I’m Magdalena.

Will this journey ever end?

Graves’ Disease (an autoimmune condition that causes hyperthyroidism).

Hashimoto’s Disease (an autoimmune condition that causes hypothyroidism) and adrenal fatigue stage 2.

I was diagnosed with Estrogen Dominance and high heavy metal toxicity.

I developed mysterious digestive issues which got diagnosed as SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth), a serious bacterial infection. During this time, while working on my cookbook, I discovered that I was highly sensitive to oxalates (compounds found in many wonderfully nutritious foods such as cacao, nuts, seeds, grains and many vegetables).

At age 44, I lost a battle to save my hips originating from congenital hip displacement and had a simultaneous bilateral hip replacement. It was a life-changing surgery that allowed me to live pain free again. Later that year, we launched our herbal program and my cookbook, Cooking for Hormone Balance.

Fully recovered from surgery and well on the mend. This year was busy creating a line of supplements which we later rebranded to Wellena.

The highlight of the year was a purchase of a mountain house just outside of Boulder, Colorado, and getting my dogs; Charlie and Nella. My health continues to improve and has been the best in over a decade.

A challenging year for everyone, but there’s always a silver lining. We connected more deeply with our audience in educating around wellness, rebranded our supplements to Wellena, and worked on releasing my next book – Overcoming Estrogen Dominance.

This year began with the launch of Overcoming Estrogen Dominance, my new book dedicated to the most common and undermined hormonal condition in women. After the launch, I got pretty sick, which was my body’s reminder that rest and downtime are necessary after a busy and stressful period. We also released Digestive Bitters which, I think, are the best-tasting bitters in the market. The team has grown to 14 women, which is exciting and scary all at the same time.

Even though COVID turned the whole world upside down, we’re still hard at work on new product launches. This year, we’re so excited to release a breast-health formula kit that will be transformative to many.

As you can see, my own body keeps me on my toes. I’ve accepted the fact that my health is a journey I will always be on and and there may not be a simple end to it. Instead of living life from a place of “when I get better, I will do/be (…),” I’ve trained myself to live full-out, now. Not later. Now.

Every part of my journey made me wiser, kinder, and more patient.

Today I’m in remission from Graves’ and Hashimoto’s, my adrenals feel rested, and I have managed to reverse my Estrogen Dominance (see lab work below). I feel better today than I did in my twenties.

As part of this exciting, often frustrating and self-discovering journey, I founded Thyroid Diet Coach, a highly successful nutrition practice helping women with thyroid conditions to heal and thrive. Hormones Balance is the expansion of this practice.

Every part of my healing journey had elements of significant dietary and lifestyle changes. I now believe in good, clean food and no restricted dieting.

What made a difference?

The true needle movers were the restoration of the digestive system, balance of the sugar levels, liver detoxification, and emotional wellbeing, like self-love. I put my trust in the healing powers of real food, sleep, and emotional healing.

If you came to this website, you are probably seeking help with food and sound lifestyle changes to help you reclaim your hormonal balance. I’m glad you did. My practice is driven by my passion to give you hope, knowledge, and direction to self-heal so you get your energy, weight, hair, joy and, optimism where you always wanted them to be.

Here is the full story

Reflecting on memory lane

Like most people, my journey with food and health started with a personal crisis. But first, let me provide a little context by giving you a bit of a backstory.

It started from the day I was born – I was not a breastfed baby. It was the early 1970s when the powdered milk companies bought the health industry and powdered milk was declared “richer in nutrients” than mother’s milk. From a very early age, I struggled with eczema and chronic ear infections.

On the contrary, my sister, as a breastfed baby, had no such issues.

Going into my teenage years, I then battled with cystic acne, yeast infections, ear infections, PMS, breast cysts, irregular periods, and chronic migraines. By the age of 28, I had pretty much tried every cream, antibiotic, Chinese herb, Western herb, and bogus diet. My face became scarred, dry, and tired and I had even more acne – on my back, arms and chest – and only deeper under the skin, my painful emotional scarring. I was reluctant to date boys, owned no open-back tops or dresses, and was reluctant to wear a bikini.

By our medical standards, I was a “healthy person.” I excelled in sports and I was academically strong and curious. It’s probably the sense of curiosity and the inner voice that pushed me to ask the so seemingly simple yet rare question: “Why is this happening to me?” I’m 28, I eat well, and yet I feel like a wreck.

A simple internet search pointed me in the direction of food. I started discovering the connection between food and many medical conditions that at first puzzled me and later consumed me with fascination. A simple blood test and an elimination diet showed I had a severe food sensitivity to gluten, dairy, and eggs. This was my first introduction to the works of the immune system and the gut. By cutting out gluten, dairy and, eggs from my diet, the inflammation of my body subsided so much so that my acne cleared up, my migraines were gone, and my periods showed up precisely every 28 days.

Early autoimmunity and
signs of Estrogen Dominance

I became what I thought was a “conscious and healthy eater.” Crusading for making the connection between food and health became part of my social DNA, to the delight of some friends and the dismay of others.

