Back in March, first-time mom Michelle Madrigal reached her pre-baby weight goal of 120 pounds with hard work, exercise, and diet.
But shortly after this victory, Michelle is now facing another challenge concerning her health.
The former actress announced on Instagram that she was recently diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease, which, according to the Mayo Clinic, is "a condition in which your immune system attacks your thyroid, a small gland at the base of your neck below your Adam's apple."
She elaborated, "It means that my immune system makes antibodies that attack the thyroid gland.
"The thyroid becomes damaged and can’t make enough thyroid hormones."
In her Instagram post, Michelle further revealed that she also developed an enlarged thyroid or goiter.
She also said that her disease affects nearly every organ in one's body since the thyroid hormones control how the body uses energy.
But the 29-year-old health and fitness enthusiast is not giving up.
Part of Michelle's caption read: "I am lucky that I am not prescribed with any medications yet...And TBH, I would rather heal myself in a holistic way.
"I have been doing my research on AIP diet and paleo diet, so I will most likely start with it after our vacation.
"I started cutting sugar & gluten into my diet, and it is amazing that I am not really craving sweets lately."
Medical News Today reports that the Auto Immune Protocol (AIP) Diet "is designed to help reduce inflammation in the body to relieve the symptoms of autoimmune disorders" such as the Hashimoto's Disease.
The AIP diet is a stricter version of Paleo, which subscribes to eating meat, fish, vegetables, seeds, and nuts. AIP encourages eating of whole foods and avoidance of dairy, grains, sugar, and alcohol among others.
Just like her quest to get her pre-baby bod back, Michelle is ready to manage her condition the natural way.
She ended her Instagram post saying, "I know healing my gut is just the first step, but dealing with daily stress and emotional flare ups is also another thing.
"I really am on a huge 'transition phase' of my life this year.
"So here’s to healing naturally and being healthy from the inside out!"
You go, Mama!
