Tag Archive for Dr. Mercola

Tough Mudder, Here We Come; Do You Have Low Thyroid?

June 8, 2014 / / Comments Off on Tough Mudder, Here We Come; Do You Have Low Thyroid?

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOh Yea, my sweet husband has “won” us a position in the Richmond Tough Mudder, in 7 days.  We just “won” this a few days ago, so training and preparing for this is going to be…… minimal?

Here’s a link to the course,   I’m a little scared of the Arctic Enema, and the ElectroShocks,  they sound dangerous and unpleasant.

If anyone has ANY advice as to what to do, what to wear, or how to conquer an obstacle, I’ll listen:)  I’m all ears!

Has anyone been listening to the Thyroid Summit this week with Dr. Brownstein and Susie Cohen?  It’s FREE, it goes through June 9, and it’s loaded with Doctors and Scientists giving us the latest Thyroid info.  Considering how many Americans have low thyroid function or a full disorder, this is invaluable information.  And most likely much more information than you’d ever hear in a 10 minute appointment with your regular doctor.

For instance, the standard test any of us would be given to determine the health of our thyroid is called the TSH, that’s Thyroid Stimulating Hormone.  Here’s the problems with just looking at TSH:  1) our pituitary makes TSH, not the thyroid.  2) our Thyroid actually makes a host of other hormones, the primary ones are called T4 and a little T3; and these often aren’t tested. Or if they are tested, the “Free/Unbound/Useable T3 isn’t tested.

T3 is THE ONLY HORMONE THAT ACTUALLY GETS USED IN OUR CELLS.  Our T4 is SUPPOSED to be converted to T3 in our liver, kidneys, and heart.  It takes many different nutrients and enzymes to make this conversion, it also takes perfectly functioning organs.  What if you’re missing those nutrients or enzymes, or you have fatty liver or poorly functioning kidneys?  That conversion could be compromised.

Thyroid hormone ( T 4 and T3) are made from the minerals Iodine and Selenium, and the amino acid Tyrosine.  What if you don’t eat enough of the foods that contain those nutrients, or you don’t have great gut function and you don’t ABSORB those nutrients?  ( do you really think you get enough Iodine? That’s a tough one!)

Do you see where I’m going with this?  Our thyroid function is far more than taking a pill, whether it’s a synthetic, like Synthroid, or a desiccated natural thyroid like Armor.   That said, I take a supplement by Biotics called GTA FORTE II.  It’s desiccated thyroid with no T4 or T3, and it’s worked wonders for me.

Statistically, it’s pretty “normal” for a woman my age to have hypothyroid.  I’ve had my TSH, T3, T4 and RT3 tested, plus an antibody test,  and it’s confirmed: low thyroid function.  I started supplements last year, and saw a big difference in my energy levels.  That said, I also pay very close attention to my nutrients and digestion.  It matters that I give my body what it needs to MAKE and ABSORB the hormones.

Here’s another important issue to keep in mind:  thyroid function will ALWAYS come in second to ADRENAL function.  In Nutritional Therapy school, they constantly repeated ” the adrenals pull on the thyroid”.  It’s true.  When we’re under a lot of stress, both mental and physical, our adrenal glands are making extra adrenal hormones.  Hormones get made from nutrients;  limited nutrient resources are always going to go to the Adrenal glands first.  After all, our body can EASILY slow down the thyroid if it needs to, to show more support to the adrenals.  Adrenal hormones are our Fight and Flight hormones, and our body prioritizes them over just about everything else.  You can ask for a Saliva test to see what your Cortisol levels are, but you’re probably going to need to see an Integrative or Alternative doctor to get one.

What’s one sure-fire way to slow down your Thyroid?  Go on a Diet and Reduce Your Calories.  Your body will slow down your metabolism Every Single Time you do this.

Looking for a doctor who’s tuned into how important good thyroid function is to overall health, and willing to do all the right tests?  Try here and here.

I thought this was interesting:  one of the doctors on the Thyroid Summit said when she started doing Cortisol Testing in 1999, 17% of her patients had abnormal cortisol levels; in 2014, almost 99% of her patients have abnormal cortisol levels! Wow! That’s pretty shocking!  I’ve talked about the dangers of excess cortisol before, it’s scary. That’s probably the result of us rarely ever unplugging anymore, right?

