June Seed Cycling Challenge

In Portland, OR (my hometown), the city hosts a cycling challenge, challenging you to ride your bike to work as many days as you can.

This is a different cycling challenge!

Seed cycling - alternating the consumption of certain raw seeds every 2 weeks - is intended to support the production and clearance of hormones.  It's very safe and gentle, but always ask your doctor first if you are on medications or in poor health.  

This protocol is NOT intended for pregnant women.  It is safe for breastfeeding women, women trying to conceive, menopausal women and even for men!  My husband will unwittingly be on the rotation as I'll put the seeds in our shakes.

How to Do It:

Seeds:

Phase 1:  Raw, freshly-ground (same day), pumpkin and/or flax seed

Phase 2:  Raw, freshly-ground (same day), sunflower and/or sesame seed

Dosage:  You will see slightly different recommendations in different places.  You can do rounded 1 T of each, 2 T of just one type, or up to 4 T total (measurement is made before grinding) in a day.  I think what is most important to to get at least 2 T a day (size before grinding.)  If you happen to get in extra servings, no problem!

Timing:

Cycling women: If you are currently cycling, you start phase 1 of the seeds on the first full day of your period. Day 1-14 is your follicular phase. You will then switch to phase 2 on day 15 of your cycle.  Day 15-28 is your luteal phase.

Non-cycling women:  This goes for menopause, breastfeeding women, or women with amenorrhea (no cycle in 3 or more months.)  Start phase 1 of the seeds on June 4 (the new moon.)  You will switch to phase 2 of the seeds on June 20, or the full moon.  

To see a lunar calendar, click here.

Notes:

When do I switch the seeds exactly?

Seed cycling is recommend on a 28 day cycle.  However the lunar cycle is 29.5 days.

I would say if you are going with the lunar calendar, stick to the lunar schedule.

If you are a cycling woman, always switch on day 15, but if you cycle runs longer than 28 days, it's ok to keep taking phase 2 seeds a couple extra days, but no more.

This is a tip from the website of Dr. Amy Neuzil, ND, "If you’re trying to get pregnancy it’s important to continue the luteal-phase seeds (sesame/sunflower) until you actually have a period, just in case you are pregnant that month. This gives the egg the best chance at implantation."

Can you just take the seeds whenever?

It depends.  If you are trying to really stick to the phase 1 and phase 2, avoid eating a bunch of tahini (contains sesame seeds) in phase 1.  But, sure you can have hummus a couple times, no problem.

The other side of the coin, say if you are post-menopausal, or have a healthy cycle but just want to eat these foods as boost, you can take the seeds whenever, but just know you aren't really seed cycling anymore, but you are instead just getting some healthful, hormone-boosting foods throughout the month.

What if my diet doesn't allow me to eat some of these seeds?

If you are avoiding, for example, flax seeds and sunflower seeds, then just use the pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds in rotation. If you are avoiding all nuts and seeds, then you can rotate fish oil supplement in your phase 1 (2 caps a day), and then use borage oil in phase 2 (2 caps a days).

You can purchase these at our supplement shop under the names GLA 240 and OmegAvail Ultra.

Do I need to soak the seeds?

No, you don't need to soak the seeds, but you are welcome to do so to increase the digestibility.

Community:

We are mainly hosting the chat for this event on our private Facebook group. You can ask to join that here.  (It's free.) If you do use Facebook, I highly recommend that you join!

If you aren't a Facebook person, it's no problem.  You can also leave comments or questions at the close of this blog.

We had a super fun Q and A webinar, Fixing Your Hormones with Food, to talk about seed cycling and balancing hormones with food (especially estrogen dominance) on 6/23/16 with Magdalena Wszelaki of HormonesBalance.com.

Watch the webinar replay here.

Magdalena offers a really great, free, online cooking class called Cooking for Balance.  Watch it here.

Recipe Links:

Estrogen Boosting Crackers

Progesterone Boosting Crackers

Recipe Videos:

Please be sure to watch this first video, as it is the main instructional video. The other videos are recipes.  We have two and will be adding more on June 15!

Harness Your Cycle Superpowers!

My guests today are Audrey Sourroubille Arnold and Lucia Lukanova, both women's health coaches and also partners in a women's health app called The Flow.

A bit about the pair:

Audrey- Diagnosed with endometriosis  a few years ago.  She feels her former high pressure career contributed to her endometriosis diagnosis and overall burn-out. She switched careers into women's health.

Lucia- Working long hours doing big technology projects. She got burned out as well, and started to learn about hormones of stress and the menstrual cycle. She started to notice the subtle symptoms related to the phases of her cycle. She wanted an app to help her track her cycle, but didn’t find one, so she started to develop one, now out in several languages, called the Flow App.

Stages of the Cycle

Week One- Starts with day one of your cycle.   Cleanse time, from the inside out- want to be alone and peaceful.  Your verbal skills are lower, but is a 'wise stage.'  Energy is low and if you push you get cravings to create energy.

Paula Ratcliffe ran the Chicago marathon in world record time, and was on day 1 of her cycle.

In transition from period to the next stage (dynamic), is a good time to knock out your to-do list.

Week Two- Dynamic phase- energy is good, accomplish things, 'maiden' phase

Ovulation- femme fatale moment - phéromones are high, vocal chords have highest range, good time to ask for pay raise

Post-ovulation- a mini PMS is possible

Week Three- Reflexive phase- decide what to keep or give up, evaluate, very empathic, mother, femininity, caring, nurturing 

Week Four- Creative phase, Enchantress, represents Autumn season

Some resources we mention on the show:

Audrey's website

Miranda Gray's website

Jason Karp's book, Running for Women: Your Complete Guide for a Lifetime of Running

Video on How to Use the Flow App

Ultimately you will have to download the Flow App from the app store on your smartphone, but you can find more info on the Flow App here.

