Girls Do You Know What Is The Purpose Of The Pocket In Your Underwear, Bobble On The Hat..??

Certain items have or had in the past reason or significance, regularly not by any means known to us, yet worth knowing.

On the YouTube channel #Mind Stockroom you can fascinating and uncommon things surely you thought around 6 items of daily use.

What is the purpose of a wicker ball cap, small “pockets” of underwear for ladies…

1. The bobble on the hats

The first ball appeared in the 19th century among French sailors. Then the cabins in the ships had a low roof, so the ball served to prevent sailors to hurt their heads.

Then, other countries began to put the hats knitted these balls. Today, they do not have such an important purpose, but rather there for aesthetic appearance of hats.

2. The hole on lollipop stick

Many people believe that the hole on the stick is there to prevent the choke, but it is not true.

The reality is that the hole is there just candy to be fixed to the stick. During preparation, the hole is the first space is filled, and then makes itself lollipop.

3. Why the trousers have lines

An important part of good business appearance lines pants. But why is that? Almost no one knows. The lines first appear in the late 19th century when Europe started massive production of clothing.



The pants folded after a long journey through the oceans and continents, the lines remained pants, so people had no choice but to accept and become part of their appearance.

4. Lines on the toothpastes

There is a legend that the black line represents the chemicals and green organic components of the paste.

The reality is that these lines are just bar codes and have no connection with what is the chemical composition of toothpaste. These bar codes are used for the machines that produce toothpastes have a line along which mechanically cut tubes.

5. The small “pockets” on ladies underwear

Many people are convinced that this pocket serves to hide something really valuable, but it is a myth.

This part is done for health reasons, that layer must be soft cotton cloth and left part unsowed lest you be uncomfortable.

6' Holes of backpacks placed on material like diamond

This part was originally useful when camping equipment hiking could easily budding cord backpack.

 If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Pinterest. Thank you! <3

Vitamins That Strengthen Your Heart

One in every four deaths in America is due to heart disease, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This makes heart disease the leading cause of death in the nation. Some vitamins, such as B vitamins, folic acid, vitamin D, vitamin C and coenzyme Q10, have been shown to help keep the heart strong when facing challenges like heart disease, cardiomyopathy and heart failure. Always speak with your doctor, however, before changing your vitamin regime.

B Vitamins and Folic Acid

Folic acid, a B vitamin, was shown to boost endothelial function in patients with coronary artery disease in a 2002 study published in "Circulation." The endothelial layer of the circulatory system is made from flat cells that line the heart and all blood vessels.

Because the heart is lined by endothelial cells, stronger endothelial cells can contribute to a stronger heart. A study published in 2012 in "Nutrition in Clinical Practice" explains that there are links between B vitamin deficiencies and the progression of heart failure.

According to the National Institutes of Health, heart failure develops as the cardiac muscles grow weaker. Deficiencies in B vitamins may lead to lower stores of compounds that the heart needs to function, but more research is needed to develop vitamin B intake recommendations for patients with heart failure.

Vitamin D

Cytokines are a type of immune system cell that plays an important role in the weakening of the heart during heart failure. In heart failure patients, pro-inflammatory cytokines provoke damaging cardiac inflammation. A different type of cytokine, called anti-inflammatory cytokines, can help decrease harmful cardiac inflammation.

A 2006 study published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" found that vitamin D may reduce harmful pro-inflammatory cytokines and increase helpful anti-inflammatory cytokines. This shows that vitamin D may be an effective cardiac anti-inflammatory when fighting cardiac weakness caused by inflammation in heart failure.

Coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10 is not technically a vitamin, but it can be bought in supplement form or consumed in food just like many vitamins. It is an antioxidant found naturally in the body that helps convert food into energy.

A 2000 study published in "Annals of Internal Medicine" found that there are several reasons why a deficiency in coenzyme Q10 might lead heart muscle cells to experience difficulty contracting. The study suggests that coenzyme Q10 could prevent the destruction of heart muscle cells, which would help prevent heart muscle weakening.

The study also found that patients with more severe heart failure had lower levels of coenzyme Q10 than patients with less severe heart failure. This means that the patients with stronger hearts had higher levels of coenzyme Q10.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an antioxidant, commonly found in citrus fruits, that serves many purposes in the human body. A 1998 study published in "Circulation" found that vitamin C, much like folic acid, improves endothelial cell function in heart-failure patients. One role of the endothelial layer of the circulatory system is to dilate and con

Coenzyme Q10 is not technically a vitamin, but it can be bought in supplement form or consumed in food just like many vitamins. It is an antioxidant found naturally in the body that helps convert food into energy.

A 2000 study published in "Annals of Internal Medicine" found that there are several reasons why a deficiency in coenzyme Q10 might lead heart muscle cells to experience difficulty contracting. The study suggests that coenzyme Q10 could prevent the destruction of heart muscle cells, which would help prevent heart muscle weakening.

