How I Overcame Depression Naturally

I’ve been depressed. My depression was situational, but it did become very physical, and very chemical. It always does, if you live with it long enough. And I did.

I was depressed for years. I had good times. It wasn’t all negative. I had plenty of good times. But I was depressed. For months at a time, all I wanted to do was sleep. When you’re depressed, even if you’re having an amazing day, it feels like there is an ominous cloud over you, a constant reminder that it will start raining again soon.

The toughest part about being depressed was the fact that I didn’t want to get better. At the time, I couldn’t see that, but I was hurting really badly. Depression was sort of a release; there was no other way to deal with the tremendous amount of pain I felt.

I did overcome it. I needed more than one hand to count how many times I thought I might end it all. But today, I am a very happy person. The following is how I overcame my depression.

Mindset

I started a journal. I wrote every single day. I wrote anything I wanted to write, but I always wrote down anything that was bothering me, and I highlighted those issues. Whenever I was in a good mood, I would go back to my journal and see if some of the things that were bothering me so much still mattered, and if they did, I would see what I could do about them when I wasn’t feeling so overwhelmed and negative.

When something really overwhelmed me and caused considerable pain, I would wait until I was feeling very good and I would remember the incident. I’d make a movie out of it, one where I could watch myself from a distance, and replay it in my head over and over again with different colors, scenarios, distances, etc. I did it over and over again, and then I would see what I could have done differently (if applicable) and I decided if there was anything I could do at the current time or later that could make me feel empowered and resolve the issue.

If you have a very overwhelming traumatic memory, I suggest you learn about neuro linguistic programming (also known as NLP). In particular, I like the Visual-Kinesthetic Dissociation Technique for phobias. I find it alters perspections very nicely. And remember, life is all about perspective, focus, and the choices we make as a result.

I kept a to-do list and stayed busy! I added good things to my list, like exercising, meditation, getting grounded, reading fiction, reading for knowledge, making healthy food, spending time with family, etc. When ridding the mind of depression, it’s not the time to dwell. It’s also not the time to veg out in front of the TV or just hang out with friends. These are methods for “escaping” depression, and the results don’t last. Meditate. Read. That takes effort. Dwelling and worrying, or watching TV are easy and produce toxic results just like eating junk food.

Fitness

We can point to many studies and many more scientific reviews about the effects of exercise, including endorphin release, hormone correction, detoxification, healing, the brain, and any mental disease or health issue.

Your body utilizes, to an extent, a lose it or lose it system. Less educated people don’t use the brain as much as educated people do, and they are more likely to experience Alzheimer’s, and other degenerative diseases of the mind. Exercise helps everything, including your brain. And while I know first hand that it’s the hardest thing to do when you’re depressed, regardless of whether or not the depression is biological or situational (though it’s always biological), exercise is going to help. I like weight lifting. It’s primarily anaerobic, but can be done in a way that offers aerobic benefits as well. Yoga, Tai Chai, martial arts, running, swimming in a non-chlorinated water, and bicycling are great.

If I had to pick the very best, I vote for squats. You don’t even need weights. Everyone should be able to do 100 squats. It helps to detoxify the body, builds the heart, and almost the entire body so well, causes a better release of growth hormone than any other exercise, and you can do it at home anytime. I like what replicates nature (we used to squat all day every day for many reasons) and I like what gets the job done as fast as possible in the shortest amount of time with the most amount of benefit. This is why I love bodyweight squats.

Health

The brain is an organ. Think of it like the liver, the kidneys, and the heart. All of our organs can become bogged down with toxins and not function very well. Anyone who is depressed has a brain that’s not working well. Regardless of whether it’s temporary and situational or chronic, the brain needs nutrition and the body takes up and assimilates nutrition much better when it is not being bombarded with toxins. Plus, certain toxins can cause chemical reactions within the body that exacerbate and even cause depression (and other mental disorders).

Diet

I cleaned up my diet. When you are depressed, this is the time to eat lots of vegetables—raw, fresh, and organic whenever possible. It’s always time to eat lots of vegetables, I know. I say that in every article. But it’s true. A depressed mind is a mind without enough B vitamins. One very common reason for not having enough B vitamins is candida, which can inhibit the development and the assimilation of B vitamins within the intestinal tract.

Cut out alcohol and any other drugs. Drugs are toxins, and any toxins, especially drugs we use to get high or reduce pain, will worsen depression in the long run. That said, the reality is that sometime things are too intense to get through without drugs. Although I am a very anti-pharmaceutical person, I have been so overwhelmed that I chose to self medicate in order to survive (and I did it primarily with marijuana, which is way better than alcohol or pharmaceuticals). But the reality is that they are all toxic. None of them are worth it in the long run.

