Book Your Health Coaching Call

Good Medicine

Holistic Health Coaching

Medications

Endocrine System – part 2

· ·

Have you ever:
  • Been given medication without thorough labwork?
  • Been told you are “fine” by a healthcare professional, but you don’t feel fine?
  • Felt like you’ve been doing “all the things” to care for your struggling thyroid, but still felt unwell?
If you’ve answered “yes” to any of these questions, the next series of clues might just be for you.
We’ve covered the northern endocrine family members (hypothalamus, pituitary, pineal, and thyroid).  I’m hopeful that you’ve been piecing clues🔎 together. Remember, cluster clues, including your personal “life experience” history, both physical and emotional, are where your answers most likely reside. Only you, and perhaps your parents if some events predate your memories, know these VIP clues. Keeping a journal 📓is often a key component to uncovering the root cause of a health situation.
 
There are more interesting members within the endocrine system family tree. Just south of the thyroid is a gland called the thymus. The thymus sits right behind the sternum (breastbone) in front of the heart, and is the “bootcamp” for the immune system’s T-cells, where they mature and turn into specialized agents of protection against bacteria, viruses, and cancer. The thymus is strongest and most active in children and teens. There is chronological aging as well as biological aging. Interestingly, if severe or chronic stress is part of a body’s environment, the thymus will rapidly “age” and begin shrinking, ultimately turning into a pocket of fat (literally!). Clues indicating🔎 a “tired” thymus include being easily fatigued, lack of motivation, susceptibility to catching colds or flu, persistent chronic illness despite “doing all the things”, slow wound healing, and outward signs of an accelerated aging process.
 
As you may guess, thymus deterioration affects lifetime immune system function, so keeping this hidden gem healthy is a good idea! Supportive measures include:
  • Keeping toxin load low
  • Learning techniques to mediate physical and emotional stress. Imagine the health benefits if this was learned at a young age!
  • Eating nourishing foods that are high in micronutrient content
  • Restorative sleep
  • Exercise daily for improved blood flow throughout the body (cleansing and nourishing the thymus). Yoga is particularly beneficial for supporting thymus function.
  • Thymus thumping/tapping. Thump or tap gently (with either the tips of your fingers or the palm of hand) on your sternum for 30-60 seconds a couple times a day to stimulate the thymus.
  • Olive Leaf (YL’s Olive Essentials)
  • Melatonin – A 2003 study🤓 found a correlation between melatonin supplementation and a notable increase in thymus weight (size) and function. Additional studies🤓 have found that even when melatonin supplementation begins late in life, age related thymus “decay” is reversible and immune system function often improves. A 2006 study🤓 in the Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine found that supplementing melatonin during times of acutely severe or chronic stress prevented atrophy of the thymus. I am an enormous fan of Young Living’s Immupro for a good night’s sleep, and this is an additional reason to keep several bottles of this melatonin containing supplement on hand! (Great news for those of us who know and love it already…. It is scheduled to be back in stock later this month!). Sleep Essence is another night time product that also contains melatonin.
Further south, the twin adrenal glands show up in the endocrine family. These are two smallish quesadilla shaped glands that sit atop each kidney. God designed us masterfully well. These two glands sit remarkably close to the abdominal aorta (our major artery) and vena cava (our major vein). This close proximity allows for a quick dump of influential chemicals that facilitate acting quickly 🏃‍♂️🏃🏃‍♀️ when the need arises. I call this “running from the lion”🏃‍♀️🐅 time. These two glands produce a very precise mixture of adrenaline, cortisol and other steroid hormones (DHEA, pregnenolone, estrogens, testosterones) and aldosterone (a steroid hormone that regulates potassium, sodium and fluid volume in the body). The mixture is uniquely compounded according to the event at hand. When a person feels any amount of stress, whether that be a mile long “to do” list or narrowly escaping being eaten by a lion, the hypothalmus and pituitary work together to signal the adrenal glands. The mind🧠doesn’t differentiate between a too long “to do” list and a lion in terms of stress, and stress becomes the squeaky wheel. Other mechanisms in the body slow down so that the squeaky wheel can be addressed.
  • Thyroid hormone production slows down
  • Reduced conversion of T4 (inactive) to T3 (active) thyroid hormone occurs
  • Thyroid receptors become less receptive to receiving thyroid hormones. This is important because even if you happen to be on thyroid medication, it won’t be utilized properly during a stress response. Recall that thyroid receptors are located throughout the body and must function properly in order that we may function optimally day to day. (Go back and read the section on thyroid and the gallbladder for a refresher!)
 