What’s my end advice?  Eat Real Whole Foods, and take action steps to manage your Stress.  Iodine, selenium, tyrosine, and all the other nutrients we need to make and rebuild our body don’t come from crappy, processed foods, which often are COMPLETELY devoid of any nutrients ( how many vitamins or minerals do you think are in a box of Fat Free Cereal or Crackers?); or have “nutrients” added, as in vitamins and minerals made in China?  It matters what we put in our mouth.

Decide today that you’re going to take control of your health, your energy, and your food.  Make a plan, write it down, shop, chop, pack.  Stick to your plan.  If this isn’t your norm, work on making it your norm!  You can do this, other people have. If you want to learn more about your thyroid, listen to the summit while you drive/workout/clean/cook/ etc; or read this post from Dr. Mercola, it’s really good!

Category: Hormones, RWF, Uncategorized / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Toxic Drinks for Pregnant Moms and Their Babies? It’s Part of the System.

May 14, 2014 / / Comments Off on Toxic Drinks for Pregnant Moms and Their Babies? It’s Part of the System.

I’m on a mission:  I want to convince everyone that we all have the power to be in charge of our own health care.  I want to convince everyone that handing over your health to the Conventional Medical System (Big Phuvernment**) is crazy.  I’m not saying doctors are useless, but that our bodies have ENORMOUS capacity to heal and regenerate; and if we invest some time in learning what makes the body run well, and then taking the actions to implement what we’ve learned, our health, our energy, our outlook on life, could be so Optimal. Like I always say, no one is sick because they’re deficient in meds, no one. 

Do you ever read FoodBabe?  You should, she’s an activist who’s been a driving force in getting a few Big Companies to quit using  deadly chemicals in their food products.  Her post yesterday was on the glucose drink they feed to Pregnant Mothers when we go in for the glucose test.  I want to say that again:  the drink they have pregnant mothers, and the little babies growing inside of them, drink to test for gestational diabetes.

Here’s the Ingredient List, read it and weep that babies get soaked in this crap:

glucose drink

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s enough toxic chemicals in that drink to kill a bird, and yet it’s given to pregnant women and their babies.  Please read the whole article here,  it’s pretty enlightening.

News about the Medical Establishment failing us isn’t new, and statistics are astounding.  Here’s some words from Dr. Mercola’s post today on the Dangers of Modern Medicine:

Preventable medical mistakes are the third-leading cause of death in the US, right after heart disease and cancer. In all, preventable medical mistakes may account for one-sixth of all deaths that occur in the US annually. Despite spending more on health care than the next 10 biggest spenders combined, the US ranks last in health and mortality when compared with 17 other developed nations. We may have one of the best systems for treating acute surgical emergencies, but the American medical system clearly gets an “F” when it comes to treating chronic illness.

Please don’t blindly throw yourselves at the mercy of your doctor, the pharmaceutical Meg Macchu Pichucompanies, Big Food, and the Government.  You ARE capable of staying healthy, improving your health, and losing weight if you need too.

Real Whole Food, sleep, controlling your stress, and exercise, these are the foundations for Optimal Health, and they’re all within our control.  Evaluate where you are with each of those factors. We can always take steps to improve our health, and it’s never too late to start.  Carve out some time to make a plan, then post the plan everywhere. Commit to your plan! Don’t wait for next week or next month, start now.  You have the power and the ability, now use it.  Let me know if you need help, or a jump start.  I’m good at that!

On a less serious note, here’s a picture of my oldest daughter, Megan, who’s in Peru. This is Machu Picchu.

Remember, Mark and I are doing a Partner Detox next week while we’re on the Low Carb Cruise.  We’ll be posting and/or facebooking every day about the steps we’re taking in the Detox.  If you’re not friends with me on FB and you want to be, find me under Debbie Brockett Abbott.

**Big Phuvernment: the sexual union of Big Food, Big Pharma, and our Government

 

Category: Food Additives, Looks Healthy But Isn't, RWF / Tags: , , , , ,

How To Lose Weight and Be Healthy? Feed Your Body What It Wants!

March 12, 2014 / / Comments Off on How To Lose Weight and Be Healthy? Feed Your Body What It Wants!

carbblockOne of my main goals in life is to help people connect these dots:  food,  health, weight.  If you read my blog, you know I’m not referring to calories, or fat grams. I’m referring to nutrients in food and chemical reactions that happen when our body uses those nutrients.  When you care more about: what’s in your food, what it does to you, and how it makes you feel; than you care about calories, then I know you’re on track to be lean and healthy, forever.

