Skip to content

Your healing journey begins here!

Instagram Facebook
  • start hereHome
  • meet heatherAbout
  • work with meServices
The Wholistic Advocate
  • learnBlog
  • ExploreResources
  • let’s chatContact
The Wholistic Advocate
What Lab Markers Can Reveal About Your Gut Health Without a Stool Test
Gut health & Digestion | Labs & Testing

What Lab Markers Can Reveal About Your Gut Health Without a Stool Test

You don’t always need a stool test to get insights into your gut health. Sometimes, the clues are quietly sitting in your routine labs, like…

Read More What Lab Markers Can Reveal About Your Gut Health Without a Stool TestContinue

Hydration for Energy & Wellness: More Than Just Drinking Water
Detoxification | Gut health & Digestion | Nutrition | Root Cause Wellness

Hydration for Energy & Wellness: More Than Just Drinking Water

We’ve all heard it before—“Drink more water!” But what if I told you that hydration is about more than just drinking plain water? A whole-body…

Read More Hydration for Energy & Wellness: More Than Just Drinking WaterContinue

The Hidden Cause of Acid Reflux: Why Low Stomach Acid Might Be the Real Problem
Gut health & Digestion

The Hidden Cause of Acid Reflux: Why Low Stomach Acid Might Be the Real Problem

When people experience acid reflux, heartburn, or GERD, the common assumption is that they have too much stomach acid. This belief has been widely perpetuated…

Read More The Hidden Cause of Acid Reflux: Why Low Stomach Acid Might Be the Real ProblemContinue

Blog Post Categories

  • Detoxification
  • Gut health & Digestion
  • Labs & Testing
  • Nutrition
  • Root Cause Wellness
  • Thyroid

Missed Something?

Recent Posts

My Thyroid Labs are Normal, But I still Feel Terrible:  What Does That Actually Mean?
Labs & Testing · Thyroid

My Thyroid Labs are Normal, But I still Feel Terrible:  What Does That Actually Mean?

gut health without stool test
Gut health & Digestion · Labs & Testing

What Lab Markers Can Reveal About Your Gut Health Without a Stool Test

Hydration for Energy & Wellness: More Than Just Drinking Water
Detoxification · Gut health & Digestion · Nutrition · Root Cause Wellness

Hydration for Energy & Wellness: More Than Just Drinking Water

Heather Mills, BA, CTNC, MBCE

thewholisticadvocate

Functional Nutritionist/Root Cause Wellness/Holistic Cancer Coach
When I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, I underst When I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, I understood that it was an autoimmune condition. What I didn't understand was what radioactive iodine (RAI), a treatment recommended to me, would actually mean for me long-term. I was led to believe that destroying my thyroid would essentially get rid of the Hashimoto's. What I didn't realize was that RAI wasn't treating the underlying autoimmunity. It was destroying the thyroid. And once my thyroid could no longer produce enough hormone, I would need thyroid hormone replacement for the rest of my life. That's a very different thing. And here's the part that really gets me: I eventually got my Hashimoto's into remission. The autoimmune process could become quiet. But the thyroid tissue that had been destroyed wasn't coming back. So I still needed medication. This is one of the reasons I'm so passionate about helping people understand the difference between managing the consequences of a condition and actually looking at what may be driving it. Sometimes the treatment you receive can solve one problem…while creating a permanent consequence that you may not have fully understood when you made the decision. I wish I had known then what I know now. And that's exactly why I believe you should understand your options, ask questions, and advocate for yourself before making decisions about your health. You deserve to understand what a treatment will actually do—not just what you're told it will do. Question the system. Educate yourself. Advocate for yourself. #hashimotos #autoimmunehealth #thyroidhealth #radioactiveiodinetreatment #functionalnutrition #rootcause
Your thyroid doesn't actually make the thyroid hor Your thyroid doesn't actually make the thyroid hormone your body uses most. That sounds a little confusing, right? Your thyroid primarily produces T4. But T4 isn't the most active thyroid hormone. Your body has to convert T4 into T3, the active form that gets to work in your cells—helping regulate energy, metabolism, body temperature, heart rate, and so much more. So what happens when that conversion doesn't happen efficiently? Symptoms can arise. And this is one reason I don't believe thyroid health should be reduced to a single lab value. You can have T4 available in your bloodstream and still not be converting it into T3 as efficiently as your body needs. So if you're feeling exhausted, struggling with your weight, feeling unusually cold, dealing with brain fog, or experiencing other symptoms of low thyroid function…don't automatically assume your thyroid is “fine” just because one number is normal. There may be more to the story. Question the system. Educate yourself. Advocate for yourself. #ThyroidHealth #ThyroidAwareness #Hypothyroidism #T3 #FunctionalNutrition
If you've been struggling to lose weight despite e If you've been struggling to lose weight despite eating well and exercising, you've probably heard some version of: “Just eat less and exercise more.” And maybe you've tried. You cut calories. You exercised more. You tried to be “good.” And somehow…your body didn't get the memo. Here's what gets missed: Thyroid hormones play an important role in regulating metabolism, energy production, body temperature, and how much energy your body uses. So when thyroid function isn't optimal, simply pushing harder on the calories-in/calories-out equation may not address the whole problem. And no, I'm not saying calories don't matter. I'm saying your metabolism isn't a calculator. Your body is constantly responding to hormones, nutrients, stress, sleep, activity, and energy availability. So if you're doing everything you're “supposed” to do and your body still isn't responding the way you expect…maybe the answer isn't to try harder. Maybe it's time to ask why. That's a very different approach to weight management. And frankly, I think women deserve that conversation. Question the system. Educate yourself. Advocate for yourself. #weightgain #weightloss #thyroidhealth #metabolichealth #hormonehealth #functionalnutrition #advocateforyourself
I have a lot of thoughts about cancer care. And o I have a lot of thoughts about cancer care. And one of the biggest ones is this: I wish more people knew they don't always have to make a treatment decision immediately. When you're told you have cancer, it's very easy to go into panic mode. You hear “cancer” and your brain immediately goes to: Get it out. Get rid of it. Start treatment. Do something. I know because I've watched someone I love go through it. When my husband was diagnosed with brain cancer, I saw firsthand how overwhelming a cancer diagnosis can be—and how quickly you can find yourself trying to make huge decisions while you're still trying to process what just happened. But here's the thing...sometimes there is time to slow down. Time to understand your diagnosis. Time to ask questions. Time to get a second opinion. Time to learn about your options. Time to ask what happens if you wait. Time to figure out what you actually want to do. That doesn't mean every cancer can—or should—be treated by waiting. Some cancers absolutely require prompt action. But you won't know how urgent your situation really is if you don't ask. And I think that's where we need to get better at questioning the system. Not because every doctor is wrong. Not because conventional cancer treatment doesn't have value. But because you deserve to understand the decisions being made about your body. Your cancer diagnosis is not the end of the conversation. It's the beginning of a whole lot of questions. And if you're sitting there thinking, “I don't even know what questions I'm supposed to be asking”...that's where I can help. I've spent years learning about cancer, nutrition, and the things that often get overlooked when the focus is solely on treating the cancer. You don't have to figure it all out alone. Navigating cancer and don't know where to start? I'm here to help.
Load More Follow on Instagram

Archives

  • August 2026
  • February 2026
  • April 2025
  • February 2025

Subscribe

Never miss a thing! Subscribe now to get the latest news.

Instagram Email Facebook
  • Home
  • About
  • Services
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy

© 2026 The Wholistic Advocate

Design by Studio Mommy

  • Home
  • About
  • Services
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
Search