Sleep

With the right nutrition, high quality, deep, restorative and healing sleep is much easier to come by. It may take time, but it will come. If you suffer from insomnia (and depression often does come with insomnia), go camping if you can. Leave or turn off the cell phone. This can remove distractions and electromagnetic fields that disrupt hormones and sleep patterns. It can also facilitate grounding (more on that coming).

Supplements

B vitamins, balanced minerals, and healthy fats are imperative for anyone dealing with depression. The brain is mostly fat and B vitamins need a body with balanced and healthy fats to assimilate fats properly (which is used to build our cell walls; healthy fats = cells less susceptible to damage or infection). B vitamins are water soluble, but they are not utilized properly if the body is made up of toxic fats.

A detox is also a great away to not only help heal and reset he body, but to give you something to focus on that shows relatively fast results. It can be a nice stepping stone for natural health to become a hobby. Paying attention to your body, really listening to it and knowing what it wants and needs, is hard to do when you’re depressed. It’s also hard to get depressed when you’re doing it (paying attention to the health of your body). Make sure your detox addresses candida and parasites, since both can cause and fuel serious mental health problems.

I love raw oysters for depression and sexual function. I think of them more like a supplement than a food. They have lots of B6, B12, zinc, copper, magnesium, and iron as a whole food source that’s easy to assimilate. All of these nutrients are very important for brain health. Combine a dozen oysters with a salad, a good B vitamin complex and a good nutrition formula, and then I am ready to go workout no matter how stressed, overwhelmed, or depressed I am. And after a good workout, the depression’s severity is at the very least, drastically reduced.

If you do eat raw oysters, be careful. Do some research, and don’t eat them if you have a severely compromised immune system.

Grounding

If you suffer from depression, or you travel frequently, or you get stressed too often/easily, or you suffer from insomnia, grounding will be of a huge benefit to you. And if you don’t suffer from any of the aforementioned, grounding will still be a huge benefit for you. But nothing compares to diet. Supplements are a distant second, and grounding comes in third.

Conclusion

I’ve been depressed. I’ve written about it before. I am passionate about natural remedies for depression, but I know how incredibly difficult it can be. I know the kind of depression that makes your body hurt so badly that moving is difficult. I know depression so debilitating that the idea of exercise is laughable, and the laughter is almost painful; laughing is the second to the last thing you want to do in that state (exercise, of course, is the very last thing you’d want to do).

I am prone to depression and I have also experienced some very traumatic events and losses. It can be so hard to get over and chronic depression; it feels like a warm blanket that I have hidden under for years at a time. Once you get well, you have to figure out what being depressed was doing for you, if you don’t want depression to come right back into your life. You can also heal much faster when you realize what being depressed is doing for you, but it can be impossible for people to see that when they’re in the thick of it. Almost everyone who is depressed will say it’s not how he or she wants to feel. But looking back, when I was depressed, I felt exactly what I wanted to feel at the time. And getting enough motivation to make it through a depressing time in a healthy way can be extremely difficult, but it’s well worth it.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:


How Candida Leads to Depression, Anxiety, ADHD, and Other Mental Disorders

If you are depressed while you suffer from regular yeast infections, or athlete’s foot or have taken antibiotics recently, there is a connection. Our brains are inextricably tied to our gastrointestinal tract and our mental well being is dependent on healthy intestines. Depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and a host of other mental illness from autism to ADHD can be caused by an imbalance of gut microbes like fungi, and “bad” bacteria.

Candida is the opportunistic flora that typically takes over our colon with conventional diets. Along with it comes other fungi, harmful bacteria, and parasites. An intestinal system infected with this kind of ecosystem cannot process and assimilate many of the vitamins we need, like B vitamins, which are imperative for brain function and found to be low (especially B6) in virtually anyone experiencing depression. Candida also breaks down the intestinal wall and leeches into the bloodstream, allowing other toxic byproducts to leak from the colon to the bloodstream.

Much of the body’s hormone production occurs in the intestinal tract. 90 to 95% of our serotonin, the key neurotransmitter responsible for regulating mood, is produced inside our intestines. When the candida population reaches a certain point, it suppresses the production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin. A lack of serotonin leads to depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems.