The study also found that patients with more severe heart failure had lower levels of coenzyme Q10 than patients with less severe heart failure. This means that the patients with stronger hearts had higher levels of coenzyme Q10.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an antioxidant, commonly found in citrus fruits, that serves many purposes in the human body. A 1998 study published in "Circulation" found that vitamin C, much like folic acid, improves endothelial cell function in heart-failure patients.

One role of the endothelial layer of the circulatory system is to dilate and constrict vessels based on blood flow. In chronic heart failure, the endothelial cells are too weak to complete this function properly.

The researchers in the study hypothesized that this endothelial cell dysfunction was caused by decreased levels of nitric oxide. As a result of the study, the researchers found that the antioxidant properties of vitamin C were able to increase the availability of nitric oxide to the endothelial cells. Because of this, the endothelial cells in the heart and vessels were strong enough to once again help regulate blood flow.

8 Minutes Exercise Before Bed, See What Happens In a Month!

Do an eight-minute workout before bed and see what happens in a month!

If you just can’t find time during the day to exercise this bedtime workout will help you stay fit flexible and fabulous.

You’ll go to bed feeling refreshed, you’ll sleep better and your muscles will be nice and relaxed by morning.

You’ll start with a quick warm-up which is necessary even when doing light and easy exercises.

Warm-up (arm circles and high knees)

Arm circles
The clock will be set at 30 seconds. Start by doing arm circles stand with your back straight, bring your arms over your head as you lower them.

Make your palms face down and move them away from your chest toward your back breathe in as you bring your arms up and breathe out as you lower them. This move will help loosen up your shoulders neck and chest.

The clock will be set at 30 seconds.

Stand tall and set your feet in a comfortable position. Raise your right knee so that your leg is at a 90-degree angle, now switch to the other leg and keep switching at a quick pace to make sure you’re bringing your knee high enough you can bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle and touch your knee to your hand.

To make this move harder at a slight jump to the exercise you look like you’re running in place while you bring your knees up high.

Main workout

Squats
Now let’s get started with the proper workout the clock will be set at 60 seconds, do as many squats as you can in this time period.

Keep your feet shoulder-width apart as you squat, make sure your back is straight and that your knees don’t extend beyond your feet the key is to push your hips back and go as low as you can.

If that’s too difficult you can place a chair behind you to balance yourself. Simply touch the chair lightly with your glutes and then head back up. Don’t use the chair to bounce though.

Squats are a great full-body exercise because they work your thighs hamstrings, glutes, calves, poor and abs.

Donkey kicks

ou’ll need to get down on all fours, here you can use a mat for better comfort and protect your knees.

The clock will be set at 60 seconds. Raise your right leg behind you your legs should be raised high enough that it’s parallel to the floor and forms a 90-degree angle. Make sure your hands are directly under your shoulders. Now switch legs and keep going.

If you need to rest take a ten-second break in the middle and then get back to it.

Your back should be straight and not curved at all as you raise your leg. Avoid using momentum and letting your leg drop back down as you’ll be missing out on the workout if you do keep the movement control.

If you wish you had glutes that were more toned this is the exercise to do. Donkey kicks will tone tighten and strengthen your buttocks.

Pushh-Ups

Now get ready for some push-ups. The clock will be set at 60 seconds. Your form is crucial when it comes to push-ups. Start in a plank position and make sure your hands are shoulder-width apart as you lower your body make sure your back is straight and that your glutes are not sticking out.

For an easier approach, you can modify the exercise by letting your knees rest on the floor whether you’re doing the standard push-up or the modified version.

This move is a great strength training exercise that will work your chest muscles, shoulders, triceps and arms. It will also strengthen your core.

Squat and side crunch


Now stand up, put your hands behind your head and keep your arms wide open, stand in a wide stance with your toes facing out.

The clock will be set at 60 seconds. Lower your body into a wide squat, your legs should almost be at 90 degrees, as you stand up lift your right leg and bend. Your core to the right so that you need an elbow meet. Bring your leg down and return to the original squat position, now do it on the other side and keep going.

This move will target your abdominal and work on your oblique muscles, it’s a great exercise to get rid of love handles.

Plank Ups

Back to the floor, get down into a plank position. The clock will be set at 60 seconds. Lower your right forearm to the mat and then your left forearm. Now press up with your right hand and then your left to lift yourself into the original position, keep going and do as many as you can.

Remember to hold the proper plank position, the same one you use for push-ups. Your hand should go where your elbows work, your head neck and spine should be aligned keep your abs engaged and tight.

This is a killer move that will strengthen your core and it will also tone up your arms, shoulders, glutes, and abdominals. If this is too intense try holding an elbow plank position. Hold yourself up by your forearms for as long as you can.