This time, to my disbelief, I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. More specifically, it was Graves’ disease, so I was put on medication, taken off it after six months, and declared “cured.”

Interestingly, about that time I realized I had a severe reaction to birth control pills – something I now know is a clear indication of a fragile hormonal balance and most likely an early sign of Estrogen Dominance.

Being a Type A personality, my advertising career took off at a lighting speed. I became very good in digital strategic planning and was the go-to person in the industry — jet-setting, pitching, and working on Fortune 100 and 500 brands, living the life many aspire to; a life we are told represents “personal growth” and “self-fulfillment.” Don’t get me wrong, I loved it deeply and completely. The way any addict loves his fix.

Hashimoto’s disease and adrenal fatigue

In spite of working long hours, I would go on long and straining runs, like this one here; running the mountains in Hong Kong. This over-training eventually led to adrenal fatigue. 

I was beginning to hate who I had become.

After all, I was always the strong, go-to person and showing vulnerability was not part of my DNA or my vocabulary.

It was a very lonely time. I did not want to admit to anyone what I was going through, and the few people I tried explaining it to gave me the “we are all tired” look, “slow down a bit,” or the ridiculous “but you are so healthy” comment.

So that you know – Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disease in which our own immune system starts attacking the thyroid, mistaking it for a foreign object. As a result, the thyroid starts declining in its function and you become sluggish, foggy brained, and depressed. The thyroid is a gland with a huge impact on the nervous system, metabolism, digestion, and skin/nails.

My crusade for answers started again – this time in the offices of multiple endocrinologists, Chinese traditional medicine doctors, holistic healers, a library of books, endless internet research hours and emails, and calls to people who I found out had it. I was determined to get to the bottom of it, the same way I dealt with my acne and migraines 10 years earlier.

I never went on any medication as my TSH, T4 and T3 levels were “normal.” However, my TPO antibodies were over 1,000 (the norm is <35) but since the only medication they had were steroids, I decided to pass. Western medicine had nothing to offer a Hashimoto’s patient. No hope, no resources, no dietary advice, just a plain “we have no cure.”

With this came a realization that today’s medicine and doctors failed me and millions of other thyroid patients and … I was on my own.

The food + toxicity + thyroid connection

The one thing I kept coming across over and over again is that toxicity found in food, environment, and our emotions has a huge impact on the thyroid and the overall hormonal balance in women.

I was committed to my health and the healing process. I decided to slow down and clean up my act. I took a big step back. I quit my job, and moved out of toxic Shanghai to begin a new job in Seattle. These life choices are counter-intuitive when you’re a Type A personality.

We women push ourselves to our utter limits in the workplace to gain confidence, self-esteem, and validation. As I know today, this can be one of the leading causes of hormonal imbalance in women. If only I had known it then…

The beginning of healing

I’m often asked “So, how did you do it?” Since it’s not commonly known how to successfully manage an autoimmune disorder, this is a very valid question to which I have no short answer. I don’t want you to think I’m oversimplifying it by saying that I just cut out what was toxic and inflammatory in terms of food, water, and emotions.

It really is that simple.

In spite of being a “good eater” (by whose standards?), I was still sick. So I further cut out what was toxic to my hormonal balance and added what was densely nourishing.

Nutrition School

I graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition as part of my healing journey and became a Certified Holistic Health Coach. Through this experience, I realized that my healing path will be different from yours as we are all different from each other. The school helped me learn the principles of bio-individuality; every person needs to eat and heal differently. This is something I apply actively in my practice today.

Losing my job

In spite of taking a “slower” job, I got laid-off, and I soon got another job offer to work on one of the leading junk food brands; the key strategy was getting kids and families addicted to junk food. My stomach turned upside down.

For the first time in my life, I got physically ill at the thought of working on a client’s agenda. This was the day I realized that A: as long as I work for someone, I will never be able to determine my destiny and B: it’s time to apply my advertising skills to impact the masses for better causes.

Remission, living symptom-free, and
Thyroid Diet Coach

Here is when I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s in 2008 (click to enlarge): As you can see the TSH, Free T3 and Free T4 levels were “within range” but my antibodies were sky-high. Most of all, I suffered from so many symptoms which the doctors dismissed.

These are the results after having made diet and lifestyle changes (click to enlarge): As you can see, I’m symptom free. My TPO antibodies are still slightly elevated and I am working hard to get them to below 35 but… I also chose to primarily focus on the fact that I’ve been feeling simply… amazing.

This is why and how I set up my first nutrition practice called Thyroid Diet Coach.

Estrogen Dominance

In 2012, despite of feeling good and having learned how to manage Hashimoto’s and honor my adrenals, I started experiencing bouts of hair loss. It would come and go every three months or so. I knew this was not due to the shampoos I was using, my diet, or stress as they are all well-managed.

Further tests revealed two problems: Estrogen Dominance (based the 2/16 hydroxyestrone ratio) and heavy metal toxicity.

Frustrating? You bet. After all these years of working on my health, eating and living clean, letting go of whatever was toxic – emotionally and physically – and here I am, still not where I should be.