Acetaldehyde, a byproduct of yeast (candida), also reacts with the dopamine neurotransmitter, which can cause mental problems such as anxiety, depression, poor concentration, and feeling spaced-out.

Candida impairs the liver’s ability to store vitamin B12. We don’t need much B12, but if we are low, depression and other more serious mental issues well develop quickly.

The byproducts of candida’s metabolism are toxic to us. Candida goes through the bloodstream and finds other areas of the body to make home in, invading everywhere it can and making detoxifying the blood every difficult for the body. The blood becomes sluggish with diminished regenerative capacities, and the body begins to age, ache, and develop allergies and then autoimmune issues, which all lead to and fuel depression.

It’s rare to find a person who suffers from depression and does not suffer from an overgrowth of candida. On the other hand, it’s rare to find a person in our modern culture that does not suffer from an overabundance of candida. That said, it’s very difficult to improve one’s mindset without a healthy mind. And you cannot have a healthy mind without a healthy colon.

Poor colon health does lead to poor brain health, as well as poor health within the rest of the body. For almost every major disease, both physical and mental, one of the most important things you can do, and the first thing that should be done, is to improve the health of the intestinal tract by killing excess candida and balancing the gut flora. A great way to do this is with thorough detoxification. Also see Natural Remedies for Depression and Leaky Gut & Candida. See the first source for more on detoxifying. We recommend a high-quality probiotic and SF722 along with a healthy, whole-food diet to kill Candida quickly.

Recommended Supplements:

Further Reading:


What to Expect When You Hire a Personal Trainer

Getting into shape is hard. It takes a lot of effort and commitment as well as a lot of knowledge about health and exercise. For these reasons, many people hire personal trainers to keep them on track. If you’re thinking about getting a personal trainer to jumpstart your fitness routine, here are some of the things you can expect.

He/she will ask you a lot of questions.

The first thing you can expect when you meet with your trainer for your first session is a lot of questions. They’ll ask about  your fitness goals like if you want to lose weight, or build muscle, or if you want to have a healthier heart (or all three). Personal trainers need to know a lot about you before they can start to help you reach your fitness targets. Understanding how you want to benefit from hiring them, helps them create a plan that will work for you. Also, as someone who’ll be working with you personally on a regular basis, they’ll want to get to know you. This is the first step in developing a friendly, professional relationship.

He/she will test you.

After getting an idea of who you are and what you want, your trainer will give you a physical fitness test. This can be intimidating. Still, this is an important step. Your trainer needs to know where you are physically so the exercise plan that is developed is appropriate for you. You don’t want your coach to tell you to run for 30 minutes when you can only do 15.  And you really want to know your baseline in order to track your progress. The physical fitness test will help you and your trainer come up with realistic short term and long term fitness goals.

Your trainer has to know about your current health.

You have to be honest about your health.  If you spend the weekends watching movies and eating takeout, it’s time to ‘fess up. The results of your tests won’t lie. So when you trainer asks you about your diet, you’ve got to come clean. Honesty can help you achieve the most out of your sessions with your trainer. Not only will they know what they’re working with, you’ll also be able to accept your current state of health and work forward from there.

They will push you, and it might be uncomfortable.

Working with a trainer isn’t going to be a walk in the park. You’re hiring someone to help you get your rear in gear, so one of the things you can expect is for your trainer to push you. There will be times when they push you hard, and, sometimes, you’re not going to like it. But the point of having a trainer is to motivate yourself.  When you hold yourself back, your trainer will encourage you forward. You’ll get tired and you’ll feel sore, but you’ll realize you can do things you would have never tried by yourself.

It will be intimidating.

Getting into shape is an uphill climb in more ways than one. With a trainer, you have someone watching you the whole time, pointing out every mistake. It will be intimidating, embarrassing, and sometimes a bit scary. The reality, however, is that your trainer isn’t there to criticize you, they’re there to teach you how to do your regimen correctly for your greatest benefit and to keep you from injuring yourself. For example, lifting weights with a bad form can lead to serious injury.

They will tell you what to do, even when you’re outside the gym.

Health extends well beyond the gym, so one of the final things you should expect is that your personal trainer will have activities and assignments for you to do even when you’re outside of the gym. For example, if you want to lose weight or build muscle, exercising isn’t enough; you have to have the correct diet that to supplement your workout. Also, don’t be surprised if your trainer encourages you to exercise while you’re at work or at home. You won’t get far if you only plan on living a healthy lifestyle when your trainer is around.

