Weight
Clues From Our Thyroid – part 1
Two key reasons:
-
Innocent until proven guilty. Itâs estimated that perhaps 18-25% of women have an underlying thyroid disorder (Itâs 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 âoffâ, and yet your doctor tell you âeverything looks goodââŚ. 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
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 Reynaudâs 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)
Health Clues from Your Liver part 3
We think of the liver as the bodyâs main â˘ď¸âŁď¸detoxifier, and THAT it is for sure. Did you notice that the liver is also a storehouse with many rooms? We all have at least one junk drawer, or junk closet in our homes, right? If you were to take a tour of the liver, youâd find nicely organized âroomsâ filled with glucose and glycogen (for energy), vitamins, minerals and other nutrients as well as helpful hormones and phytochemicals to be released and used as needed.
Deep inside the liver lies the bodyâs âjunk closetâ where it keeps itâs darkest stash of the truly âbad boyâ toxinsâ˘ď¸âŁď¸. The liver is not a hoarder⌠quite the opposite! It is doing its best job getting rid of trash and debris as fast as possible. Sometimes, either the liver can no longer keep up with what the body is exposed to, or the toxin is so nasty that the liver throws it immediately into the far corner of the junk closet.
What kind of junk might you find in the liverâs junk closet?
â˘ď¸Petroleum products (including those found in mainstream household cleaners and personal care products)
â˘ď¸Pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides
â˘ď¸Aspartame (you may know this as the artificial sweeteners NutraSweet and Equal)
â˘ď¸MSG (monosodium glutamate, a flavor enhancer commonly found in Asian food, canned vegetables, soups, and processed meats)
â˘ď¸Viruses and virus waste materials
â˘ď¸Certain medications (including opioids)
â˘ď¸Toxic heavy metals
If the liver didnât do this, weâd be a walking hot mess, and frankly, we probably wouldnât live long or productively as the brain, heart and other organs wouldnât be able to tolerate the exposure.
We are built incredibly uniquely, and our livers all work in varying degrees according to our genetics and epigenetics (the environment we are exposed to). Many people have genetics that inhibit methylation. Methylation is a chemical process that enables the body to receive, absorb, and utilize key nutrients we get through eating, drinking, and living in a âcleanâ mannerâŚ..ie: lots of fresh unprocessed foods and fresh filtered water and spending time in the sunshine!
Methylation occurs in the liver in tandem with the ileum (the last little bit of the small intestine). If either the ileum or the liver is impaired, methylation cannot occur efficiently. Vitamin B12 is critical to efficient methylation. If you have not yet incorporated đYoung Livingâs Super Bđ into your daily supplement routine, I encourage you to give it a try and see if you donât notice a difference!
When the âjunk closetâ of the liver has hit its overflow and begun filling the hallway, the methylation process is affected. However, when you also add in a liver specific virusâŚ.one that is in the herpetic family (shingles, HHV-6, cytomegalovirus, Epstein Barr)…. The real trouble starts. Viral waste buildup is one of the most problematic to the liver and B12 levels will slowly begin dropping in the body. Additionally, the liverâs â junk closet doorâ has now burst open and virus byproducts are now in the bloodstream causing inflammation within the body, dermatoxin related rashes, and brain fog.
Major clues indicating the liver is waving the white flag are on todayâs graphic, and there are many more. Remember, the liver performs hundreds (if not thousands! ) of tasks. If the liver fails to deliver and the task is incomplete, something didnât happen in the body that should have. Slowly over time, these incomplete tasks will begin adding up until eventually you have a clue so big, youâve had to make an appointment with your favorite health professionalđŹ.
Other clues indicating significant liver burden include:
đRandom aches and pains : The liver purifies blood and produces new blood. When not enough âcleanâ blood is available to reach tendons, muscles, and other tissue, it may result in decreased flexibility, pain in upper back, and even dry eyes!
đNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) : may show up as random pain in the back or on the upper right side of the abdomen, kidney, or shoulder blade (referred pain).
đSpider Veins: If the liver cannot properly clean the blood, then clotting issues near the surface of the skin result.
đDarker Urine (see a health professional please!)
đDarker Emotions: An unhealthy liver exacerbates predisposition to depression or negative mood swings.
đGout
đEczema, psoriasis, skin rashes, breakouts, or itchy skin
đAllergies and asthma
đBad breath
đFibromyalgia
đFluid retention
đHeadaches
đHigh blood pressure
đHigh cholesterol
đErratic blood sugar or diabetes
đCompromised immune system (including autoimmune disorders)
Once the liver âjunk closetâ is fullâŚ. Itâs full and unless someone starts a cleanup process, the spillage will only continue. Have you ever cleaned the house while someone went right behind you and tracked in more dirt, left dishes in the sink, and ohâŚ. Forgot to flush all the toilets?đą Thatâs what the liver feels like if itâs burdened to the point of overflow and someone decides to clean it up on the inside, but does not stop exposure to all of the petrochemicals (standard household, personal care, and skin care toxins), pesticides, processed foods, contaminated water, etc.