Standing crossover toe-touches

Stand with your feet wider than your hips. The clock will be set at 60 seconds, extend your arms to your sides, rotate your torso to the right with your left-hand reach for the area in front of your right foot, do the same on the opposite side. This move involves your lower back and targets your abdominals and obliques. It will improve your flexibility and strength. If you find it difficult to wind down before bed this exercise will work wonders.

A great part of this entire exercise routine is that it’s low-impact, so this exercise is safe if you have problems with your knees, and if you live in an apartment you don’t have to worry about waking up your downstairs neighbor at 10 p.m.

Cool down (quadriceps stretch and rhomboid stretch)

It’s important to take the time to cool down after any exercise, the clock will be set at 30 seconds. Do a quick quadriceps stretch, bring your right foot up to your glutes and hold it in place with your hand. You’ll stretch the quadriceps and your leg will feel great.

Now switch sides. Doing this cool-down will ensure that your muscles are nice and loose for when you get up in the morning.

Rhomboid Stretch

Now try doing a rhomboid stretch a clock will be set at 30 seconds. Put your right arm across your chest and use your left hand to pull your arm closer to your chest. You’ll feel your shoulder blades parting gently.

Now try it on the other side.

Whether you’re an early riser and the first thing you do is head to the gym or you prefer to exercise after you have some food in your system. People who exercise enjoy better sleep than those who don’t, according to the National Sleep Foundation people who exercise lightly see a 49 percent increase in quality of sleep, so these exercises are perfect for a refreshing night.

You can do them while watching a late-night show or you can concentrate on the movements for higher accuracy, remember that getting exercise into your routine is better than no exercise at all, don’t forget to share it with your friends.

7 BENEFITS OF BEING A VEGAN!

7 Benefits That Will Make You  Want To Become A Vegan

READY TO KNOW THE GREAT BENEFITS TO GOING VEGAN?!

If you decide to go vegan, you may notice some of these outstanding benefits yourself!
Yes, there are benefits to going plant-based! 

The popularity of veganism is growing exponentially every year and with that, there surely has to be some benefits in doing so… In fact, there are so many benefits (I’ve personally experienced myself) that I thought I would make up a post for all the non-believers out there. 

Whether you are going vegan for health reasons or purely for the sake of animals, you may experience some of these positive benefits listed below. 

Let’s get to it!

7 BENEFITS OF BEING A VEGAN!

1. STRONGER NAILS AND HEALTHIER HAIR

Who doesn’t want beautiful shiny hair and stronger nails? Many people report experiencing strong, healthy nails and faster hair growth after adopting a vegan diet. Fresh vegetables & fruit have huge amounts of nutrients needed to strengthen nails and grow hair… So naturally, this is a great benefit for going vegan. Some things to add to your new vegan routine is…

a vegan protein– that adds keratin and proteins to make your hair stronger. All you need is 1 scoop of it in your smoothies and you will get a simple boost. 
fresh blueberries– Blueberries add the extra antioxidants your body needs and will help protect your bodies cells from free radical damage. 

2. DECREASED MENSTRUAL PAIN

Get ready to say goodbye to your monthly pain plan… Meaning your menstrual cramps and PMS.  Since the vegan diet is loaded with fruits and veggies you’ll notice a decrease in menstrual pain almost straight away! If you suffer from cramps very badly, then foods like bananas, oranges, brown rice, almond butter, broccoli, spinach, and even dark chocolate are among those things that are recommended to alleviate them. 

3. CLEAR SKIN

If you’re on your vegan diet for a couple of weeks, you’ll probably already notice your skin becoming brighter and healthier, and there’s no coincidence with this result.

The reasons you’ll notice clearer skin almost immediately is because of the lack of dairy you are consuming! Dairy is filled with added hormones that interfere with the skins ability to retain water. Also, fruits and vegetables are high in essential vitamins and antioxidants (and since you’ll be eating more of them) they are also the building blocks for radiant skin.  So naturally, you are already in a good place if you are heading for clearer skin by going plant-based. 

Tip: Avocados provide fatty acids that keep your skin hydrated, strong and supple. 

4. A HEALTHIER GUT

Typically, when people are transitioning over to a plant-based diet they will most likely experience having to go to the bathroom more frequently than before. Just know that this is a good sign and it is very normal when transitioning to the vegan lifestyle.  Since you are eating a lot more produce then you were before… Produce contains a lot of fiber and fiber is the best natural flushing agent which aids a healthier gut. 

5. BODY ODOR SMELLS BETTER

Who knew that the food would affect how we smell? But it most certainly does and you’ll notice this when you first suddenly break out into a sweat.  Your smell won’t be half as strong as it used to be by the mere result of eating fewer meat proteins. Meat has added hormones and those hormones can chemically alter the way you smell. Fruits and vegetables simple don’t have this, so your body odor will start smelling more natural when you start eating the vegan diet. See for yourself when you are two weeks in! 

