Janis Joplin May Have Had a Thyroid Problem

Janis:  well-known for her voice 

"Katie with the voice."  

That's what someone called me my Freshman year at college, to remember my name.

I had no idea what she was talking about.  

Growing up in Mobile, Alabama, I went to a small school with the same people my whole life.  And knowing me my whole life, my voice was nothing of distinction.

Since that first year of college, I've had many comments on my voice.  "It's sexy."  "Gravel-y."  "What's wrong with your voice?"  "You must have nodules on your vocal cords.  You should get surgery."  "I love your voice.  It's so unique."

All I know is that, back in my partying days, I would lose my voice all too often.

But this is all about to change.  My voice, that is.  If Laurel at Organic Harvest has anything to say about it.

on Hwy 31 in Hoover - yummy!

My neighbor told me about "a woman at that organic grocery store on Highway 31 who would look at your eyes and make you a smoothie with whatever supplements you need."

My neighbor was off a little bit.  I went into the store.  I found Laurel.  She's a peppy woman of about sixty with clear eyes and a bright smile.  She has traces of hippie in her, but a clean, well-spoken hippie.  

I asked her if she would read my eyes.

She stared into them for a few instances, then began rattling off, not on the supplements that she would put into a smoothie, but on symptoms I've had since before I could remember.  Dry skin, thin hair, crackly voice (which she noticed of course), joint issues (super-recent), etc. etc.  

"You have some thyroid issues.  It's affecting your liver....." ...and more. 

Then she told me that more than likely, I needed more iodine in my diet.  She claimed that many, many people have thyroid issues that go undiagnosed and can lead to things, including heart problems, anxiety, and depression, to name just a few!  

She said a lot more, but honestly she was speaking so fast, and there was so much new information, I didn't catch it all.  What stuck however is that, when she was 19, doctors told her she was going to die.  She said she knew in her heart that she wasn't, but that she was going to have to do some work in order to live.  She researched and experimented with alternative treatments, curing herself.  Now she's offering her expertise at Organic Harvest in Birmingham, Alabama.  She's not a doctor, she doesn't have a Ph.D., nor a Masters.  She works at an organic store and educated people on diet and health...in her own way.  And she gets her information by observing the irises of your eyes!

So consult with her at your own risk.

I for one did not see any harm in taking her prescription: 

(Paraphrased)  "Take your temperature 3 times a day for 4 days.  Also, get some iodine from the drug store and paint it on your inner arm.  Let me know the results of both."  

And then her promise:  "You will see.  You're going to have more energy than you knew you could have.  Your body has had to work really hard to overcompensate for your thyroid."

It turns out my temperature was almost 2 degrees below normal!  And the iodine soaked into my arm within three hours.  With some people, it takes 24 hours!  My body really wanted it!

So now, I'm slowly integrating a specific type of iodine that she recommended.  I'm taking Vitamin A.  And a little Magnesium (suggested by someone else.)  

It's only been a week.  Have I noticed a difference?  I'd like to say yes, but honestly, I don't know.  I'm going to give it another week or two, then I will report back to Laurel and let her know if there has been improvements in my temperature and the way I feel.  

So... if you don't recognize me on the phone in the next month or so, I'll know I'm on the right track.  

Windows to the soul...and perhaps your physical ailments too!