Dangers of Gasric bypass

Research is showing that people who under gastric bypass surgery — a barbaric procedure if there ever was one — experience a decrease in the appetite stimulating hormone ghrelin. This, according to the researchers, helps patients lose weight and also proves the surgical procedure is a success.But wait a minute. If the decrease in the hormone is responsible for the weight loss, then aren’t there other strategies that help control this appetite hormone without the use of scalpels, scar tissue, loss of blood and sky-high medical bills? Of course there are! The surgeons just don’t know about them.

It all comes down to brain chemistry: modify your brain chemistry and your appetite comes back into balance. You don’t need surgery to have a healthy appetite, either. All you really need is the following:

1. Avoid all processed foods. Don’t eat any refined sugars, high-fructose corn syrup, refined carbohydrates, refined white flour, white rice, soft drinks, chips, breads or other carbs. Basically follow the Atkins diet, but make it healthier by reading Low-Carb Diet Warning in the mean time.
2. Start feeding yourself superfoods: chlorella, spirulina, wheat grass, organic vitamins, broccoli sprouts, garlic, ginger, quinoa, and so on. This will give you outstanding nutrition.
3. Take coral calcium, sea vegetable supplements, or some other source of macro minerals and trace minerals.
4. Get a daily dose of sunshine. I don’t have the space to explain it here, but sunshine alters your brain chemistry and suppresses out of control carbohydrate cravings. Everybody needs natural sunlight on their skin.
5. Get a daily dose of physical exercise, even if it means nothing more than pumping your arms up and down for ten minutes while you sit in a chair. Better yet, get into a walking habit if you can walk. This radically alters your brain chemistry and frequently drops cravings within a matter of weeks, if not sooner.
6. Take appetite suppressing nutritional supplements like hoodia gordonii, jojoba extract (also called Simmondsin), psyllium fiber or other supplements shown to block hunger signals.

Do all this and you can save yourself from the surgeon’s scalpel. Surgery should always be the VERY LAST option after all other options are exhausted. And I’ve never met or even heard of a single person undergoing gastric bypass surgery who exhausted the other options first. Too often, people opt for surgery as a lazy shortcut. That’s right: LAZY shortcut. It’s lazy, irresponsible, and it scars your body for life. Oh, and by the way, it kills something like 1.5% of all patients undergoing the surgery. How’s that for your health?

Look: there are only about 20 – 30 people on the entire planet who have a freakish genetic fluke that causes them to eat uncontrollably. Everybody else who’s obese just suffers from poor brain chemistry, poor nutritional habits and lack of education about what really works to lose weight and regain health. It sounds simple, but if you do the six things I’ve named above, there’s nearly a 100% chance that you’ll lose unwanted pounds and find yourself at a healthy weight in a matter of months. The question is: are you willing to give up all that junk food, television watching, and binge eating in order to be thin and healthy? Only you can answer that question.

By the way, I know what I’m talking about here. I used to be overweight, unhealthy, depressed and borderline diabetic. Using the strategies listed above, I lost fifty pounds of body fat and regained my health and youth. It wasn’t easy, but it works. And I have my entire stomach, thank you.

For original article click here.

Childhood Obesity, a growing Epidemic

Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic in the U.S. It accounts for 17 percent of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years, based on the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).However, obesity is a preventable condition. More importantly, it’s something you can help your children avoid by taking simple measures.

A new national study published on EurekAlert! reveals what you can do to decrease the risk of obesity in children. It points out some routines you can practice in your own home:

• Eat dinner together as a family
• Ensure that your child is getting enough sleep
• Reduce your child’s television viewing time

Aside from these 3 household routines, Dr. Joseph Mercola, a natural health expert, suggests these tips for maintaining your kids’ healthy weight:

• Keep fructose intake under 25 grams per day.Dr. Mercola points out that “fructose is the number one source of calories in America and it is very clear that it is a primary cause of the obesity epidemic.” As such, he recommends eliminating soda and dramatically reducing fruit juices and foods that are high in fructose from your children’s diet.
• Modify your child’s diet according to his/her Nutritional Type.Choose foods that are “right for your biochemistry, so they will naturally push your body toward its ideal weight,” says Dr. Mercola.

