Hormones

#BYOHD

#applicationofknowledgeispower

#supersleuthhealthclues

How Do My Feelings Affect My Thyroid? – part 4

Liz James · April 12, 2022 ·

Thyroid Clues Part IV: Emotions, Feelings, and the Thyroid

Mind

, body

and spirit

are so deeply interconnected that it is impossible to be robustly healthy if this triad is out of balance in any way. The “spirit” of what makes us ….”us” is a composite of beliefs, life experiences, relationships, and memories. Outwardly, this clue set may be exhibited to some small degree by our personality. Frankly though, an individual’s personality is the tip of the iceberg. What lies beneath the surface (feelings) always play a leading role in both sickness and health. No one holds the knowledge of your “submerged iceberg self” better than you, which is yet another reason why being your own CEO and chief health detective

is so utterly important.

Surely you’ve heard of people who have died of a broken

heart. This phenomenon has been closely studied and acknowledged by science. Interestingly, we (as a society) tend to lean more into accepting the role of emotions and feelings in a death than we do the role personal belief and hope plays in an abundant life, and we certainly tend to overlook them (emotions and feelings) as responsible parties in health and wellness in day to day living.

How does this fit into the puzzle

of thyroid health? Quite well actually! Every organ and part of the body is affected at a cellular level by emotions, feelings, and memories, and learning to let go of that which doesn’t serve us is profoundly important in wellness and healing. The thyroid is, as you may recall, highly sensitive to changes in its environment. The “frequency” in which we “bathe” ourselves daily affects the health and performance of the thyroid. Frequency is not voodoo. It’s biology and physics. Everything (including our cells) is in a constant state of vibration, and any disease process will be evident as a disturbance in the structure and function of these frequencies. Positive emotions and feelings drive frequencies upwards (healthy), while negative emotions and feelings drive frequencies downwards (unhealthy).

Emotions and feelings tend to get blended together, yet they are not interchangeable.

Emotions:

They may manifest either consciously or subconsciously, and are a physical state or reaction to an event.

They keep us alive! They are a primal response, and are deeply coded into our genetic being!

They happen before feelings evolve about the event that occurred.

They can be measured by facial expressions , body language, blood flow, racing heart, tightening of muscles, skin response, pupil dilation (etc)

They generally last anywhere from a few seconds to an hour. Once the emotion has passed, the body returns to balance ( homeostasis).

Feelings are quite different.

They are experienced consciously.

They are a reaction (caused by emotions), and often influenced by personal experience, beliefs, and memories

Feelings originate in the neocortical region of the brain (the home of conscious thought and separate from the limbic system which houses emotions ).

Feelings form when your brain assigns a meaning to the emotional experience, and are mental interpretations of a situation.

Feelings don’t drift off after an hour (like emotions do). They hang around because of a vast network of personal experiences, belief systems, and memories we hold individually.

Ultimately, feelings are psychological responses while emotions are biological actions.

The thyroid is the on location storage facility for some pretty hefty feelings. Some of these include:

Conflict between the conscious and subconscious

Feeling limited or stuck

Struggling with love of self or feeling unable to speak up for oneself

Feeling a need to be in total control or feeling out of control

Feelings of humiliation

Feeling fearful of self expression

Feeling a deep sense of frustration

Feeling chronically fearful of anxious

Pairing the storage site (thyroid) with the lower vibrational frequency of harboring any of these negative feelings long term, and you may unearth a clue that has tremendous value in your thyroid health journey.

Now, what to do with this clue? There are a couple of valuable resources I’d like to point you towards:

Who Switched off my Brain? Controlling toxic thoughts and emotions by Dr. Caroline Leaf

And…..

The Pathway to Emotional Healing by Jen McCraw

These two books are extraordinarily valuable resources for healing the damage that stored negative feelings can inflict on the body. Doing “all the other things” (avoiding gluten, managing your iodine and other micronutrients, exercise, sleep hygiene etc etc etc) will never be enough if your spirit is not at peace.