If you have not yet ditched your liver saboteurs, I encourage you to begin today. đżThieves Household Cleaner, the entire line of Young Living body and personal care, and Savvy Minerals cosmetics are all liver friendly! đż
Thankfully, the liver is incredibly resilient and forgiving with the right care and TLC, and is able to regenerate itself and regain function. It can do this even when itâs been compromised by more than 60%. The caveat to that factoid is this: permanent and thorough damage cannot be undoneâŚ..precisely the reason we want to avoid walking to the end of that road.
Happy liver, happy life!
xoxo~ liz
#knowbetterdobetter
#healthcluesyoucanuse
#goodmedicine
#ThanksYL
#loveyourliver
Health Clues in Your Colon part 2
Whatâs your lack of poo đŠ telling you? Colon Part II
Thereâs no time like the present to start talking about poo, or in this chatâŚ. lack thereof! Chronic constipation affects roughly 28% of the North American population if we abide by the western medicine general rule that itâs âokayâ to have only 3 bowel movements a week. (No wonder we have so many chronic illnesses based on this information alone!đą)
Letâs flush that â3 times a week okay-nessâ, and look at how an optimally healthy colon should be functioning.
Healthy gastrointestinal transit time should run somewhere between 12 and 24 hours⌅ optimally, 1đŠ to 3đŠđŠđŠ bowel movements a day help keep the toxin load of a body in check. What happens when the bodyâs toxin load grows due to lack of appropriate time on the throne? Sickness and dysfunction begin rearing their ugly heads in a variety of ways:
1. Weight gain – toxins stored in fat and it becomes increasingly difficult to lose weight.
2. Fatigue – metabolism is disrupted (yet another avenue of weight gain too!)
3. Skin irritation and rashes occur – we expel toxins thru poop, pee, breathing, and thru our skin. When pooping isnât happening as it should, other organs often canât keep up with the detox process either!
4. Headaches and migraines
5. Mood Swings
6. Joint and muscle pains and spasms
7. Insomnia
8. Increased or excessive sweating (the body is trying hard to shed the excess toxins!)
9. Constipation breeds an increased toxin load which leads to even more constipation!
Per statistics found on the National Institute of Healthâs website, chronic constipation (THEIR versionâŚ. 3x/week pooping) accounts for over 5 million healthcare visits or hospitalizations per year, and over 5.3 million prescriptions written singularly for constipation.
These are large numbersâď¸âď¸, but imagine how much larger those numbers would be if they were to include not pooping daily and the subsequent resultsâŚ.(numbers 1 thru 8 above).
Constipation is a clue, and itâs also largely fixable with lifestyle changes. Oftentimes, if you fix constipation, other health concerns will also begin to quietly fix themselves! đ
Low fiber eating habits (ie: processed foods), lack of gut microorganism balance (YLâs Life 9 is KEY here), lack of exercise, dehydration, certain medications (Opiates, some antidepressants, calcium channel blockers used to treat blood pressure and heart disease, medications used to treat Parkinsonâs, Iron supplements, NSAIDS, diuretics, antihistamines are all known to cause constipation), a magnesium deficiency, hormonal fluctuations, hypothyroidism, SIBO (refer to earlier discussion) and even colon cancer are common contributors to constipation.
For most people, eating more whole fresh foods, exercising regularly, drinking plenty of quality water, and including a top notch probiotic food or supplement source (Did I mention Life 9 or MightyPro for the kiddos?) along with digestive enzymes (Essentialzyme, Essentialzymes-4, Detoxzyme, Allerzyme, or Mightyzyme for kiddos) will often solve the constipation conundrum.
For those who still need a little extra boost to get you on that throne consistently, consider adding in Young Livingâs ICP (that acronym has been affectionately known to stand for âI see poopâ amongst those who use it). #useittoloseit ICP is a powder (loaded with soluble fiber and other goodness) that is added to juice or smoothies, making it an easy addition to daily routine.
If constipation is something that plagues you, and youâve tried #allthethings, it may be time to investigate possible food sensitivities, leaky gut syndrome, or severe gut dysbiosis (unbalanced gut bacteria) with the help of a health professional who is experienced working with patients in this demographic.
Happy flushing!
xoxo~ liz
#knowbetterdobetter
#healthcluesyoucanuse
#fixyourplumbing
#goodmedicine
#ThanksYL
Health Clues from Your Small Intestine
How much attention or thought do you put into your small intestine? Rarely do we hear much about this âsmallâ organ. âLittle thingsâ can often be overlooked and in doing so, clues can easily be missed. Truly, the small intestine isnât so very smallâŚ.. Itâs a 15-20 foot long digestion and absorption machineâŚ.. Usually overshadowed by its fore and aft kinsmen, the stomach and large intestine..Â
I relate to the small intestine as a middle child myself!đ The stomach and large intestine have their individual strengths and frailties. While the small intestine has its own set of âresponsibilitiesâ, its wellbeing is greatly affected by sister stomach and brother colon.