  It is important to include high-quality, organic meats and veggies in your child’s diet in order to provide him/her with vital nutrients. Also supplement with krill oil, which is rich in Omega-3 fats that are critical to your child’s brain function, IQ, and overall optimal health.

• Encourage your kids to get regular exercise.Incorporating various types of physical activity into your child’s routine, which can be as simple as walking, bike-riding, or playing tennis, can be helpful in weight management.

To instill these healthy habits, Dr. Mercola believes parents need to model these behaviors in order to serve as good role models for their children.

For original article click here.

FDA says you have no right to real food without permission

The FDA has finally made its food-rights policy crystal clear. Here’s the agency’s position, made evident in their response to a lawsuit filed by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund:

• They believe you have no absolute right to any raw unprocessed food, unless the FDA says it’s okay
• They believe you have no right to good health, except as approved by the FDA
• They believe that there is no right for citizens to contract privately for their food

The Complete Patient reports:

“More Americans appear to be getting the message … Over the past six months, we’ve had the popular push in Wisconsin, a state where the regulators have gone bonkers to eliminate raw milk, to pressure legislators to approve making it available from the farm … [and] a firestorm building in Massachusetts over a … decision by a regulator to restrict consumer access to milk.”

 

  Dr. Mercola’s Comments:

If you try to purchase a gallon of raw milk in the majority of U.S. states, you could be taken away in handcuffs … literally. With the exception of 10 states that allow retail raw milk sales, and 15 that allow farm sales, purchasing raw milk in the United States is a crime, according to the FDA.

Their decision to ban the interstate shipment of raw milk back in 1987 has been declared unconstitutional by many Americans interested in securing their right to choose fresh, unprocessed and unpasteurized food for their families, but the FDA has been fighting back, even going so far as to harass and legally prosecute small dairy farmers and consumers seeking to distribute the milk.

The issue reached new heights earlier this year when the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) filed a lawsuit against the FDA over their raw milk ban … and you won’t believe how the FDA responded.

You Have “No Absolute Right to Consume … Any Particular Food”

Last month, the FDA responded to FTCLDF’s suit that banning raw milk in interstate commerce is unconstitutional. Their rebuttal contained the following extremely concerning and outrageous statements:

• “There is no absolute right to consume or feed children any particular food.”
• “There is no ‘deeply rooted’ historical tradition of unfettered access to foods of all kinds.”
• “Plaintiffs’ assertion of a ‘fundamental right to their own bodily and physical health, which includes what foods they do and do not choose to consume for themselves and their families’ is similarly unavailing because plaintiffs do not have a fundamental right to obtain any food they wish.”
• FDA’s brief goes on to state that “even if such a right did exist, it would not render FDA’s regulations unconstitutional because prohibiting the interstate sale and distribution of unpasteurized milk promotes bodily and physical health.”
• “There is no fundamental right to freedom of contract.”

Since when did the FDA have authority to tell you what you can and cannot eat and feed your children? Apparently they believe they’ve had it all along.

If you go by these assertions, it means the FDA has the authority to prohibit any food of their choosing and make it a crime for you to seek it out. If, one day, the FDA deems tomatoes, broccoli or cashews capable of causing you harm (which is just as ludicrous as their assertions that raw milk is harmful), they could therefore enact such a ban and legally enforce it.

What this means is that freedom of food choice is a myth if you live in the United States, and this simply is not acceptable. As FTCLDF states:

“Growing numbers of people in this country are obtaining the foods of their choice through private contractual arrangements such as buyers’ club agreements and herdshare contracts. 

FDA’s position is that the agency can interfere with these agreements because, in FDA’s view, there is no fundamental right to enter into a private contract to obtain the foods of choice from the source of choice. 

