Dr. Elizabeth Naylor

01/26/2022

For all of you out there with New Year's exercise goals, this post may provide some insight for you.

This entire month, I'm posting on the Healthful Elements page about Essential Thyroid Theory. Join me there to explore the entire month.

https://www.facebook.com/healthfulelements

Let go of exercising ’til you fall over. “No pain, no gain!” will backfire—it can increase your stress hormone output and deplete the adrenals, which play a significant role in thyroid function, immune regulation, and…weight management.
Cortisol, the adrenal hormone nicknamed “the belly fat hormone,” will keep on pumpin’ through your system with a rigorous workout routine. This is why so many people say, “I’m doing [insert heart-pumping exercise here] five days a week, but I’m not losing weight.”

In addition to undermining your weight goals, too much strenuous exercise can exacerbate your autoimmune disease. Studies have shown that too much or too little exercise is counterproductive to reversing autoimmunity. So the goal is to find your sweet spot…enough movement to improve blood and lymphatic flow but not so strenuous that you can’t move the next day.

Restorative exercise (yoga, walking, tai chi, etc.) is key when you’re suffering from the fatigue associated with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s.

More on finding your sweet spot with exercise here or see link in bio > https://bit.ly/343wrZ8

01/06/2022

My post from today over at Healthful Elements.
https://www.facebook.com/healthfulelements

The vast majority of hypothyroid conditions are eventually diagnosed as Hashimoto’s. Hashimoto’s isn’t a thyroid problem, it’s an autoimmune disease. You’ll never fully heal unless you approach it with this understanding.

By recognizing that Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune condition (and not simply a thyroid problem) and adopting strategies to quiet the autoimmune attack, not only will you allow your thyroid to heal, but you’ll also decrease your risk of developing additional autoimmune diseases and experiencing a worsening of your Hashimoto’s symptoms.

Trying to heal your thyroid condition with no consideration of the immune system (whether you approach it with or without thyroid hormone supplementation) is like bailing water from a leaky boat—it will only get you so far. If you want to stop the boat from sinking, you’ve got to plug the leaks.

To allow the thyroid to truly heal, you must employ dietary, lifestyle, and likely some supplemental strategies that tame the autoimmune attack on your thyroid. This largely involves healing the gut—some level of leaky gut syndrome is present in most everyone with Hashimoto’s (and all autoimmune diseases).

Plugging the leaks in the gut = plugging the leaky boat.

What’s beautiful about addressing Hashimoto’s holistically is that you:

1. Reduce your risk of developing another autoimmune disease and,
2. If you already have another autoimmune disease, you’ll very likely see considerable relief from that condition as well.

The remainder of this Essential Thyroid Theory series is about addressing root causes to support healing Hashimoto’s (and all autoimmune diseases).

Thank you for joining us on this healing journey.

https://www.healthfulelements.com/blog/2018/07/autoimmunity-its-all-one-disease

01/04/2022

Do you know that something’s not right but your doctor is telling you “you’re fine” or that “it’s all in your head?”

Are you experiencing the classic symptoms of hypothyroidism, but you’re instead being instructed to take a laxative, an antidepressant, anti-anxiety meds, or told to eat fewer calories, with no regard for thyroid function?

We cannot let outside influences or “expertise” override our intuitive sense of wellbeing. Honoring our body’s innate wisdom—those “gut feelings”—is our roadmap. It’s about giving voice to what our body is communicating. And it’s important to listen. WE are our own best experts.

In some ancient cultures, gut feelings are considered the only true source of wisdom.

Speaking of giving voice, the thyroid sits in the 5th chakra—the throat chakra. It’s the seat of clear communication and self expression—connecting thought to spoken word. It’s also related to self advocacy and feeling heard and validated.

It’s okay to trust and advocate for yourself, even when someone of authority may be trying to convince you otherwise.

If you’re experiencing symptoms of low thyroid function, but your doctor is telling you you’re fine, they may not know *how* to do a full thyroid panel. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s Essential Thyroid Theory post, where we’ll share all the details on functional thyroid testing.

For the full Essential Thyroid Theory social series, join us at https://www.facebook.com/healthfulelements.