Chronic stress puts the adrenals on overdrive, flooding the body with cortisol, until the adrenals can no longer keep up, and adrenal fatigue (adrenal dysregulation) develops. Cortistop is another one of my very favorite Young Living supplements. It is designed to address the way women’s bodies react to the cortisol produced when under stress. When too much cortisol is released regularly, it can have some hefty health consequences which include feeling deep fatigue and often the addition of abdominal fat that seems to defy losing. Recall that those are also two very common symptoms of thyroid disorder. Odds are high that clues like these may have more than one culprit, and both will need to be addressed if that’s the case.
 
Cortistop is not designed to be taken continuously (Suggested use is 8 weeks on, 2-4 weeks off). Although the directions state to take two capsules in the morning before breakfast, my body responds favorably to one capsule a day. And although Cortistop is formulated for women, I do know some manly men who have found this particular supplement to be quite helpful during times of stress too. PRO TIP: I also recommend making a plan so that your Cortistop“off “ times do not correspond to anticipated times of high stress (such as tax season or project due dates!).
 
Interestingly, the vast majority of western healthcare practitioners do not recognize adrenal fatigue. While there is currently no black and white way to test for adrenal fatigue in a laboratory, there are many clues that point towards this very real condition that you, the discerning sleuther 🔎, may uncover on your own or with the help of a health professional who does understand adrenal fatigue.
Next up…. A solid list of clues🔎 useful for identifying adrenal fatigue, and ways to support the adrenal glands!
 
xoxo~ liz
 
#sharingiscaring
#adrenalfatigueisreal
#theapplicationofknowledgeispower
#goodmedicine
#BYOHD
#becomingyourownhealthdetective
#ThanksYL

Thyroid Clues Part 5-Medicine Cabinet Culprits

· ·

Remember the fable about the Princess💃 and the pea🟢? You may recall that the true princess felt the effects of a pea beneath twenty mattresses and had a terrible night’s sleep because of it. After all we’ve discussed, you well understand that the thyroid🦋 is the discerning princess in the body……it feels everything!
 
It’s hard to pin down exactly how many people use medication chronically in the USA, but a rough estimate in 2017 was 66%. (I believe that number has risen significantly since 2020, but to date, official data has not yet been released).
 
I will forever and always say that there is a time and a place for medication, but that it should be used as a last resort whenever possible. Pharmaceuticals by very definition are a toxin to the body. While they may be performing their “FDA approved task” within the body, behind the scenes they are likely setting up trip wires, snares, and grenades elsewhere. Many commonly prescribed medications are quietly sabotaging thyroid hormone function as they outwardly “play nice” in their appointed tasks of lowering cholesterol, quelling aches and pains, placating gastric reflux symptoms, smoothing out moody days, etc.
 
Certain medications have the ability to affect thyroid hormones in at least four ways:
1. Some may alter the actual production of thyroid hormones.
2. Some may affect the release of of thyroid hormones from the thyroid gland.
3. Some may affect how well thyroid hormone attaches to (or utilized) at receptor sites.
4. Some may interfere with the conversion of inactive T4 into active T3 in the liver
Who are the thyroid accosting culprits?🕵️ As I hinted above, the gang is quite diverse. Nearly ⅓ of this gang of thieves bears a similar “tattoo”…….. They contain fluoride within their chemical structure. You’ll recall (hopefully!) that fluoride (and chlorine, another “tattoo” found in many medications) blocks iodine from its job helping the thyroid produce thyroid hormones. These small doses add up over time with chronic use medications.
 