Hiring a personal trainer is a big step towards living a healthier life. It’s a commitment that isn’t easy to make. They will test you, push you, and tell you what to do. But they will also guide you, cheer you on and teach you what you need to know to reach your goals. Remember that at the end of the day, a trainer’s job is to help you become a healthier version of yourself.



How to Detoxify from Vaccinations & Heavy Metals

If you choose to vaccinate (or believe you have no choice), it’s time to detoxify. This is not an article intended to debate the efficacy of vaccinations, but merely to address the toxicity from vaccinations and advise on elimination of the toxins.

Regardless of what your position on vaccinations is, any rational person cannot deny that the ingredients in vaccines are toxic. In fact, almost every single ingredient in any immunization is toxic to the human body. Besides the vitamins and minerals, nobody in their right mind would drink a concoction with any one or combination of most of the vaccine ingredients (and those vitamins and minerals they add are toxic, too). Most vaccinations are directly injected into our bodies, allowing the ingredients to directly enter the bloodstream, which rationally, seems like an even more dangerous approach.

Vaccine ingredients (adjuvants and preservatives) and substances used in the manufacturing process, including vaccine-production media that are present only in trace quantities, include: sucrose, fructose, dextrose, potassium phosphate, FD&C Yellow #6, aluminum lake dye, fetal bovine serum, sodium bicarbonate, monosodium glutamate, aluminum hydroxide, benzethonium chloride, lactose, aluminum potassium sulfate, peptone, bovine extract, formaldehyde, thimerosal, ammonium sulfate, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, bovine extract), calf serum, aluminum phosphate, aluminum hydroxphosphate sulfate, and ethanol. Vaccinations also contain many inorganic minerals, vitamins, amino acids, salts, and sugars.

If anyone can tell me why in the heck they put artificial colors into vaccines, I would love to read about it in comments. Does anyone really care what color an immunization is?

Obviously this sort of cocktail going into the bloodstream can slow things down. You are introducing heavy metals, preservatives, and a host of other inorganic compounds, most of which are not even found in nature, directly into the blood stream. Much of the vaccine material will not leave the body without assistance, especially with a typical modern lifestyle and diet.

Eat Well

The goal in order to detoxify from vaccinations is to flush the body of toxins, including heavy metals. There are a few good supplements available for chelation, but it can also be done with the right foods. Along with a healthy diet, the best ingredients for a natural heavy metal chelation regimen are chlorella, cilantro, citrus peels, spirulina, and garlic.

Most vegetables have some chelation properties, and eating combinations of vegetables increases their ability to chelate exponentially (this is true for all the health benefits). Make salads with more than ten different vegetables with lots of cilantro, avocado, and garlic every day. Avoid sugar, and avoid any and all refined, processed, manufactured foods.

Fix the Immune System

Sugars are present in vaccines, and sugars suppress the immune system. Sugars also feed parasites, viruses (indirectly), fungus, bacteria, and any other little creature that wants to harm us. These refined sugars travel through the bloodstream to wherever infection can be fed. As mentioned, lots of garlic is recommended, as well as the following supplements: oil of oregano, Echinacea, goldenseal, and goldenthread. These supplements, especially when used in conjunction with each other, will help purify the blood, remove toxins, and keep any infectious agent at bay, all while helping to repair the immune system.

In addition to those supplements, a B vitamin complex is recommended for a few weeks after immunizing. Formaldehydes, and metals like mercury and aluminum make assimilating B vitamins more difficult. Until the heavy metals are removed, the solution is to take a high quality B complex supplement and to make sure the digestive system is as healthy as possible.

Drink Lots of Fluids

I try to drink a gallon of cranberry lemonade with stevia and cayenne (click for recipe) every day. I am also 6’2” and I weigh 220 pounds. Use your best judgment. For most people, a gallon of water a has huge benefits including flushing out our system or toxins, heavy metals, and impurities, detoxifying our blood, lowering blood pressure, and reducing aging dramatically, as long as you are getting enough minerals and other nutrition while you do it. But to make drinking that much water even more difficult, for best nutrient absorption and heavy metal chelation, it’s best to take food with supplements and drink water (or lemonade) when the body is not trying to digest. You can also alternate days where you drink a lot more and eat a lot less, and vice-versa. This is a great way to detoxify quickly and get plenty of nutrition at the same time.

