Let's face it before you can overcome hypothyroidism you
must know what it is and what causes hypothyroidism. Now I
know that you might have already talked with a doctor about
hypothyroidism, but if your doctor is anything like my
doctor, he or she probably has so many patients to see
everyday that you are lucky to get 5 quality minutes with
them.
I don't claim to be smarter than the doctors; however,
sometimes I think there is something that is lost in the
translation. That having been said I will give you what I
hope is a clear quick overview of what hypothyroidism is,
what causes hypothyroidism, and 5 things you didn't know you
could do to overcome hypothyroidism.
What is hypothyroidism? Simply put, it is a condition that
occurs when your thyroid gland does not produce enough
hormones. I don't want to get too technical here, so I will
just give you an analogy. Our bodies have many different
hormones that are required in order for it to operate at
full efficiency.
When there is a shortage of any one or a combination of
these hormones that's when you have problems. It's like
trying to bake a cake without one of the key ingredients. A
cake wouldn't be very good without flour, or not enough
flour would it?
Unfortunately, for some, maybe even you, their quality of
life has been significantly reduced do to hypothyroidism.
They struggle to lose weight, they struggle to make it
through the day due to chronic fatigue, and some of them
even struggle with depression.
So, what are some of the causes of hypothyroidism? There
are many different causes of hypothyroidism, but I again, am
just going to keep this simple and talk about 5 of them.
Believe it or not, some drugs contribute to this
insufficiency of thyroid hormones known as hypothyroidism.
Remember me mentioning depression. Well, some drugs such as
lithium that are used to control extreme mood swings also
restrict the amount of hormones the thyroid gland produces.
So, cause number one could be medication you are taking,
especially certain prescription drugs.
Cause number two, surprisingly enough, could be certain
foods that you are eating. This blew my socks off when I
found out about it. As you know those who suffer from
hypothyroidism usually suffer from a slower metabolism,
which means they gain weight easily and rarely lose weight
at all.
What do people usually do when they are trying to control
their weight? You guessed it; they go on a diet and try to
eat healthier. You will probably be just as surprised as I
was to find out that certain foods such as raw broccoli also
contribute to hypothyroidism. Raw turnips, radishes,
cauliflower, and brussel sprouts can also have a negative
impact on your thyroid gland and increase your chances of
struggling with hypothyroidism.
It makes you wonder, could you be caught in a vicious loop.
You gained extra weight year after year and so you keep on
trying to eat healthier just to find out you could have been
working against yourself all this time. Just as a side
note, I am not saying to stop trying and give up. Just get
educated so you are not shooting yourself in the foot.
Like so many other health conditions, cause number three
cannot easily be avoided. Some health conditions, such as
hypothyroidism, are just handed down in the genes. You
really can't get around your genes no matter how hard you
try. Again, education is the best means of advice, but I
will talk more about that in just a moment.
Who knew going to the dentist could lead us to cause number
four? If you are like me you probably didn't know that
amalgam fillings have been associated with causing certain
health conditions. You guessed it; hypothyroidism is one of
those conditions.
You see it is the mercury in the fillings that is actually
bad for you. They are 50% mercury! Wow! All I can say is
do your homework here.
Again, cause number five caught me off guard. Isoflavone-
intensive soy products can greatly affect the thyroid gland,
restricting its ability to produce the correct amount of
thyroid hormones thus causing hypothyroidism.
What are Isoflavone soy products? These are typically
products that body builders or just the common individual
who works-out at the gym my take. Again, who knew trying to
be healthier could actually be affecting you in ways you
never knew.
To sum it up, there are five things that you probable didn't
know you could do to overcome hypothyroidism.
1)Check the side effects of all the current drugs you are
on. Look them up on the Internet, ask your doctor, or even
ask your pharmacist about the prescription medication or
medications you are taking. They could be actually working
against you.
2)Learn more about the raw foods you are eating. Even those
popular diet foods such as broccoli could be affecting your
thyroid gland.
3)Do research on your family history. I know that this can
be difficult but you owe it yourself to learn all you can
about your family's medical history. As a side note, find
out all you can and make a log. Share the log with your
doctor. Also keep it for your kids and grand kids. They
might be dealing with health issues now, but they very well
could be in the future especially if there is history of
certain conditions in your family line.
4)If you have to have fillings, question your dentist about
amalgam fillings. Even if you have fillings already you
might want to meet with your dentist to see if he or she
used amalgam products. Also, remember it is the mercury
that causes the problems. Stay away from products that may
contain mercury.
5)Finally, if you are a health conscious person who like to
workout at the gym and you use soy based products to enhance
your efforts, just check to see if those products contain
large amounts of Isoflavone.
I hope that this article has served as a reminder that
educating ourselves is most often our best means of defense
against the health conditions we struggle with. One great
resource that I have come to lean on is a website called
ChangeYourHealth.Net. If you are looking for a great
educational resource on learning how you can overcome the
health conditions that you struggle with such as
hypothyroidism you can find them at
http://www.changeyourhealth.net. They are very informative
and offer tons of information especially all-natural methods
of treating the health conditions that seem to plague so
many of us.

