Congratulate me! I just got my bloodwork back and my thyroid is working perfectly! My doctor has been threatening to put me on hypothyroid medication for about a year. My bloodwork has been on the cusp of serious hypothyroidism for some time and I told my doctor that I wanted to try a holistic approach to support my thyroid before starting medication. Above is a picture of my 'healthy thyroid kit' which I will go through momentarily but first I want to go into the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism as I have experienced them. You might be hypothyroid if....
What I Did To Support My Thyroid:1. Drink purified water - Although our island water is awesome and touted as being the best in the world, city water contains chlorine which prevents the uptake of iodine which is critical to thyroid health. (My dog now refuses to drink water from the tap because of the chlorine smell.) So, if you are hypothyroid, don't drink it, try not to swim in chlorinated pools and if you can afford it get a water filter for your shower. Better still, swim in the ocean or sea water pools. MacKenzie Beach Resort in Tofino has a salt water pool which feels awesome. Brita water filters are far from the best on the market but are the cheapest. This system uses granulated carbon so change your filters often to prevent bacteria from growing in the filter. At CSNN Nanaimo, they use a water filter that hooks up to your faucet and you can also get ones that attach to your shower. They use the Aquasmart system which costs $275+. If you are interested in this type of system, check out Aquarius Pure Water 2010 website or call Cody at 250-240-6012. He is located near Parksville. At the Lifehouse they have a Santevia water cooler and filtration system that makes the most delicious mineral rich water. 2. Use Fluoride Free Toothpaste - Fluoride also blocks the uptake of iodine in the body. JASON Powersmile is one of the many fluoride free toothpastes that you can buy at any supermarket or health food store. This company is located in Toronto, Canada. The price is comparable to other brands and tastes great. When you go to your dental hygienist, don't get a fluoride treatment and opt for the free toothbrush over any toothpaste or mouthwash containing fluoride. Island municipal water doesn't contain fluoride. I think that's an American thing. 3. Buy salt-free canned goods and add your own sea salt instead of cheap table salt. This way you are boosting your minerals naturally. 4. Use Himalayan pink salt and/or sea salt for cooking. As said above this boosts the amount of minerals you are getting and since you are getting it from a natural source, your ability to absorb them is much better. 5. Add sea weed and sea vegetables to your meals often. I have a post for Miso Soup which contains kombu, kelp powder and sea salt. It's delicious and your thyroid will thank you. A few dashes of kelp powder to any soup or salad dressing adds some depth of flavour and nutrition. Sushi, which is wrapped in nori seaweed, is a good source of iodine. 6. Supplement with iodine if necessary. I'm a vegan and I can't eat miso soup every day. I add four drops of iodine to a tablespoon of purified water and take it with my morning supplements. Iodine is found most commonly, and in the highest concentration, in the ocean. Iodine is critical in the production of the thyroid hormone T4. 7. Supplement with selenium. Concentrations of selenium are higher in the thyroid gland than almost any other tissues in the body and are important to activate the thyroid hormones in conjunction with iodine. If you are deficient in selenium and iodine and don't supplement them together, iodine supplementation is required in conjunction with selenium supplementation in order to prevent thyroid damage from iodine supplementation alone. Good levels of selenium are needed to convert the hormone T4 to T3 the more active form of the hormone. 8. Avoid goitrogenic foods - Soy and raw goitrogenic vegetables block the absorption and utilization of iodine. The goitrogenic vegetables are broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower. If these vegetables are cooked in any way they are fine to eat. Soy in all forms are goitrogenic but the jury is still out in regards to fermented soy such as miso. It won't stop me from enjoying miso soup but it is advisable to avoid all forms of soy in hypothyroidism.
9. Consume organic foods as much as possible. - Some pesticides can interfere with iodine uptake by the thyroid. This means the ability of the thyroid to use the iodine is blocked by the pesticides. Shop with a list of the 'dirty dozen'. These fruits and vegetables should always be purchased organic unless the price is so high that you avoid buying and eating them all together. 10. Maintain daily exercise like walking - Exercise increases thyroid hormone levels and energy levels and therefore is essential for hypothyroidism. Although FMTV has a quick miso recipe, I prefer this one as it has kombu seaweed in it which is good for my thyroid. This recipe is from Eating Alive by Dr. John Matsen. This book is a required book in the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition and as a bonus Dr. Matsen practises in North Vancouver! You can buy his book at bookstores and I have even found copies at Value Village. Miso is a fermented food which contains probiotics. The kombu, kelp powder and sea salt provide plenty of minerals and iodine which is critical to thyroid health. Miso Soup (Serves 4-6)(use organic where possible) 6 cups purified water or stock 4-6 oz. seaweed (wakame or kombu are best) 1 large onion, chopped 2 carrots, sliced thin 2-3 stalks celery - chopped 1-2 vegetable bouillon cubes OR 1-2 tsp. vegetable broth powder 1-2 Tbsp. oil 1 tsp. parsley 1/2 tsp. sea salt Several dashes kelp powder 1/3 cup dark miso Saute the onions and vegetables in the oil in a large pot. Use a pot big enough to hold all the soup. When the vegetables are tender and slightly transparent, add the water, seaweed and all the rest of the soup ingredients except the miso. Let the soup cook on low heat and keep it covered and hot. *Remove 1 cup of broth from the soup and mix it with the miso. When the miso is dissolved into the broth, mix it with the rest of the soup and let the soup sit covered about 5-10 minutes so the flavours can mingle. Do not cook the miso; that would destroy valuable vitamins and enzymes. Serve the soup immediately when ready. Leftover soup can be reheated slightly, but never let the soup come to a boil. *I have amended this part when I make it. I remove 2-3 cups into a big Pyrex measuring cup. I let it cool, add the miso, then blend the soup with an immersion blender so it adds some body to the soup. I return this to the pot and simmer for about 5 minutes. Here's a picture and comments about some ingredients that may be new to you.