What you fill your mind with is what’s going to rule your mind.  For instance, if you’re swayed by any of these advertisements (make sure you check out the last one – it’s my favorite), you’re going to continue along hoping that if you can just starve yourself for a sufficient amount of time, you’ll end up skinny and happy.  It doesn’t work that way.  Look back over your own history:  low cal dieting and tons of exercise are a VERY temporary way to take off pounds,always  to the detriment of your Thyroid, Adrenals, Sex Hormones,hcg Neurotransmitters, and Muscles.  Do it with Low Fat products, high in carbs, and there goes Insulin and Blood Glucose levels also.  Your body wants Nutrients to Run Correctly.  That’s all it wants, honest.  Eat to make your body as healthy as possible and your weight will become healthy and stable.  That’s all it takes, really.

Here’s some interesting bullet points (to fill your mind with) on why Real Whole Foods are so important.

*To make hair, nails, cartilage, growth hormone, glutathione (our #1 antioxidant), insulin, prolactin, and a whole bunch of other parts of our body, we need to have plenty of Sulfur.  Sulfur is the 3rd most common mineral in our body after calcium and phosphorus.

*Research points to sulfur deficiency in obesity, heart disease, cancer, and many “wasting” conditions.  Sulfur is also a crucial ‘ingredient’ in joints, and all joint supplements are sulfur containing: chondroitin sulfate, methyl sulfate, glucosamine sulfate…

best way*Garlic, onions, and cruciferous vegetables (brussels, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli…) are loaded with sulfur.  So are egg yolks, fish, meat, and poultry.

*Many studies show that garlic, onions, and other allicin (sulfur containing) foods are incredibly protective against cancer and heart disease.

*The National Cancer Institute found that individuals who ate the most allicin vegetables (red onions, scallions, garlic, chives and leeks) had a nearly 50% lower cancer risk than those who ate the least.

*A large-scale epidemiological Iowa Women’s Health Study looked at the garlic consumption in 41,000 middle-aged women. Results showed that women who regularly consumed garlic had 35% lower risk of developing colon cancer.

*Acetaminophen depletes sulfur levels in the body.  Sulfur is used to both break down and escort out (via urine), acetaminophen.  Breakdown happens in the liver.  We have large stores of the antioxidant Glutathione in the liver, or we’re supposed to.  Acetaminophen drains those supplies.  Acetaminophen is the Number 1 Cause of Liver Failure in the U.S.

Real Whole Food is made from compounds that our body needs to run correctly.  Here’s some more cool facts:

*Our body makes Vitamin D3 when the cholesterol from INSIDE of us, rises to the OUTSIDE of us/on top of our skin, and is “mixed/hit with” with UVB rays from the sun.  Vitamin D SULFATE is made.  Vitamin D sulfate is WATER SOLUBLE, so it sinks right back down through the skin, into the blood where it goes anywhere in the body that Vitamin D is supposed to go.

*Here’s a UVB map of the United States for March.

****Vitamin D3 supplements are UN-SULFERATED.  That means NOT water soluble. ( Our blood is water, right?)  The liver must make LDL to transport UN-sulferated Vitamin D3 through the blood.

*Both cholesterol and sulfur protect the skin from radiation damage, the kind oflucky damage that can lead to skin cancer.  Remember, cholesterol is an ANTIOXIDANT.  That’s one of the reasons our liver makes so much of it.

*Here’s a great podcast with Senior MIT Researcher Stephanie Seneff on Statins, Cholesterol, and the “Real Demons” of heart disease.

If you want to get slim, healthy, and be loaded with energy, you need to learn how the body works and what food does to you.  Invest in yourself, invest in your loved ones.  Become a Real Whole Foodie.

Category: Mind/Body, RWF / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mofongo Recipe; and, Want to Avoid Cold and Flu? Boost Your Immune System!

January 6, 2014 / / Comments Off on Mofongo Recipe; and, Want to Avoid Cold and Flu? Boost Your Immune System!

me in kitchenIt’s cold and flu season now, but that doesn’t mean you or your kids have to get sick.  Here’s a great article from Dr. Mercola that really goes into detail on how virus spread and how to prevent it.  I hope you can take a few minutes to read it.  If you can’t, here’s some bullet points:

* Even though the CDC says the Flu Vaccine is 56% effective for most, and 9% effective for people 65 and older, the Cochrane Datebase Review emphatically contests that.  They say studies show the vaccine only prevents flu for 1 out of every 100 people vaccinated.    Read all those numbers again, then check up on me if you don’t believe it.