You can listen to the full interview below, but be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get an interview weekly!  Just got into your the podcast app on your smartphone and search, "Womens Wellness Radio."

Enjoying the show?  We'd really appreciate you taking a moment to rate and review us on iTunes.

A Better Approach to Perimenopause

This is a guest blog article from our friend Dr. Anna Cabeca, MD, OB/GYN.  Learn more about Anna and her resources at the close of the article.

HORMONES IN BALANCE ARE GOOD, HORMONE IMBALANCE IS BAD. 

What do I mean by that?  In healthy menstruating females, hormones cycle on a monthly basis.  Our first day of our period is cycle day one, progesterone and estrogen is at their lowest; this is the follicular phase.  At around cycle day 12 - 14, ovulation occurs and our progesterone levels increase awaiting a pregnancy, this is the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, if pregnancy does not occur, progesterone drops and our period occurs again.  

Commonly, in our thirties, our progesterone levels start to drop, more than our estrogen levels, creating something called estrogen dominance. This gives us irregular menstrual cycles, possibly heavier bleeding, increased pain with the menses and PMS symptoms such as breast tenderness, irritability, bloating, etc.  

We may also begin to lose our sex drive and vaginal lubrication.  Our skin may become itchy, noticeably more wrinkled - sometimes this seems to appear overnight - welcome to hormone imbalance!

What can you do about hormone imbalances?  

The answer is not just one thing.  I always recommend a balanced head to toe approach.  My head to toe approach encourages every woman to take control of her health!  So, where should the focus be for women at this time?

Focus on the spiritual:  What is the mental atmosphere that you find yourself in and what can you do to gain some perceived control of it?

Environment: What are your personal and work environments; and what could be interfering with your ability to achieve happiness? How much nature are you experiencing?  Are you getting enough sunlight? When was the last time you walked outside barefoot?

Nutrition:  Your body is your temple and what should you be ingesting to nurture it? Is the food you are eating promoting ketosis or fat-burning?  Is it alkalinizing? These two principles are key.

Digestion:  No matter how well you eat, you have to ensure that you have appropriate digestion - that means adequate acid and digestive enzymes in your stomach and healthy bacterial flora in your intestines to absorb the nutrients. A surprising number of women have poor digestion.

Detoxification: Since the 1950's, corporations have introduced greater than 500,000 chemicals into our environment.  Additionally, no matter how we get our hormones, whether it is from what our body naturally produces or from the xeno-estrogens from the environment from pesticides, herbicides, food we eat, air we breathe, etc.;  how our body gets rid of it is even more important.  All my patients are introduced to my nutrient and protein base detoxification program that includes a modified elimination diet to remove foods, etc., that are likely to produce allergies.

Hormonal balancing: We need to consider the hypothalamic, pituitary, adrenal, and gonadal axis, i.e. the entire hormone web.  Additionally, each woman is hormonally unique and part of achieving your optimal health is in understanding this and achieving your own hormonal balance.

Structure and function: Physical strength and exercise are the final and very important aspects to achieving optimal health.

So, when I approach a woman who has symptoms of hormone imbalance, and this is my area of expertise for the last 20 years, we need to incorporate all of the above aspects into a balanced treatment program.  For hormone balancing, I consider the major hormones such as adrenaline, cortisol and thyroid, and the hormones estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and DHEA.  

Based on a given individual, I may recommend bio-identical hormone therapy for things such as for treating hot flashes, helping with bones, brain, and heart, improving our sex lives, skin, and energy, and for maintaining our optimal body weight.  

My approach has always been to prescribe the lowest doses in the most balanced fashion, based on a given woman’s specific medical history and symptoms, along with test results such as saliva and serum hormone testing.  Adding hormones may help, but there are a couple key physiologic lifestyle tips that we must incorporate for optimum success and optimum menopausal experience.  

Let me give an example:

Zoe is 43 years old and her periods had gradually becoming more frequent; she complained of more irritability prior to her periods and absolutely no sex drive.  And even worse than this – she just felt out of sync.  She said that she used to organize all 4 children’s schedules and keep her bills organized, and she volunteered a lot at the school; yet she suddenly felt that she couldn’t even organize her car pool.  She had 'lost her edge'.  

I took an extensive history, covering all 7 topics above, and did serum, saliva and urinary testing to evaluate hormones and detoxification.  She was definitely progesterone deficient, estrogen dominant and also was fatty acid deficient, i.e. she needed more healthy fats, especially omega 3's in her diet.  I prescribed a bio-identical progesterone cream and a testosterone cream and in 3 weeks she returned stating she was "feeling better than she had in years!"  She had "gotten her edge back".  She was also sleeping better, her sex drive returned and her focus and stamina returned.  I had also recommended a balanced quality multivitamin, omega 3's, calcium, and a few other nutrients based on nutrient testing such as Co Q 10, Alpha lipoic acid, and carnitine to improve her energy and weight as well.

Her periods became regular, in fact, she stated she couldn't even tell when her periods were coming - the PMS was entirely gone and her relationship with her husband became more satisfying and intimate again.

Dr. Anna Cabeca OB/GYN

It is hard for women, especially because we have so many different roles and obligations, to take the time for ourselves that we need in order to feel our best and perform our best for all those that we love around us.  

I encourage each and every one of you to take that time…to remember to try and do as much naturally as you can towards the 7 areas above so that you can achieve your optimal health.

And if you are still struggling with haywire hormones, join me in learning more about the above principles. Take my Menopause Report Card quiz here!  

Four Tips for Menopause

When your ovaries are shutting down or have shut down, what is most important is to stabilize and nourish other systems.  You can be more energetic, balanced and joyful when all systems are a go!

