Blog – Page 7 – Wilson's Syndrome

Think twice before you eat those plasticizers

We all know that “fast food” isn’t the healthiest choice when it comes to eating. It’s generally low in nutrients and high in “bad’ fats and calories. But as it turns out, there may also be an additional layer of “badness” about it. A group of chemicals called “phthalates” has been shown to be more prevalent in people who eat fast food as compared to those who do not.

What are phthalates?

Phthalates are chemicals used in plastic to make it more flexible and harder to break, thus known as “plasticizers”. They are also found in household cleaners, cosmetics, health and

Safety-focused fire retardants cause damage to adrenals

Tags: adrenals, detox, fire retardants, high blood pressure|

Many of us have the overwhelming sense that we are exposed to a lot of chemicals in our daily lives, and that it’s probably damaging our health in some way. But when it comes to the specifics of where the chemicals come from and how they cause damage, it may be unclear.

One category of chemicals that are clearly a problem are organohalogen fire retardants. These ubiquitous chemicals were formulated for the purpose of improving fire safety in furniture, building materials, electronics, toys and children’s clothing as a means of slowing the rate at which a fire can take

Who Gets Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome?

Tags: hormones, hypothyroid, low temperature, T3, Wilson's Temperature Syndrome|

Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome is the cluster of often debilitating symptoms especially brought on by physical or emotional stress that can persist even after the stress has passed (due to maladaptive slowing of the metabolism). It usually responds characteristically to the normalization of body temperature patterns (especially through the use of a special T3 therapy protocol and/or certain natural medicines). It is characterized by a body temperature that runs, on average, below normal, but routine thyroid blood tests are often in the “normal” range.

Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome is especially brought on by stresses such as: childbirth (#1 cause), divorce, death

Finding Balance for Women

Tags: endocrine, estrogen, hormone balance, hypothyroid, infertility, testosterone, womens health|

The endocrine system is a complex interconnection of hormonal signals and active hormones that trigger each other. In a past article, we referred to the endocrine system as the conductor of an orchestra, who directs musicians to play louder or softer in order to make beautiful music. The endocrine system uses hormones to signal organs to work efficiently together. But instead of making music, the endocrine system coordinates mood, energy level, metabolism, and more.

When women have low thyroid hormone, it often impacts the hormones related to their ovarian cycle, causing infertility or irregular periods. A recent study

Wondering why you’re cold?

Tags: chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, fatigue, freezing, hypothyroid, low temperature, thyroid, Wilson's Temperature Syndrome|

The primary sign for Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome (WTS) is low body temperature, which can sometimes be the sole indicator that thyroid hormones aren’t quite right. Often, standard thyroid tests don’t reflect Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome because there are different ways that the body can experience hypothyroidism that tests can’t measure. For example, there may be a problem with thyroid hormone transport, T4 to T3 conversion, or perhaps thyroid receptors that just aren’t responding to thyroid hormone appropriately. No matter what the cause, the end result is that the person experiences low body temperature and hypothyroid symptoms that can include

Surprising factors related to Alzheimer’s Disease

I recently read an interesting article about Alzheimer’s Disease and factors (such as life choices and health conditions) that seem to be related to having an increased risk of developing it. I’m glad to see a growing awareness about Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) prevention, since rates have increased significantly over the past few decades. If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering why there are more and more cases every year. Currently, statistics say your chances are 1 in 9 if you are over 65 years old, and if you’re over 85, it’s one in three. We still don’t know what causes

Could Holiday Stress Impact Your Health?

Tags: holiday stress, Low body temperature, low thyroid, stress, T3, thyroid hormone receptor, trauma, TSH, wilson's syndrome|

Life gets complicated around the holidays; we tend to overbook our social schedules to squeeze in as many events as possible. Although it is intended to be fun, sometimes there is an underlying pressure to create the perfect holiday ambiance, which can cause more stress than enjoyment.

Stress can upset your thyroid gland in complicated and profound ways. New research shows that the effects of stress on your thyroid can be long-lasting and hinder your resilience (your ability to recover from trauma).

One study found that women who had experienced

Stress: A one-two punch to the thyroid

Tags: adaptogen herbs, cortisol, endocrine, hypothyroid, iodine, selenium, stress, T3, thyroid|

Last month I wrote about the endocrine system and how adrenal overload can cause fatigue, weight gain, and eventually affect the thyroid. This month, I’d like to focus on how life’s stresses impede the production and utilization of thyroid hormone and what you can do about it.

You already know that long term, chronic stress is one of the most common factors for adrenal dysfunction. When adrenals suffer, it influences other related endocrine organs, such as pituitary and hypothalamus. Collectively, this is called the “HPA” axis, or the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, which works on a feedback system. The

NPY: The Zen Chemical

Have you ever gone through a long period of extreme stress, such as a divorce, losing a loved one, or a period of financial struggle? Did you notice how your body reacted to it? You may have found yourself eating more than usual, maybe you felt really exhausted, or maybe you felt “totally stressed out” and more anxious than usual. Any and all of those reactions are perfectly normal, because for most of us, stress causes a biochemical reaction in our endocrine and nervous system, leading to a disruption in the normal patterns of chemicals that our body relies

Optimize Thyroid – Adrenal Cross-talk

Tags: adrenals, cortisol, fatigue, hypothyroid, stress, thyroid, TSH|

Last week we talked about how chronic stress and cortisol wears out the adrenals, and how tired adrenals affect thyroid function. But there’s actually more to the story. Did you know that not only is thyroid hormone activity regulated in part by stress hormone activity, but the reverse is also true. The two hormonal systems interact throughout your body, in different tissues. Thyroid hormone sets a kind of “baseline” activity level and stress hormones, secreted from your adrenal glands, speed it up or slow it down.

The interaction is complicated and affects body heat, blood flow, heart rate, blood