Your body starts to actually crave more of the good stuff when it gets used to the lifestyle, so naturally, your taste buds will start to change too.  You’ll be able to taste things so much better than ever before. It’s as if your previous meat buds will have worn away and your actual sense of taste will be restored. 

7. AFTERNOON FATIGUE DISAPPEARS

Let’s talk about vitality levels! Are you aware that trying a vegan diet might leave you feeling more energy-filled and playful? This is one of the primary benefits you will notice once you move to a lifestyle based on more plants and veggies. 

You’ll notice that since you aren’t eating any fatty greasy animal products, your body will be spending less energy on digestion so that in turn will take away your afternoon fatigue and give you more energy throughout the day. 

If you’re considering becoming a vegan or experience unusual fatigue while following a vegan diet, consider supplementing with B12 and Iron. These two supplements are amazing and I credit them for the boundless energy that I feel.

I hope this post highlighted some of the positive side effects to help you make the switch, and if you noticed any of these side effects yourself? Do let me know in the comments below!

5 recipes hair with coconut oil

Crafted as a raw material, coconut oil can be blended with other ingredients to form a rich, revitalizing preparation for your hair. Let yourself be tempted by ideas of creams or masks made of coconut to make yourself, which will give tone and shine to your hair.

The benefits of homemade coconut oil recipes for your hair are that their price is unbeatable and you know exactly what you are putting in! In addition, variants are possible according to your tastes and your mood.

Extreme softness for your hair: coconut oil mixed with avocado
Simply mix or crush a ripe ripe avocado and add a tablespoon of coconut oil to the mixture. The paste obtained must be homogeneous before being put on your hair. The application in generous layers is preferably done on wet hair and the exposure time, for optimal efficiency, is at least thirty minutes. After installation, rinsing with lukewarm water is recommended. Your preparation can be refrigerated in an airtight container for about a week.

When coconut oil meets olive oil: put oil on your hair!
This recipe is ideal for people with dry, brittle or damaged hair. It is advisable to make the mixture easier by slightly heating the mixture of half a cup of coconut oil and half a cup of olive oil. You can add a touch of honey or beeswax if you have one. Once cooled, the very rich material obtained can be applied starting with the tips and up to the root. It will be followed by a normal shampoo. This care product can be kept dry in a closed glass jar for about a week.

Rosemary and coconut oil: a well-being blend for your hair!
The idea of   this mixture is to associate a few subtle drops of essential oil of rosemary with organic coconut oil. The recommended quantities are as follows: fifteen drops of essential oil and half a glass of coconut oil. The application will be made in mask to be allowed to pose for thirty minutes, before proceeding to a normal shampoo. This artisan product can be kept away from light in a closed glass jar.

Coconut oil and egg on your hair: a complete menu at the service of their beauty!
The principle of this recipe is to beat the omelette egg and add the coconut oil to form a kind of mayonnaise. The egg proteins associated with the very rich fat of coconut oil will be the guarantee of a successful nourishing mask. To avoid erasing the benefits of the treatment, avoid using after straighteners or hair dryers!

The marriage of coconut oil with aloe vera
Two pressures of aloe vera gel with a dab of organic coconut oil will make your hair softer and your loops more flexible. Leave on for twenty minutes and then make your usual shampoo. The mask will remain intact one week in the refrigerator. To know the full potential of this virtuous oil, read also the miracles of coconut oil .

SINGLE GLASS OF THIS DRINK BEFORE SLEEPING WILL HELP YOU REMOVE FAT YOU’VE HAD IN YOU FROM THE PREVIOUS DAY

Are you overweight? Do you want to shred the extra kilograms but you don’t have time to go to the gym or run in the near park? Remove Fat

Well, you are at the right place as we have the solution for the excess kilograms. This amazing potion will help you to get the perfect body shape.

This potion is a mixture of completely natural ingredients and it will remove fat and waste in your organism and will detoxify your body.

This potion is a remarkable mixture of potent ingredients that will boost the energy levels and will improve your overall health.

The mixture of lemon, cucumber, ginger, and parsley will improve the work of your metabolism and on that way will remove fat and stimulate weight loss.

Ingredients:

• ½ a lemon
• 1 cucumber
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• a bunch of parsley
• 1/3 of a cup of water

Preparation:

• Put all ingredients in a blender or a food processor and mix until you get a homogenous mixture. Take this amazing drink before you go to bed. In order to get all of its benefits and lose weight, you make sure you drink it on a regular basis.

TIPS

If you’d like to reduce weight and keep it off, undertake it the correct way. Work out along with a beneficial healthy eating plan’s all you have to accomplish your excess fat loss desired goals.

