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Thyroid

Endocrine System – part 2

Liz James · May 4, 2022 ·

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

Liz James · April 20, 2022 ·

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
 
 
#caringissharing
#becomingyourownhealthdetective
#BYOHD
#goodmedicine
#applicationofknowledgeispower
#supersleuthhealthclues

How Does My Feelings Affect My Thyroid?

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
 
#sharingiscaring
#becomingyourownhealthdetective
#goodmedicine
#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
 
#sharingiscaring
#becomingyourownhealthdetective
#goodmedicine
#beautifullyandwonderfullymade
#thethyroidgallbladderconnection
#thethighboneisconnectedtothehipbone

Thyroid Problem Clues – part 2

Liz James · March 30, 2022 ·

Analysis Paralysis has finally released its hold on me as I dip into the complexities of thyroid dysfunction and their absolute connection with autoimmune disorders. It’s important to understand that over 90% of diagnosed hypothyroid patients actually have an autoimmune disorder.
History always helps me understand science and biology because history leaves valuable clues. A journal article I read yesterday had this interesting tidbit:
“During the first half of the century [1900’s], autoimmune disease was viewed as biologically implausible.”
My, how things have changed!🥴 Resistance to the idea that autoimmunity could not happen began waning in the 1960’s. By then, life had changed drastically in many ways. Processed foods were introduced into mainstream eating habits, medication / vaccination use steadily inched upwards into the norm rather than the exception, plastics became part of our everyday world, fluoride was added to water, personal care products had a growing ingredient list of words that were barely pronounceable, herbicides were used ubiquitously and parents let their kids run behind the trucks that were spraying DDT for mosquitoes🦟! Thankfully the DDT spraying has stopped, but other pesticides quickly took its place. The toxin list has grown by leaps and bounds over the decades. Today, our bodies have to wade through the toxic soup☠️ known as the standard American life. Genetically, we haven’t changed appreciably, yet we are now part of the sickest generation in recorded history.
Did you know that at least 90% of genetic expression is the result of our environment, while the other 10% can be attributed to the role of the proverbial parental genetic dice? Epigenetics (the expression of our genes based on environmental influences) will look differently for each person based upon genes + exposure to infection (often viral), the Standard American Diet (simultaneously nutritionally deficient and toxic), pollutants (both in and outside the home), medications/vaccines, emotions, and stress. Epigenetics is so specifically unique to an individual that even identical twins👭 may express genes differently when exposed to chronic stressors. If you are going to put together a perfect crime scene,🔎 this is the way to do it!
 
Roughly 20% of the adult population in the USA now has an autoimmune disorder
And this percentage continues to rise. Prior to the 1970’s, autoimmune disorders were relatively obscure. Hashimoto’s, the autoimmune version of hypothyroidism, is considered by The Autoimmune Registry to be the second most common of all autoimmune disorders (second only to rheumatoid arthritis).
There is both bad and good news about autoimmune disorders. While they never disappear, they can certainly go into remission with the right lifestyle changes and choices. It’s a good thing we are in control of our personal choices!😉
 
According to leading Hashimoto’s and autoimmune disorder expert, Dr. Datis Kharrazian, there are 3 stages of autoimmune disease:
🔎Stage One is the silent stage. The body has begun losing its tolerance to its own tissue, but to the western health practitioner, there will be very few “hard core” symptoms. You though, as the CEO and chief sleuth🕵️, will feel “off”. What does “off” feel like? Well, that depends! It may be something as subtle as spending more (or less!) time in the bathroom. Perhaps it might be a rash that comes and goes. Maybe it means you are having difficulty finding the zest for life you once had, or you just have a little harder time waking up in the morning or falling asleep at night. Stage One is very important, as catching “things” early can be a game changer in the outcome. Lab work identifying elevated TPOAb and TGAb antibodies (for Hashimoto’s) can be very revealing. Neither test is very expensive when you pay out of pocket. Sadly, insurance companies often refuse to pay for these as “maintenance” labs. If your request is refused, I highly encourage you to pay out of pocket elsewhere and have the tests run annually with other labs.
 
🔎Stage Two is considered the reactivity stage and actual destruction to target tissue has begun. Symptoms are much “louder” and harder to ignore inside your own body. In fact, it may be this stage that finally sends you to a healthcare practitioner, though you’ve felt “off” for perhaps even years.
 
