Gaining weight & depressed for no good reason?
You may have an under-active thyroid – Hypothyroidism.
Gaining weight for no real reason? Eating healthy and exercising and still can’t lose weight? Irritable ? Depressed for no real reason? Exhausted? 25 Million Americans have hypothyroidism (an under-active thyroid), but over half of them don’t know it.
The thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland in the center of your neck, is THE MASTER GLAND of your metabolism. How well your thyroid is functioning is inter-related with every system in your body. If your thyroid is not in total balance – you are completely OUT of BALANCE and that means overweight and unhealthy ! It doesn’t matter what you are doing or eating. If your thyroid hormones are imbalanced you will gain weight and have a very difficult time losing weight. You will also be irritable and tired.
Here are 10 signs that you could have an hypothyroidism:
- Unexplained weight gain or the inability to lose weight.
- Fatigue after sleeping a solid 7 hours a night.
- Irritability, mood swings, anxiety or depression.
- Hormone imbalances, PMS, irregular periods, infertility, low sex drive.
- Muscle pain, joint pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, or tendonitis.
- Cold hands and feet, feeling cold when others are not.
- Dry or cracking skin, brittle nails and excessive hair loss.
- Constipation.
- Brain fog, poor concentration or poor memory.
- Neck swelling, snoring or hoarse voice.
Boring but important – How does you thyroid gland work?
Ok…I will attempt to make a complicated topic easy to understand.
Thyroid hormone production is regulated though a feedback loop between the three friends: the hypothalamus – the pituitary gland and the thyroid gland. This is your endocrine system. Think of these three guys as THE TRINITY and they are paramount for your body and brain to function! These guys regulate your kidneys – your blood sugar – your brain imbalances…the list goes on and on! If this TRINITY is not in total balance – you are completely OUT of BALANCE and that means out of control! AND it doesn’t matter what you are doing or eating, if your hormones and thyroid are imbalanced you will not lose weight – period…and you will be irritable and tired.
So here’s what happens. The first friend, the hypothalamus (hypothalamic thyrotropin-releasing hormone TRH) stimulates the second friend, the pituitary (pituitary thyrotropin TSH). In turn, the pituitary gland (TSH) stimulates production and release of something called T4 and T3 from the third friend, the thyroid gland.
When enough T4 (good stuff) is produced, it sends a signal or message to the first two friends, the hypothalamus and pituitary gland that there is enough thyroid hormone in circulation and to stop production.
About 85% of the hormone produced by our thyroid gland is called T4 (the good stuff), which is an inactive form of the hormone. After enough T4 is made, a small amount of it is converted into something called T3. The T3 is the “active” form of thyroid hormone.
Now, there’s a lot that I’m not saying about how ALL this plays into your kidneys and other organs. But for now, let’s just stay focused on the basic endocrine system and solutions.
OK… we are almost there. Hang in there.
T3 is the energy that is “active” and it gets converted into either Free T3 or Reverse T3.
Free T3 really matters. It’s the only hormone that can attach to a receptor and cause your metabolism to rise, keep you warm, keep your bowels moving, mind working and other hormones in check.
Reverse T3 is not well known; however, it is a direct result of extreme stress and/or those who have mercury toxicity. Extreme stress causes obesity and stroke. AND stress in the brian releases cortisol into the stomach which is a FAT STORAGE HORMONE. Mercury toxicity causes insanity, severe depression, Alzheimer’s disease and weight gain.
One final type of Hypothyroidism (under-active thyroid) Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease, is the most common form of hypothyroidism and its numbers are rising annually. An autoimmune disease is one in which your body turns on itself and begins to attack a certain organ or tissue believing its foreign.
Why is hypothyroidism so misdiagnosed in the USA?
First problem: Many symptoms of thyroid imbalance can be vague. Unless your doctor is an endocrinologists or holistic integrative physician they might not pick up on it – even when your symptoms are obvious. After you have spent money and time with your regular physician, they can refer you to an endocrinologist or specialist where you can spend more money and time and eventually get a prescription for a BIG PHARMA drug designed to destroy your body!
Second problem: Most conventional doctors use only one or two tests (TSH and T4) to screen for problems. They are not checking FT3, RT3 or thyroid antibodies.
