Just When I Thought I Was Out of the Woods

Martha Blumel
Aug 5, 2023
3 min read

Ten years cancer-free is a huge milestone. One to be celebrated. After all, I have been proactive, trying to keep my risk of recurrence low. I eat organic, when possible, drink filtered water, detox regularly, and take supplements; my vitamin D levels, thyroid numbers, and standard bloodwork are good, so why do I feel like crap?

I have learned that there is not always just one cause of illness. Even though I’ve made progress in these areas, I still struggle with sleep and handling stress. I yo-yo back and forth between feeling ok to feeling anxious, but more recently, I have struggled with brain fog and fatigue. Mornings are not my friend. Due to my exhaustion, I haven’t exercised regularly, which only made things worse.

I went to see my primary doctor, and to my surprise, she suggested that I test for Hashimoto’s and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibodies. She explained that even though my thyroid TSH, T4, and T3 numbers came back in the normal range, she wanted to test for Thyroid antibodies because these were more of an indicator of Hashimoto’s. To my surprise, one week later, my Thyroglobulin antibodies and Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies came back high, and so did my EBV antibodies. That means that I have Hashimoto’s and chronic EBV.

I was surprised and relieved at the same time. At least I am not going crazy!

Hashimoto’s is typically treated by prescribing hypothyroid medicine. I’ve learned that Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disease affecting the thyroid. So before even going to a follow-up appointment with my doctor, I knew thyroid medicine would not be my first option.

I needed to find out what was causing my body to attack itself. This is what integrative and natural medicine is all about—finding the root cause instead of just masking it with a prescription. Don’t get me wrong, I may find out that I need medication, but I am not convinced at this point.

In addition to Hashimoto’s, I also researched EBV. I was surprised to find out that it’s estimated that 90% of the adult population may have chronic EBV infections and that it is linked to autoimmune thyroid disorders¹ and several cancers². That is not exactly what I wanted to hear, especially considering that I already have Lynch Syndrome (PMS2 gene variation)³, which puts me at higher risk for multiple cancers. I already see my oncologist every six months for bloodwork because of this, so for now, I will not let my head “go there” with worry about cancer risks.

When I met with my primary again to discuss this, I explained that I wanted to see if I could heal with natural approaches, such as diet, detoxing, etc. She agreed with me about not starting medication; she gave me some references to follow natural Hashimoto’s doctors online and scheduled follow-up bloodwork for three months—time to get to work.

My first stop was to follow Dr. Izabella Wentz on social media. She’s a pharmacist who reversed her own Hashimoto’s through a natural protocol. I followed her on social media and purchased her book, The Hashimoto’s Protocol: A 90-Day Plan for Reversing Thyroid Symptoms. The protocol involves liver and adrenal support, detoxing and removing toxins, and gut balancing. She also discusses the EBV connection.

So, I grabbed my book, pen, and highlighter then headed to my happy place – the beach. Time for a deep dive into healing! I'll report back in 90 days!