Exercise

Sweating, breathing hard, and moving help detoxify the body. Exercise also moves toxins that had otherwise settled, making elimination more likely. While you exercise, be sure to breathe properly. Breathe deeply from your diaphragm and expand your abdomen when you fill your air with lungs. It’s often said that 70 to 80% of the toxins we expel from our body evacuate through the lungs. The skin is the next most significant organ in regards to toxin elimination, hence the sweat with exercising. Running, exercising in a sauna (a non toxic sauna, ideally), jumping rope, rebounding, hiking with hills, squats, yoga, and tai chi are all great exercises for aiding detoxification.

Hot and Cold Hydrotherapy

Hot water increases blood flow to the surface of the body. Cold water drives the blood from the surface to the core of the body. Alternating hot and cold water increases blood flow and speeds up circulation. It brings fresh blood with oxygen and nutrients to the organs and glands and carries away toxins and waste. Dr. Shillington suggests starting with water as hot as you can stand for a minimum of two minutes. Then turn off the hot water for two minutes of cold—the colder the better. Alternate back and forth for a total of 20 minutes, ending with cold. Read more at Hot & Cold Hydrotherapy.

Supplements

Shillington’s Blood Detox is absolutely amazing, and in my mind, essential for any detox. With goldenseal, it cleans the blood, which helps every part of the body in every way.

Shillington’s Total Nutrition Formula has chlorella, spirulina, and citrus peels in it, which is awesome for detoxifying and chelating heavy metals, and it’s the best multivitamin/mineral supplement I know.

Shillington’s Intestinal Detox & Shillington’s Intestinal Cleanse will repair the intestines, remove heavy metals from the digestive tract,  and promote healthy gut flora.

Boost the chelation with this powerful supplement HM Complex by Pure Encapsulations.

Oil of oregano, Echinacea, goldenseal (which is in Blood Detox), and Chinese goldthread are also highly recommended, and don’t forget the garlic and the cilantro.

B vitamin complex  is recommended for a few weeks at least, since heavy metal toxicity causes the body to assimilate b vitamins inefficiently.

Keep Doing It

Unfortunately, the amount of heavy metals and other very toxic compounds in vaccines causes a huge burden on our immune system and takes a long time to expel from the body. Where the toxins settle inside the body, determines what, if any, vaccine injuries occur.

Keep in mind that heavy metals can shift. And they are heavy, as their name denotes. They often settle at the feet. A footbath detox works well for pulling toxins from the feet. More importantly, keep eating well, keep drinking lots of fluids, keep chelating, and keep exercising and detoxifying. The reality is, the healthier an individual is, the less likely they are to be injured by vaccines.

Regardless of their efficacy, the irony is, the healthier a person is, the less benefit they could possibly derive from vaccines. Also check out How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children.

Recommended Supplements:

Further Reading:

Sources:



The Power of Our Hormones and How To Balance Them

To say that hormones have an incredibly powerful effect on our perception and therefore the choices we make is an understatement. Hormones are actually a part of how we see the world. We use hormones not just to sleep, to procreate, or to respond to danger, but for almost every function of the body.

Our body is designed to be ready for anything. Different circumstances require a different combination of chemicals. Fear needs adrenaline, of course. When we meet someone we like, there is a different set of hormones secreted than when we meet someone we dislike.

A poorly working, imbalanced hormonal system makes it much harder to get through life. How can it be easy when you’re receiving inaccurate messages of how the world is interacting around you. Pretty much everyone is familiar with how PMS can change a woman’s view on life. Relationships, jobs, and life in general just don’t seem to work right when our hormones are disrupted.

Related: Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones

What Are Hormones?

Hormones are liquid chemical messengers that regulate many activities of the body. They signal biological processes from metabolism, growth, and maturation to sexuality and reproduction (and everything in between).

The endocrine system secretes hormones directly into the bloodstream. The primary glands of this system include:

  • Hypothalamus
  • Pineal gland
  • Pituitary gland
  • Thyroid gland
  • Parathyroid glands
  • Adrenal glands
  • Pancreas
  • Ovaries
  • Testes

These organs are not the only organs that secrete endocrine hormones; the digestive system, the kidneys, the liver and bone also excrete endocrine hormones. In addition, hormones are secreted by the exocrine system. Cells in the body use hormones to communicate.

The primary medical problems that we associate with hormones are sexual and reproductive problems (ovaries, testes, adrenals), a slow or overactive metabolism (thyroid gland), poor blood sugar regulation (pancreas), stress related problems (adrenals), and sleep disturbances (pineal gland).

What Is a Hormone Imbalance?

We typically think of a hormone imbalance as PMS, but other hormonal health problems include diabetes, cancer, bipolar disorder, and the other 6,000 endocrine disorders that result from hormones not functioning properly due to overproduction, underproduction or disruption in delivery or utilization.