Some of the essential oils you may consider when working towards healthy feelings (and subsequently, a healthy thyroid) as you nurture your spirit might include:

Endoflex: supportive of mind, body (endocrine system) and spirit

Transformation: supports feelings of positivity and self awareness

Valor: supports feelings of courage and confidence

Envision: supports feelings of creativity and resourcefulness

Surrender: supports the desire to let go of either too much control or uncontrollable behaviors

Highest Potential or Awaken: supports an awareness of limitless potential!

Peace & Calming: supports a positive peaceful atmosphere and mindset

Sacred Mountain: supports feelings of strength and empowerment

Believe: supports and encourages feelings of faith and inner strength

Release: helps facilitate the ability to let go of anything that no longer serves you

Cardamom, Pine, Myrtle, Frankincense, and Lavender are additional oils that are helpful in supporting healthy (thyroid affective) feelings and letting go of those which do not serve.

Oils are not

magic friends. They are tools

just as are the two books I’ve mentioned above. Neither the oils or the books will be helpful if they are bought and put on a shelf unused. The tools

are there for the healer to use. YOU have the capability to be your own healer. It’s within you to do this. It’s hard work and it’s heart work, and you are worth the effort!

“Each patient carries his own doctor inside of him [or her!]. They come to us not knowing the truth. We are at our best when we give the doctor who resides within each patient a chance to go to work.” ~ Dr. Albert Einstein

xoxo~ liz

#mindbodyspiritconnection

#healthythyroidhealthylife

#dothehardthings

Thyroid -part 3 The Gall Bladder Connection

Liz James · April 5, 2022 ·

Thyroid Clues Part III: The surprising alliance between the thyroid and the gallbladder

In the Westernized, insurance directed medical culture, medical complaints tend to be compartmentalized. A thyroid disorder is navigated by an endocrinologist and gallbladder disease is managed by a gastroenterologist……. and rarely the two shall meet! And yet, that’s not how the body works.

Every organ plays an important role elsewhere in the body, and having the knowledge of a diagnosis can easily be used as a clue to shore up defenses in hopes of avoiding a secondary diagnosis. I’ve wondered if more people knew this truth, would they put in the personal work to prevent the collateral damage and in doing so, perhaps even bring the primary disorder to heel?

The thyroid and gallbladder have an “Odd Couple” relationship

…at first thought, you wouldn’t imagine that one could have a powerful impact on the other (and vice versa), and yet they do.

One of the jobs of thyroid hormones is to bind to the smooth muscles of the gallbladder which then facilitates contraction and causes a release of bile into the small intestine. If someone is (even mildly) hypothyroid over a period of time, gallbladder emptying will become inefficient and sludge begins forming within the organ. Gallbladder (aka biliary) sludge is a real culprit and can cause significant problems in that semi solid form. Sludge is also fodder for gallstones

Interestingly, gallbladder sludge can also accumulate as a result of HYPERthyroidism, though the mechanism of action is different.

If bile is sludgy, very little of it will be in usable form, so the body becomes less able to digest fatty foods. Burping or belching may occur often, and stools

may start to lighten up in color (to a lighter brown or clay colored). Bloating may also occur, especially after a fatty meal. Lipid panel (lab work) results will also begin changing. It’s not uncommon for patients to develop higher LDL (cholesterol) than previously exhibited.

Bile is also important in the absorption and metabolism of fat soluble nutrients such as vitamins A, D, E, and K as well as essential fatty acids. Without bile, deficiencies may quietly slide into play.

Additionally, bile acts as an immune signaling agent in the gut microbiome.

It binds to special receptor sites within the gut to help control intestinal inflammation and help facilitate the metabolism of toxins in the gut.

Meanwhile, thyroid hormones and gut bacteria also have their own intricate relationship. According to recent studies (2019 and 2020), the microbiome

plays a significant role in the activity of thyroid hormones, and a gut with a healthy microbiome

supports healthy thyroid function. Of special interest is regular incorporation of probiotic strains Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus into the diet, as both have been shown in studies “to lead to fewer thyroid medication dose adjustments, allow for possible dose reduction, and having less serum hormonal fluctuations.” Young Living’s Life 9 probiotic contains 4 strains of Bifidobacterium and 4 strains of Lactobacillus (9 strains total with 17 billion colony forming units!). Supporting the gut makes the thyroid happy too!