As for the agency’s contention that there is no fundamental right to obtain any food, including raw milk, here is what the ‘substantive due process’ clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides:  no person shall “be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” 

Obtaining the foods of your choice is so basic to life, liberty and property that it is inconceivable that the ‘right of food choice’ would not be protected under the Constitution but FDA is saying “No.””

Whether you’re currently a raw milk drinker or not, the FDA’s arrogant attitude that they have authority over your choice of food is atrocious.

First Raw Milk, What’s Next?

As regular readers know, I am an avid supporter of raw milk.

Organically-raised, grass-fed milk naturally contains healthy “good” bacteria, including lactobacillus and acidophilus. There are also several coliform families of bacteria.

Raw milk also contains nutrients, which are virtually eliminated by the pasteurization process of commercial milk. The presence of beneficial bacteria is what makes raw milk such an outstanding food source to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in your intestine, which in turn has a significant, beneficial impact on your overall immune function and health.

However, my purpose today is not to extol the virtues of raw milk. If you’d like to learn more about that, just listen to this video with health and business journalist David E. Gumpert, author of Raw Milk Revolution: Behind America’s Emerging Battle Over Food Rights.

What I want to share is that if this unconstitutional ban has happened with raw milk, it’s only a matter of time before another health-promoting, life-giving food is targeted.

The FDA never had any grounds for making the sale of raw milk illegal in the first place. Even a quick review of the data shows that this food, which the FDA claims is so harmful to human health, is less harmless than countless food products that have earned the FDA’s seal of approval!

In their lawsuit, FTCLDF pointed out that CDC statistics from 2007 showed over 7,000 outbreaks of food-borne illness related to bacteria, which resulted in 678 hospitalizations and 11 deaths.

In that same year, and using CDC data, raw milk was responsible for only 32 of those cases, which amounts to only 0.5 percent of all food-borne bacteria-related illness. Further, there were only two hospitalizations related to raw milk, and no deaths, whereas three people died from drinking pasteurized milk!

They also pointed out, and rightly so, that the FDA is taking an unfairly harsh approach with raw milk. For instance, unpasteurized juices are sold with just a warning label letting consumers know the juice has not been pasteurized, while raw milk has been outright banned in many states.

Is it a coincidence that some of the states where raw milk sales are illegal are also among the largest dairy producers in the United States (namely Wisconsin and Iowa)?

Hardly.

The conventional dairy industry has a very powerful lobbying force. What would happen to the majority of the dairy industry if raw milk really caught on? They’d be forced to clean up their acts, raise healthier cows, and give them access to pasture, as only healthy cows are the ones that you would buy raw milk from.

And this would cost them money … lots of money, if it were even possible at all.

Join the Raw Milk Revolution and Stand Up for Your Food Freedom!

By joining the fight to make access to healthy raw milk a right for all Americans, you are not only standing up for raw milk; you’re taking a stand to protect your freedom of food choice.

No one, and certainly not any government agency, should be able to restrict your access to pure, unadulterated food. Organizations like the Weston A. Price Foundation and the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund are working toward true freedom of choice for American consumers, and I urge you to get involved in their causes.

For original article click here.

President Calderón witnesses signing of National Agreement on Nutritional Health, urges media to publicize importance of healthy lifestyle.

Mexico City – Because the solution to problems is to cope with them, rather than avoiding them, President Felipe Calderón urged all sectors of society to build a common front against overweight and obesity, one of the greatest health challenges of the 21st century.

“This is a situation we can no longer ignore,” declared the President as he witnessed the Signing of the National Agreement for Nutritional Health: Strategy against overweight and obesity.

“The point is that through this agreement we are taking a key step towards attracting attention and I am fully aware of the scope of the problem and the fact that the problem requires an immediate response and everyone’s participation,” he said.

Accompanied by his wife, Margarita Zavala, cabinet members, governors and entrepreneurs, the President reported that this Agreement has led to the creation of the National Council for the Prevention and Control of Chronic Diseases, which will serve as an instrument for the evaluation and follow-up of commitments established and the results that emerge from the forums that will also be organized.