🔎In Stage Three, westernized medicine officially acknowledges the autoimmune disease. Significant destruction of the targeted tissue has occurred and there may even be collateral damage occurring elsewhere throughout the body. At this stage, damage can be seen by an MRI or ultrasound in addition to the elevated antibodies and actual symptoms.
 
Interestingly, the level of antibodies detected doesn’t necessarily indicate the severity of the Hashimoto’s. The antibodies themselves do not cause the thyroid gland destruction. Without getting too technical, the antibodies bind to and mark the spot (ie: the thyroid), and then the T Cells ( think of them as a special forces unit of the immune system) come in and attack what the antibodies have marked as “foreign”. If your own personal set of T cells are especially aggressive, your antibody count can be low but destruction of the thyroid can still be severe. Likewise, if your T cells act more like lazy posers, your TPOAb’s can be high but destruction probably won’t be as severe as you might think. Again…. epigenetics at play.
Here’s where we take a bunny trail🐰 detour to talk a bit about gluten. Unless you live in an untouched area of the wilderness with no internet, you’ll likely know that many people have issues with gluten. Generally, you hear about gluten and digestive disturbances such as celiac disease (another autoimmune disorder affecting the small intestine), but did you know that gluten is commonly a trigger for worsening both Hashimoto’s (hypothyroid) and Grave’s (hyperthroid) disease?
 
Gluten is a sneaky little son of a biscuit eater, for multiple reasons:
🍞It takes very little to cause great distress in gluten hypersensitive individuals…… like less than 1/20th of a teaspoonful according to some experts, and even less than that according to others.
🍞The after effects of a single gluten consumption/use can be felt for weeks to months after the occurrence in the gluten hypersensitive individual.
🍞Gluten flies under the radar and hides in the most seemingly innocuous of places: soy sauce, corn flakes, salad dressings, marinades, seasonings, processed deli meats, body and beauty care products, and candy (glucose syrup or dextrose can come from wheat) are just a few on the list.
🍞Some thyroid medications (and other medications and supplements too!) contain gluten as an inert filler ingredient. Currently the FDA does not have strict labeling requirements regarding the labeling of gluten positive medications. At the time of this writing, all brands of levothyroxine (except Mylan which is certified gluten free) contain gluten, as does the thyroid medication Cytomel. (And yes, I agree. Why in the world would the pharmaceutical industry use inflammatory gluten as a common filler, especially in a medication for a population prone to be gluten sensitive? As I’ve said before, we’re worth more as a commodity if we are sick than we are if we are healthy friends.🙄)
🍞Other aliases of gluten include starch, pregelatinized starch, sodium starch glycolate, dextrin, dextrate, dextro-maltose, maltodextrin, sodium starch glycolate and more. Sneaky Pete, indeed!
 
Is all gluten bad? 🤔Resoundingly no. Although if someone is found to be gluten hypersensitive, it’s a good idea to avoid it as much as possible. Modern wheat and the ancient grain Einkorn are two very different grains containing different types and ratios of gluten. Not only is Einkorn considered to be vastly more nutritious than modern wheat, the troublesome type of gluten (the “D” genome) doesn’t appear to be present in Einkorn according to Dr. Davis, author of “Wheat Belly”. If you aren’t sure if Einkorn is a safe form of grain for you, try incorporating it into a food challenge. Einkorn is also much more highly digestible and because of its starchstructure, is less apt to cause blood sugar spikes.
 
For the non gluten hypersensitive individual there are a few more reasons to nosh on some tasty Young Living Einkorn spaghetti, pancakes, granola, or cereal…..Regular intake of gluten has been found to help mediate exposure to heavy metals. Conversely, those on a gluten free diet tend to have higher blood and urine levels of arsenic, lead, mercury, and cadmium ,commonly found in many well known lipstick brands,. If you already use YL Savvy Minerals lipstick💋, here’s a high five…. It’s toxin free!
 
For being a simple little butterfly🦋 looking structure in our neck we often don’t think about, the thyroid is certainly complex and so easily affected by outside influence!
 
xoxo~ liz
 
#sharingiscaring
#becomingyourownhealthdetective
#goodmedicine
#getlabwork
#Hashimotos
#hypothyroidism
#autoimmunedisease
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Elizabeth James

469.425.9091

[email protected]