holistic health – mind. body. soul.

The Most Undiagnosed Condition – Thyroid Disease

This is an issue near and dear to my heart!  When I was 19 years old, I was diagnosed with Graves disease. Graves disease is an autoimmune disease that causes your thyroid to produce too much thyroid hormone causing hyperthyroidism. I spent months not knowing what was wrong with me before finally going to the doctor as my symptoms got worse.  Even though I was super-hyper I also had extreme exhaustion all in the same day not to mention all the other symptoms that come along with Graves. Although Graves disease dates back to the 1800’s, I don’t remember not one doctor explaining to me that this is an autoimmune disorder.   Frankly in the 80’s doctors believed there is not much you can do about an autoimmune disorder and even now 30 years later there is this very same misconception. Honestly, I found that out through my own research when I started studying health and nutrition many years later that Graves disease was an autoimmune disorder. Not having a thyroid now has honestly made complications with weight management as well as just regulating the amount of thyroid hormone I need to take to keep everything else in check in my body.  This makes me very frustrated because I could have possibly avoided having my entire thyroid removed.

According to Dr. Mercola, your thyroid is responsible for producing metabolism hormones that control every function in your body.  When your thyroid levels are out of balance, so are you. Too much or too little hormone secretion in this gland can wreak havoc for your overall health.  Hormones secreted by your thyroid interact with all your other hormones, including insulin, cortisol, and sex hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. The fact that these hormones are all tied together and are in constant communication explains why a less-than-optimal thyroid status is associated with so many widespread symptoms and diseases.

Yet so many people are living with thyroid symptoms and not even know it.  Or, have just settled on taking synthetic hormones to try to help regulate your thyroid but yet still suffering.  Synthyroid  was one of the top selling drugs in this country for the last several years.  Crazy!  It’s why I went in the health & wellness field in the first place so I can help people heal naturally.  Unfortunately, for me it’s a bit too late to change my thyroid condition but it may not be for you.  Did you know that eating gluten is the one of the worst things you can eat if you have a thyroid condition?  Did you know that eating iodine rich foods such as sea vegetables can help nourish your thyroid.  Of course, this is not the only thing but don’t be fooled into thinking there is nothing you can do to help nourish and regulate your thyroid.

The truth is approximately 30% of the population will get a thyroid related condition in their lifetimes.  It’s slightly higher if you’re a woman. And 60% of those people, who will have thyroid disease…

They won’t ever know what’s making them so sick.

Thyroid disease and it’s many different types and conditions is far, far more common than you might think – and it’s one of the most often misdiagnosed medical conditions on the planet. Furthermore, the treatments offered by conventional medicine are seriously lacking, but there are solutions that no one really knows about- I want to change that.

Even if you’ve never even considered the idea that you might have a thyroid problem, I urge you to take a minute and watch the trailer to an explosive new documentary.  It was created by Dr. Izabella Wentz, a pharmacist who was diagnosed with thyroid disease and wouldn’t accept a lifetime of suffering.  She has put together an amazing documentary and it’s called The Thyroid Secret and the World Premier will be released on March 1st – Absolutely FREE for everyone to watch online!

Watch the trailer now and reserve your spot for the main event!   Dr. Wentz has also put together an online quiz if you are interested in finding out if any of your symptoms might be related to your thyroid.

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Chronic Inflammation – “The Silent Killer”

10 Common Symptoms that may be Related to Silent/Chronic inflammation

  1. acne
  2. allergies
  3. acid reflux
  4. asthma
  5. obesity
  6. depression
  7. joint pain
  8. eczema/psoarsis
  9. high blood pressure
  10. colitis 

Often chronic inflammation is referred to as “the silent killer”.  It sounds dramatic but it’s the cause of many chronic and/or debilitating diseases such as autoimmune, heart disease and  cancer to name a few.   It’s quite different than acute inflammation (ie. abscess) where your body’s immune activity is aggressive but short term.  In the case of an abscess, an infectious organism or foreign material may cause an inflammatory response in the body, which triggers the body’s immune system to form a capsule to contain the infection and prevent it from spreading to other parts of the body.  Chronic inflammation happens over time and you may not notice it until a symptom that you think is totally unrelated pops up.  Something such as a migraine headache from time to time or high cholesterol levels and even weight gain.  Your immune systems top priority is to defend against outside threats and keep you balanced.  Chronic inflammation is a continued response and there is no resting because it’s job is never done like an acute response.  Chronic inflammation processes can be the bronchial wall in chronic bronchitis/asthma or the debilitating destruction of the joints associated with rheumatoid arthritis. 

Chronic disease is a serious problem here in the United States.  The Center for Disease Control reports that nearly half the population in the United States of America lives with at least one chronic disease.  The pharmaceutical industry is a billion dollar business in the U.S. alone and it’s only growing.  To matters worse, a lot of the side affects from prescription drugs cause more illnesses especially statin drugs or medications for acid reflux.  All those illnesses that end with “itis” are all related to chronic inflammation.  

It has become a serious problem and is only going to get worse unless we take control of our health.  The very food you are eating could be making it worse as well as the right food can make you feel better.  Which is why bio-individuality is so very important.  What’s good for one might be bad for another person. Good nutrition can make all the difference in getting you there. Getting healthy takes time and patience is a virtue ~ you didn’t get sick overnight and it may take a while to regain your health depending on the cause.   There is no magic pill or potion that is going to make it all disappear so why use a band-aid approach to cover symptoms.  