“The constant struggle against overweight and obesity must be a determined, everyday fight. It is essential for Mexicans to have a balanced diet and to promote and engage in far more physical activity,” he said.

At the Explanada Francisco I. Madero, of the official Los Pinos residence, President Felipe Calderón said that the goals are: to reverse overweight and obesity in children ages two to five, in the population ages five to 19 and adults.

“And we are going to act by using this instrument. Through it, all the actors involved are concentrating our determination to build a common front against the problem. By signing this document, we pledge to combine efforts, report on what we are doing and continue working for Mexicans’ health,” he said.

He also instructed the Federal and State Health Secretariat as well as the governors to focus on these problems in children and youth through the corresponding legal instruments to promote better nutrition at the country’s schools.

He urged businessmen to become aware of the severity of the problem and to make the agreement’s goals a priority in decision-making.

He urged the media to disseminate messages on the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle and engaging in everyday physical activity.

“The success of this strategy lies largely in people’s hands. So I invite you to work together on this. It is a serious problem. We are going to throw our weight against this Nutritional Health Agreement and this strategy against obesity and overweight,” he said.

He said that it is important to deal with this problem because nowadays, 70% of adults in Mexico are overweight, together with four and a half million children between the ages of 5 and 11.

These figures, he said, mean that Mexico is currently the country with the greatest number of overweight adults and unfortunately, with the greatest problem of child obesity worldwide.

For original article click here.

About 186,320 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed last year, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

(NaturalNews) Controversial radio personality Don Imus just announced he has prostate cancer. He’s certainly not alone. In fact prostate cancer is the most common cancer, other than skin cancers, in American men. About 186,320 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed last year, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). However, a diagnosis of prostate cancer isn’t an automatic death sentence — ACS statistics show that although about one in 6 men will be diagnosed with the disease during their lifetime, only one in 35 will actually die from the cancer. And new research shows that a diagnosis of prostate cancer also doesn’t automatically mean all men even need treatment, such as often grueling chemotherapy, radiation and/or surgery which can cause serious long-term side effects such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

A multi-center study of men with prostate cancer, published in the current issue of Journal of Urology recommends that some men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer can opt out of receiving initial treatment, and if their malignancy is closely monitored, remain safe. “Low-risk” prostate cancers are those that are at minimal risk of progressing or spreading to other parts of the body. The study suggests “watchful waiting” can be a sensible approach after two separate biopsies are performed to determine if a man’s prostate cancer falls into the “low-risk” group.

The study addresses an important question for men newly diagnosed with prostate cancer and at minimal risk of cancer progression or metastases: when should they be actively treated and when can they simply be treatment-free and closely monitored for any changes down the road? The scientists found that separate biopsies are key to determining the optimal selection of patients for active surveillance, also known as “watchful waiting”, when men decide not to undergo immediate treatment.

“When or if to treat men with low-risk prostate cancer has always been a challenging question that faces patients and urologists. Some men may be rushing into treatment that won’t necessarily benefit them, prevent problems, or prolong life. Close observation in certain patients may provide and maintain quality of life without increasing the chances of the cancer spreading,” said study author Scott Eggener, MD, assistant professor of surgery at the University of Chicago Medical Center, in a statement to the media.

Dr. Eggener added that an estimated 20 to 50 percent of men in the U.S. who are diagnosed with prostate cancer will eventually die from other causes — not from their prostate cancer. Bottom line: a large number of men clearly do not benefit from standard medical treatments and may, in fact, be harmed by the side effects.

The study was conducted at Memorial Sloane-Kettering Cancer Center, the University of Miami, Cleveland Clinic, and University of British Columbia between 1991 and 2007. The researchers studied 262 men from 4 hospitals in the U.S. and Canada who were all under the age of 75 and had a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test that registered below 10 ng/ml. Other criteria for the research subjects included being diagnosed with a cancer at clinical stage T1-T2a and having 3 or fewer positive cores at diagnostic biopsy. The study participants underwent a repeat biopsy and then had no treatment for six months. After that period, they were given physical exams and PSA tests every six months; they were also advised to undergo biopsies every one to 2 years.