So I want to highlight a few key systems to support, and share a tidbit on how to support each one:

1.  Adrenals- These glands will give you your get-up-and-go, and well as help you handle stress.  Tip:  Being fully asleep by 10 PM will allow you to repair these glands on a nightly basis.

2. Pancreas- This gland supports blood sugar handling, and it doesn't appreciate peaks and valleys.  When you jack in with sugars or skipped meals, you can get anxious, fat, fatigued and more.  Tip:  Also choose slow-burning whole starches like sweet potato, quinoa or wild rice.  Avoid processed treats and alcohol.

3.  Liver- Your liver starts the recycling process of hormones, so you want it running smoothly.  Tip:  Support with your liver with foods it likes such as pastured eggs, onion, garlic, brussels sprouts and spinach.

4. Intestines- The recycling/detoxification process continues in the colon, so you want a healthy gut that moves at least every 24 hours.  Tips:  Eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to feed the friendly bacteria in your gut.  Aim for 20 different types a week!  Walking after a meal is great for digestion too, and it signals to your body to uptake sugars, thus avoiding insulin resistance and weight gain.

Getting older is inevitable, but being tired and miserable is optional!  You may need to learn a few new tricks to stay healthy, but it's totally worth it!

Article by Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP

Have you taken our hidden hormone stressors quiz yet?  You can do so here.

A Healthy Dose of Productivity with Laura McClellan

This interview is not as geeky and not as medically-focused as most of our shows. Yet it was one of my very favorites, because I think the topic is so important.

Women these days are very stressed and overwhelmed (well, most of us) and that is affecting our health and happiness. 

Our guest Laura McClellan is the host of the podcast 'The Productive Woman,' a platform where she both shares her insights on productivity, and interview a range of women on how they deal with getting things done, meeting their own goals and needs, and managing family life on top of it.

What you'll learn in this episode is not how to shove more activities into your day, but rather how to be efficient, and also discerning.

“It’s possible to be really busy, but not be productive. It’s not just about doing more stuff, but the right stuff.”  Laura McClellan

Enjoy this one with Laura McClellan, and learn more about her and her show here.

For the complete notes and links mentioned on the show, follow the button below.

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Feel free to share your comments below.  And if you are not yet subscribed to Women's Wellness Radio, you can do so at iTunes or most podcast players.

Testing and Supporting Your Neurotransmitters with Cammi Balleck

I think you're going to like this episode!  Cammi Balleck really brings it with great information on women's health, focused on brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) and their relationship to our hormones.  

When our hormones ratios are off, our neurotransmitters will likely get affected. Cammi has worked exclusively with female health and hormones for 13 years, and has developed a testing strategy and treatment strategy that get her clients great results from anxiety, pain, food cravings and more.

Learn more at CammiBalleck.com.  You can download detailed notes and links below. Thanks! Bridgit

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Feel free to share your comments below.  And if you are not yet subscribed to Women's Wellness Radio, you can do so at iTunes or most podcast players.

Five Fun Ways to Fix Your Adrenal Glands

Many people mistake the picture of health for a picture of deprivation. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.  We can enjoy good food, good friends, and lots of fun and pleasure while we enjoy good health as well!

Today we’re going to cover five fun ways to heal your adrenal glands.  The adrenal glands produce hormones for energy and stress-handling, and they take a beating in our culture of chronic stress.

Adrenal function can go awry in three phases:

1. Hyperfunction- You are producing a lot of cortisol and may feel like you have a lot of of energy.  However you may have trouble relaxing, may be gaining mid-section weight, and may have lost interest/focus for sex.

2. Dysregulation- Your adrenals are fatiguing, and your energy is varied.  You may be tired in the mid-afternoon, and relaying on caffeine and sugar for a lift.  You might be getting sick too often.  You may feel like you only have energy late at night.

3. Exhaustion- Your adrenals don’t have a lot to give.  You may get diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome or hypothyroidism.  You may just feel like a shadow of your once energetic self.

There are causes of stress beyond the obvious ones (traffic jams, deadlines, fights), that include things like environmental toxicants, internal parasites and food sensitivities.  

But today we are going to focus on ways to calm and restore your body, that you’ll also enjoy!  These tips support you, whichever phase of adrenal dysregulation you may be experiencing. 

1.  Have unstructured time. 

Is your day planned out and packed from morning to bedtime?  This is very tiring on your system!  Give yourself some time to just wander, relax and do whatever you choose.  If your day is really packed, you may have to actually schedule this time.  

2.  Get out in nature. 

Getting outdoors can shift your perspective away from your worries, and help you see the bigger picture.  This can be a true camping trip, sunbathing in a park, or just walking around your neighborhood.  The fresh air, vitamin D and phytochemicals emitted from plants will all help balance your cortisol. (1) (2)

3.  Vacation. 

With smartphones, laptops and ever-present wifi, many people are working seven days and week.  Taking a long weekend or, better yet, a whole week or month to really unplug and explore is super restorative.  When is your next vacation?!

4.  Read.

Reading, preferably on an old-fashioned paper book without the blue light of a screen, has been studied to be very effective for relaxation.  I also encourage reading fiction, or whatever subjects really ‘takes you away.’  Your body will appreciate this break! (3)

5.  Sleep. 

Sleep is the most restorative thing we do.  It’s so important that it takes up a third of our day!  There is an old saying that every hour of sleep before midnight is worth two hours.  This may be because we produce more human growth hormone when we sleep when it turns dark, instead of staying up. (4) So, especially while you are healing adrenal dysregulation, it’s important to get to bed before 10 PM.  

You may find that you ramp up if you stay up after 10.  This does not mean that you are a nocturnal creature.  It means your circadian rhythm and cortisol rhythm is off.  So you really need to try to get it back on track.  That may mean working with a practitioner, but for starters, avoid sugar and alcohol at night, and end screen time by 8 PM.  