Research shows it’s preventable so eating an anti-inflammatory diet is a start in the right direction!   You need to turn off the inflammatory response!  A lot of these diseases are thought to be normal as we age.  There is nothing normal about joint pain.  Yes, if you are sedentary for most of your life you might expect to be stiff but it’s never too late to add movement to your life.  Yoga is an excellent practice to add to your life at any stage.  The benefits of yoga go far beyond the exercise.  It’s a mind, body and spiritual practice that can also bring lots of peace to your life. Stress itself is another issue that adds to inflammation in your body.  The list goes on and on.  Let’s take control of our health, you know your body better than anyone else.  Listen to it!  

Please leave a comment below if you have any questions or contact me directly.  And, of course never discontinue a medication unless consulting your physician or medical provider.

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Intentions vs. Resolutions For 2017

I can’t believe 2016 is coming to a close in just a few days!  It’s one of my favorite times of the year!  You get to reset no matter what the past year has been like ~ of course you can do that every day but there is something special about the beginning of a brand new year!  Unfortunately, we sometimes set unrealistic goals that we never achieve!  Research shows that resolutions last but a mere few weeks.  Before you know it they all have fallen off the wayside by the second week of February if they even lasted that long.  Mostly because we start obsessing over things we can’t have, shouldn’t do, or mustn’t think about.  It’s just natural for our minds to start seeing these things as desirable. 

For the last few years, I make it a practice which intertwines both personally and professionally to make an intention list of what I want my year to be look like!  An intention is much more well… intendedand in alignment with the result you are looking to achieve.  It works toward progress of achieving it instead of perfection and be let down.  Rather than drastically giving up something (unless it totally does not serve well in your life ~ ie. alcohol and sugar), try working on what would be good for me “today” and serves me well.  Possibly going for a walk just to get moving if you barely stepped foot in the gym would work better than signing up for a membership than barely getting there!   When you have big goals most times overwhelm sets in and you don’t know what to do first as well as make unrealistic ones that are hard to stick to.  Keep the intention list with you!  Keep it on your desk, fridge or wherever you will see it often – make multiple copies.  I also love to create vision boards ~ they are a great tool that keeps you focused and inspired.  Setting an intention should be attainable and something that is within your control.  For example, if health and wellbeing is on the top of your list possibly spending some alone time before your day starts.  Write in a journal or even a brain dump that you can write on a piece of paper that just gets things off your mind so you are more clear (you can even throw it away).  Meditating each morning is another great way to start your day while keeping your intentions in hand.  It tells the universe that you are looking for ways to attain them.  Mediation is a powerful tool don’t discount it!  It can help center yourself and worry less!  My list looks like above and doesn’t include drastic unrealistic ones that I know will never happen and just on a wish list!

So here’s to a fantastic 2017!!! May it bring you loads of success, joy, health & peace!  I’m really looking forward to making great things happen in 2017!! 

Please leave a comment below and tell me about how are you going to make 2017 your best year yet!

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Detoxing and Cleansing

’Tis the season where we are overloaded with goodies and/or alcoholic beverages.  It happens to everyone, we fall off of our healthy living habits and we over indulge more than we should or care to think about.  It starts at Thanksgiving and continues though the holiday season leaving us to forget about our health for the time being as well as all the other gatherings throughout the year.  It’s not until we start to feel fatigued, our pants a little more snug and/or brain fog sets in that we realize we are out of balance.  With so much misinformation coming at us from every angle it’s hard to figure what’s what in health and our food! 

I do believe there is a difference!  A detox is just that ridding your body of toxins.  Most likely starting from the very environment we live in.  It’s almost impossible to avoid all chemicals – its in the air we breathe.  But top that with chemicals in our food as well as heavy metals, smoking, cleaning products, makeup, hair and poor skincare products and your body gets overloaded and weighed down and just doesn’t work properly.  Sometimes a good detox in supporting specific organs is in order to help you bring your body back to it’s natural balance.

A cleanse on the other hand helps clear out your digestive system and enhances your bodies natural detoxification system.  It helps rid your body of toxic matter that is clogging your digestive system.  With so many people using them interchangeably it’s hard to decipher which one is for you and I think that’s a personal choice depending on how you are feeling.  Believe or not our bodies are meant to cleanse themselves naturally aka the skin, liver, kidneys and colon not to mention our entire lymphatic system.  Given the right foods they can work beautifully together.  Keeping them healthy and clean is key to keeping them working well.  I don’t believe you should be sitting on a toilet and afraid to leave the house!  I recommend using food as a natural detoxification even if you are “cleansing/detoxing.”  Although some good supplements or herbal teas help the detoxification process move along.  One thing you have to remember is detoxing and cleansing may have ill effects on you the first few days if you were eating poorly prior to it.  It’s important to keep that in mind and also to prepare yourself prior to do doing a cleanse so the body is eased into it.  It would be a good idea for instance to slowly take caffeine out of your diet starting several days before you start your cleanse so you don’t get that dreaded “caffeine headache”. 

Here are some signs of that your body is in need of a cleanse or detox:

  • fatigue
  • stressed
  • anxiety
  • acne
  • not losing weight when you are doing your best
  • headaches
  • allergies and/or food sensitivities
  • joint pain
  • mood swings

I hope that helps in some way but either way just ridding your body of the junk one to two times a year is a good idea!  It’s almost inevitable even if you are eating well, and not using toxic chemicals our bodies get clogged up.  They need to reboot and take a break from working so hard to keep us healthy which is truthfully it’s only goal.

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