An estimated 600,000+ gallbladders are removed each year, so odds are high that someone reading this would ask…. “What if I don’t have a gallbladder?”

Let’s chat about that! T4 is converted into T3 (the more active form of thyroid hormone) in the liver, and properly metabolized fats (usually accomplished with bile) are needed to make that magic happen. As a result, not enough usable T3 is made, and metabolism ultimately slows down. If the gallbladder has been removed, then fats will not be broken down properly without some help from outside sources. Essentialzymes-4, Detoxzyme, Allerzyme, and Essentialzyme all contain the digestive enzyme lipase (among other digestive enzymes) which supports proper fat digestion and metabolism…… AND thyroid health!

Do you see the sludgy slope? ….The thyroid is off which in turn throws the gallbladder off, which in turn throws the gut microbiome off! That’s some hard slogging through sludge right there.

Women👩‍ are far more likely than men

to have a combination of thyroid / gallbladder issues. Excess estrogen (aka estrogen dominance ) can compete with thyroid hormones at the thyroid receptor sites. Not only can estrogen dominance potentiate hypothyroidism, it can also be a factor in gallbladder distress by blocking the thyroid receptor sites on the gallbladder. Estrogen dominance is an enormous problem in our world for both men and women because of all the synthetic estrogen like compounds found in everything from plastics to body care products (Thank goodness Young Living has a full line of all things personal care for us that are safe to use!) Estrogen dominance is also driven by use of birth control and hormone replacement therapy. Even strong hormonal changes in pregnancy can trigger a gallbladder issue, which as we’ve just seen, can then stress the thyroid. Full circle friends!

The complexities of the body is fascinating! God gets all the credit for our uniquely and wonderfully made us!

xoxo~ liz

#beautifullyandwonderfullymade

#thethyroidgallbladderconnection

#thethighboneisconnectedtothehipbone

Clues From Our Thyroid – part 1

Liz James · March 22, 2022 ·

Thyroid disorders are like

chameleonic villians. They look different in every person, and their characteristics may change according to their environment. Thyroid disease is a master of disguise! This is important to understand

Two key reasons:

Innocent until proven guilty. It’s estimated that perhaps 18-25% of women have an underlying thyroid disorder (It’s somewhat less common in men). This still means that 75-82% of us (women, for statistical ease) do not. Become well acquainted with your body so that you may better decipher the clues you are being given, and remember that there are many possible causes for almost every clue the body gives. Cluster clues for the win!
Thyroid disease is overwhelmingly mistaken and/or overlooked in favor of other disorders (often mental health related) by the corporate owned medical community. Thyroid diagnosis often requires intuition (Holy Spirit discernment), patience, persistence, and attention to details. If you feel “off”, and yet your doctor tell you “everything looks good”…. Who do you believe? I hope you pointed a finger back at yourself just now. You believe what you know about your body and your refined detective skills!

Function of the Thyroid

While every little organ and gland of the endocrine system is important for stellar body function, very often the trail of tears leads back to the thyroid, the butterfly

shaped gland located just below the Adam’s apple along the front of the windpipe. The thyroid’s function is to regulate all the processes of energy release on microscopic (cellular) and macroscopic (full body) levels. Because hypothyroidism (especially Hashimoto’s) is the predominant thyroid disorder, most of what I write about will be centered upon thyroid deficiency. Grab a mirror (you’ll need it for a few of them!) and your journal and take stock of your own possible crime scene.