I opened up the cupboard this morning to get a glass for my morning water and said, "Holy Crap! Are my glasses ever shiny!" I said this in my head as it was pretty early and didn't want to wake my husband or the dog. I'm not sure if the picture does them justice. It's like taking a picture of a sunset and later realize you should have bought the postcard. Anyway, the reason I was so excited was I just bought this new dishwasher detergent that is natural and safe in an effort to detoxify my home. The dishwasher cubes were one of the last things I have reluctantly changed over as I was afraid I wouldn't get clean enough dishes. This is probably due to all those TV commercials where an evening can be ruined with spotty glasses. Below is a picture of what I am using now. I bought this second pack yesterday from Save On Foods for $8.99 for 25 tablets but I think I got them cheaper at Country Grocer for around $6.99. Unfortunately, this is not a Canadian product. It is manufactured for Ecover in San Francisco and produced in Denmark. The symbols on the front and back indicate the following:
Great News! Country Grocer on Bowen Road, Nanaimo is selling wheat grass in trays for just under $5. Just take some scissors and 'mow' your grass, add purified water to your Nutribullet. It's a great way to start your day and tastes like summer smells! Wheat grass is considered a superfood. It is rich in chlorophyll. It contains vitamins C, E, K, and the B complex vitamins including B12. It contains minerals calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulphur and zinc. It also contains amino acids and enzymes. Wheat grass has amazing healing properties and is beneficial for those suffering from chronic illnesses. It is highly alkaline so it is beneficial for those suffering from inflammation. Check out www.greenmedinfo.com for studies using wheat grass to treat various forms of cancer.
(ORIGINALLY WRITTEN 10/23/16) Check this out! It is awesome. I bought this 'Happy Light' from Costco in Nanaimo for $59.99. It's like having natural sunlight in your house on dull days. I haven't had my afternoon blahs since using it. Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) is very common for us above the 49th parallel. We simply don't have enough bright sunny days to help boost our mood. After all, there is a reason those vampires in Twilight could wander around and go to school during the daylight in the Pacific Northwest. I highly recommend this product to boost energy and lighten your mood. Most particles found in the air have a positive charge. In nature, negative ions are generated by sunlight, lightning, waves, and waterfalls. That's why people feel so invigorated in these settings. Indoors, however, negative ions are lacking hence the development of negative ion generators to improve air quality inside businesses and homes. The science behind it is that negative ions will be attracted to positive ions in the air. When there is a high enough concentration of negative ions in the air, they will attract floating positively charged particles in large numbers. This causes the particle to become too heavy to remain airborne. As a result, the particle will fall out of the air, preventing it from being inhaled into the respiratory tract where it can trigger breathing and health problems. The claimed health benefits of negative ion generators are:
The cheapest ways to incorporate more negative ions into the home are: SALT CRYSTAL LAMPS: Salt crystal lamps are natural ionizers: The salt crystal binds the negative ions with the excess positive ions. When the lamp becomes warm, it absorbs moisture and crystal will be damp on the surface. This builds up the ion field. Through the lamp, the positively charged atmosphere of the room can be neutralized. In addition to this, the colors of the salt crystal stones can have a healing effect. You can buy these at Pomme Naturals on Metral Drive or The Soap Exchange in Country Club Mall, Nanaimo. The prices range depending on the size of the crystal starting at $25.00. That's the price I paid for the one pictured above. INDOOR WATERFALLS: Indoor waterfalls and desktop fountains provide a constant source of running water. Running water reduces stress factors in the environment by producing negatively charged ions and by creating white noise which can help neutralize irritating sounds. You can buy these online starting at $100.00. The one pictured above was a gift so I'm not sure where it was purchased from. If any island business sells these, please contact my site so I can spread the good word. |