You will find that you feel much better the next day when you are asleep by 10.  The human growth hormone we produce when we sleep repairs our bodies and gives us energy. (5)  Human growth hormone is what we produce more of when we are young, so getting good sleep is like a little fountain of youth every night.  

Please incorporate these five fun cures for your adrenals, and you just might find you want to keep these habits around!

For more information on healthy lifestyle for women, take our free Hidden Hormone Health Stressors quiz!

Contributed by Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP

Sources:

1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2793346/

2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20074458

3. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/5070874/Reading-can-help-reduce-stress.html

4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3720426

5.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12797841

The Effects of Long-Term Birth Control Use with Andrea Thorpe

The birth control pill is an easy-to-use, affordable way to avoid pregnancy.  But are there any risks?  

Many women do have symptoms, such as loss of sex drive or weight gain, but beyond that, most women don't know much about the health-related side effects.

In this interview, Andrea Thorpe, LAc opens the lid on the topic of the possible effects of long-term birth control use.  Many women are on birth control pills for 10-15 years, and the long-term effects are something to be considered:

• Synthetic estrogen dysregulates the thyroid

• Birth control pill casues nutrient depletion

• Hormone receptor site have a downregulated response

• Toxic burden on the system of long-term medication use

• Toxic/ inflammed state and nutrient depletion affects the gut and immune system

• Autoimmune disease Hashimoto's thyroiditis then becomes a possiblity

• Ovulation and fertility are often delayed after birth control use

Andrea also covers some of the healing options such as:

• How acupuncture benefits the system

• Why Andrea prefers foods over supplements

• When it's time to see a functional medicine practitioner

Andrea is an amazing practitioner, and if you can see her in the LA area, I highly recommend her. Her clinic:  http://lotuscenter.com/

Are you subscribed to the show yet?  You can get our weekly expert interviews delivered to your smartphone through iTunes or most Android podcast players.  Please search 'womens wellness radio' and get subscribed!  

Was this episode helpful for you?  We would be most thankful to have you write us a review on iTunes as well.  Thanks!

How to Raise Your Vibrational Energy with Caroline Shearer

Did you feel you were intuitive as child, but shut that down as an adult?  Do you get caught up in self-judgement or negative thinking?  Have you stopped to think how negative thinking, gossip, unhealthy eating or a guarded approach to life might be affecting the outcomes of your life?

The concept of vibrational energy, shared with us today by author Caroline Shearer, is 'like attracts like.'  If we are treating ourselves poorly, and thinking about life in a small way, that is what we attract and manifest.  If we are open and positive, we tend to attract more opportunities and happy synchronicities. 

Caroline does not claim this will result in a challenge-free life!  But she believes that these challenges can be easier or repeated less often when we meet them with a high vibration.

Caroline is the author of Raise Your Vibration: Tips and Tools for a High-Frequency Life, as well as several other books.  She is also a publisher who founded Absolute Love Publishing.

Beyond theory, she gives some practical tips for raising your vibration, such as:

Mind- Yes to meditation-focusing on white light, No to gossip, worry, negative self-talk.

Body- Eat Non-GMO, organic, fresh food, bless your food. Use sea salt baths-clears energy that you picked up; use 1 cup of sea salt.

Spirit/Soul- Project love- for example to everyone you pass on the walking trail. "Project love and it comes back. Even if you can’t see it, you can feel it."

Learn more about Caroline's other books and her publishing company and their other titles here.

If you are not subscribed to our podcast yet, why not?!  You can subscribe here on iTunes, and you can search 'Women's Wellness Radio' on most any podcast player.  If you have never subscribed to a podcast before, here's is a how-to video I made.

Thanks!  Bridgit

Guest Blog: 9 Things You Don’t Realize May Be Causing Your Thyroid Disease- With Heather & Damian Dubé

An estimated 27 million Americans alone have thyroid disease.  An additional 13 million are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, and those numbers are on the rise.  Chances are, one out of five people you know have some sort of thyroid disease, are you one of them?

Diagnostic & Functional Nutritionists, Damian & Heather Dubé, are the Co-Founders of e3 Energy Evolved™, a thyroid, adrenal & metabolism restoration system helping women & men create their lifetime-best natural wellness & metabolism for fat loss with ease vs. force.

The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland sitting just above the trachea in the throat.  Three of the major hormones it secretes are Thyroxine (T4), Triiodothyronine (T3) and Calcitonin.  Aside from vitamin D, the thyroid hormones are the only hormones in the body that affect every cell in the body.  It’s no wonder why under or overproduction of its hormones lend to so many symptoms, including weight gain/decreased metabolism, fatigue/insomnia, elevated cholesterol, intolerance to cold, poor concentration/mental fog, digestive issues, constipation, infertility, aches & pains, and much more.

In the modern world you live in, there are so many factors that could not only negatively influence your thyroid’s ability to function properly, but also affect how your cells utilize its hormones.  Some of these influencers can actually create additional issues which further influence function, creating somewhat of a snowball effect.  Below are some of the factors that affect the thyroid’s ability to perform as intended.

Nutrition & Nutrient Deficiencies

There are several nutrients that are necessary for the thyroid gland to function.  The minerals iodine, selenium, chromium and zinc, as well as tyrosine (an amino acid) are required for T4 production.  Selenium and zinc are also required for the conversion of T4 to the more active hormone, T3. If any of these nutrients are depleted, the thyroid will not function properly.

There are many factors that can cause any or all of these nutrients to be depleted.  First and foremost, a diet high in processed or refined foods is these nutrients because they’re destroyed in the refining process.  Also, eating conventionally grown fruits & veggies are missing many of these nutrients.