Forty-three of the men eventually decided to go ahead with treatment. Or they had evidence their cancer was progressing, so their doctors advised starting treatment. All but one were cured of their cancer, despite having waited to undergo surgery or radiation. The rest of the 219 patients in the research group continued “watchful waiting” without any treatment and showed no evidence of metastases (spread of the cancer to other parts of the body). “Active surveillance with delayed treatment, if necessary, for select patients appears to be safe and associated with a low risk of metastatic spread,” the study concluded.

For original article click here.

Nutrition and a bothersom Gut

Bloating, belly aches and bathroom runs aren’t all of what’s vexing about living with a bowel disorder—just as inconvenient is the nutritional drain that may arise from troubles with digestion and absorption of food nutrients.Health starts in the gut, after all.

Guidance from a health professional such as a physician or nutritionist is best for evaluating possible medical treatments and dietary needs for every unique situation, whether as common as irritable bowel syndrome or as serious as inflammatory bowel disease and diverticulitis.

However, food choices ultimately end up being in your hands—the consumer—and knowing a few facts about how a problem gut can affect your nutrition can go a long way to support your current and future health.

Irritable bowel syndrome

Food can feel like the enemy when you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Just thinking of food or chewing it, which causes gut hormones to be released, can potentially aggravate symptoms like belly aches and diarrhea.

Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics or an antidiarrheal to help you with avoiding symptoms. In addition, he or she may suggest soluble fiber.

Soluble fiber, according to a recent study in the British Medical Journal, may in fact be one of the most promising dietary aids for helping patients. Soluble fiber is thought to work because it binds to fat and slows stomach emptying. Best sources are oats, psyllium hulls, flax seed, fruits and vegetables.

Prebiotics—indigestible nutrients in fruits and vegetables that are not unlike soluble fiber—may be of greater support if you are on antibiotics or coming off of them. Prebiotics are a fuel for “good” bacteria and help your colon populate healthy flora.

As we increase the “good” bacteria, there are less “bad” bacteria residing in our gut (large intestine) and together these changes are associated with helping overall immune function. The “good bacteria”may also help with normalizing bowel movements and improvingabsorption of certain foodnutrients such as minerals.

If you suffer from IBS, you may also need to avoid certain dietary fibers. According to the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, for example, too much insoluble fiber from cereal grains can potentially worsen gas and bloating.

Foods high in fat (except fatty fish) or high in sugar also should be avoided. They can bring on those especially painful gut reactions. Fast foods can be the worst offenders. When a typical hamburger and medium fries deliver 26 grams of fat (mostly saturated) and its accompanying soda contains 43 grams of sugar, then it’s time to say “no!”

One of the exceptions to the “avoid high-fat” rule may be fatty fish high in omega-3 fatty acids because of possible anti-inflammatory benefits,but these“good fats”should still be used with caution and increasedgradually.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

Be sure not to confuse IBS with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Yes, they have similar symptoms, but IBD, which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, are characterized by inflammation.

Inflammation in both Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis can produce cramping and diarrhea. Ulcerative colitis, which occurs when the immune system attacks the colon, is accompanied with significant rectal bleeding.

How do you get IBD? The likelihood is largely based on genetics, but may also be influenced by bacterial or viral infection as well as by diet and habits such as smoking.

For Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, appropriate medical treatment is required, and may include anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-diarrheals and antibiotics.

Malnutrition can be a concern because of poor intestinal digestion, diarrhea and blood loss that may occur in those with IBD. For these reasons, your doctor may recommend a diet high in protein and the regular use of vitamin (especially vitamin B12) and mineral supplements.

As a complementary therapy, Mayo Clinic also suggests supplementation with prebiotic soluble fiber, probiotics and fish oil.

