Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Hypothyroidism and Hoshimoto's Thyroiditis

Today I would like to address Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. I cannot tell you how many times people I know have brought up the fact that they know someone who has gained weight, been depressed, felt sluggish, can't get motiva...ted, has felt aches/pains, cold feet, dry skin/hair, and after some testing find out that they have Hypothyroidism. 
 
What is not talked about is that Hashimoto's Thyroiditis has a multitude of the same symptoms. A blood test can verify whether or not you have a high TSH level which will indicate just how low your thyroid level is. I have Hypothyroidism and take a Naturethroid of 2 grains from a naturopathic doctor. It has stabilized my thyroid and I make sure to eat protein, nuts, and the other foods to keep my thyroid healthy. It is also important to take vitamin D, iron, omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, zinc, copper, vitamin A, the B vitamins. You can take them in pill form or you can find these in foods that you can eat. Vitamin D is important all the way around and D1000 taken daily with Calcium in the evening will process into the body. Calcium is not only good for our bones but is a natural relaxant while Vitamin D helps to ward off cancer. It is best to get your Iodine from seafood, eggs,asparagus, lima beans, mushrooms, spinach, sesame seeds, summer squash, Swiss chard, and garlic. 
 
Our Vitamins, Minerals, and Trace Elements have many medicinal properties to help the body stay strong and help the mind stay healthy. To ensure that your body has enough of the Vitamins, Minerals, etc. have a blood test to verify what your body is lacking in it's nutrients. There are many tests available in various forms. If your conditions persist than you may want to have a MRI or Ultrasound to have your Pituitary Gland checked. I have both a primary doctor and a naturopathic doctor that I go to, but have found for my thyroid the naturopathic doctor was more detailed in diagnosing. This may not be your case, but educate yourself as much as you can prior to going in to be checked so that you can ask valid questions that will both provoke thought and follow through from your physician. I have written a book called Nutrition Made Simple that goes into incredible detail about what foods help with the functions of the body and how not getting enough will promote various symptoms listed. Nutrition Made Simple is now available for sale on my website www.michellebeverbooks.com

Sunday, June 2, 2013

First Lady Michelle Obama and Eating Healthy

Recently sent my Nutrition Made Simple book and Correcting Learning &Behavioral Disorders Naturally to the White House with attention to First Lady Michelle Obama. On the White House website First Lady Michelle Obama has a page dedicated to the education of eating correctly along with exercise. I have sent them where a signature is required and it is in D.C., but no one has signed for it yet. I believe that not only should we do our best to eat correctly but also to know the reasons why we should eat a particular food. Knowledge is empowering and gives us reasons to follow through eating right other than hearing it is what you should do. I am very surprised that this knowledge is not made part of the curriculum of learning while in school.
 
I can not count the number of times I have been asked to share the information that I researched for common ailments along with learning/behavioral disorders. Wish me luck and place me in your prayers please that this information gets to all the places and individuals that it. It is the people who care that make this all worth while...

The Invisible Disability That Becomes Visible

The first moment you look into your baby’s eyes time stops and your desire to protect what God has given you is all encompassing.
It was not until my child was over a year of age that I began to notice changes in his behavior that were not typical of other children his age and it was getting progressively worse. I couldn’t initially explain what I couldn’t see that was going on inside of m...y child. This invisible disability would later have many names that for me would be the beginning of discovery and a chance to make his life better.
I divorced my son’s father before my son was a year of age and felt it was best for the both of us. What I did not realize until much later was that my ex-husband has Attention Deficit Hyper Disorder. Since I had no prior experience or knowledge about this disorder as it was an invisible disability.
The ex-husband’s parents did nothing to help their son and saw nothing wrong with their grandchild. It was all the same to them and that only made matters worse. There was no consistency of routine, candies, and he was constantly getting sick.
My own family had brought me up with routine and my mother raised us in the basic nutrition of eating balanced meals. She helped me to start writing a diary of all foods eaten at our home and to find out what my son was eating at the grandparents as they had visitation. The connection between foods and how they are processed can bring about adverse reactions. Red and yellow dyes brought about bad conduct with my son and were eliminated from his diet. All of these steps helped but did not stop the progression.
The darkest moment of dealing with this invisible disorder that only I could see was when your child is crying that they want to be a good boy and seeing the struggle going on inside him that he could not control himself. It is hard to explain the ache from within myself for my son to want to make it better for him.
What made my life lighter in one aspect was putting names to what I was finding out was happening to my son. The invisible becomes more tangible when you can put a definition or meaning to it. These symptoms he was expressing had names.
This invisible disability became visible with other parents, teachers, and those who lived near us that were able to see us on a regular basis. They began to see consistencies in how he reacted in various situations of home, school, and socializing. Family members and quite a few other people felt the solution was to put my son on prescription drugs. This works for a lot of children and good nutrition, but with my son he was an exception to the rule. Prescription drugs for him were just a Band-Aid and he just kept getting worse.
The challenge for me as a parent was to take the information that had been given to me and figure out what steps that I needed to do to help my son so that he could lead a normal life. My beliefs and having parents who believed in structure helped me tremendously. I began with taking those names given to my son’s behaviors and breaking them down into symptoms. Symptoms became deficiencies within the body that would need to be fed.
Fortunately I was funded by a friend to do research to help my son and hopefully to help others worldwide. This was and is our dream.
Family, friends, and his doctor were not receptive to this natural approach of using Vitamins, Minerals, and Anti-spasmodic Herbs. Many disagreements and arguments were a way of life until they went from skeptics to believers as my son got increasingly better.
My life was centered on helping my son and that was all there was to it. I gave my notice to a couple of jobs as they felt that I should be dating, not writing blogs to help others, and there was more to life than my son. When I gave birth to my son it was a commitment to being there for him no matter what situation. A few people I knew thought what I was trying to accomplish was commendable and beneficial to the multitudes. The people I shared information with and helped them with their child(ren) felt what I was doing was priceless.
I wrote a couple of books that would answer the questions that I was searching for and give options available.
What I can tell you now is that my son was diagnosed and later undiagnosed due to nutrition and anti-spasmodic herbs. The icing on the cake is that he is a consistent blessing to me and others. He went into the service and was asked to be on Honor Guard. He just finished Honor Guard and is planning on becoming a Psychologist and Japanese interpreter as soon as he gets out.
My challenge to you is to start seeking solutions today!

Michelle J. Bever
Author – Nutrition Made Simple, Correcting Learning & Behavioral Disorders Naturally!