Hormone Disruptors

Many manmade chemicals are known endocrine disruptors that can affect development, the reproductive system, the immune system, and the neurological system. They are associated with various cancers (breast, prostate, thyroid, etc.), birth defects (including deformed limbs and sexual organs), learning disabilities, ADHD, and cognitive/brain development problems including lowered IQ, and fertility/reproductive problems. The greatest damage is done in utero.

Hormone disrupting chemicals are found in many products we use on a daily basis including cosmetics, body care products (soaps, shampoos, perfumes, deodorants, sunscreens, etc.), detergents and household cleaners, plastic bottles and food containers, pesticides and herbicides, metal food cans, mercury (in food and in amalgam fillings), phthalates (used to coat medications), flame retardants, PCBs (found in many things including paints, adhesives, and caulks, and wood floor finishes), DEHP (in food packaging)–the list goes on and on.

All of the horror stories we hear about chemical exposure and subsequent damage to the body relate back to hormone disturbances and how the chemicals interfere with the body’s ability to regulate its hormones. Too much or too little of any particular hormone is going to have a significant effect on the body. And yet, knowing this, the FDA continues to allow the dairy industry to pollute the milk supply with a growth hormone (rBGH)even though it has been banned in many other countries.

Our modern world is filled with hormone disrupters in the air we breathe (especially indoors), the water we drink, the food we eat, the products we put on our bodies (which are absorbed into the skin), and the products we use on a daily basis.

What Can We Do To Reduce Exposure to Hormone Disruptors?

There are many things we can do to lower our exposure to hormone disrupters: diet, the body care products and cleaning supplies we use, and other choices which affect our environment.

Diet

Choose organic. Organic foods minimize ingestion of pesticides and herbicides and eliminate GMOs, all of which disrupt hormones. Do not eat unfermented soy. Unfermented soy has enzyme inhibitors that severely disrupt estrogen.

Related: Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included

Body Care Products

Again, choose organic. Soap, toothpaste, fragrances, shampoo, hairspray, deodorant, shaving cream, facial masks, acne treatment, sunscreen, topical medications–all can be purchased or made at home as a chemical free alternative to the commercial chemically laden products.

Cleaning Supplies

Organic or chemical free cleaners can easily be found at health food stores, but in reality what do you really need to purchase? You can clean nearly every surface in your home with vinegar or baking soda. Why buy expensive alternatives? Make sure your laundry cleaner and dish soap are chemical free as well.

Household Pollutants

Do not use chemical air fresheners. They have been linked to depression! Set out a bowl of vinegar; it will absorb odors. Or boil some orange peels on the stove. Take the time to find nontoxic paint and other home improvement items that will not poison the air. Carefully choose carpets, cabinets, upholstered furniture and last but not least–carefully choose your mattress! Open your windows and let the fresh air in!

Teeth, Vaccines, Stimulants, Birth Control and Candida

Teeth with mercury fillings, root canals, and cavitations can disrupt hormones. An overabundance of Candida in the gut disrupts hormone production. Birth control wrecks havoc on the hormonal system. Vaccines contain heavy metals and other preservatives that damage hormone production.

Related: Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections

How To Eliminate / Detox Endocrine Disrupters From the Body and Balance the Hormones

Again, diet is the foundation for all health and is certainly the foundation for eliminating any unwanted chemicals from the body.

Choose an organic, whole food, nutrient-rich diet with as much variety as possible. A full 80% of your diet should consist of fresh, raw, organic produce – more vegetables than fruit. Meat must be organic! No artificial colorings, flavorings, or preservatives. No MSG, trans fats, or GMOs. Avoid processed foods altogether. Eat real food. Real food does not come in a box or a package. As much as possible, avoid foods in plastic wraps. If your food is transported home in plastics, remove it. Invest in glass storage containers (glass jars work just fine!) Do not buy canned foods.

Related: How to Detox From Plastics and Other Endocrine Disruptors

Tap water has hormone-disrupting fluoride, pharmaceuticals, and a ton of stuff you don’t want in your body. The cleanest water is distilled. Yes, it is more acidic. Yes, it is devoid of minerals. Even so, given a choice of water available, it only makes since to start with distilled water for the cleanest, safest water possible. Check out What’s the Best Water for Detoxifying and for Drinking? and Inexpensive, Easy Detox – The One Gallon Challenge.