No fast solution, tremendous magic formula meal plan, or expensive workout devices will almost certainly pull the bodyweight off of. Keep in mind that sacrificing bodyweight for a price of 2 or 3 lbs per week is definitely the wholesome and lasting solution to reach your targets.

Get started with workout and meal plan nowadays, develop a system, adhere to it and locate that far better body. Condition your body stay healthy and good luck in remove fat process.

7-Day Keto Meal Plan for Beginners | A Great Way To Lose Up to 15 Pounds

A 7-Day Sample Keto Meal Plan
Keto Meal Plan for Beginners | The Perfect Keto Diet Menu for Beginners If you are looking for a diet to help you thin, burn fat, improve your health, there's an ideal diet known as keto. Keto short for ketogenic is a low-carb, high-fat meal plan that drives the body into ketosis.

Let’s start by knowing what is a Ketogenic diet is? The Keto diet, also known as the Ketogenic diet is a meal plan that focuses on the high intake of healthy fats and protein, and low intake of carbs. The word Ketogenic itself means the production of what its known as ketones in the body.

The purpose of the Keto diet program is to enable the body to start producing ketones in the liver instead of producing glucose and insulin. When one adopts a Keto diet, the body changes its way of burning energy, using ketones as the energy source.

Now you are probably wondering, how does the Keto diet works?

Well, when you reduce your general food intake, your body goes into a Ketosis mode, which helps the body survive with the low energy supply; the ketones are produced because your body starts to breakdown the stored fat to provide energy. Keto diet focuses on depriving the body carbs and supplying it with fats and protein instead. Your body then becomes very efficient in relying on fats as energy source.

Health benefits that come as a result of adopting the Keto diet program include the decrease of sugar in the blood and insulin levels, fast weight loss and higher cholesterol levels which help you maintain your energy throughout the day.

Follow this keto meal plan and you will be on the right way to lose extra weight as soon as possible.

Here is Your Keto Meal Plan For The Next 7 Days.

Keto Meal Program DAY 1:
-Keto Breakfast-
Cream Cheese Almond Pancakes

(Total Time: 30 mins Serves: 6)

Ingredients

• 1 cup full-fat cream cheese
• 6 eggs
• 1 flat tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup almond flour
• Organic butter, to cook

Directions

In a bowl, whisk the cheese and eggs. Add the cinnamon and salt. Sift the almond flour and stir into the egg mixture until blended. Make sure there are no lumps. Place a non-stick pan over medium heat or pancake griddle on medium. Add one tablespoon of butter and drop ¼ cup of the pancake batter.

Fry until golden from the bottom then flip. Transfer to a plate and repeat until you run out of batter. Serve warm.

Hashimoto Thyroid Disease: How Green Smoothies Helped My Recovery

Hashimoto thyroid disease, also known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and other thyroid health disorders are becoming an epidemic. Right now, there are 200 million diagnosed worldwide with thyroid disease, 20 million of these are Americans. Learn more about thyroid health and the best diet for Hashimoto’s below.

Hashimoto Thyroid Disease: Symptoms, Tests, Food for Thyroid Health, and My Journey

How Patients Suffer from Hashimoto Thyroid Disease

A large number of people have Hashimoto’s disease and don’t even know it.
A patient with Hashimoto’s disease usually goes 6 to 7 years untreated, before an accurate diagnosis is even achieved. The longer the condition is untreated, the more progressed it will become.

According to thyroid.org, 60% of those with thyroid disease don’t even know that they have it! And as the undiagnosed disease progresses, those who have it are unknowingly putting themselves at greater risk for osteoporosis, infertility, and cardiovascular diseases. Men have moderate rates of thyroid disease, but for women, these diagnoses are exploding and levoxothyrine (Synthroid) has become the most prescribed drug in the world.

A typical Hashimoto’s patient may suffer from the following conditions:

1. Weight gain
2. Hair loss
3. Depression
4. Mood swings
5. Cold hands and feet
6. Fatigue
7. Muscle aches and joint pain
8. Difficulty concentrating
9. Memory loss
10. Dry skin
11. Brittle nails

My Journey Through Hashimoto Thyroid Disease
My own diagnosis, after suffering from most of those Hashimoto thyroid disease symptoms, came 17 years ago, at the age of 33. Until then, for years, when I complained of many of the symptoms above, doctors gave me a T3 or a TSH test, told me I was “fine,” and dismissed my symptoms as being related to having four babies in 7 years.

I have been in complete remission from Hashimoto’s for 17 years. I started with the standard drug prescription. That was the only recommended intervention, and I was sent out the door.

At first, I felt better and was able to finally lose most of the 70 pounds I had gained during the untreated phase, but after a number of months, I started to feel worse. This is very typical of a thyroid patient whose only intervention is a drug prescription.