Third problem: Most conventional doctors use the ‘normal’ lab reference range as their guide only. They should be using ‘optimal’ lab values and temperature as their guide. Most hypothyroid patients struggle with an inability to lose weight. Its very frustrating because at first, you gained weight before your thyroid problem was diagnosed. Second, you were told that you would lose all the extra weight once you started on your thyroid hormone replacement.
Doctor RESULTS: Most people lose 2-3 pounds (at best) on thyroid medication and as a result feel very sad and frustrated.
Doctor TRUTH: many conventional doctors out a prescription for a BIG PHARMA drug (designed to destroy your body and metabolism) AND then said the magic words…”you will lose the weight”. You spent a lot of money and wasted energy destroying your metabolism with synthetic drugs. YAY!
Here’s what your doctor WON’T tell you about hypothyroidism.
- Your doctor got a BIG dollar kick-back from that BIG PHARMA drug company. All doctors get real money – good money – from the drug companies. The more they sell – they bigger the kick-back. It’s a normal and common part of the doctor business model.
- Your doctor did not give you is a list of powerful holistic remedies – nor gave you the name of a holistic nutritionist or health coach.
- That thyroid medication your doctor gave you will wreck your metabolism – creating a changed metabolic “set point,” which changes your brain chemistry causing cortisol and insulin resistance.
- Hunger is intricately tied to your brain chemistry. Your hypothalamus senses you need energy, and issues the brain neurotransmitter neuropeptide (NPY) with a strong message to “eat complex carbohydrates.” Once the hypothalamus senses you’ve eaten enough carbohydrates, it releases serotonin to tell the body that you have eaten enough carbohydrates. Hey, here’s a clue – if your body is waiting for you to eat complex carbs to release serotonin, then you are in big trouble! Your brain will not FEEL happy until it gets complex carbs. YIKES! Hello carb (sugar) addiction! And sugar addiction can come in the form of craving too much vino! This little dance between the brain and the body can cause you to 1) crave carbs 2) crave sugar 3) feel “depressed” until your body has carbs and 4) gain weight without even eating much. Did your doctor tell you this?
- If you argue with your doctor about taking the medication or try to mention alternative therapies and protocols, they will possibly laugh at you or make you feel stupid and put the fear of God in you in order for you to take the drug. It certainly doesn’t mean they are a bad doctor or person.
Is this YOU?
1. You are in tears. You can’t fit into your clothes. You are frustrated and quite frankly, down right mad! After killing yourself with exercise and ridiculous mind-bending salad-eating, there is still no considerable weight loss. AND the “dieting” has wrecked your metabolism too so you are extra frustrated. UGH!
2. After 90 days on the your thyroid medication (and dieting), you go in for another thyroid test. Your TSH levels come back normal and you are confused and in tears AGAIN!
3. Your doctor tells you that your weight problem doesn’t have anything to do with your thyroid. This is a LIE – weight gain is absolutely about hormones! You can still have a thyroid issue when your TSH levels are normal. Yep, you guessed it. More tears!
So HERE are THOSE SOLUTIONS!
The TOP HOLISTIC SOLUTIONS FOR HYPOTHYROIDISM:
1. Learn and Practice Kundalini Yoga. I highly recommend Kundalini Yoga to detox and destress with Maya Fiennes. This yoga addresses your blood sugar, kidneys, adrenal glands and kundalini. The adrenal glands and thyroid work hand and hand. I recommend a powerful restorative yoga called Kundalini Yoga practice is designed to heal and restore your endocrine system. This practice is done sitting and is very easy for those with injuries.
2. Rhodiola: an adaptogenic herb which supports the adrenal glands in coping with stress. There are a lot of fakes and synthetics out there – even at Whole Foods. Organic plant-based Rhodiola can’t be purchased over the counter. True organic plant-based Rhodiola comes from a plant in Siberia. Nutrilite owns the majority of the land in Siberia where the Rhodiola is grown. Rhodiola adapts and provide benefits similar to St. John’s Wort, Gingko Biloba and Ginseng among others although Rhodiola is a higher quality product and smarter allocation of you money.