The right foods and great nutrition will continually aid the body in eliminating foreign materials, whether they are parasites, viruses, bacteria, yeast, heavy metals, or chemicals.

Green Lifestyle Market has a host of supplements that help balance the hormones depending on the health issues at hand. Most everyone can use a Candida Detox, and either Shillington’s Male Energy Formula or Shillington’s Female Formula.

Recommended Supplements:

Sources:


Thyroid Disease Epidemic – How is Yours Doing?

Is your hair thinning or falling out? When you look in the mirror, does it seem that the outer edges of your eyebrows have disappeared? Have you gained or lost weight without changing your diet? Are you tired all the time? You may be one of the millions of Americans with undiagnosed thyroid disease.

Thyroid disease has become epidemic in the United States with numbers of confirmed cases at more than 12 million and estimates of undiagnosed cases doubling that number. Radiation exposure from Fukushima, perchlorate contamination of municipal and well water (trace amounts of this chemical used to make rocket fuel damage the thyroid), damage to the thyroid due to prescription drug use, and the explosion of auto-immune disease, which is a high risk factor for thyroid disease all suggest thyroid disease is on the rise.

Often, thyroid disease is misdiagnosed, especially in the elderly, as clear symptoms of the disease are passed off as aging, while doctors neglect to administer diagnostic tests.

So how do you know your thyroid may not be functioning properly? Who is at risk? And what are the symptoms?

Risk Factors for Thyroid Disease

Risk Factors include: race (Caucasian), gender (female), age (over 60), family history (family history of auto-immune disease or thyroid disease), an existing auto-immune disease (including Celiac disease), iodine deficiency or taking medications with high levels of iodine, heavy caffeine use, radiation exposure, smoking tobacco, pregnancy, or within six months of giving birth.

Thyroid Diseases and Thyroid Dysfunction

The two primary malfunctions of the thyroid gland are overproduction of hormones (hyperthyroidism) or underproduction of hormones (hypothyroidism). Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the thyroid tissue in such a way it causes hyperthyroidism, whereas, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease that causes hypothyroidism. These two diseases are responsible for the vast majority of hyper and hypothyroidism.

Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism

Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism include: weight loss, nervousness, moodiness, weakness, fatigue, rapid heartbeat, shaky hands, shortness of breath, excessive sweating, hair loss, and red, itchy skin.

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism include, weight gain or difficulty losing weight, fatigue, thinning hair, thinning eyebrows or loss of outer edges of eyebrows, difficulty concentrating, mood swings, impaired memory, adult onset ADHD, slow healing, feet or hands that get cold easily, insomnia, poor sleep habits, poor sleep quality, daily sleepy spells, menstrual irregularities, anxiety, nightmares, dry skin, and yellow skin (due to difficulty converting beta carotene to vitamin A. Muscle and joint pain (which can be severe and may be misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia) may also be experienced.

Six percent of the American population suffer from one of these two conditions; 78.7% suffer from hypothyroidism, while 21.3% suffer from hyperthyroidism.

Other diseases and conditions of the thyroid include: thyroiditis, an overall inflammation and swelling of the thyroid gland caused by a viral infection or an autoimmune disease; goiter, a singular non cancerous swelling that can be associated with Hashimoto’s or an iron deficiency; thyroid nodule, a small, abnormal, non-cancerous mass or lump that may secrete excess hormones causing hyperthyroidism; thyroid storm, a rare form of extremely high hyperthyroidism that causes extreme illness, and thyroid cancer.

Structure and Purpose of the Thyroid Gland

The thyroid gland is a part of the endocrine system, a network of glands that make and secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream. The thyroid, which is located in the front of the neck, above the clavicle, directly below the Adam’s apple, is a butterfly shaped organ with tissue that traverses the windpipe and lobes that rest on either side.

Generally we only think of the thyroid gland in relation to metabolism: an underactive thyroid causes weight gain and an overactive thyroid causes weight loss. However, hormones from the thyroid gland regulate the growth and activity of many of the body’s systems and activities including: the synthesis and breakdown of proteins, the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats, growth and development, heart rate, body temperature, vitamin metabolism, calcium levels in the blood, bone growth and density, and the individual cells’ ability to take in nutrition and oxygen and dispose of waste.

Hormones of the Thyroid and Connection to Other Hormones

The pituitary gland releases the hormone TSH to stimulate the thyroid gland to produce thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). T3 is used throughout the body affecting nearly every psychological process. T3 is 20 times more potent than T4. However, most of our T4 is converted into T3 by the body’s organs, if the body has the correct nutrients to convert it.