I discovered that lifestyle and diet changes would be needed, for any true healing. Then, I discovered that bioidentical thyroid would decrease my cancer and overall disease risk, as the bioidentical substances were an exact molecular match to the thyroid hormone my body produces. Bioidenticals are a big improvement on the molecularly altered and/or highly synthetic substances in levothyroxine and other pharmaceutical drugs.

I also discovered that the thyroid doesn’t act alone, in a vacuum. Other glands, organs, and hormones were involved in a turnaround of my health. I needed a full blood-panel workup, and I found that as more people discover the health risks of taking the synthetic drugs (molecularly different than human thyroid, progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone), a growing field of “functional medicine” practitioners could do much more to reverse my progressing autoimmune condition.

Thyroid Tests To Ask For

If you get tested by a regular doctor for thyroid issues, you might pass even though your thyroid is not working the way that it should to keep you healthy.

I spent too many years limited by the “Standard-of-Care” doctors who tested my TSH, declared me “normal” according to a huge range they consider normal, and sent me home. A functional medicine practitioner – often a nurse practitioner who has a master’s degree and can prescribe medications – looks for the root cause and addresses that, rather than simply treating symptoms as the MDs had in the early years of my treatment.

In fact, looking at upstream “precursor” hormones in broader-based blood tests played a significant role in addressing the “big picture” of my health.

Hormones to Ask A Functional Medicine Practitioner to Test, If you Suspect Hormone Issues:

1. Pregnenolone
2. Vitamin D
3. DHEA
4. Estrogen
5. Progesterone
6. Testosterone
7. Free T3 and T4 (thyroid hormone)
8. Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH)
9. Thyroid Antibodies TPO and TSI

Let’s take a look at these in a little more depth, starting with your pituitary gland. This all-important endocrine gland is called the “master gland” because it produces hormones that control the other glands.

One of these, called thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), does as its name implies. It stimulates the release of hormones from the thyroid gland. The main hormone that the thyroid then produces is T4.

In order for the body to use T4, it must first be converted to T3–also known as the “energy” or “active” hormone which is then absorbed by all the cells in your body when it becomes Free T3 (T3 that has been cleaved from protein).

T4 levels are often tested because most prescriptions for hypothyroidism are made from synthetic T4. Free T4 determines how much is available for your body to use. But, as previously explained, T4 must be converted to T3 and then Free T3, the most active form of thyroid hormone.

Doctors have a tendency to check for TSH, T4, and Free T4 … and leave it at that. But what if your body isn’t converting T4 into T3? Or what if the problem is really an autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto’s? Screening for T3 as well as TPO and TGB antibodies are important tests and steps to an accurate diagnosis.

On top of that, TSH has a tendency to fluctuate and, in all honesty, is not very reliable. It may very well be one of the reasons that so many people are walking around with a thyroid disorder and don’t know it.

The other very important lab test that most doctors disregard is pregnenolone, also known as the ultimate precursor hormone. Your body actually uses this hormone to make your other hormones, such as DHEA, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

If your thyroid hormones are out of wack, it can cause a plethora of issues.

And Vitamin D? Well, this vitamin is actually not a vitamin but a prohormone that is ultimately converted to calcitriol, the active form. There is a strong connection between this nutrient and Hashimoto’s disease. A study conducted in China found that 82 percent of patients who had Hashimoto’s also had low vitamin D levels.

Why don’t most OB/GYNs, GPs, and other medical doctors inside the insurance-code system do the complete set of tests, the “full blood panel?” Very frankly, their training in medical school doesn’t include this level of knowledge.

As more patients demand more holistic, comprehensive, and natural treatment options, more MDs are getting in the game of prescribing bioidenticals. After all, they are subject to market forces, too!

Bioidenticals are not eligible for patents, so drug companies have no interest in them. However, even traditional MDs are being asked by their patients every day for bioidentical versions of hormones, so this kind of treatment is on the rise.

Unfortunately, traditional MDs don’t have the additional 1,000+ clinical hours of training that nurse practitioners who specialize in natural hormone replacement therapy (NHRt) usually do.

In my experience, most MDs do little, if any, extra investigative work when you present with a potential thyroid problem. All they do is the standard minimum blood test, and give you a bioidentical T3 or T4 hormone prescription rather than Synthroid.

That’s simply not good enough. As we’ve indicated, many other upstream and downstream substances, glands, and hormones play a role in getting you on track, so you can beat the depression, weight gain, and other symptoms.

Thyroid Health and Nutrition: Is The Autoimmune Protocol the Answer?

Another common problem in the way thyroid patients are treated is that many of the practitioners, including the “functional” or more holistic ones, can’t take the time necessary to educate their patients about the role of their diet and thyroid health.

So, they often plug the patient into whatever fad diet is ruling, at the time.