The newest research on IBD suggests that antioxidants may also be helpful. According to Susie Rockway, Ph.D., Isagenix Director of Nutritional Sciences, “Dietary antioxidants may have a protective role in the gut by helping to neutralize oxidative stress that leads to tissue damage.”

Oxidative stress is representative of poor balance between free radical production from inflammation and antioxidant depletion in the intestines during Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The main antioxidants studied in the gut are vitamins C and E, glutathione, zinc and selenium.

Diverticulitis

Another cause of inflammation can manifest from diverticulitis, which occurs when small, bulging pouches (diverticula) in the colon are inflamed or infected. Diverticulitis can be a source of severe abdominal pain that is often accompanied by fever, nausea, constipation or diarrhea.

After an attack of diverticulitis, early medical treatment may often include antibiotics accompanied by a low-fiber diet until symptoms subside. Slowing progression of diverticulitis, according to Mayo Clinic, can then depend on the amount of fiber one eats daily.

Experts suggest meeting the recommended dietary intake of 25-30 grams of fiber, drinking plenty of water and exercising daily. All of these factors assist in lowering luminal pressure in the colon, which help to act against formation of diverticula.

If you’re currently on a low-fiber diet, be cautious of switching to a high-fiber diet overnight. The sudden change could stimulate a high amount of gas production that can lead to forceful diarrhea. It’s always best to make gradual changes in fiber intake.

Recent studies also suggest a link between obesity anddiverticulitis that may be related to fat intake and lack of regular exercise, although fiber intake may also represent a variable. Thus, effective weight management could help to decrease risk of diverticulitis.

Your doctor may also recommend probiotics and prebiotics if you are taking antibiotics and a supplement of vitamins and minerals to help avoid nutritional deficiencies that may occur because of intestinal damage.

For original article click here.

Hypothyroidism and weightgain

(NaturalNews) Is the average temperature of the human body still 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit? This often quoted average was determined in the nineteenth century. A more recent study has reported an average temperature of 98.2, and experts believe the decrease in body heat is the result of an epidemic of mild or moderate hypothyroidism. Some believe we are evolving into a population with the propensity for low thyroid function because antibiotics have allowed people who would have died from pneumonia and other diseases associated with hypothyroidism to remain alive and reproduce. Others see rising hypothyroidism rates as the result of diet and environmental factors. Whatever the answer is, one thing is sure. More people than ever are suffering from the myriad of symptoms associated with low thyroid levels, especially women.

Thyroid is the most important hormone in the body. Because it stimulates the production of cellular energy, production of all other hormones will be negatively impacted when thyroid hormone levels are less than optimal. Every aspect of health is affected by low thyroid function.

Hypothyroidism is behind many disease states

Hypothyroidism is signaled by fatigue and loss of energy. People with the disease don’t have any sparkle in the morning, and as the day goes on they find themselves falling asleep sitting in meetings or while driving on the highway, reading or watching TV. The only time they feel energized is from continuous movement, such as jogging or doing housework. As soon as the task is completed and they sit down, chances are good they will start to nod off.

Yet while they are fatigued, low thyroid people are often hyperactive at the same time. Thyroid expert Dr. Alan Gaby reported a study of 49 people diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Among them, 61 percent met diagnostic criteria for attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. When thyroid hormone is deficient, the nerves require abnormal stimulation to function or the body produces excess adrenalin to keep it going. The result is people become tired and tense at the same time, according to Dr. Gaby.

People with low thyroid exhibit many of the characteristics that are blamed on aging, with difficulty concentrating being the most blatant. They tend to flit from task to task and often accomplish little they set out to do. They can find themselves standing in front of an open refrigerator, unable to remember what they are looking for. They may have difficulty reading, needing to read sentences again because their mind wandered off the first time.