Studies have shown that conventionally grown produce contains less than half the nutrient quantity of organically grown produce.  In addition, genetically modified crops (GMO’s) contain chelating agents that leach to the minerals making them unable to be absorbed when ingested.  So, even if you’re eating a bunch of fresh fruits and veggies, if they’re not organic, you may not even be obtaining the nutrients that otherwise should be inherently available.

In addition, all medications prescribed by your doctor deplete the body of certain vitamins and minerals.  So, if you’re like most Americans who are taking medications, prescription or OTC, they may be causing nutrient deficiencies, and our bodies run on nutrients, not drugs.  Aside from medications, there are many other toxins in our homes and environment that also use up these nutrients, which will be discussed shortly.

Food Sensitivities

Not to be mistaken by food allergies, food sensitivities can have a huge impact on thyroid function.  When your immune system is compromised (if you’re having a thyroid problem, it likely is), the mucosal lining of the intestinal tract can become overly permeable, allowing partially undigested food particles to seep through into the blood.

Eating certain foods, whether “healthy” or not, can trigger an immune response, where the immune system will begin to attack those undigested amino acid strands. This can not only create further permeability, but also overwhelm the liver and use up many the nutrients needed for thyroid function like glutathione and selenium.

The immune system has a fantastic memory, so it remembers those undigested amino strands, which can resemble proteins elsewhere in the body, like the thyroid.  Then, the immune system may begin attacking the thyroid gland, causing autoimmune hypothyroid or Hashimoto’s.

Bowel Terrain

To piggyback off what was mentioned about food sensitivities, intestinal health can influence thyroid function in several ways. Aside from an overly permeable intestinal lining, a compromised immune system can also prevent the body from properly dealing with parasites, bacteria or fungus.  These pathogens emit toxins that cause further dysbiosis (imbalance in friendly bacteria) and further intestinal permeability.

An example is yeast.  When a dysbiosis is present, yeast can build up within the intestines.  Yeast emits very toxic compounds called exotoxins.  These exotoxins not only feed the bad bacteria like e. coli or enterobacter, but can also bind with cell receptor sites, making them think they’ve bound to a hormone (hormone masking).

Thyroid hormone receptor sites are extremely vulnerable to this type of masking.  Because the cells think they’ve received the thyroid hormone, a negative feedback loop is created, alerting the thyroid gland that it’s received the hormone, causing the thyroid to slow its production.  However, the cells never actually received the hormone, so hypothyroid symptoms appear even though the labs your doctor has run indicate your thyroid is functioning properly.

As the yeast emits endotoxins, more good bacteria is killed off, allowing the yeast to further thrive, potentially leading to yeast toxicity.  Ironically, symptoms of yeast toxicity are very similar to those of hypothyroidism, like weight gain, decreased body temperature, fatigue, constipation, decreased mental focus, and dry skin, nails and hair.

Enzyme Production

When we think of enzymes, we most often think of those necessary to break down food, like lipase, protease and amylase, but enzymes are catalysts in almost every metabolic pathway in the body.  Within the cells, enzymes bind with substrates, initiating changes in cellular metabolism.

Aside from assisting in the breakdown of food particles for proper absorption, enzymes also regulate cellular respiration, converting broken down food into molecules to be used as energy by the cells.  Enzymes are also required for the conversion of EFA’s to prostaglandins and act as messengers to help deliver hormones to the target cells.

Unfortunately, enzymes can be easily destroyed by different toxic substances; like heavy metals, drugs, household chemicals, personal hygiene products, pesticides, etc. Once destroyed or denatured, they cannot deliver the hormone “messages” to the cells, yet another reason why your thyroid panel may appear “normal”, but you still feel like garbage.

Two enzymes that are all too often destroyed are cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and iodothyronine deiodinase.  cAMP aids in the production of TSH, LH, FSH, ADH and calcitonin, so when destroyed or denatured, it’s going to affect the release of TSH, which will then affect the production of T4.
Iodothyronine deiodinase assists in the conversion of T4 to T3, and is very susceptible to destruction by mercury.  Are you one of every two Americans who have amalgam dental fillings, or have been bombarded with mercury containing vaccines?  If so, then this could partly be the reason for low T3 levels.

Well, we can’t leave out thyroid peroxidase, which is also affected by heavy metals; may also partly explain your Hashimoto’s disease.

Stress

Chronic stress not only affects the adrenal glands but also the thyroid. When under stress, the pituitary signals the release of ACTH, which instructs the adrenal glands to produce cortisol.  Cortisol requires tyrosine to be produced.

When that stress becomes chronic, and excess cortisol is produced, it depletes tyrosine levels, making it unavailable to the thyroid gland for production of its hormones.  Elevated cortisol also inhibits the conversion of T4 to T3.

Increased ACTH production also prevents the pituitary from releasing TSH.  In addition, chronic stress depletes chromium and zinc, both of which are needed for T4 production.

Mercury / Fluoride / Chlorine

Above we discussed mercury’s effect on Iodothyronine deiodinase and TPO.  Aside from this, mercury also directly affects thyroid function at a glandular level by over-stimulating the thyroid then decreasing its uptake of iodine, interfering with the synthesis of the hormones themselves.

Contrary to what your dentist may have told you, if you have amalgam fillings, every time you chew, it mercury vapors to be released from the filling, which is extremely toxic to not only the lungs, but easily crosses the blood brain barrier and can be catastrophic to the nervous system.

Another myth told by the ADA is that fluoride is needed to prevent cavities; not true.  Fluoride is also an enzyme inhibitor, replacing iodine in the thyroid gland as well as calcium in the bones.  Here’s a thought, if fluoride displaces calcium in the bones, how can that lead to healthy teeth?
Fluoride also is a neurotoxin and decreases melatonin secretion.  Question, do you also have trouble sleeping?  This may be one of the factors.

