Overcoming Chronic Fatigue and Adrenal Exhaustion by Having Fun!
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on November 6, 2009 – -I work with lots of patients and clients who suffer from adrenal exhaustion, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and thyroid problems. I learn a lot from them. One thing I’ve noticed is that they are too tired to have fun. Imagine not having enough time in your life for enjoyment? By the time they finish doing all the things they “have to” do, they need to rest, and are constantly turning down offers to go out for fun activities. Even though I don’t suffer from fatigue–in fact quite the opposite – I still sometimes fall into the trap of putting fun last.
I’ve learned a lot of lessons about this very topic this week. It started last Sunday when I had an unexpected day of unplanned connection and fun.
I realized that although I value having fun, I sometimes let it take the back burner to work and family oligations.
One of the tools I use when coaching both private and group coaching clients is a fun assessment. They are guided to list at least 20 things they love to do, and create a strategy for incorporating fun into each day. I haven’t done this myself in a long time, and I plan to do it this weekend. Because your interesets may change from time to time, it’s a good idea to revisit the activity regularly, or at least twice a year.
So schedule some time…at least a half an hour..to sit back, relax and make a list of all the things you love so much that you feel a calling to them. Then schedule as many days as you can (at least 4) to have scheduled fun time. Start with 5 minutes. It’s addicting and you’ll soon find yourself extending the time you’ve allotted.
Just do it. When you’re having fun, your biochemistry changes. You become more relaxed and your digestion improves. Your hormones are more balanced. Your neurotransmitters become more balanced and as a result your mood improves and your energy increases.
I’m planning to schedule at least 5 minutes of fun every day. My life and my health depend on it.
How about you? Will you join me? Post your reply in the comments section below.
Love, Health and FUN.
Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo
http://www.drritamarie.com
Tags: Adrenal Fatigue, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, DrRitamarie, Exercise, Exhaustion, fatigue, fatigue symptoms, thyroid
Posted in Adrenal Fatigue, Exhaustion, Fatigue Treatment | 1 Comment »
3 Simple Tips for Enhancing Thyroid Function and Increasing Your Energy Fast!
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on September 11, 2009 – -Low thyroid function, also known as hypothyroidism, is a common, yet often overlooked, cause of chronic fatigue. Back in the 1950′s it was considered to be a condition rarely encountered in clinical practice. Today, it’s practically an epidemic. It’s estimated that 25% of people show measurable signs of hypothyroidism on blood analysis. The good news is that there are a lot of actions you can take to protect your thyroid gland. I’ll explore 3 of them that you can easily put in place right away and start protecting your thyroid and increasing your energy.
1-
Avoid gluten. Gluten is a protein found in the common grains that most people eat several times a day—wheat, rye, barley and oats, as well as the heirloom varieties of wheat, spelt and kamut. A huge segment of the population is intolerant to gluten meaning that their bodies produce antibodies that attack the gluten AND healthy tissue. There is a very strong link between autoimmune hypothyroid and gluten intolerance. I’ve had patients bring their abnormally high thyroid stimulating hormone levels to normal within as little as six weeks. Gluten Free Diets are becoming more and more available. There are many gluten-free alternatives to your staple gluten containing foods. My favorite are kelp noodles.
2- Hydrate with pure water. This is actually 2 recommendations in one. Chronic dehydration can lead to inflammatory disease, so it’s important to consume at least ½ your body weight in fluid ounces every day. An even bigger concern is the quality of the water. Chlorine and fluoride added to municipal water supplies disrupt the binding of iodine to form thyroid hormones. Further, chlorinated water in the shower is even worse because the vapors enter the body via the lungs, in much higher concentrations that found in drinking water. Keeping well hydrated with pure spring, reverse osmosis or distilled water will protect you from the dangerous additives in our current water supply.
3- Include sea vegetables daily. Greens from the sea contain a wide variety of minerals and vitamins that support thyroid function. The most important of these is iodine. Since most of our soil is deficient in iodine, there are very few vegetables that contain significant amounts of iodine. Iodine is critical for thyroid function. In fact, a certain species of kelp, laminaria digitata, has been found to contain measurable amounts of the thyroid hormones, T3 and T4. Eating 1-2 ounces of sea vegetation each week is a good starting point.
If you have a diagnosed or suspect thyroid dysfunction, talk to your doctor before beginning a new program. Ask your doctor to order thyroid antibody tests, especially if you currently have any type of autoimmune disease.
Being healthy is your birthright. Take good care of your thyroid gland and you’ll be energetic and clear headed well into your twilight years.
I’ve created a gluten survival pack, available for free on my website. It contains e-books, mp3 recordings, and special lists of hidden sources of gluten. To order yours now, go to http://drritamarie.com/GlutenFree.htm Included in the gluten package are recipes for sea vegetables and a powerpoint presentation on thyroid health.