Low thyroid suffers are always the coldest people in the room, and their body temperatures can go down to 95 degree (F) in the cold winter months. People with moderate levels of low thyroid can experience the cold as extremely painful, and they plan their activities with minimizing exposure to cold weather as a priority. They also have trouble dealing with heat, and usually find comfort only in a very narrow range of temperatures, usually in the lower 70s. They are quite uncomfortable in overly heated rooms.

Other symptoms include inexplicable weight gain, painful premenstrual periods, fertility problems, muscle weakness and cramps, dry skin, yellow bumps on the eyelids, hair loss that includes the lower third of the eyebrows, susceptibility to infection, migraines, hoarseness, constipation, depression, difficulty getting words out when speaking, and goiter.

Miscarriage, fibrocystic breast disease, ovarian fibroids, cystic ovaries, endometriosis, and PMS are caused or aggravated by hypothyroidism, especially when it’s coupled with estrogen dominance, a condition of hormone imbalance that happens as progesterone levels decline starting as early as the late 20s. This is because estrogen inhibits thyroid secretion, while progesterone stimulates it.

A newly released study to determine the prevalence of hypothyroidism in patients with benign breast disorders found that 23.2% of the women tested had unsuspected hypothyroidism. Symptoms of benign breast disease were alleviated in 83% of the patients with hypothyroidism through the use of only thyroxine replacement. (World Journal of Surgery, July 30)

Although the common perception of low thyroid people is that they are overweight, many people with low thyroid are underweight, so weight alone is not a determining factor. If the person is overweight, most of the extra weight is in water, not fat. People with low thyroid can drink and drink, but hardly ever need to urinate. Thyroid treatment can help an anorexic or other sick person gain weight.

Sleep is a problem for the person with low thyroid who may fall asleep easily but awaken after only a few hours and be unable to return to sleep for the rest of the night. Headaches can often plague low thyroid sufferers, not only migraines but stress and tension headaches.

There is a connection between multiple sclerosis (MS) and low thyroid. In a study by thyroid researcher Dr. Ray Peat, it was found that thyroid therapy caused MS symptoms to disappear in patients who had no other obvious causes such as heavy metal poisoning.

Depression is a classic symptom of low thyroid. Women with low thyroid are the most susceptible to severe bouts of post-partum depression following childbirth, and thyroid treatment helps restore their emotional equilibrium. Low thyroid can contribute to inability to let go of old hurts and angers, particularly against one’s mate.

Adrenalin and its synthetic drug copies, such as the inhalers used for asthma, are toxic when used continuously in response to the stress of hypothyroidism and endurance exercise. Excess adrenalin is toxic to the heart because it damages heart mitochondria. According to Dr. Peat, this is due to abnormally rapid mobilization and oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids leading to peroxidation aggravated by inadequate antioxidant protection. Dr. Broda Barnes, who runs a not-for-profit organization dedicated to research in the field of thyroid and metabolic balance, has found that the cardiovascular complications of diabetes are due to low thyroid function rather than insulin.

Researchers in Italy have just released results from their study to determine the effect of hypothyroidism on coronary artery disease. They examined the occurrence of the disease and long-term prognosis in patients without a history of primary thyroid disease, myocardial infarction, or chronic heart failure to determine if their disease related to serum levels of biologically active thyroid hormone. They found that levels of the active thyroid hormone (T3) were inversely correlated to the presence of coronary artery disease. Low T3 syndrome conferred an adverse prognosis, even after adjusting for traditional coronary risk factors. (Clinical Cardiology, July)

Dr. Barnes has concluded that cancer risk increases in male and female hypothyroid patients. He sees this as directly related to hormone imbalance with increased production of estrogen and decreased production of the primary anti-aging steroids from cholesterol: pregnenolone, progesterone and DHEA, all of which are thyroid dependent.