Chlorine is another chemical added to our water supply (like fluoride), as well as white flour and other food products.  Chlorine is also an enzyme inhibitor and displaces iodine from the thyroid gland.

Bromine/bromide is another highly toxic chemical that displaces iodine from the thyroid gland.  Bromine is used in bread making, as it helps the bread to rise.  Ironically, iodine used to be used for that purpose, but our government thought that people might get too much iodine, so they passed a law requiring bakers to use bromine instead.

Personal Hygiene Products

Most retail personal hygiene products are nothing more than chemical compositions that have catastrophic implications on your health, including your thyroid.  Whether it’s toothpaste/mouthwash, deodorant, shampoo/conditioner, perfume or even makeup, they’re all full of toxic chemicals that completely overwhelm the liver, are toxic to the nervous system and inhibit enzymes.

Many of them, like your contact lens solution and makeup you apply to your face contain mercury, which we’ve already addressed above.

Medications / Birth Control Pills

All medications, whether it’s Aleve or Advil for your migraines and joint pain, Statins for your elevated cholesterol, birth control pills to regulate your cycle or act as a contraceptive, antacids for your indigestion, allergy meds or any other drug in your medicine cabinet, they’re all highly toxic, inhibit enzymes and deplete essential nutrients.

Oral contraceptives are one of the biggest offenders, yet most Ob GYN’s will use scare tactics to force you into using them, like “They prevent breast cancer.”  In fact, the opposite is true, research suggests that they lead to breast and other female cancers.  As if your body is birth control pill deficient.

Oral contraceptives also deplete many of your anti-stress vitamins like vitamins B2, 6 & 12, and vitamin C, as well as tyrosine and zinc, which as stated earlier, are necessary for thyroid function, as is vitamin B6, and magnesium.

MedicationNutrients Depleted

Oral contraceptivesVitamins B2, B6, B12, vitamin C, tyrosine and zinc

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)Magnesium, vitamin B6 and zinc

AntidepressantsVitamin B2 and CoQ10 (a very powerful antioxidant)

TylenolGlutathione (the most powerful antioxidant, required for liver and thyroid function)

Anti-InflammatoriesFolic acid, iron, potassium, sodium and vitamin C

CorticosteroidsCalcium, folic acid, magnesium, potassium, selenium, vitamins C & D and zinc

AntibioticsBiotin, inositol, lactobacillus acidophilus & bifidobacteria bifidum (both healthy gut flora), vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B12 & K

Copper

Excess copper can be very inflammatory, affecting the joints, liver and even the thyroid.  Copper tends to build up in the thyroid gland, which can lead to a multitude of thyroid problems.

Copper is essential for the formation of the nervous system of a fetus.  Because an expecting mother’s need for copper is increased, most doctors prescribe prenatal vitamins that contain more than twice the copper of other multivitamins.  That sounds logical, right?

Here lies the problem.  When a woman becomes pregnant, her body’s ability to absorb copper also increases.  Adding additional copper to her multivitamin can cause toxic levels to be circulating through her system, causing increased oxidation and leading to a slue of health problems like emotional & mental illness, brain fog, allergies, pain and inflammation, fibroids, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, PCOS and amenorrhea, as well as liver and thyroid disorders and miscarriages.
If you’re using a copper IUD, you may want to reconsider.

What Should I Do?

As you can see from above, there are so many factors that can affect thyroid function, so the question is, “where should I start?”

You can start by incorporating some of the below.

• Reduce stress.  Easier said than done, I know.  Try avoiding people who drain your energy, are negative, or just stress you out.  You can also try meditating, praying, etc.

• If you’re on medications prescribed by your doctor, we cannot recommend you stop their use.  You can, however, talk to your doctor about potentially reducing your dose, and eventually weaning off if possible, including your birth control pill.  If this is not an option, you can try adding in the nutrients that the medication is depleting.  Always consult with your medical practitioner before doing so, however.

• Remove all chemicals from your environment. Switch to natural household cleaners, including detergents, cleansers, etc.  Also switch to natural cosmetic products that are derived from oils, minerals, and herbs/flowers.  Throw out your synthetic fragrances like perfumes.

• Filter both your drinking water and your shower to remove all chlorine and fluoride.

• Avoid all processed foods.  You may also try eliminating foods you notice create inflammation within your body.

• If you have amalgam fillings, you may want to consider having them removed. You may want to build your health before having them removed in order to better deal with the removal of mercury from your system.  If you have cancer, do not attempt to remove your amalgam fillings, as removal can be very toxic, which your system may not be equipped to deal with.

Figuring out for sure what’s causing your thyroid disease requires a great deal of detective work. Because your cause(s) are likely different than someone else’s, a truly bio-individualized approach is usually needed.

Unfortunately, not many practitioners, natural or conventional, fully understand all the factors that affect thyroid function in order to effectively reverse a thyroid, autoimmune and metabolic health imbalance naturally.

These are just some of the things we teach through our E3 Energy Evolved System  to our private online e3 Restore Members, that most doctors and natural practitioners aren’t considering. Restoring thyroid, autoimmune and metabolic health naturally is a bio-individual journey for everyone, that involves multiple applied sciences including experienced human body change leadership utilizing functional nutrition, and integrative mind-body-spirit work. 

If you’re in need of help, feel free to reach out to our team for information on how to schedule a Functional Nutrition & Metabolic Restoration Consultation + Labs Review.

We’ve personally & professionally corrected these health imbalances naturally, we’ve worked with 100’s of clients online, we accept a limited number of private e3 Restore Members each year during our open enrollment periods, and we would love to help you to restore your best thyroid, autoimmune and metabolic wellness to get your life back.