About The Author:
Douglas Cromer is a review specialist for all-natural herbal supplements. To view the reviews of the top 50 most used herbal supplements just visit http://www.changeyourhealth.net. Education Before Purchasing Is Douglas Cromer's Specialty!


Reduce Acid Reflux or Heartburn by Strengthening the LES Valve
Heartburn and acid reflux are typically treated with over the counter products or drugs that reduce stomach acid or block the excretion of stomach acid. It would appear that if our stomach acid needed to be diluted by antacids, our body would be smart enough not produce such a corrosive liquid in our stomach.
That fact is that we need a highly acidic condition in our stomach to properly digest protein. Using drugs to suppress this stomach acid is not the correct way to deal with acid reflux or heartburn. If you do go this route, you will be facing many disease as you get older.
There are many reasons you might have acid reflux. One reason is a weakness in the Lower Esophageal Sphincter valve, LES. LES is a valve between your stomach and your esophagus. When your LES valve is weak, it can allow acidified, partially digested food to flow back up into your esophagus. The acid in the food will burn the lining of your esophagus causing the so called "heartburn..."
Here are some natural steps that you can use to strengthen your Lower Esophageal Sphincter valve:
These foods can weaken the LES valve - coffee, peppermint, spearmint, sugar, chocolate, onions, and alcohol. Once you have strengthened your LES, you can return to eating these foods in moderate amounts.
Eliminate those foods that are known to create allergic reactions such as cow's milk, wheat, white flour, diary products, and other foods.
Avoid overeating and having a large amount of food in your stomach. Excess food in your stomach can increase your stomach gas pressure and force your LES valve to open.
Avoid using certain drugs, although this might be impossible. If you take drugs perhaps you can start looking for and start using some natural remedies so that you can lessen the use of drugs. Here are some of the drugs at cause LES problems - NSAID's, bronchodilators, channel blockers, beta-blockers, antianxiety drugs, and nitroglycerine. These drugs relax the muscles around the LES valve causing them to open during normal stomach gas pressures.
Watch how you do certain physical activities, such as waist bending, staining during bowel movements, coughing, and lifting heavy objects. This increases the pressure in the stomach, causing the LES valve to open.
After a meal do not lie down. This causes food to flow back towards the LES valve putting pressure on it. So it is a good reason to eat your last meal around three hours before bedtime.
There you have it, some natural remedies and activities that strengthen or weaken your LES valve. Just applying some or all these will result in reducing the frequency of your acid reflux and heartburn.
Rudy Silva is a Natural Nutritionist. For more tips and information on Acid Reflux and Heartburn go now to his site: http://www.acidreflux-relief.info


Get Heartburn, Indigestion and Ulcer Relief Using DGL
In the 1940's licorice was discovered to be useful in treating peptic ulcers. Unfortunately it had side effects that lead to high blood pressure, potassium loss, and fluid retention.
Researchers discovered that the ingredient in licorice that caused those side effects was "glycyrrhizin." They were able to remove 97% of this chemical and the result was a product call "deglycyrrhizinated" licorice, DGL. DGL maintained its healing properties but had no side effects.
DGL was first used to heal ulcers in the stomach and duodenum without suppressing stomach acids. DGL worked just as good as the drugs Zantac or Tagamet that are designed to suppress stomach acid.
As more people used DGL, they found they got relief from a variety of stomach issues - heartburn, acid reflux, indigestion, bloating, and gas. In addition, they found using DGL was better than using antacids or acid blockers.
DGL works by improving and restoring the integrity of the esophageal, stomach and duodenum lining. It does this by promoting mucus release and cell rebuilding. The mucus released provides gastrointestinal lining protection from acids and gives the lining time to rebuild and regenerated. The result is healing and strengthening of the affected tissue.
Here's how to use DGL. DGL comes in large tablets that you place in your mouth and allowed to melt. You can chew them slightly but not swallow them since it is your salvia that helps activate the DGL.
By allowing DGL to melt in your mouth the resulting liquid will now run along your esophagus and start the healing process where ever there is tissue inflammation or damage.
Use two tablets 3-4 times a day on an empty stomach. Do not use any water when you are taking the tablets. You can take the tablets at least an hour before you eat and an hour after you eat.
Although DGL provides relief for heartburn, acid reflux and other stomach disturbances it does not totally provide a cure. It does provide recover from damaged gastrointestinal lining as occurs with ulcers, but does not change the level of stomach acid.
In some cases Heartburn is caused by to little or to much stomach acid. When too little acid is causing heartburn or acid reflux it makes no sense to use antacids or acid blocking drugs which decrease your stomach acid even more. Low levels of stomach acid leads to serious illnesses.
Because so much is still unknown about the cause of acid reflux or heartburn, it is known that DGL can give you some acid reflux relief and in some case mild cases cure it.
Use DGL for mild or severe cases of heartburn or acid reflux and you will be surprised at the results you get.
Rudy Silva is a Natural Nutritionist. For more tips and information on Acid Reflux and Heartburn go now to his site: http://www.acidreflux-relief.info