Researchers in Spain studied the relationship between thyroid hormone and tumor development. They found mixed results. Although hypothyroidism might be a risk factor for liver and breast cancer in humans, a lower incidence of breast carcinoma has been reported in hypothyroid patients. Changes in the stromal cells of people with hypothyroidism can modulate tumor progression and metastatic growth independently of the presence of thyroid receptors on the tumor cells. However, they also found that hypothyroidism can promote tumor growth and invasiveness. (PLoS One, July 29)

Hypothyroidism can be life threatening

A rare condition that can result from long-term undiagnosed hypothyroidism is called myxedema coma. The coma can occur during illness, after an accident, from exposure to cold, as a result of the ingestion of narcotics and/or sedatives, or when the body temperature drifts below 95 degrees (F). It is a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment.

Diet and environment have major impact on thyroid function

What is happening to our thyroids to cause such problems? Putting the natural selection theory aside, Dr. Lita Lee reporting on the work of Drs. Peat and Barnes says that the majority of people seen in doctor’s offices have some form of thyroid dysfunction. She notes radiation is the greatest environmental cause of hypothyroidism and other thyroid problems, including tumors and thyroid cancer. Since Chernobyl, radioactive fallout has become a worldwide phenomenon. Her hypothesis remains unproven for lack of an unexposed control group.

Epidemiological studies of radiation downwinders show many of the symptoms of hypothyroidism including chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. According to Dr. Peat, fibromyalgia is a combination of edema, inflammation and low blood sugar, all symptoms of hypothyroidism. He too believes that radiation is a major culprit in the hypothyroid epidemic.

“Organic animal protein is essential for the production of thyroid hormone and its conversion to the active form in the liver. Veganism leads to low thyroid function and low cholesterol which can lead to all of the major chronic degenerative diseases,” says Dr. Lee. She sees women as especially vulnerable because their low thyroid function goes hand in hand with hormone imbalance. Because pesticides mimic unbalanced estrogen in the body, she urges people to consume only organic produce.

Use of polyunsaturated oils contributes to low thyroid function whether the oils are processed or not. These include soybean, canola, safflower, corn, flax, fish, evening primrose and borage. According to Dr. Peat, the more unsaturated the oil is, the more strongly it interferes with thyroid secretion, the transport of thyroid hormone in the blood, and the response of the tissue thyroid receptors.” Olive oil, coconut oil and saturated fats do not compromise thyroid health.

Dr. John Lee, famed Harvard Medical School Professor and author, cautioned that soy products contain goitrogens, substances which inhibit thyroid function and the conversion of T4, the inactive form of thyroid hormone to T3, the active form of thyroid hormone. Genistein, an isoflavone found in soybeans, can block thyroid hormone production. Phytate found in unsoaked nuts and legumes including beans can accentuate these effects because it binds zinc and copper, leaving little of these important minerals available for the production of thyroid hormone. A transport protein called GLUT1 is shut down by genistein. This protein sends glucose into the cells where it is used to generate energy. Slowing the transport of glucose means less energy production not only of thyroid hormone, but of every other action in the body.

Fluoride from water, foods and toothpaste causes severe hypothyroidism.

Synthetic and genetically engineered hormones used in birth control pills, hormone drug therapy, and as growth stimulants in the non-organic production of food animals block the release of thyroid hormone from the thyroid gland.

While some iodine is critical to thyroid functioning, too much can become a powerful thyroid inhibitor.

How to determine if you have a sluggish thyroid

There is no accurate medical test for thyroid function, according to Dr. Lita Lee. Anyone having high cholesterol is practically assured of having hypothyroidism, because thyroid hormone controls the conversion of cholesterol to important anti-aging hormones and to bile salts. The lack of this conversion causes cholesterol levels to rise. However, many people with low cholesterol from a depressed immune system or from eating a low protein diet may also have hypothyroidism.

Dr. Barnes introduced the basal temperature test as a way to determine adequate thyroid function. The oral temperature is measured with an oral digital thermometer immediately after waking in the morning. This temperature should be 98.0 degrees F. It should then rise to 98.6 to 99 degrees during the daylight hours, and the resting pulse should be about 85 beats per minute. If temperature and pulse rates are below these levels, hypothyroidism is indicated.

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