The practitioner may prescribe you the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP), which may help identify foods thyroid patients are sometimes reactive to, such as lectins in beans, or oxalates or goitrogens in greens.

Avoiding certain types of food can help a lot with thyroid issues. AIP helps identify which foods to avoid.

Two things about the AIP are of significant concern to me as I continue to study thyroid health, overall health, and trends in functional medicine.

A growing body of evidence documents that, in fact, the “anti-nutrients” may be friends, with supporting roles in your health, rather than foes.

One, the AIP is a temporary way of eating while you heal, but avoiding all legumes (chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, split peas, and the like) over a lifetime is counter to a massive body of evidence showing these foods to be an important part of the diet of the healthiest people around the world.

Two, the Internet-popularized idea that crucifers and greens (high in two anti-nutrients, goitrogens and oxalates) should be avoided, does not seem to have solid science underpinning it. It appears to be a theory that has been spread mostly on the internet without any tests to back it up.

One of the reasons this theory is problematic is that some under-educated thyroid practitioners assume that an “anti-nutrient” is bad for you, and a growing body of evidence documents that, in fact, the “anti-nutrients” may be friends, with supporting roles in your health, rather than foes.

Greens as Part of Your Diet for Hashimoto Thyroid Disease

Another reason suggesting that the idea that avoiding greens isn’t a good strategy, for most thyroid patients, is that our thyroid-disease-free primate cousins forage for greens all day, every day, and the healthiest populations in the world, for thousands of years, have mostly eaten significant or even massive quantities of greens.

I haven’t found any significant or published or controlled-study evidence that greens are anything but highly nourishing and healing to the vast majority of thyroid patients. In fact, there are dozens of micronutrients in virtually all greens that have known therapeutic effects for regulating and balancing hormone function.

Keeping a lot of greens in your diet can help with thyroid issues.

This suggests that to laser in on goitrogens in broccoli and cabbage or oxalates in spinach and kale, and ban them from your diet, is anywhere from unhelpful to tragic, at least as a long-term strategy.

Why You Need Whole Foods for Thyroid Health

My own medical history is nothing more than a “case study,” and my results may not precisely parallel yours. You may have gut problems (common in thyroid patients who have progressed to Stage III or IV), and if so, you may need to limit or eliminate, usually temporarily, some “healthy” classes of foods, such as nightshades (peppers, tomatoes, eggplant), onions and garlic, or legumes, while you heal.

But for over 20 years now, I have eaten a primarily plant-based diet (95% of my diet is from plants, and most days, I eat no animal products), with greens the day-in, day-out highest-quantity food I consume, in a great deal of variety, and served in a number of ways: salads, green smoothies, green juice, and sautéed or steamed greens. Legumes and nightshade vegetables are also a staple of my diet.

My thyroid antibodies are undetectable, making me a Hashimoto’s patient in complete remission for a decade and a half now. If nothing else, this should challenge the assumption that to be well, a thyroid patient must (a) follow the latest fad diet, (b) eliminate healthy categories of foods, (c) skimp on greens, or (d) eat significant amounts of animal protein.

Not only has this diet, which is counter to virtually all the latest “fad diets,” healed my thyroid battered by exposure early in my life by the radiation coming from the Nevada Test Site, but it has led to my being a 51-year old competitive athlete, author of 15 wellness books, and single mom of four, living the life of my dreams. This would not have been possible if I still had the 21 disease states I was diagnosed with 17 years ago, including heart disease, a tumor, mini-strokes, and 4 autoimmune conditions!

For the sake of my long-term health and disease risk, I cannot afford to leave greens, vegetables, all “carbs,” and legumes out of my diet.

After all, the thyroid is a magnet for toxins. Your chemical and radioactive exposures tend to concentrate in this tiny, critically important gland that governs your metabolism. And if you don’t eat and live in ways that nourish it, you’re likely to find yourself in the downward spiral of adding more symptoms and diagnoses to a growing list of miseries.

So, if you don’t have food sensitivities, you may want to consider eating a more inclusive whole-foods diet, rather than following a fad. How to test for food sensitivities? US Biotek and Meridian Valley are the best labs, according to my friend, Alan Christianson, NMD, who has split-tested the efficacy of the lab tests with 22 patients.

In some tests, he sent the same person’s blood in two vials, to two different labs, and in another testing, he sent two vials of the same person’s blood to the same lab but marked as two different people. With the other big lab companies, Dr. Christianson told me, the results for the same person were wildly different, casting doubt on the efficacy of their tests. US Biotek and Meridian Valley are the labs he still trusts after his testing.

A whole foods diet can be a great way to help with thyroid issues.