Medications known to inhibit healthy thyroid function (in one of these four ways) with chronic use include:
💊Lipitor, Crestor, Vytorin, Zetia (cholesterol meds)
💊 Prevacid (stomach acid / GERD)
💊 Betamethasone, Clobetasol, Dexamethasone, Fluocinolone, Fluticasone (topical, oral or inhaled steroids)
💊Celebrex, Ibuprofen, Naproxen (NSAID pain)
💊 Lexapro, Prozac, Celexa, Paxil, Zoloft (mood stabilizers)
💊 Haldol, Risperdal, Lithium (mood stabilizers)
💊 Levaquin, Cipro (antibiotics)
💊 Synthetic hormone replacement therapies, birth control pills
💊 Amiodarone (treats ventricular heart arrhythmia)
💊Fluconazole (antifungal)
💊 Interferon Alfa, Sutent, Sorafenib (chemotherapy agents)
💊 Pramipexole, Ropinirole (for Parkinson’s)
💊 Metformin (Type II Diabetes)
💊 Furosemide (diuretic)
💊 Phenytoin and Carbamazepine (for seizures)
💊 Excessive Niacin (Vit B3) intake
 
(Note that this is a short representation of a very long list of medications!)
I am in no way inferring that you should stop taking medication that you may be currently on because it may be affecting your thyroid function. That is a conversation between you and your trusted health professional. According to an article by the Natural Health Research Institute, almost 75% of chronic illness can be improved or cured with improved lifestyle choices. Has your health professional talked to you about this as part of your treatment protocol?
 
Statistics like this are meant to empower you. Chronic disorders are generally where chronic medication use comes into play, and changing lifestyle habits can have a huge impact on health outcomes and on pharmaceutical needs.
 
Five significant ways your choices can impact your health include:
1. Reduce exposure to toxins (thank goodness for our YL Thieves Household Cleaner, essential oils that do “all the things” in a natural gentle way, Savvy Minerals cosmetics and the ART, Bloom, and Orange Blossom skin care lines!)
 
2. Making better food choices (and ditching the toxic processed foods)
 
3. Exercise. There is an exercise program / type out there that will work no matter what health situation you may be living with! (NingXia Nitro or Zyng 15-20 minutes prior to workouts elevates my gym workout routine!)
 
4. Sleep….Make sleep a priority. Improve your sleep hygiene habits! Some of my favorite sleep aids are YL’s Tranquil or RutaVala Roll-on…. Give ‘em a try and load your bedtime diffuser with oils like Cedarwood, Lavender, Peace & Calming, Frankincense, Orange )
 
5. Manage stress. Recall that chronic stress is as dangerous as a regular cigarette habit to the body. Even simply working on the four previous suggestions will have a profound impact on better management of stress.
 
In addition to making healthier lifestyle choices that lead to a healthier version of you (and protecting your thyroid🦋 in the process), here’s an added bonus: Annually, direct health care costs average $6032 out of pocket💰 for an individual with one chronic disease (that number goes up with each additional disorder). Indirectly, chronic disorders also have a profound impact on education, occupation opportunities, income, and social interaction. If your health professional has not offered up these five recommendations as part of protocols for any chronic disorder you may have, they are working as a dis-ease maintenance advocate instead of that as a healer. Ultimately though, it’s our personal responsibility to be our own advocates and in doing so, choosing whether to live in a space of dis-ease maintenance or healing. Care for that thyroid “princess” within your personal kingdom friends! It’s often the first organ in the body to recognize that something is amiss.
 
xoxo~ liz
 
 

Dangerous Diagnosis

· ·

Approximately 15-20% of adults in the United States currently takes a medication for a diagnosed mental health concern. Over 6 million children nationwide ages 0-17 are also on medication.
 
This is a very important podcast that I’d encourage everyone listen to.
In brief:
 
🧐A diagnosis means payment to the health professional by the insurance companies.
 