Symptoms of thyroid deficiency might include:

Chronic fatigue or tiredness.
Muscular fatigue
Puffiness or evidence of fluid retention
Difficulty regulating body temperature (chronic feelings of being hot or cold. Recall the posts on body temperature)
Development of Reynaud’s Syndrome
Reduced pulse pressure and blood pressure
Heart rate fluctuations
Angina and/or feelings of breathlessness
Higher cholesterol. People with subclinical hypothyroidism often have higher levels of LDL cholesterol. Thyroid disease is a major contributor to cholesterol problems.
Arteriosclerosis (decreased elasticity of arteries)
Changes in bruising or clotting (generally, bruising will become more common)
Depression and/or anxiousness
Difficulty gathering thoughts, memory, focus and concentration
Headaches with unknown origin
Moodiness or lack of enthusiasm in life
Peripheral neuropathy
Carpal tunnel (there is a strong link!)
Random shooting pains in the hands and feet
Osteoporosis (chronic hypothyroidism can be a contributor)
Visual problems: dry eyes, age related macular degeneration, primary open angle glaucoma
Loss of the outer eyebrows
Chronic constipation
Increased incidence of gallstones (thyroid hormones affects the composition of bile and how well it flows)
Poor digestion of fats and proteins
Decreased stomach acid resulting in poorly digested foods (If this clue is on your radar, grab your YL Essentialzyme and give your body digestive support!)
Bloating, gassy
Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)
Insulin resistance (and therefore) increased risk of developing Type II Diabetes
Thicker tongue, perhaps even with scalloped teeth marks on the sides of the tongue.
Changes in how food tastes.
Periodontal disease
Development of a husky or hoarse voice
Infertility or difficulty maintaining a pregnancy
Heavy periods (There is often a link between hypothyroidism and PCOS)
Sex hormone imbalances (progesterone, estrogen and testosterone in women)
Loss of libido
Postpartum depression (very common)
Premature menopause
Dry skin
Deep cracks and scales on the bottoms of the feet
Deep lines on the palms of hands or soles of feet
Yellowish orange or reddish color on palms of hands or soles of feet
Reddish spots, bumps, or rashes that come and go
Acne (often seen in conjunction with testosterone level disturbances)
Brittle, flaking nails or nails that fail to grow well
Hair loss (on the head) or gaining hair in all the wrong places elsewhere
Getting sick more often, especially upper respiratory tract infections and in women, persistent urinary tract infections.
Bedwetting in kiddos
Delayed wound healing
Gaining or losing weight without trying
Poor sleep
Iron deficiency anemia (roughly 50% of people with thyroid disease struggle with this)

That’s the bulk of this particular crime scene checklist. Thyroid disease is very interesting in that the severity of symptoms often are not reflected in thyroid specific lab work. Lab Work is based on a standardized bell curve and not everyone fits exactly into that bell curve mold. Additionally, many western medicine health professionals only test TSH when first evaluating the competency of the thyroid gland. That alone is insufficient information to determine thyroid function. This list of possible symptoms, while not completely comprehensive, is more valuable in determining the probable health of your thyroid than a single TSH test.

More to come friends.

xoxo~ liz

#lovingyourthyroidisgoodmedicine

#itsthelittlethings

Risks to Birth Control Pills

Liz James · March 18, 2022 ·

I’m often learning alongside you. This is how we grow, right? I’ve not been a fan of birth control pills for many years. Unfortunately, I did not know the truth about them in the 80’s and early 90’s when I took them as a way to manage my own severe endometriosis. When I woke up to the hand that fed me (my pharmacy license / Big Pharma ) in the late ’90’s, BCP’s was one of the rabbit holes I ventured down… and am still venturing down because there is soooooooo much to understand about this class of medications. Physically, socially, historically, and politically (and it’s all tied together

. #ofcourseitis )

The story of “green plasma”

was new to me tho. As I said….. always learning

. And now I’ve got another book to buy so I can learn more details.

With Big Pharma, things are rarely as they seem on the surface.

Before taking any medication, take the time to dig deeper than what the label (or your pharmacist) says. Most pharmacists have not done their due diligence on learning the truth. They are given talking points by their employer, the insurance companies, and the drug manufacturers.

We research when we buy a car, a computer, or any other impactful purchase….. why would you not do this for something life altering like a long term medication and weigh risk versus benefit. You are worth it.

xoxo~ liz

#knowingthetruthaboutBCPsisgoodmedicine

#greenplasma

#riskvsbenefitalways