01/03/2022

I've been quiet here for a long time!

2021 was a year of transition for me. I'm happy to announce that I'm beginning the New Year energized as I join Healthful Elements.

You can see my blog post here...
https://www.healthfulelements.com/blog/2021/12/dr-elizabeth-naylor-joins-healthful-elements

We're kicking off the year with a series in support of Thyroid Awareness Month. Essential Thyroid Theory. I'll post a few of the series here, but if you want to follow the entire series, join me on the Healthful Elements page...
https://www.facebook.com/healthfulelements

08/07/2020

I'm so excited for this new Masterclass on such a life changing topic!!!

The first class is this Saturday, 11:00 Eastern/ 10:00 Central/ 8:00 Pacific (with 2 more to follow).

You know, in my 20's I used to think that Immune Resilience meant Advil, Sudafed, Benedryl (usually not all together....) and a hot line to an MD for an antibiotic every time I needed support for sinus infections.

That strategy did not work out well for me and I came crashing into a brick wall when within SIX MONTHS...

I was admitted one August to Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC with strange, meningitis-like symptoms. The newbie resident doctor used my spine as a pin cushion to get a sample to test. My husband could only see me in full quarantine garb. My 8-month old baby girl was suddenly weaned. My diagnosis was never clear and I was released 4 days later.
My 8-month old baby girl who was still primarily breastfed had already suffered one round of ear infections, treated with antibiotics by my amazing Pediatrician who taught Pediatrics at Mount Sinai. This was followed by THREE additional rounds of "ear infections" and antibiotics. I practically begged for another solution and was told there was nothing else to do... except treat the asthmatic symptoms with began to develop with steroids, a nebulizer and more medications.
Over the Christmas holidays our young family (Dad-32, Mom-30, Son-3, Daughter-1) was exposed to an especially strong version of the flu through a college nephew. Within 48 hours of exposure, we were all coming down with symptoms at the same time. We had our ups and downs for a few days and began to feel a little better. Then eight days in, the coughs deepened, the other three had a fever and I set an appointment to take the kids in the next day. Then my fever spiked at 1:00am and I was on the phone to my mom to get on the next flight... 6:00 am. We needed help!

We eventually developed two cases of bronchitis and 2 cases of pneumonia.

By February I was done with my standard medical solutions that didn't take prevention in to account. I was ready to explore time proven prevention strategies that were new to me and outside of what my medical doctors were taught in school.

I was ready to join the group of people who never get sick.
This is what I'm teaching in the Immune Resilience Masterclass.

I'm starting with the big picture, then covering some basics of immune resiliency and finally digging into the details of solutions that work for my family and my clients.

We have three classes lined up for August... We'd love for you to join one of them live!

Saturday, August 8th, 10:00-12:00 Central
Wednesday, August 12th, 3:00-5:00 Central
Saturday, August 15th, 10:00-12:00 Central

Over the last 15 years I've helped women (and a few enlightened guys) find clarity and confidence about their health as they discovered diet, lifestyle and natural solutions. 

07/22/2020

During this time of quarantine, upheaval, uncertainty, 24/7 togetherness and Zoom calls, I’ve been expanding my thinking on what it means to be truly alive. Free. Fulfilled.

This is in the midst of the chaotic emotions, more cooking than I ever imagined and dramatic shifts in my personal and business life. You know, all the normal things going on right now.

I’ve been listening to the inspirational podcasts, turning off the news, meditating, reaching out to friends and getting enough sleep and sunshine. But I was still struggling to really be at peace with the current situation.

In fact, I’ve been finding that the lack of distractions that were part of daily pre-covid life left me with enough time to really start thinking about my personal happiness and fulfillment. And the uncertainty of where we are can really get to me some days and leave me questioning everything.

So I decided to reach out to an amazing expert in the human experience to support me… we all need it!

She challenged me to make a list of 100+ things I like. And to put on music and dance, but that’s another post...

Not what I do with other people because they like it.

Not what is expected of me.

Not even what I’m grateful for.

Make a list of things that I like. A long list. A specific list.

