Weight Loss

Beginning around age 30, a man's testosterone levels start to decline, and continue to do so as time goes on, unless you proactively address your lifestyle. Environmental factors, including pesticides, plastics, and other pollutants, have resulted in a significant decrease in the average testosterone levels for men, so most men will have, at least, a […]

We all perceive testosterone as a male hormone, and its presence in our body is associated with virility. But testosterone is also present in the female body, only in a much lower quantity. The cause of low desire isn't always medical, but it turns out that a large percentage of women with this problem have blood […]

While addressing a thyroid dysfunction, it's essential to consider the interconnected web of other imbalances, toxicities, and nutritional deficiencies that are always at play. Your thyroid gland is like the body's energy factory. Every cell in the body requires thyroid hormones. When it's operating effectively, you feel energetic, healthy, and in control. But it takes […]

Why is it that when having a thyroid dysfunction, one might feel so drained and unwell all throughout the body? Because the thyroid controls the rate of energy production, maintains body temperature, regulates body weight, menstrual cycles, muscle strength, heart rate, breathing, and affects brain chemistry profoundly, influencing mood and emotions. No wonder that any […]

The acronym BPA stands for bisphenol A. BPA is a synthetic chemical compounded for commercial use in the mid-1950's. While associated largely with water bottles, and the sippy-cups of children, use of BPA is widespread in manufacturing, and found in can and pipe coatings, sporting equipment, compact discs, and more. You handle BPA every day as […]

Obesity plays such an important role in so many health problems in developed countries, and as such, is an important research topic. Recently, use of genetic sequencing allowed a team of researchers from Imperial College London to discover the first known person with a genetic deficiency formerly seen only in animal studies. The study, published […]

Too often, scientific studies deliver findings that favorite foods are bad for our health. Today the news is all good. Should you make chocolate a healthy eating habit? In a large British study that followed participants for 12 years, researchers explored the effect of chocolate consumption on more than 20,000 adults. The results, combined with […]

Let's take a look at the health impact of fireworks. What is in a firework? A little strontium nitrate, a pinch of calcium sulfate, black powder, oxidizing agent, and binder and we are all set. A firework, or its smaller cousin, the firecracker, are products intended to go out with a bang and sometimes a […]

With summer almost here, there are good reasons to heed the wisdom of "Slip-Slop-Slap — slip on a shirt, slop on the sunscreen, and slap on a hat." On the other hand, chemical sunscreens have their dangers too. What to do? A new study suggests your lifespan could be affected by solar activity that occurred […]

We've talked about new research that shows that artificial sweeteners do not help with weight loss. In fact, they actually contribute to weight gain and difficulty losing weight. We also pointed out the link between diet sodas — which use artificial sweeteners — and the link to metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. […]

New studies have shown that you can improve your health by simply moving around for two minutes out of each hour you are sitting. A new study reveals you can boost exercise benefits if you take a little more time and effort with each step you take. Walk a Little Faster and a Little Longer […]

Introduced in the United States in 1964, Diet Pepsi was the first nationally marketed diet soda. In 1983, Coca Cola introduced Diet Coke, a beverage that celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2013. Today, four carbonated, low calorie, diet drinks rank in the top ten best-selling carbonated beverages in the country. In order, they are: In […]

The "Take a Bite Out of Lyme Disease" challenge began last month with the goal of raising awareness for this debilitating illness. The challenge is simple (and sour). You are asked to take a photo or video of yourself biting a lime and share a fact about the disease. Don't forget to use the hash […]

Conventional medicine believes that if you have an underactive, chemically ablated or surgically-removed thyroid gland, that all you need is levothyroxine - the synthetic form of the T4 hormone. Levothyroxine is also known by its brand names: Synthroid, Levoxyl, Eltroxin, Tirosint, and Levothroid, among others. T4 is the inactive thyroid hormone, and must be converted […]

Researchers have learned that sub-chronic sleep restriction — 4 hours of sleep or less in an evening — causes insulin resistance. And, when compared to normal sleep — defined as 8 hours in an evening — sleep restriction wreaks hormonal havoc. First, it caused insulin sensitivity to decrease by 25%. Second, the stress hormone cortisol […]

We know that full-on fasting - such as ultra-low calorie diets, or low-cal juice cleanses — tend to lower the metabolism and bring down the metabolic set-point, especially in people with thyroid issues such as hypothyroidism. But research has shown that short-term fasting does not have this permanent impact on metabolism, while potentially offering a […]

Let's take a look at seven things that every smart patient should do in 2017 that may help you manage and improve your health in the new year. 1. Schedule an annual checkup. If you are in an HMO, or have health insurance, your annual checkup is likely to be scheduled as a longer visit, […]

What is Metabolic Syndrome? Metabolic syndrome refers to a group of risk factors that, when present, increase your risk for developing heart disease, and as a result, increase the risk of heart attack, heart damage, and death. Metabolic syndrome is also linked to obesity and insulin resistance, which can increase the risk for type 2 […]

In a Chinese study, researchers looked at vitamin D and autoimmune thyroid disease status in their patients. Their study evaluated 66 patients (34 had Hashimoto's disease and 32 had Graves' disease), compared to 52 healthy controls. They measured the serum D3, calcium, parathyroid hormone, Free T3, Free T4, Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies […]

Rosemarie's Baby Rosemarie was trying, and failing, to get pregnant for several years. Like many fertility clinics, the clinic she and her husband chose did NOT include any thyroid testing as part of Rosemarie's infertility workup. At first, Rosemarie didn't know to ask. Since infertility is rarely covered by insurance, Rosemarie was getting side-effect laden […]

There are so many things wrong with these Guidelines that we could write volumes, but let's cut to the chase. Here are five ways the new ATA hypothyroidism guidelines hurt thyroid patients. 1. The ATA's Conflict of Interest Makes the Guidelines Findings Questionable at Best While the ATA goes out of its way to assert […]

Low levels of thyroid during pregnancy is not an uncommon thing seeing as it can be caused by iron deficiency, which is a common side effect of pregnancy. That is why women are required to do various blood tests during pregnancy and are advised to eat a certain diet, which most likely consists of lean […]

In initial animal studies, the research found that all of the artificial sweeteners caused increased blood sugar. Their theory was that the sweeteners change gut microbes — the bacteria in the stomach that, when balanced, help with proper digestion. By transplanting microbes from artificial-sweetening using mice to germ-free mice, they were able to create glucose […]

2.5 OR LOWER Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) levels above 2.5 are considered to be suspicious for subclinical hypothyroidism by many integrative physicians. The "normal" reference range for the TSH test tends to run from .3 to 4.5, and many patients with levels above 2.5 are told their thyroid is "normal," while their physicians fail to […]