Damian & Heather

Cooking Up Love for Your Thyroid with Chef and Health Coach Andrea Beaman

Andrea Beaman did not always eat so well.  Microwave dinners and toaster pizzas were on the menu.  Eventually she was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.  

Also her dear mom had breast cancer that had spread, and she was given not long to live.  In looking for solutions for her mom, she turned to whole foods and healthy mindset.  

Andrea later went on to be on the first season of Top Chef, after being encouraged by one of her cooking students.  Andrea did not own a TV, and had no idea what she was getting into, so it turned into quite an adventure!

Some of Andrea's many get quotes:

"Autoimmunity can be healed."

"Don’t wait till you’re in the grave to make a change."

"Cooking at home and feeding others is so valuable."

On pesticides..."the difference between the bug and us is size."

"This century is about thyroid.  50 years of women not eating fat, not getting minerals carried by fat got us here."

 "I value the doctors. If I go outside and get hit by a bus, please take me to the doctor, don't take me to the health food store."

"Fad diets are always missing some food group."

Vegans- Get adrenal exhaustion.

Paleo- Missing starches needed for microbiome, which backs up liver. Starches feed the mitochondria.

Nourishing Thyroid Health is Andrea's online educational program on the thyroid.  Learn about:

• Preparing foods

• How the endocrine system works

• Environmental toxicants

• How to heal the digestive system

• How to heal the adrenals

• The emotional and spiritual aspect of thyroid health

Includes:

• Guest expert modules

• Live coaching calls

Please check out the program here: https://tinyurl.com/thyroid123

Andrea's Top Five Take-aways:

1. Eat clean- get toxins out

2. Support your energetic body with exercise of some sort, inc. tai chi, yoga

3. Destress- set boundaries

4. Get some sun- get outdoors

5. You’re worth it!

Andrea and I also recorded a short video on youtube that is super fun.  You can access it below, for your own mini-cooking lesson with Andrea.

The two books that inspired Andrea in those early days are:

Physician Heal Thyself by Hugh Faulkner

The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton

Listen below.

If you enjoyed this episode, please support us by rating and reviewing us on iTunes!

You can also get subscribed to this weekly show on iTunes and many Android podcast players.

The Four Pillars of Happy Perimenopause with Maria Claps

Before you jump into hormone replacement, or get hooked on mood-altering medications during your perimenopausal years, you need to hear out Maria Claps!

Maria is a health coach and functional medicine practitioner who entered full menopause before 50.  But before that, she had a rough ride in perimenopause.  After not sleeping for three full days, she broke down and saw a holistic medical doctor.  Though she got some relief, she didn't get the careful testing and holistic approach she would have liked.

She went on to become an expert on perimenopause, and now sees, primarily, women ages 45-50 who are complaining of fatigue, low libido, weight gain and low mood.

She developed her approach to hormone health, which she calls the 4 pillars.  These include liver care, adrenal support, blood sugar balancing, and hormone testing.

We talk especially about a test we both like, called the Dried Urine Test of Comprehensive Hormones.  This test can save you a lot of grief!

Listen in, and learn about Maria's approach.

For more on Maria, see:

Her program "Balance Your Hormones, Love Your Life" which starts May 2, 2016

Or pick up her free perimenopause guide: http://nourishandflourishhealth.com/

Have you joined our online summit yet?  It's free, and preview event start 3/30/16! Sign up at Hormones: A Women's Wellness Summit.

See Maria's demonstration on homemade kombucha below:

Depression and Your Brain on Nature with Evan Brand

We are pleased to have Evan Brand of Not Just Paleo on the podcast.  Evan is a great educator, and he embraces a 'no BS' approach to health care.  

In college, he got sick and depressed, but learned about nutrition, omega 3 oils, vitamin D and more to improve his health.  He also dropped out of business school (where he wasn't happy) and went to work on park land.  This dedicated time in nature was very therapeutic for him.

Evan shares that plants emit compounds that benefit our immune system, and how communing with nature lowers and manages our stress.  He teaches about the neurotransmitters that shape our moods, how we self medicate with food and drink, and how we can break those habits.  He also shares the testing method he uses to observe neurotransmitter activity.

There are lots of other great nuggets in here, such as how Facebook can affect our mood, and how we can get addicted to the rush of modern pleasures, at the expense of our natural mood regulation.

You can hear our interview right away on the audio player below, and you can also subscribe on iTunes or most podcast players by searching Women's Wellness Radio.

Resources:  

Evan's Podcast, and he highlights episode #44 with Dr. Albert Mensah

Evan's YouTube video on nature and how it benefits us

National Geographic article on benefits of nature and integrating in nature to urban folks

The Mood Cure by Julia Ross

The Diet Cure by Julia Ross

Evan's website, Not Just Paleo, and free consult offer

Evan also appears on our summit, Hormones: A Women's Wellness Summit.

Why You Should Work Out with Women, with Nikki Warren

Nikki (far left) and her sisters!

I really fell for Nikki Warren of Kaia Fit, and I think you will too!  Though she runs a busy business with 58 locations, she is grounded, present and grateful.

Hear how she went from being a pregnant teen, to having her boyfriend die suddenly, to having an infant son with serious health challenges...to kick-ass mom, wife, athlete and business owner!

Nikki has 4 sisters, and definitely believes in the idea of sisterhood.  The gym she founded with her husband, which now has other business partners, is exclusively for women.

Learn:

• Why she thinks working out with other women is important

• How we can do a quick work-out at home 

• What 'functional movement' is

• How we can take first steps to working out

• Why she thinks variety is important in our workouts

• How she trains groups of women for triathlons though I Kan Tri

Nikki and I recorded a short YouTube exercise video here. (She exercises, I just watch!)

Find out more about Kaia Fit here.

Nikki and her sisters at their group blog, Frank 5 Sisters.