If youâll recall from last weekâs chat about the stomach, having low stomach acid is not a good thing and may lead to some significant issues that literally drain into the small intestine. Have you ever heard of the term SIBO? Itâs an acronym for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, occurring when bacteria in the colon (large intestine) travels upwards into the small intestine where a relatively small amount of bacteria should be present on any given day thanks to stomachâs healthy acid content and cousin pancreasâs contribution of digestive enzymes! If either the stomach or colon (or both) donât perform as they should, the small intestine will suffer.
Iâve listed common clues of SIBO on the graphic. None of them are drop dead urgent clues, right? Annoying, irritating, and perhaps even aggravating âŚ.. but nothing that would cause an urgent SOS trip to your favorite health professional.
In a perfect digestive family environment, a healthy small intestine is a strong contributor to overall health. It facilitates absorption of some minerals (including sulfur, calcium, copper, iron, & zinc), fat soluble vitamins A,D,E &K, B vitamins, and Vitamin C. Small intestine also facilitates absorption of sugars, proteins, cholesterol, and bile salts. It allows these nutrients to be absorbed all the while blocking foreign substances (ie: toxic âbulliesâ) from also being absorbed. If the small intestine walls become inflamed and damaged, it is unable to effectively discern between friend and foe, and bad influencers make it into the family body.
SIBO, if left unattended, contributes to:
đĽIBS, Diverticulosis, Crohnâs, Celiac, poor gut motility (greater than 75% have confirmed SIBO)
đĽFibromyalgia (78% have confirmed SIBO)
đĽRestless Leg Syndrome
đĽInterstitial Cystitis
đĽDiabetes
đĽRA, Scleroderma, and other autoimmune disorders
đĽSkin conditions
đĽNutritional deficiencies
đĽNeuropathies due to deficiencies
In addition to poor stomach acid production, common contributors (aka lifestyle clues!!) to SIBO include:Â
đStress
đPoor diet (review what is typically known as the âStandard American Dietâ / aka âSADâ indeed!)
đMechanical issues (low stomach acid included here!)
đAntibiotic use (especially recurrent use)
đRegular use of acid reducers or proton pump inhibitors (ex: Nexium, Protonix, Prilosec)
đOpioid use (results in gut motility issues)
đNSAID use (ex: Ibuprofen, Naprosyn⌠damage the lining of the intestine)
đGastric bypass surgery
đModerate (or greater) alcohol use (est 90% have confirmed SIBO)
đAging (due to decreased stomach acid and enzyme production)
đLong term colon dysfunction ( 78% of those with IBS have confirmed SIBO)
đđNote that while SIBO can be age related, itâs not uncommon to find it in childrenđŚđ§đś who have chronic constipation/ diarrhea, have received antibiotics, are formula fed, or have received medication for reflux, or whose eating habits mirror the standard American diet.
It is estimated that 20-22% of the US population has some form of SIBO, and while there are ways to identify it through functional medicine testing, perhaps it may be more economical to simply identify existing physical and lifestyle clues, and then proceed towards alleviating the problematic areas.
Â
â¤ď¸Showing the small intestine some love thru a healthy diet, adequate exercise, proper amounts of sleep are an excellent start! â¤ď¸
Additional ways to support and love on the small intestine include:
â¤ď¸Consume 30-45 grams of soluble fiber daily (Hello Young Living â¤ď¸Balance Complete Meal Replacement Shakes!)
â¤ď¸Digestive Enzyme supplements that contain Betaine HCl (Hello YL Essentialzyme caplets!)
â¤ď¸Probiotics (Hello YL Life 9 and for kiddosâŚ.. MightyPro!)
â¤ď¸Organic bone broth
â¤ď¸Olive leaf extract (Hello YL Olive Essentials capsules!)
â¤ď¸Young Livingâs Peppermint, Caraway, Oregano, and Cinnamon Vitality essential oils. If you are a science hound, do some digging in pubmed.gov for a gold mine of information. If you are not a science hound, just know that these oils are your small intestineâs friends!Â
Remember that our bodies are constantly giving us clues which buys time before âbig thingsâ generally happen. Iâm so thankful that the body has the resilience and capability to restore itself to good health when clues are recognized and supportive measures are implemented. SIBO is a clue itself, indicating a potential downward spiral of the entire body at some point in the future if not addressed.Â
IndeedâŚ. Seemingly small things can often be important big ones!Â
xoxo~ liz
#sharingiscaring
#digestivehealthclues
#healthcluesyoucanuse
#goodmedicineÂ
#findingSIBO
#ThanksYL