3. Take a high quality organic plant-based multi-vitamin with Iodine, Zinc, Selenium, Iron, Vitamin D and B vitamins.
4. Take a tyrosine and iodine supplement to help with the FT4 to FT3 conversion.
5. Go gluten-free! If you have an under-active thyroid or Hashimoto’s or maybe just can’t lose weight and feel like crap. Go completely grain and legume free. You will immediately feel the difference. NOTE: be careful some gluten-free crackers are higher in calories. Try sliced cucumbers or apples instead of crackers.
6. Get 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night. try to get in 1 to 2 hours of sleep before midnight. This is good, deep quality sleep. You will really feel the difference.
7. Have a biological dentist safely remove any amalgam fillings you may have.
8. Watch your intake of hard raw cruciferous vegetables. There is some debate surrounding this topic. If you are in your late 30′s or 40’s you are most likely suffering from a little belly fat otherwise known as estrogen belly or estrogen dominance. Cruciferous vegetables radically reduce estrogen belly. I highly two things: 1. Don’t eat raw, hard cruciferous veggies. It is too difficult to break down the raw fiber in the intestines. Steam or lightly roast on low heat. 2. Start juicing green veggies with a masticating juicer. I recommend the Omega 8006 Masticating Juicer for price and functionality. Check out: discountjuicers.com. You get the restorative living enzymes without the “hard fiber” which are difficult to breakdown in the intestines. Special Note: If you are not doing coffee enemas while juicing, your body will re-constitute the toxins causing illness.
9. Get fluoride, bromide and chlorine out of your diet and environment. Fluoride-free toothpaste – powerful high-end water filtration’s systems (Espring is an excellent product) and chlorine shower filters. NOTE: all face & body creams and shampoos have estrogen and hormone mimickers and cause your hormones to go nuts.
10. Heal your gut. A properly functioning digestive system (gut) is critical to good health and weight loss. Take a high-quality organic probiotic every day. 10. Find a functional or integrative medical doctor in your area and have them run The SIX MOST IMPORTANT THYROID TESTS are the following: 1) TSH. 2) Free T4. 3) Free T3. 4) Reverse T3. 5) Thyroid Peroxidase. 6) Antibodies (TPOAb). 7) Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb).
11. Power walk for an hour every other day. If you go with a girlfriend, skip the gossip. Gossip produces bad and ugly feelings which can send the wrong messages to our body. Talk about dreams, goals and how you can help one another.
12. Regular yoga is wonderful – even in a slightly warm setting. But steer clear of HOT yoga classes – causes fight or flight and stresses out the thyroid. HOT yoga classes have been linked with weight gain. More Blogs coming on this issue.
13. Foods to Boost Under-Active Thyroid: The best natural source of iodine is kelp and other seaweeds. These sea vegetables are rich in natural iodine, an element that “feeds” the thyroid and is vital for the production of thyroid hormones. It’s possible to add crunchy, salty seaweed to [raw] soups and salads … Coconut oil is another natural food that boosts thyroid function. Virgin coconut oil is praised by health experts for its ability to lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar. It’s also been found to boost the thyroid, increasing metabolism, weight loss and energy levels.
14. Foods That Suppress Thyroid Function: The two worst offenders for suppressing thyroid function are soy foods and cruciferous vegetables. Soy contains estrogenic compounds that can interfere with thyroid hormones and sex hormones, contributing to PMS, cramps, bloating, and menopause symptoms. NO soy, tofu, TVP, tempeh, seitan, miso, or edamame. A family of vegetables known as “Brassica” – more commonly called cruciferous vegetables – contain goitrogenic chemicals that suppress the thyroid. These include broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, kale, mustard, brussel sprouts, cabbage, and bok choy. Other fruits and vegetables that lower thyroid function include turnips, walnuts, corn, canola, millet, radishes and horseradish.
MissyWolff.com – BE in LOVE with YOU.
UP and COMING BLOGS…
THE IMPORTANCE OF MASTICATING JUICERS COFFEE ENEMAS with JUICING SAFE LIVER DETOXING ESTROGEN DOMINANCE
Healthy Weight Loss Solutions for Hypothyroidism