🧐A diagnosis is subjective (ie: there are no laboratory tests identifying a mental health disorder), and the DSM is an outdated methodology (chemical imbalances are not something trackable) used primarily for payment purposes.
 
🧐Memorable quote from the podcast:
Whitaker: But, of course, people were being encouraged to say your problems are due to this chemical imbalance as opposed to what’s going on in your life. That’s such a profound shift in self-understanding.
Horwitz: You’re not going to sell many drugs by saying your problem is your life experiences. It’s far more effective to say your problem is in the brain. It’s an imbalance, we can correct that imbalance, just take our product.
 
Worth the listen
 
xoxo~ liz
 
(PS: one thing I wish they had covered but did not….. many physiological imbalances will certainly cause mental illness type symptoms. These (incomplete list) CAN be found often through an adequate and thorough lab workup… ex: magnesium, ferritin, B12, D deficiencies, hormone imbalances, thyroid disorders etc. Become your own best advocate! )
 
 
 

Are Their Risks to Birth Control Pills

· ·

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
 
 
PS: Note the payout (1.02$Billion for clots and $21 million for gallbladder…. no small potatoes!) in lawsuits related to just two birth control brands [there are more] made by one company (Bayer….. who also happens to own Monsanto….. who also happened to play a large role within the Nazi atrocities committed during WWII https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/bayer.)
 

Clues to Thyroid Health from Iodine – part 1

· ·

Dotting your i’s and crossing your t’s: Iodine and Thyroid Part I
 
We all know that iodine is a necessary micronutrient and plays an important role in the health of the thyroid. I’m pretty confident that getting to know your individual iodine level (as I hope you will be encouraged to pursue by the end of this series🥰) is going to be new clue territory for many people.
 
Iodine is not commonly found in soil and therefore not found appreciably in many foods. So how are we to get it into our bodies? It is found in ocean foods such as ocean fish and crustaceans🦀🦐🐟 and sea vegetables (seaweed), but it would require a regular diet of these foods to prevent a deficiency.

History of iodine related problems:

 
In the early 1900’s, goiters were a health concern in many inland areas where seafood 🦀🦐🐟 wasn’t a common food source. In 1923-1924 a study revealed that simply adding small amounts of iodine to the diet drastically decreased the incidence of goiters. Iodized salt was introduced into the US market, and by 1951, fewer than 0.5% of school aged children had evidence of enlarged thyroid glands. (Previously, it had been a remarkable 40% in areas with little access to ocean foods). The United States Food and Nutrition Board eventually set the RDA for iodine between 150-290 micrograms/day (approximately ½ – ¾ tsp iodized salt) to prevent goiters.
 
This is all fine and dandy, except that there are a few missing pieces to the puzzle. The RDA was set up to prevent goiters (which it does quite well), but is the recommendation adequate for optimal thyroid, immune system, and endocrine function?

Consider these facts:

 
🔎The Japanese consume 89 times more iodine than Americans (waaaaaaay more than what the US RDA has established) due to daily consumption of sea vegetables. Coincidentally, the traditional Japanese culture has reduced rates of chronic disease and some of the lowest cancer rates worldwide.
 
🔎Iodine is considered to be among the safest of all essential trace elements (provided we are discussing the inorganic non radioactive☢️ variety!), yet it has been given some pretty strict guidelines by the entities in charge.
 
🔎Iodized salt is loaded with sodium which has its own health concerns. Additionally, a 1969 study 🤓found the bioavailability of iodine in iodized salt to be only about 10%.
 
🔎An estimated 50% of adults in the United States have an undiagnosed iodine deficiency, and some of the researchers and “out of the box thinking” experts I follow suggest that this number may be as high as 90%.
 
🔎When I consider how often “those who make the rules” have given us dubious health information in other areas of health, I usually opt to think for myself. Yes, I acknowledge the guidelines, but I also dig for evidence that there may be some rocks “they” don’t want us to look under.🧐 It’s an established fact that we are monetarily worth more to the medical system if we are dependent upon it.
So, back to the question…..are we getting enough iodine to be optimally healthy?
 