Honestly, I didn’t think I could get past 10-20 things. I’d really gotten in such a place of “doing” that I forgot that there were things I like. And although some of them are limited by the current circumstances, others are actually more available to me because of the shift in how I spend my time.

Every morning, I’m adding to the list and I’m well past 100. My perspective has changed so much in a few short days that I wanted to share. I wanted to remind you that you have the power to create the most beautiful life you can imagine.

Here’s some of my list…. What’s on yours?

Reading… so many categories. Puzzles… crossword, jigsaw. Music… so many genres. Beautiful things… home decor, art, flowers, and more. Great coffee. A wide variety of nourishing foods. Red wine. Nature… forests, mountains, ocean, lakes, gardening, flowers. Travel, friends, learning, dancing and more!

07/04/2020

Happy 4th of July!

Freedom.

2020 has really challenged my sense of safety, comfort and control.

But I’m going to say in a good way… in a way that makes me remember how far I’ve come in the last 20 years. In a way that makes me want to show up for myself on a deeper level and show up for others who are struggling.

In a way that reminds me of what Viktor Frankl said, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

Do you long for more?

More energy? More clarity? More joy?

Are you doing all the things to keep it together and feeling pulled to the breaking point?

Do you have unusual, unexplainable symptoms that are baffling the best doctors and keeping you trapped? Feeling like a hypochondriac?

Autoimmune disease is often an undiagnosed piece of the equation.

People, on average, see 6 doctors over 4 years before they get a diagnosis of an autoimmune disease. And even with a diagnosis, the dirty little secret is that medications commonly used have crazy side effects.

Are you experiencing mood swings? Depression? Anxiety?

You might be surprised to know that depression and anxiety show up as the initial diagnosis in over 25% of women eventually diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. And that makes sense when you consider the suffering you endure for years before finding a correct diagnosis and solution.

Another dirty little secret is that effective solutions include diet & lifestyle in addition to the prudent use of medications that your doctor may suggest. So the question to ask yourself is, “Do I need a diagnosis before I can take action to feel better?”

If you’re ready to accelerate your journey to healing with diet and lifestyle solutions that drive big shifts, join us! In less than one hour each day you’ll get all the tools you need to feel confident in your next steps.

I’ll be going live on Zoom and in our private Facebook group every day at 9:00am Central. The recordings will be available in the private Facebook group and we’ll be supporting one another throughout the 5 days.

Join us to get your Autoimmune Answers!

https://dr-elizabeth-naylor.mykajabi.com/autoimmune-answers

07/03/2020

Hey, Busy Mama!

Congratulations on living life full out… for yourself, your family and your community. You’re the glue that holds the world together, starting with your little corner.

As a mama, with three young kids involved with all the things, I had no time to be sidelined.

No desire to blindly follow conventional wisdom and suffer from the side effects.

No patience for the message that this was out of my control.

I had no time for that nonsense.

I had too much living to do and impact to make.

And my kids needed my full energy. Full attention. Full joy.

My journey took me down a path of holistic nutrition, natural solutions and self care that I never would have imagined. The result is the work I do with women today.

Starting Monday, in less than an hour each day I’ll be taking a deep dive into the three step process I use to support my clients… Be Wise. Be Well. Be Resilient.

Mamas often enter just like I was… skeptical, confused, anxious and overwhelmed.

What they say when they leave is that they feel HOPEFUL. CONFIDENT. POWERFUL.

If you’re ready to work together to create solutions that fit your life, join us starting THIS MONDAY for the 5 Day Accelerator.

It’s more important than ever to feel clarity and confidence about your health.

https://dr-elizabeth-naylor.mykajabi.com/autoimmune-answers

06/26/2020

Did you know that women of color... black, hispanic, asian, native american... are 2-3x as likely to be diagnosed with Lupus, a debilitating auto-immune disease? And the symptoms show up much earlier in life for young black women.

Although there are no answers to why at the moment, I'm digging in to understand the issue and provide information and solutions.

If you're curious, join me next week for Autoimmune Answers: 5 Day Accelerator for Wise Women Seeking Abundant Solutions. I'd love to see you there!

https://dr-elizabeth-naylor.mykajabi.com/autoimmune-answers