Have an energized day.
Love, Health and Joy,
Dr. Ritamarie
www.freshnfunliving.com
Tags: Adrenal Fatigue, autimmune thyroid, autoimmune disease, fatigue symptoms, Gluten Free Diet, hypothyroid, raw foods recipes, thyroid
Posted in Adrenal Fatigue, Articles, Exhaustion, Fatigue Treatment, Gluten Free Diet, Gluten Free recipes | 3 Comments »
7 Essential Strategies for Optimal Hormone Balance
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on September 5, 2009 – -If you think that the symptoms of hormone imbalance are limited to the discomforts of PMS, hot flashes, and other common menopausal discomforts, and that the solution is medication or “white knuckling it”, you’re not alone. Hormone imbalances contribute to a myriad of common complaints that most people don’t consider hormone related, including inability to shed excess body fat, fatigue, hair loss, palpitations, skin proble
ms, and a host of others. Chronic and debilitating diseases like fibromyalgia, diabetes, osteoporosis and heart disease are hormone related as well.
There are 7 essential, yet often overlooked strategies for balancing your hormones that are crucial keys to living a vibrant, healthy and balanced life.
1) Adopt an Attitude of Gratitude. Stress is one of the key contributors to hormone imbalance. When you’re in a stressful situation, your body produces a cascade of chemicals—hormones, enzymes and neurotransmitters –– that mobilize your body to escape or fight. This is what’s often known as fight flight mode, and most Americans live there 24/7. When this is chronic, the excessive demands of on your adrenal glands, the “stress soldiers”, causes less nutrients and hormone precursors to be available to make other hormones like estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and DHEA. Studies show that you can transform a stressful state through the power of deep breathing and appreciation. Take frequent deep breathing and appreciation breaks throughout the day to support your hormones.
2) Get Enough Sleep. While there is not a one size fits all prescription concerning the amount of sleep you need, you do need to figure out what your body really requires, and get it on a consistent basis. During sleep, your body takes out the broom and mop and goes to work cleaning up from the “mess” of the day. Insufficient sleep will leave you tiredfrom the metabolic debris that doesn’t get cleaned up and will throw your hormones into a tailspin. One particular hormone, called leptin, is particularly sensitive to variations in sleep cycle. Leptin controls your appetite and metabolic rate. Insufficient sleep will result in lower leptin levels leading to slower metabolism and weight gain.
3) Optimize your Digestion. Eating on the run, eating processed foods, trans fat containing foods and hard to 
digest, heavy meals will lead to undigested food particles, damage to your digestive track and physical stress. This can affect the adrenal glands just as significantly as physiological stress, leading to the same hormone imbalances as being “stressed-out”. Stick to unprocessed, whole fresh foods, eaten slowly and with gratitude. You can also take enzymes and probiotics to help your digestion purr.
4) Avoid plastic drinking and food containers. These contain what’s known as xenoestrogens, which are estrogen look alikes that bind to estrogen receptors. Xenoestrogens can cause endometriosis, ovarian cysts, breast cancer and fetal abnormalities. Other sources of xenoestrogens are detergents, some skin lotions and soaps, commercially raised meat and dairy, spermicides, and herbicides. The xenoestrogens leach from the plastic food containers into the food or water. Heat increases the amount of xenoestrogen that gets into the food or water. Use ceramic or glass as much as possible, NEVER heat anything in a plastic container,and use only pure, chemical free body and home care products.
5) Do periodic cleansing. Your liver works hard to keep your blood clean, but the overwhelming
number of toxins from both external and internal sources can overwhelm its capacity. As a result, toxins are stored in fat, leading to resistant weight loss. In addition, when the liver is overburdened by toxins it can’t adequately convert “used” hormones, to water soluble forms for excretion. As a result, these”used” hormones recirculate and bind to hormone receptors, thus displacing the active hormones. This is particularly problematic for estrogen, and can lead to such symptoms as PMS, hot flashes, mood swings and uncomfortable menses. Periodic breaks in the action with a green juice or green smoothie cleanse can restore balance.
6) Eat plenty of sea greens. In addition to containing all the minerals known
to be important in human health, and most likely many that have yet to be discovered, sea vegetables are powerful detoxifiers. They have the ability to bind heavy metals and carry them out of the body. Heavy metals can disrupt hormone balance. A study in 1998 in the Journal of Human Reproduction linked heavy metals with recurrent miscarriage. Their conclusion was that heavy metals negatively impacted both ovarian and pituitary function. Sea vegetables are especially important for thyroid hormone hormone production, as they contain iodine, a mineral that’s deficient in land vegetables due to mineral depletion of our soils. Studies have shown that a particular species of the sea vegetable kombu, called laminaria digitata actually contains T3 and T4, the thyroid hormones.
