had a rapid heart rate (resting pulse of 110+ bpm), parched skin, sore throat, and the list went on and on.
To deal with my Graves' disease, two paths were set before me. My treatment options were (1) do what the doctors wanted me to do: take drugs to treat my rapid heart rate and undergo radioactive treatment to kill my thyroid, followed by a life-long supply of little white pills to do what my missing thyroid could no longer do. Or (2) try to overcome it naturally.
Most people who know me would say that I just couldn't do what the doctors wanted. I am an "anti-medication" type of person; I always have been. I have a very high pain threshold, I would never take drugs for anything, not even when I gave birth. So, for me to be diagnosed with something like Graves' disease was a shock, not to mention being told that I would have to take medication for the rest of my life. As you can appreciate, this is just not something I was willing to do.
I didn't even consider any other treatment for my condition before considering The Hallelujah Diet. The reason is that I listened to my mother. She is a Hallelujah Acres Health Minister, and already had been for some time when I was diagnosed. I had seen her adopt The Hallelujah Diet to address some health issues, but I wasn't on board yet. After all, I was healthy; why would I need to change my diet? However, I always vowed that, if I needed to try the diet for health reasons, I would. Well, it didn't take long after life kicked me in the pants to realize that The Hallelujah Diet would be good for me too, not just for my mother.
When I told my doctor that I was planning to go on a vegan diet, she told me that it wouldn't matter; that eating differently would not affect my thyroid problem.
My doctor didn't think a vegan diet was going to "fix" anything, and was genuinely concerned that I did not want to explore her radioactive "treatment" options. Granted, she had reason to worry about me.
As part of my thyroid condition, my rapid heart rate had the potential to cause a "thyroid storm" , which essentially is a heart attack. So, I promised my doctor that I would monitor my heart rate to ensure it was not going out of control. If my resting heart rate went above 110 bpm, I promised I would rush to the pharmacy for drugs but also promised myself that I would faithfully follow The Hallelujah Diet for three months before giving up.
To be completely honest, I began to wonder if The Hallelujah Diet would really work, not because I doubted its validity, but because both my doctor and my specialist told me that it would have no effect. Not being one to back down from a challenge, I chose to follow mom's advice and change my diet.
Mom had me on The Hallelujah Diet in no time. After I quit eating the standard American diet overnight, she quickly provided me with BarleyMax, Vitamin B-12, Fiber Cleanse, Digestive Enzymes, and Probiotics. I was also given a juicer and lots of carrots. I was now equipped with an arsenal of natural, healthy products and was ready to wage war against Graves' disease.
As it turns out, my decision had its benefits, because I did not need to wait three months to see results.
Within just a few days of making the diet change, my sore throat disappeared I was amazed. Next, my heart rate began correcting itself; it began dropping 10 to 15 bpm every week until normal. My parched skin became well hydrated within the first couple of weeks. My bulging eye slowly returned to normal within a few months, and other physical issues I had that were not related to my thyroid also disappeared: arthritic joint pain, cracked heels, muscle soreness, just to name a few. But the final evidence that I was getting better would be my long-awaited thyroid ultrasound scheduled for nine months after my original diagnosis. Not surprisingly, the results showed I no longer had a thyroid problem of any kind.
Of course, when I reported back to my doctor she said "good for you." She would not acknowledge that the diet had anything to do with my improvement, even though it was obvious that diet was the only thing I had changed. She suggested that perhaps the condition just went away on its own, but that is certainly not one of the possibilities given to me when I was diagnosed!
No one can deny what happened to me. The only reason anything happened is that I changed my diet.
Since then, any and all blood tests and routine checkups have confirmed I no longer have Graves' Disease and that my thyroid is perfectly normal. On my most recent visit to the specialist I was presented with a clean bill of health and informed that I no longer needed to see a specialist or undergo any further testing. I did find it interesting that my endocrinologist had very little knowledge of the vegan diet I used to restore my health, and she took detailed notes and questioned me extensively during my visits. Further proof (and I mean no disrespect) that doctors don't always know best.
So now, three years later, I can say with the utmost confidence that I am healed! Not because my doctors sent me to the drug store or hospital in an effort to help my condition, but because God called me Back to the Garden where I found true healing by eating garden foods. In fact, today I'm doing better than ever because I have recently made a commitment to get more active.
I'm exercising five days a week, taking BarleyMax every day (lots of it) and eating raw at least two meals every day. I have felt so much better since starting the Hallelujah Diet that there is no reason to go back.
I find that when you get all your ducks in a row, life feels pretty good. And that's because The Hallelujah Diet is not just about what you eat, it's about getting enough exercise, and spiritual food as well. It all works together. And by the way, that original prescription the doctor gave me for heart rate medication (which I never filled) makes a wonderful bookmark in Dr. Malkmus' book, The Hallelujah Diet.
