First steps to Support a Healthy Thyroid Function
Hey guys! Welcome to the first post in the Thyroid Series here on Rebel Rikki!
I am really excited to share so much incredible info with you guys over the next couple of weeks!
Seriously, I have SO MUCH I will be sharing, and will feature a few incredible guests bloggers as well!
Some of this info will be common sense.
Maybe you have heard it before but have forgotten.
Maybe you’ve just complicated things over the years with fad diets.
Maybe you’re just lost after years of poor habits and feel stuck with a wrecked metabolism.
And then some of this info will be brand new. It will be stuff you have never heard and that will likely blow your mind.
It’s going to make you think far beyond what you’ve been taught, and hopefully make you learn to question everything and trust your intuition.
Here are a few really important things to remember:
I am NOT your doctor AND I will NOT do the work for you.
I will share my personal story, help explain some of the more complicated subjects in ways that are easier to understand, share a LOT of my favorite research, links and products, and hopefully teach you the importance of becoming your own advocate and trusting your intuition.
I do not want your power.
Please don’t give it to me!
I want to EMPOWER YOU to take charge of your own health.
Do not be overwhelmed! I will be sharing a LOT- and lasting change can take time. So just soak it up as you can and focus on incorporating at *least* the daily tip.
Much of what is going to be shared here is very different than what many doctors are taught. I first learned the truth about how to treat thyroid issues 5 or so years ago, after reading Dr Mark Starr’s book Hypothyroidism Type 2.
It literally BLEW MY MIND! It is still one of my top favorite books today. It truly feels like a conspiracy by Big Pharma to keep people sick, and it’ll shock you when I share this info with you guys in future posts.
Dr Starr claims that much of the population has some sort of thyroid issues, and it is wrecking our health in way more ways than you’d imagine.
Basal body temperature
Your cells combine thyroid hormone glucose and oxygen to create the energy that keeps our core body temperature at 98.6. Below this temperature, we see overgrowth of viral, bacterial, fungal and parasitic overgrowth and infection.
Thyroid hormone controls the strength/integrity of your heart and blood vessels, so if thyroid levels decline, the heart weakens. With this decrease in circulation, some body tissues will suffer as well. Feet are usually first as they are farthest from the heart.
Challenge number 1:
Check out this detailed graphic on how monitoring your pulse and temperature daily. This is the absolute BEST way to test your own thyroid function. If you start today, you can do it daily and track your progress!
Your immune cells depend on energy from thyroid hormone.
Thyroid hormone stimulates production of collagen building blocks. Decreased thyroid results in poor quality skin, hair, nails and bones. Many mental illness can be healed after healing thyroid. Same goes for many cancers and pain/auto immune diseases. And so much more!
But here’s the thing- it’s not a simple fix. In fact, if you take a look at the second graphic you’ll see that a lack of actual thyroid hormone isn’t always the problem!
You have several thyroid pathways that can be blocked for a number of reasons. What are a few causes, and even more important, what are some solutions!
Tom Brimeyer from Hypothyroidism Revolution says this,
“Hypothyroid patients consistently hear that their thyroid is damaged and that they will need to rely on thyroid medication, or various other supplements, for the rest of their lives if they want any chance of being or feeling “normal.”
More often than not, these approaches do not provide long-term relief, and often the consequence of these approaches worsens the real problem, as well as your suffering.
The problem with these approaches is that they don’t account for the health and function of your Thyroid Hormone Pathway which becomes blocked in hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, preventing your body from being able to use thyroid hormone efficiently.
It is important to understand that you MUST eliminate all of the roadblocks along your Thyroid Hormone Pathway in order to restore proper thyroid function and for you to be truly healthy.
Challenge number 2:
Eat within 30 minutes to an hour of waking up. This is non-negotiable if you struggle with thyroid or metabolism! We will be getting into that info in later posts, but for now- make that one change.
We will also be sharing several recipes to teach you more in depth on how to create a “balanced” meal!