* A virus can replicate itself by the millions very quickly.  Luckily, if we’re healthy, we have HUNDREDS OF TRILLIONS OF IMMUNE CELLS that can fight them.

* To Boost your Immune System:  optimize Vitamin D, because studies show it’s much more effective than the vaccine in preventing flu;  stay away from Grains, Sugars, and Chemicals, which destroy beneficial bacteria in the gut and immediately suppress immune responses;  eat foods that have anti-viral/anti-bacterial properties, like coconut oil, grass fed butter, beef, and eggs, garlic, onions, and oregano, to name just a few.

* Repeat: Your immune system is MORE important for your health than a vaccine.

mogongo dinnerI made Mofongo!!!  For a crowd too – and it worked!  If you saw my pictures from Christmas week, you know we went an island off Puerto Rico called Culebra.  Our oldest daughter, Meg, is working at a B&B there.  I’d heard from her and Andrew Zimmern/Bizarre Foods, that Mofongo is the native dish of Puerto Rico, and that it was delicious.  And it is!  I had it 4 days in a row for lunch, watched a you tube on how to make it, and finally was able to last night, for 7 of us.

Super simple: sauteed plantains, garlic, salt/pepper, and crispy pork rinds ( I used good bacon instead), and then you mash it all together and serve it with fish or octopus ( I had octopus everyday there bc I never get fresh octopus here.) Last night, I served it with Halibut and steamed kale.

Usually Mofongo is made one serving at a time in a pestle, I wasn’t about to do that, so I used a blender to mix all the ingredients.  Peeling and sauteing the plantains took a little time, because I had to do 6, and I sauteed in two batches, but after that it was fast.  I blended the ingredients, popped them into a muffin pan, and cooked on 400 for 10 minutes.  They were already warm from cooking the plantains and bacon.  Oh my gosh it’s good!

Category: Cooking, Paleo Diet, RWF / Tags: , , ,

Vitamin D affects Breast Cancer, Depression, and Immunity

January 2, 2014 / / Comments Off on Vitamin D affects Breast Cancer, Depression, and Immunity

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, that means it can’t be absorbed without adequate in the waterfat present.  It also can’t be absorbed well if you’ve got stomach troubles, you know, bloat, indigestion, excessive burping, trapped gas, etc.  (Stomach problems aren’t normal, no matter how much the Antacid Companies try to convince us otherwise; and antacids used more than 2 weeks do more harm than good.  But that’s a different post.)

Actually, Vitamin D is more Hormone than Vitamin, and it affects at least 3000 of our genes.  There’s a worldwide deficiency of Vitamin D, and despite supplementation, levels aren’t improving.  The best, most absorbable Vitamin D is made on your skin, from the interaction of Cholesterol and UVB sun rays.  During these winter months, when UVB rays are in short supply, and we’re not out very long anyway, it’s even more important to make the effort to get your D.

Here’s Dr. Mercola’s latest post, which also includes a link to the Vitamin D project, which I’m signing up for.

Take your health into your own hands. No one cares as much as you do, and no one else knows you as well as you do: your history, your stress levels, your habits, your life.  No one is sick because they’ve got a deficiency in a pharmaceutical, no one.   Just like no one is overweight because they’ve got a deficiency in a diet drug.  Read Dr. Mercola and let me know if you join the Project too!

Category: RWF, Uncategorized / Tags: ,

Why I Eat Fat; Saturated Fat Is Validated AGAIN; and a Recipe

November 6, 2013 / / Comments Off on Why I Eat Fat; Saturated Fat Is Validated AGAIN; and a Recipe

