Elixir Naturopathy

This is one of those client journeys I feel genuinely proud to share 👏🏼

When this client first came to me, her TPO antibodies were sitting at over 4,000, and because the lab only reports up to 4,000, we didn’t actually know how high they were.... they could have been 6,000 or they could have been up at around 12,000.

And this is where Hashimoto’s care can get tricky.
Because antibodies can take time to shift. Sometimes a long time.

In the first few months, her blood work didn’t look dramatically different on paper. Her antibodies were still high.

But clinically? Things were changing.

~ She was no longer needing afternoon naps.
~ Her energy was improving.
~ She was able to work again.
~ Her joint pain had reduced.
~ The brain fog was lifting.

And to me, that matters.
Because while pathology is incredibly important, it is only one part of the picture.

When we’re working with autoimmune thyroid disease, we also need to look at how someone is actually functioning, feeling and living day to day.

After 12 months, we finally saw her antibodies drop below 4,000.

A beautiful reminder that healing is not always instant, linear or perfectly reflected in one blood test.

So proud of this client and her persistence. 🤍

If you’ve been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s and feel overwhelmed by conflicting advice, supplements, restrictive diets, and trying to figure out where to even begin, I made this resource for you 👏🏼

Your thyroid does not exist in isolation.
Supporting Hashimoto’s means understanding your numbers, identifying what may be driving inflammation, building strong foundations, and creating realistic strategies your body can actually sustain.

This free guide walks you through the first 4 steps I focus on clinically to help clients move from feeling stuck and exhausted to feeling more supported, informed, and confident in their next steps.

Follow the link below to access the free Hashimoto’s Game Plan download.
https://www.elixirnaturopathy.com.au/your-hashimotos-game-plan

Supporting people with thyroid conditions is my life's work. But what most people don't know is how I ended up here.

Before all of this, I was in my twenties, feeling invincible, burning the candle at both ends, not really looking after myself. Like most people that age, I wasn't paying attention to the signals my body was sending.

For years through my teens I battled recurrent tonsillitis. Then in my mid-twenties, I noticed a lump in my neck visible to the eye. I was told to get it biopsied. I ignored it.

Three years later, at 25, I landed in hospital with an unknown illness that wasn't improving. Severe sore throat. Difficulty swallowing. Twenty-four hours on IV antibiotics and steroids later, I was discharged, but sent for a throat ultrasound.

That ultrasound confirmed a multinodular goitre. A biopsy came back indeterminate for cancer. I was advised to have a hemi-thyroidectomy.

I went in for surgery in March 2013. Two weeks later, the results confirmed papillary thyroid carcinoma. I was told: "At least it's the good kind of cancer."

I had the second half removed in June that year. I was put on thyroid medication and told life would return to normal. Annual ultrasound. Yearly bloods. That's it.

And for a while it was.

Then a few years later, the symptoms began.
My weight increased rapidly. Two dress sizes in the space of months. My hair was falling out faster than it could grow back. I was exhausted down to the bone, genuinely struggling to walk the dog further than around the block. I had no idea what was wrong with me.

I kept going back to my doctor. And I kept being told: "Your levels look fine. There's nothing wrong with you."

Something didn't sit right. With the limited knowledge I had at the time, I had a hunch there was a medication conversion issue. My GP refused to test my reverse T3. So I paid for private testing myself.

My reverse T3 came back over 900. My ratio showed I was producing far more inactive hormone than active hormone, meaning my cells weren't getting what they needed, despite being on medication.

I had finally found the missing piece. But I'd had to fight to find it.

What I didn't know then was that this would become the beginning of a decade-long deep dive into thyroid research and the entire reason Elixir Naturopathy exists.

I am the practitioner I wish I'd had. And I built this to make sure no one has to fight as hard as I did to get answers.

Mel 🫶🏼

Sometimes healing begins by finally listening. 🤍

In a world that constantly asks us to push harder, do more, stay productive, and keep going, it can be easy to ignore the subtle signs of depletion.

Fatigue, overwhelm, tension, poor sleep, hormonal shifts, burnout… these are often not signs that your body is failing you, but signs it’s asking for care, nourishment, rest, and support.

There is wisdom in slowing down enough to listen.

I encourage you to slow down and listen to your body ✨

Emerging research is continuing to show that thyroid health is influenced by far more than just thyroid hormone levels alone.

This recent paper explored the relationship between allostatic load, the cumulative burden chronic stress places on the body, and thyroid function.

The findings reinforce something we see all the time clinically.

Long-term stress, nervous system dysregulation, inflammation, sleep, lifestyle factors and overall physiological load can all influence how the thyroid functions over time.

When supporting thyroid conditions, especially autoimmune thyroid disease, it is so important to zoom out and look at the bigger picture rather than focusing on one lab marker in isolation.

Your body keeps score of stress.

Supporting the nervous system matters. 🤍

One of the hardest parts of living with Hashimoto’s or chronic illness is that your motivation often doesn’t match your body’s capacity 😢

You want to do more. Show up more. Exercise more. Work more. Socialise more. Keep up with everyone around you.

But instead, you can find yourself constantly pacing, cancelling plans, pushing through exhaustion, or feeling frustrated that your body simply won’t cooperate.

This is not laziness. It’s not a lack of discipline. It’s a body asking for support, nourishment, regulation, and healing.

Healing often begins when we stop fighting our body and start working with it instead of against it. 🌻

If you’re navigating Hashimoto’s, fatigue, brain fog, burnout, or chronic inflammation, I’ve created a free resource to support you.

Follow the link below and I’ll send you my free Hashimoto’s Game Plan download.

https://www.elixirnaturopathy.com.au/your-hashimotos-game-plan

Reminding myself a lot recently that we always have time 🤍

There is still so much time left in this year to care for your health, reconnect with your goals, create new habits, rest more deeply, nourish yourself better, and make meaningful change.

You do not need to have it all figured out by now.
Healing isn’t linear, growth isn’t always visible, and progress is rarely perfect.
Small steps still count.

Be kind to yourself. You are not behind. You are exactly where you need to be.

Mel 🫶🏼

You cleaned up your diet, removed the gluten and dairy, and cut out all sugar, assuming you were 'doing everything right'.

And yet… something still feels off. Sound familiar? 🤔

With Hashimoto’s, food can absolutely play a role, but it’s rarely the whole picture.

Not just emotional stress, but under-eating, overtraining, poor sleep, and constantly pushing through.

Over time, this changes how your body functions. Digestion, hormones, immune activity… it all shifts.

And suddenly, food feels like the problem. But often, it’s not the food.

It’s the state your body is in.

This is your reminder that supporting your nervous system matters just as much as what’s on your plate.

You don’t need to fear every food choice.

You’re allowed to enjoy meals, be present, and take the pressure off a little.

Your body needs safety, not perfection 🤍