Young Living

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 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

#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

Introducing Einkorn Crunch

Liz James · April 1, 2022 ·

Young Living’s Skyrider Wilderness Ranch will debut its brand-new Einkorn Crunch starting today!!!, April 1, on YoungLiving.com

I can’t wait to try it!

Einkorn Crunch is the kind of grab-and-go snack that’s ready to eat anywhere and requires no prep for tasty nourishment perfectly suited for any outdoor adventure. Each 12-pack comes with a dozen individually packaged, 1.4-ounce portions—making it easy to take them along on your next outdoor adventure.

Sourced from both our farm in France and from our Skyrider Wilderness Ranch, a rugged paradise nestled at the foot of the Uinta Mountains, Einkorn Crunch represents the mission of Skyrider to bring the West to your door while serving as a sanctuary for wild animals. Your purchase of Eincorn Crunch 12-pack supports our Young Living farms, and a portion of each order will go specifically to Skyrider’s efforts to protect and rehabilitate populations of wild desert bighorn sheep in desperate need of help. Einkorn Crunch 12-packs will be available at YoungLiving.com for a limited time while supplies last.

Skyrider Wilderness Ranch Einkorn Crunch, 12 pk.

Retail: $25.99

Wholesale Pricing: $19.75

PV: 4

Product contents: Einkorn Crunch (12 1.4-ounce packs)

Ordering: Shop orders only

Limit: No limit, while supplies last

Who can order: U.S. brand partners and customers

To order: https://yl.pe/beablessing

Weather Prepping

Liz James · March 31, 2022 ·

We live in north Texas and the “in like a lion and out like a lamb (with everything in between

!)” is certainly a possibility in nearly any given week in the Spring. And yet, we love where we live in spite of the “wait an hour and see what the weather’s got planned” springtime drama. We had just such a night a few days ago

This Mother Earth News article is a great reminder on preparedness. At the end of the article there is a nifty list of what to have easily available on hand.

One of the highly suggested items is a first aid kit, medication, and any special need health items. I’ve personally created my own first aid kit that is pretty exclusively YL essential oil based. Have you done this too? Let me say……. it’s saved our keesters on more than one occasion!

Categories of interest you might consider when you build your kit:

bites and stings