7) Run away from heated fats. When heated above about 118 degrees, unsaturated fats oxidize, prod
ucing free radicals that damage your glands, organs and cells. Free radical damage is one of the key underlying 
causes of hormone imbalance and most other health challenges. The heated oils disrupt your natural production of prostaglandins, small messengers that regulate everything from hormone production to smooth muscle contraction. Eat fats in their raw and unprocessed state and be sure to get enough omega 3 fatty acids daily, in the form of chia seed, flax seed, hemp seed, pumpkin seed and blue green algae.
Hormone balance is a complicated process. When the conditions are right, your glands will function normally and you’ll notice a difference in how you feel. It takes a bit of time and diligence to make the lifestyle and diet changes needed to have healthy hormone balance, and it’s worth it. Give yourself time to incorporate the changes. Seek the support of a natural health practitioner who can personalize your program, and add specific herbs and foods that support your uniqueness. Remember to stay focused on the solution rather than the problem, and appreciate the choices in front of you. While this is not a comprehensive list, it’s a great place for you to start to balance your hormones and live a happy, healthy life.
To learn more about how to balance your hormones, rebuild your libido and age gracefully, join Dr. Ritamarie and Kevin Gianni for a 3 part telecourse called “Ageless Woman’s Health.”
Here’s where to go to be a part of this educational event…
WomansHealthTeleseminar Registration
There are limited slots and the telecourse starts on the 8th of September at 9:00 PM EST / 6:00 PM PST. And each session is recorded just in case you can’t make one.
WomansHealthTeleseminar Registration
Love, health and Joy,
Dr. Ritamarie
Tags: Adrenal Fatigue, appreciation, chronic fatigue, Hormone Imbalance, hormone imbalances, Living Foods, Raw Foods, thyroid, women’s health
Posted in Adrenal Fatigue, Articles, Autoimmune, Exhaustion, Fatigue Treatment, Health Coach, Living Foods, Natural Hormone Support | 2 Comments »
Effects of Raw Cruciferous Vegetables on Thyroid and Cancer Prevention
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on August 15, 2009 – -I just watched an excellent video about the effects of cruceriferous vegetables like broccoli and kale on thyroid health. It was posted on Kevin Gianni’s Renegade Health Show blog.
Here’s the link to the show, followed by my comments.
http://renegadehealth.com/blog/the-real-effect-of-raw-cruciferous-vegetables-on-the-thyroid
My comments:
I’ve been studying thyroid issues for a long time and an exhaustive study of hundreds of medline research papers lead me to the same conclusion as Kevin. Most of the studies on the goitrogenic effect of isothyocyanate used an isolated extract not cruciferous vegetables. And even with large doses of isolates, the effects on the thyroid were reversed by adding iodine to the animal’s diet. I recommend that people who include a lot of crucifers especially in smoothies add a teaspoon of powdered sea vegetables to their smoothies, salad dressings or sprinkled on their food. By doing this, many of my patients have dramatically improved their TSH levels (see below) in as little as 3 months. Certain species of kelp, especially laminaria digitata (available from Maine Coast Sea Vegetables seaveg.com) have been shown to contain preformed T3 and T4 (the thyroid hormones). Dr. Ryan Drum has a couple of really good, very detailed articles on this on his website)
Many good points were raised in the discussion, and many great questions asked. I’d like to address a few:
1- what’s the best test for thyroid. The medical standard is TSH, although the range used by most labs miss many cases. The TSH range should be between 1.5 and 3.2. Sometimes the TSH comes within the normal range even when thyroid symptoms are present. Taking the first morning temperature, often called basal body temperature, is a good way to determine if the thyroid is low.
2- Just adding iodine will not reverse hypothyroid unless the condition is specifically related to an iodine deficiency. Thyroid has many causes. I addressed these at Raw Spirit Fest in 2008. A copy of my presentation, along with several other e-books on greens is available for FREE at http://www.drritamarie.com/green
3- A lot of hypothyroidism is not primarily a thyroid problem, but is related to adrenal stress or adrenal insufficiency, cause by chronic stress. This type of thyroid problem responds well to stress management and diet and lifestyle change. I have a few articles on adrenal fatigue on my blog… http://www.drritamarie.com/blog
Thanks again Kevin for exploring these important issues.
Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo
http://www.FreshnFunLiving.com
Tags: Adrenal Fatigue, fatigue symptoms, glucosinolates, health, iodine, kelp, raw cruciferous vegetables, Raw Foods, Related Tags: effect of isothiocyanates, Relateeffect of isothiocyanates, thyroid, whole foods
Posted in Adrenal Fatigue, Cancer, Raw Foods | 3 Comments »