Let’s dive a little deeper into the iodine fact pool:
 
🧐Scientifically, iodine has been proven to have antibacterial, antiparasitic, antiviral, and anticancer properties.  Iodine is responsible for regulating thyroid function and supporting healthy metabolism.
 
🧐Adequate Iodine is necessary for a robust immune system.
 
🧐Every cell in our body has a life cycle. When a cell dies in a healthy body, it is replaced by a new cell. This programmed cell death is called apoptosis, and it’s a good thing. Cancer cells are examples of cellular failure to undergo apoptosis. Iodine plays an important role in this beneficial programmed cell death.
 
🧐Iodine has a protective effect against H. Pylori 🦠 (a bacteria that tends to live in the stomach, and when overpopulated, causes ulcers and stomach cancer)
 
🧐Iodine is a key ingredient for the production of all of the other hormones in the body. (Did you catch that….. “All” ). It’s also found in every cell in our body, but especially concentrated in the salivary glands, the substantia nigra of the brain (one of the involved areas for Parkinson’s disease), the cerebral spinal fluid, the gastric mucosa, breasts, ovaries, and the ciliary body of the eye.
 
🧐Would you find it interesting that iodine deficiency has been linked to many chronic diseases and dysfunctions including Multiple Sclerosis, glaucoma, Sjogren’s, Parkinson’s, thyroid disorders, fibrocystic breast disease, breast, ovarian, endometrial and prostate cancer, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, certain headache types, diabetes, heart arrhythmia, and the inability to detox properly especially when exposed to mercury, fluoride, and bromine.
 
Iodine Robbers
 
In this crime scene, we definitely have clues pointing to a robber or two that can further deprive the body of iodine:
 
👥Iodine is an interesting micronutrient. It’s categorized as a “halide” on the periodic table. As a halide, it hangs out with the likes of fluorine, chlorine, and bromine. As you might guess, there are enough similarities between these four that iodine, fluoride, chlorine, and bromine often compete with one another in the body. It’s like a chemical version of the movie “The Parent Trap”👭, and fluoride, chlorine, and bromine compete against iodine preventing absorption and binding and tricking the body in the process. Larger degrees of exposure to these toxins make it harder for the body to use the iodine we do get in our diets and supplements. Hopefully you’ve kicked that fluoride laced toothpaste and mouthwash to the curb and have fallen in love with Young Living’s Thieves toothpaste and mouthwash. Watch your water sources for fluoride and chlorine too. Remember, the skin is like a sponge!
Bromine may not be a toxin you’ve heard much about. Unfortunately, that’s not because it’s rare. Bromine is used commonly in pesticides used on fruits (eat organically!), and is found in various processed foods and vegetable oils, hair dyes, textile dyes, commercial cosmetics (use your Savvy Minerals!), pool and spa chemicals, flame retardants, and paints.
 
👥Medications including maalox, mylanta, amiodarone, anti-gout meds, birth control pills, cortisone and prednisone as well as some SSRI’s inhibit the body’s use of iodine. Note the possible drug-disease causing connection, especially when there is long term use of the pharmaceutical.
 
👥Even certain foods can be iodine robbers if eaten in excess. Cabbage, broccoli, spinach, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, kale, radishes, mustard greens, strawberries, and peaches may cause issues ( only if eaten in excess), especially if iodine levels are already low.
 
Can you get too much iodine? Does everyone need more iodine? How does taking thyroid medication affect iodine deficiency? Next week, we’ll talk about a couple ways to help determine your iodine status and answer these questions. In the meantime, if you think now’s a good time to add a little extra kelp into your world, Young Living’s Master Formula and Thyromin both contain this VIP sea veggie!
 
xoxo~ liz
 
(PS: Becoming Your Own Health Detective, Volume One is still on sale at presale prices through the end of this week. Link to purchase: https://goodmedicine.info/my-book/ )

Book Your Health Coaching CallBook Now