“Just because you get a diagnosis, doesn’t mean it’s a life sentence. You can take back control and heal. It takes time, consistency, and a lot of self-love—but it’s absolutely possible.”
-Heather

Since her teens, Heather Gray had struggled with her health. She experienced digestive issues, brain fog, pain, extreme fatigue, and mental health challenges—far-ranging symptoms that sent her from doctor to doctor in search of answers.

But it was a clue from her son that led her to start unraveling some of her health mysteries. At age two, Heather’s son had been diagnosed with celiac disease, but she had not yet connected her own symptoms to the autoimmune disorder as well.

“Once I did the tests—stool and DNA—it confirmed what I suspected: I had two genetic markers—one from each parent,” she says.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder where the body has an abnormal immune response to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. After finding that first autoimmune disorder, she immediately went on a strict gluten-free diet.

Finding Hashimoto’s

As Heather began her 40s, she still experienced symptoms like bloating, brain fog, and fatigue. New ones crept in as well: difficulty losing weight, cold extremities, and heart palpitations—all classic symptoms of an underactive thyroid. She had seen a functional medicine doctor, but she had never tested Heather’s thyroid antibodies.

After requesting testing, she did, in fact, discover elevated thyroid antibodies, indicating Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune hypothyroid condition. This time, Heather found she needed a more complete thyroid panel, which included testing of anti-TPO antibodies, anti-Tg antibodies, and TSH levels—all key in diagnosing Hashimoto’s disease.

Already gluten-free, Heather took further steps to reduce the inflammation in her body and address Hashimoto’s. Diet became the foundation of her healing.

“I had to dive deeper and get clean with absolutely no grains, no dairy, no corn, because of how they cross react, especially with the Hashimoto’s and the thyroid,” she says. Heather explains that those with gluten sensitivity may experience molecular mimicry, where the immune system confuses other foods—like dairy, corn, and oats—for gluten and trigger symptoms.

In addition to maintaining a strict grain- and dairy-free diet, Heather added iodine and selenium to support her thyroid. “The results were almost immediate—within six months, my symptoms improved dramatically,” she recalls.

Ending Endo

Since her teens, Heather had long endured painful periods, with cramping and lower back pain that led to a diagnosis of endometriosis. While endo isn’t categorized as an autoimmune disorder, studies have found it is often associated with other autoimmune conditions such as lupus, Sjogren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune thyroid disorders, and others.

For endo, Heather underwent a hysterectomy in 2020 to address severe symptoms, including anemia from heavy bleeding with periods and chronic pelvic pain. “Even after surgery, I had pain for six months to a year,” she says. “But once I refined my diet and reduced my stress, the symptoms gradually faded.”

Heather found that, for Hashimoto’s and endometriosis, plus other factors such Lyme disease and mold exposure, a whole-body, anti-inflammatory approach broadly helped calm her symptoms. That’s allowed her to put Hashimoto’s and endometriosis into remission, along with Lyme disease, which was diagnosed in her 30s.

After experimenting with diet, Heather landed on a Paleo approach as the best for keeping down inflammation. She stays away from processed food and even nuts, which can be inflammatory unless they’re soaked or sprouted.

Does she occasionally stray from her diet? For her, certain foods are an absolute no—like gluten, which can spike inflammation for weeks. “I hate to be that bearer of bad news, but there is no moderation when you have autoimmune,” she says.

Healing the Emotional Side

Heather’s journey wasn’t just about food and supplements. Recognizing the critical role of emotional health, Heather made trauma work a priority.

“There’s a strong link between early trauma and chronic illness. The higher your ACE score, the greater your risk for autoimmune disease,” she says, referring to the Adverse Childhood Experiences study. Heather stresses the importance of shadow work, nervous system retraining, and learning to love and accept yourself fully.

A Part-Time Job: Maintaining Remission Through Self-Care

Over time, Heather has added numerous other tactics to further her health, from self-care to reducing or clearing toxins. “My self-care feels like a part-time job, but it’s better than being full-time sick,” she says.

Her protocol includes skin brushing, sauna sessions, castor oil packs, coffee enemas, red-light therapy, meditation, breath work, and nervous system retraining.

Heather also avoids over-exercising, focusing instead on walking, yoga, and strength training. “Over-exercising stresses the body,” she says. “For people with autoimmune issues, it’s about finding the right balance—enough movement to stay healthy without overdoing it.”

She recently added a Carol bike to her routine. “It’s an amazing bike that gives me a full cardio workout in just eight minutes, twice a week,” she says. “With my genetics, long cardio sessions cause inflammation, and this bike has been a game-changer.”

Another key part of Heather’s regimen is stress management. “I use the Apollo Neuro device to keep my stress levels down. I also make sure to turn off Wi-Fi at night to reduce environmental stress.”

Living a Life in Remission

Today, Heather’s Hashimoto’s and endometriosis are in remission, and her celiac disease is kept under control with diet. She’s grateful for the lessons learned along the way and now helps others reach similar results as a Functional Diagnostic Nutritionist (FDN) Practitioner. She teaches others how to take care of themselves, reduce inflammation, and take charge of their health journey.

“I want people to know that just because you get a diagnosis doesn’t mean it’s a life sentence,” Heather says. “You can take back control and heal. It takes time, consistency, and a lot of self-love—but it’s absolutely possible.”

Find and follow Heather at https://renegadehealthboss.com/ and @renegade_health_boss on Instagram.

The Steps That Helped

  • Diet changes – Heather removed gluten, grains, dairy, and processed foods, focusing on whole, nutrient-dense meals.
  • Thyroid support – Along with an anti-inflammatory diet, supplements like iodine and selenium helped balance her thyroid.
  • Managing stress – Heather incorporated meditation, breath work, and nervous system retraining to reduce stress.
  • Trauma work – Emotional healing through trauma work and shadow work was critical in reversing her autoimmune symptoms.
  • Moderate exercise – Heather focused on yoga, walking, and strength training, avoiding overly intense workouts.
  • Detox and gut support – Coffee enemas, binders, and red-light therapy helped her remove toxins and encourage cellular healing.