debbie (44)I eat a pretty high fat, moderate protein, low carb diet.  Can I give you my Fitday breakdown?  No.  And I probably never will.  I counted calories and obsessed for YEARS.  All it did was make me crazy, and starving.  I learned about the dangers of carbs years ago when I read Protein Power and The Atkins Diet,  cutting back on bread and pasta wasn’t hard.  The reason for the craziness was that for a long time, I was Low Carb and Low Fat, because I believed that Fat Was Bad, and it would make me fat. That mantra had been drilled into my head.    Diet and low-carb “foods”, with plenty of vegetables and fruits on the side, were what I lived off of (during the week).  It kept my weight good ( weekday stringency combined with weekend binges), but I hated the binges, and the stomach aches, the nightly bloats,  and now looking back, my energy levels and moods were just okay.  A couple of years ago I dropped the “food products”, and incorporated fat, tons of it.  Literally, if my foods don’t haveIMG_2737 enough fat in them, I add it.  The results?  The most stable weight I’ve ever been (good bye binges), great energy, great mood, ( right Mark??), and ***a flat stomach that rarely ever bloats anymore.  I feel confident that I’m following a food plan that’s giving me Optimal Health and a Normal, Stable Weight, but I constantly run into or work with people who are deathly afraid of fat, and their fear is often compounded by their doctor’s 1970 advice to cut the fat.  Oh but the Tide is Turning  and I love it!

It seems like everyday there’s more scientific validation that Saturated Fat is healthy, and that decades of Main Stream Medical Advice has been Wrong.  If you have time to read a long article on some of the latest information, here’s a link to Dr. Mercola’s excellent post.  If you want the short version, here it is:  Saturated fat and Cholesterol have NEVER been conclusively linked to Heart Disease, ever.  When our Government decided to demonize fat, they relied on a study by Ancel Keys called the 7 Countries Study, which linked high levels of fat and cholesterol to heart disease.  The problem with using this as the basis of their Health Paradigm is:  There Were 22 Countries in the study – 15 of them didn’t fit the theory, so they were ignored.

Here’s a link to the British Medical Journal  that just published an article called “Saturated Fat is Not the Issue”.   Another testament to the power of High Fat – Low Carb, is that Sweden has developed NATIONAL DIETARY GUIDELINES proclaiming low fat diets not good for your health or waistlines,  and that High Fat diets  DO fight disease and obesity.   This was a total turn around from decades of previous dogma, which was pretty identical to our government/health care system dogma.  However, after reviewing 16,000 studies, the results were clear:  sugar and grains, (which break down to glucose and fructose), and trans fats are dangerous for your health and a disaster for weight loss; and Real Fats such as saturated fats and cholesterol, are  actually good for you.

Our body uses Healthy Fats to BUILD ITSELF.  Our brain is 60% fat, our heart, organs, and glands, are loaded with fat – on purpose by God.  Fat’s even part of our bones!    Fat doesn’t go rogue and clog our arteries.  That’s a really, really  incorrect picture.

What else is good about saturated fats?   They lower the bad, small LDL, and they raise HDL. They literally escort calcium and other minerals into bone to be assimilated.  They’re good for the liver’s health and actually protect the liver from NSAIDS and alcohol.     The surfactant of your lungs is lined with saturated fat; they contribute to proper nerve signaling, and several fatty acids have anti-viral/anti-bacterial properties that help the immune system.

The best thing about saturated fat?  Satiety.

before roastingLet me leave you with a recipe for Roasted Vegetable Soup, it’s delicious!  I’ve been making a version of this for the past year, never the same way twice, and it always comes out good.

Ingredients:  2 big sweet potatoes, a giant onion, a round squash, 3 big carrots, 1 big green, tart apple, 3 beets.  Scrub and cut everything but the squash into pieces.   Puncture the squash and roast it whole, scoop out the seeds after it  bakes.   I like to add a little water to the vegetables and cover with foil, that helps everything stay moist.   Bake at 425 for 40 minutes.   When it’s done, cool slightly; peel the skin off the squash, put all this into your food processor and blend til smooth.

Add the vegetables, about 6 cups of (any) broth, and a can of full fat coconut milk together in a big pot and start whisking, with the heat on medium high.    Next, whisk in 2 tablespoons coconut oil, 2 tsp sea salt, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger, 1tsp cloves, a couple pinches of curry powder ( we like heat).

I’ve used so many different vegetable combinations, and a few other fruits (pears and plantains), different spice mixes, different levels of heat, and every time it comes out good.  Oh!, I also added sausage.  Crispy bacon also rocks it.

What’s the message of the day?  Fat is Healthy.  Fat doesn’t make you Fat; sugars and grains make you fat, and unhealthy.  Read those last lines again:)   Off to practice yoga;  Make Good Choices!!

Category: Carbs, Fats, Sugar / Tags: , , , , , , ,
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