But you know what? A simple reframe did the magic. I thought to myself: “If there is a problem, there must be an opportunity.” What can I learn from it? And learn I did.

I dove, yet again, into research and connected with people in the industry who knew this stuff. It’s easy to get lost in the craziness of the internet. I’ve come to realize it can be a friend as much as a foe that creates anxiety, confusion, and ultimately a paralysis where you do not take any action as you just do not know where and how to start.

I got to work and learned how to balance my hormones. In short: there were two main concerns I had to address: my liver and the old amalgam fillings in my mouth. I had the latter removed by a specialized dentist. Expensive but highly overdue and well worth it. As for Estrogen Dominance, I focused on further detoxifying my liver with a tailor-made protocol.

I blogged about the details of what I did here, but if you do not want to read another long article, the summary of the results are:

• My hair loss stopped and I started having lots of baby hair growing back.
• My PMS is totally gone – even in my good days I always had a bit of a mood dip not noticeable to others but me. Now I feel absolutely nothing.
• My periods are painless and I do not get bloated at all. And yes, bloating is yet another symptom of Estrogen Dominance that we’ve grown to accept as a “norm” of every woman’s menstrual reality.
• Those stubborn seven strands of hair on my chin and rather dark hair above my lips stopped growing. Facial growth (under your chin and above your lips) are also a sign of Estrogen Dominance, or high androgens (male hormones).

All of it is not surprising, as my lab work has significantly improved, namely:

• DMy TPO antibodies dropped from 138 to 66 (more on that below).
• The marker for Estrogen Dominance (ED), 2:16 a-Hydroxyestrogen improved from 0.35 to 0.54 which means I no longer have Estrogen Dominance.
• My mercury and lead levels dropped to “normal” levels.
• My cortisol levels are mostly in “normal” range, too, with a slight elevation at 12.30pm – something to work on.
• My reverse T3 (rT3) level dropped significantly. This is another great marker to observe as it’s often elevated due to Estrogen Dominance and adrenal issues. rT3 acts like T3 but instead of powering you up, it parks itself in the T3 receptors, does nothing and, worse still, it blocks the real T3 from coming in and doing its job. T3 is what gives you healthy hair, good skin, energy, clarity of mind, etc.

This is pretty personal stuff but I want to share this with you so you know that amazing changes can happen when you do the right things. I scanned my results and highlighted the changes – before and after (see below).

Cortisol (stress hormone) reduction
(click below to see full size)

Reverse T3 reduction
(click below to see full size)

Today and Hormones Balance

Having worked for years with women with thyroid issues, it is rare to see a woman suffering from only one hormonal imbalance. It became inevitable for me to learn to look holistically at what causes other hormonal imbalance in women. This is what led me to creating Hormones Balance – a coaching practice dedicated to balancing hormones naturally.

As for me, I’m happier and healthier than ever. I’m 49 years old today and I feel better than I felt when I was 25. In fact, I am probably more energetic than most 25-year-olds. My mission in life is to inspire you, give you hope, and the knowledge that you can heal, too. Our body is an amazing machine; just give it a chance to heal naturally.

Putting the puzzle together

Looking back at it now, I clearly see what had happened. As a non-breast-fed baby, my immune system was never strong and probably never will be. I’ve learned to accept it. This is why eczema and ear infections plagued my early life.

Being overly sensitive to food and environment is also the result of a suppressed immune system – this is why I’m gluten-, dairy- and egg-intolerant today.

Having lived through the Chernobyl disaster and having consumed fresh milk and veggies one week after the explosion (the officials hid the news from the public), also had a profound effect on my thyroid, as well as millions of other women’s.

Being in a highly stressed job I exhausted my adrenals which are so hugely connected to the thyroid. I remember falling asleep after vigorous work-out routines; now I know the adrenals were just screaming for help.

Years of living in China and my lifestyle choices had a profound impact on the toxicity of my liver – this probably led to Estrogen Dominance and the bouts of hair loss.

A message for you

All I want you to take from my story is this: there is hope and there is viable healing. Our body has an amazing capability to heal and recover. Just give it a chance by nourishing it with highly nutritionally-dense food and cutting out toxicity. Modern medicine, as we know it and trust it, does not always have the answers. Activate your inner voice and start searching for solutions outside of commonly prescribed medication.

Sharing a few personal photos with you

I always combine vacations with some culinary education. Here, I’m with my friend Jenny McGruther from Nourished Kitchen at a culinary retreat in Tuscany, Italy.

At the Harper Collins office, the publisher of my first book – one of many exciting days of my career.

My love for good, clean food extends to camping as well. We camped at a volcano in Iceland.

This is the studio where we shot my first cookbook in Vancouver, BC.

2.5 months after double hip replacement – on Mount Sanitas in Boulder, CO which is a challenging mountain to scale.

10 years ago I wrote on a vision board that I wanted to live in the mountains, in a rustic house, and be surrounded by nature. As they say – be careful what you wish for.

We rebranded our supplement line and added a skincare line – Wellena. I have the best team ever!