Listen below or, better yet, subscribe to us on your podcast player.  Search 'womens wellness radio,' subscribe, and get a new interview every week!

Have you signed up for Hormones: A Women's Wellness Summit yet???  Well, it's time! Event happens free, online April 11-18, 2016.  

Eliminate Endometriosis Pain with Melissa Turner

Hello, and a big thank you for listening.  We've had a surge in listeners in the past month, and it's thanks to YOU listening and sharing!

About 6-8% of all women have endometriosis (source), and many of those experience severe, chronic pelvic pain.  Many of those women will undergo surgery, or multiple surgeries, as our guest expert Melissa Turner did.

Exhausted and frustrated, Melissa turned to dietary changes to see if that could help. She did find relief there, but also found that there was more the solution than obsessing over diet.

Melissa now experiences her cycle with nary a blip on her radar, and she teaches others to do the same at endoempowered.com.

In this interview, she explains how she developed her REACH method. (She's got a new Endo Wellness Technique program starting soon here.)

Melissa also made an appearance on our youtube channel to take about turmeric.

And she generously wrote a blog for us called, What Few People Will Dare to Tell You About Endometriosis.  Intrigued? Check it out here!

If you are not a subscriber to our podcast, we'd love for you to become one!  You can do so at iTunes, or search your podcast player for "Womens Wellness Radio."

Do you have any experiences overcoming your endometriosis symptoms?  Please share below.

Hormones: A Women's Wellness Summit- Registration is Now Open!

We are super excited to announce that our pretty registration page is now open for YOU to sign up!

Join Here

Just a few of our 35 features speakers!

We are so proud of this event, and can't wait to share it with you!  But you don't really have to wait, because you'll get three video interviews with three reference guides right away!  

REGISTER FOR THE SUMMIT

We are also looking for good folks to spread the word about the summit. You can do that as:

A 'professional' (aka- you have an email newsletter and you're in the health field)

Become a Summit Affiliate

 

An individual (aka- you just love us and want more women to be healthy)

Join Our 'Street Team' Here

Thank you so much for your support, and we'll see you on the summit!

Questions?  Hit me up here.  

Love, Bridgit

How to Honor Your Baby's Microbiome

A Little Story about Healthy Babies...

When I was practicing acupuncture more, I saw a lot of ladies at the end of their pregnancy, who wanted support in preparing for labor.  These ladies were brand new to me, and I'd always ask what supplements they were taking, and what foods they were eating.

I would often cringe to hear that they weren't consuming probiotics, and recommend that these moms-to-be consume probiotics foods and supplements. We know now that baby is exposed to bacteria from the birth canal/anus or the bacteria floating around in the surgery room, if C section delivery (link).  

But also the bacterial environment of the mother affects baby's health in utero (link).  Taking it a step further, your microbiome health will affect your ability to conceive and carry to term. 

Even if you never plan to have kids, our microbiome supports so much of hormone regulation, it's important to every woman.

So what can you do to honor your microbiome, and your baby's microbiome?  

You can consume kombucha, raw sauerkraut or kimchi, or coconut yogurt.  You can eat a wide variety of vegetables to provide pre-biotic food to your microbiome. You can avoid foods that can irritate your gut such as processed grain, caffeine and sugar.  You can take a high-quality, broad-spectrum probiotic.  (Tip: the shelf stable ones are sometimes better than the dairy-based refridgerated ones.)

You can also attend this week's free Microbiome Summit, with over 30 free, expert interviews about our microbiome.  

I don't attend every summit out there, but I'm very curious about this area that we are just starting to grasp.  Very exciting stuff!

I want women to really get the importance of this area, and how we can nourish it, for our sake, and the sake of our healthy babies.  Join the free Microbiome Summit here.

Hugs and Health, Bridgit

Weight Loss Starts with Trust with Michelle Hastie Thompson

As a health practitioner and educator, I am very cautious about talking about weight loss. Though I know that many women struggle with weight, I don't like to emphasize the weight aspect of health, or encourage any sort of particular diet to lose weight.

There is one 'style' of weight loss advice I feel good about, and our guest today, Michelle Hastie Thompson, espouses that style, so she got to come on the show!

This style involves self-love and self-awareness.  I am not a proponent of if you have the right mindset, you can eat anything, but I am a proponent of making any changes to our health starts with a healthy mindset.

And this is the truest with weight loss.  If we feel badly about ourselves, and mistrustful of food and our bodies, can cannot have feel good about our weight no matter how much we weigh.

Join Michelle and me as we learn:

• Why trust is step one to losing weight

• How you can let go of the fear of weight gain

• Managing pregnancy weight gain and post-partum weight loss

• How to cultivate presence, with food and in life

• Learning to love yourself right now, not when you lose weight

• Learning to use your intuition about food

• How excess weight is a gift to learn life lessons

• How to move into 'ideal weight consciousness'

More about our guest:

Michelle Hastie Thompson is the author of The Weight Loss Shift: Be More, Weigh Less, available on Amazon.  She is also a mind -body health coach Total Body Health Solutions, and was trained at the Institute for the Psychology of Eating.

She speaks about the struggle with weight from her own experience of being obsessed with exercise and calorie counting, and gaining weight nonetheless.  After she got injured and was laid out on the couch doing nothing, she lost weight.  Confused and intrigued, she started to research.

More about your host:

Bridgit Danner is a women's health educator at Women's Wellness Collaborative, an online resource for education on hormones, and inspiration on healthy lifestyle.

Pick up here free interactive hormone stressor quiz here, and look at other resources available through Women's Wellness Collaborative.

Not subscribed?  We invite you to subscribe to our weekly show in iTunes or most podcast players.  You can support our show's success by writing us a review at iTunes.  Thanks!