Be encouraged that healing the gut microbiome damaged from eating a diet high in chemicals and processed foods or use of many synthetic pharmaceuticals and antibiotic can lead to the elimination of food sensitivities, over time. A commitment to a healthy diet and reduction of toxic exposures is required.

Hashimoto Diet Recipes Featuring Green Smoothies

I’m sharing with you two wonderfully thyroid-supportive green smoothie recipes I use often. I like to minimize the fruit and maximize greens, sprouted flax, and superfoods. But if green smoothies are new for you, and you’re weaning off “Standard American Diet” tastes, feel free to add a bit more fruit to these recipes, at first. Throw in something you have on hand, or omit something you don’t have, because the nice thing about green smoothies is, you can’t mess them up! If they’re too thick, add water, or aloe vera juice.

Hashimoto Thyroid Love Green Smoothie

• 2 cups water
• ½ to 1 cup organic aloe vera juice
• 2 tbsp. organic sprouted flax
• 3 large handfuls spinach, kale, and/or collards

Blend well. Then, add:

• 1 cup organic frozen, mixed berries
• 1 small banana
• Blend well and drink immediately. Save the rest in pint jars and keep in the fridge! Yield: 6+ cups, or 3 pints.

Hormone-Support Green Smoothie

• 1 1/2 cup organic almond milk
• 1 1/2 cup water
• an organic celery stalk
• a cup of green or purple cabbage
• 2 handfuls organic spring mix
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ginger (or ½” fresh ginger)
• 1 cup chopped pineapple
• 1 cup frozen blueberries

Blend well and drink immediately. Save the rest in pint jars and keep in the fridge! Yield: 6+ cups, or 3 pints.

After learning how green smoothies can help you recover from Hashimoto thyroid disease, you may want to check out this video from our channel on how to make a green smoothie.

I, Robyn Openshaw, a Hashimoto thyroid disease survivor in complete remission, and author of bestsellers including The Green Smoothies Diet, Vibe, and 12 Steps to Whole Foods, have made you a four-video masterclass on principles I discovered. I healed not only thyroid disease but 20 other diagnoses with evidence-based nutrition principles rather than fad diets. Learn about thyroid detox and organs of elimination by watching my video. You can watch it for free here.

Did we miss anything on our discussion about Hashimoto thyroid disease? Tell us in the comments section below!

6 Signs That Your Liver is Full of Toxins

The largest solid organ in the body is the liver and its main function is to transform toxins into waste, and then, the body removes them through urine and feces. This is one of the most important functions of our body due to the true fact that today and nowadays we are constantly and each and every day surrounded by pollutants and toxins.

Very unfortunately, our livers can become very overwhelmed and therefore not capable to remove, which is, to get rid of the waste, that can consequently lead to storage in fat cells, most often in the area of our belly.

The is naturally an organ that contains fat so therefore there shall be some fat in it at all times, but when the case is that the fat is more than 5 to 10 percent of the total weight of the organ, it results to a fatty liver.

Two types of fatty livers diseases exist: Non-alcoholic fatty livers disease and alcoholic livers disease. The alcoholic livers disease appears as a result of excessive consumption of alcoholic drinks, and the non-alcoholic fatty livers disease is a result of some non-alcoholic factors such as high cholesterol, large consumption of processed and fast foods, genetics or chemical influences.

The symptoms that can indicate a livers in need of detoxification are as below:

Unexplained weight gain
If the liver is not 100% working on removing toxins from the body, regular workout and reducing calories won’t be of much help because of the true fact that the body stores the unfiltered toxins in its fat cells. Furthermore, due to the fact that the responsibility of the livers is to metabolize fat, when it doesn’t function properly, the fat circulates from the gut, through the bile and back to the organ.

Allerigies
If the liver functions properly, it produces antibodies that fight allergens, so if its work is reduced, the allergens are stored into the body. As a response to this, the brain produces histamine which is a chemical that marks the allergens that shall be eliminated, and in high levels leads to allergy symptoms such as itchiness, fogginess and headaches.

Chronic fatigue
One of the first and obvious signs of liver damage is feeling weak and tired constantly. When the liver is in poor condition, the body has to work harder and the body will need more rest. This happens due to an increase in toxins in the bloodstream that can not be cleared out due to the fact that the liver can’t get rid of the toxins in a proper manner. If the symptoms are persistent, especially with other early signs of liver damage, please seek medical advice as soon as possible.

Excessive sweating
When the liver is overworked, its functioning decreases and the liver warms up. Due to this, as it is a big organ, it transports the heat to the rest of the body parts and gets a try to cool itself by excessive sweating.

Acne
The toxic buildup in the liver most often leads to hormonal imbalance which causes acne. If the acne is a cause of reduced liver function it can’t be treated externally.

Bad breath
If your hygiene and oral health are in a good shape, but you still suffer from a bad breath, you might have a liver problem. Please contact a physician in order to be certain.