Calcitonin is also produced by the thyroid gland. This hormone’s function is to maintain the proper homeostasis of calcium in the bloodstream, reducing calcium levels when they become too high. It prevents calcium loss in the bones at times such as pregnancy and lactation.

How to Prevent and Treat Thyroid Disease Naturally

Both iodine and selenium are necessary for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland. Without iodine, the thyroid cannot produce T3 and T4. Without selenium, the body cannot convert T4 into T3. However, too much iodine or selenium can do more damage than good. You may consider testing your levels and working with your health care professional if you decide to supplement with iodine or selenium unless you take a thyroid supplement that is properly balanced. (see below)

Foods That Benefit

The thyroid gland must have iodine to produce T3 and T4. Good food sources include the following:

  • Shellfish—shrimp, scallops
  • Seafood—cod, sardines, salmon, tuna
  • Yogurt and milk
  • Eggs

Selenium is essential to the process of the body breaking down T4 into T3. Many sources of selenium are the same as iodine:

  • Seafood—cod, sardines, salmon, tuna (tuna is the highest)
  • Shellfish—shrimp, scallops

But also:

  • Poultry—turkey and chicken
  • Meat—Lamb and beef
  • Brazil Nuts (2-3 a day) …and many other foods

Foods to Avoid

If you have hypothyroidism, medical professionals warn against eating raw cruciferous vegetables or suggest you radically limiting their intake. Foods in question with hypothyroidism include: broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, spinach, turnips, soy, peanuts, linseed, pine nuts, millet, cassava, mustard greens, asparagus, and sweet potatoes. They also recommend we avoid alcohol and tobacco, and while we agree with that, we don’t necessarily agree with the cruciferous vegetable recommendation. We believe that a varied diet of fresh, raw vegetables can fix almost anything, including any adverse reaction to the foods themselves. Though, obviously you have to use common sense; if you smoke, drink lots of coffee, or rarely get enough sleep then a large kale smoothie and a kale salad every day isn’t the smartest choice.

For those with severe thyroid disorders, occasionally (depending on the thyroid disorder and the person’s diet), cruciferous vegetables can be debilitating if not cooked first. It doesn’t take much heat to remove the _____.

Supplements, Herbs, and Alternative Therapies

B-vitamins, Omega-3 fatty acids, a good multivitamin with minerals, vitamin C, and probiotics will all benefit your condition. For hyperthyroidism, you will need good anti-oxidant support.

For hypothyroidism: L-tyrosine (500 mg two to three times daily. Never take this without your doctor’s approval if you are taking conventional hormone medication or if you have mania or high blood pressure).

For hyperthyroidism: L-carnitine decreases thyroid activity. (May thin the blood.)

The following herbs may help with hypothyroidism: Coleus (Coleus forskohlii),  Guggul (Commiphora mukul), and Bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus). Do your research on these herbs if you are taking any prescription medications or have any other medical issues. Avoid these herbs if you have hyperthyroidism.

The following herbs may help with hyperthyroidism:  caffeine free green tea (Camellia sinensis) standardized extract and lemon balm (Melissa officinalis).

Homeopathy, acupuncture, massage, and hydrotherapy may also be of benefit.

Regardless of the treatment you choose, your foundation of health will always be a diet filled with densely nutritious foods; 80% raw, organic, produce. Avoid all processed foods, artificial flavorings and colorings, MSG, GMOs and trans-fats, sugar, and caffeine. Drink plenty of clean water each day. Exercise and get plenty of sleep. Give your body the foundation that will allow it to heal. Check out Understand Hypothyroidism – Prevention and Natural Remedies for more on thyroid health.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:

Sources:



Natural Remedies for Warts

When I was a little girl, I played with toads. I loved them. I have clear memories of playing outside, barefoot, holding, petting… and yes, kissing frogs. I also clearly remember several times when they peed on my feet.

Scientists debunk the belief that toads or frogs give you warts, but I have to say I was the only child in the family enamored with the critters and I am the one who ended up with a bunch of warts on the top of my toes—right where they peed on me.

I don’t remember what medication was used to rid me of the warts, but I do remember needles poked into my skin, the pain, and the goopy burning medication. I also remember my father’s frustration when the first treatment did not work and had to be repeated.

Fast forward to my teen years and I had three warts on my hands, two on fingers, one on my palm. After trying several over-the-counter cures, I had them surgically removed, leaving deep, deep craters in the skin. They grew right back.

By the time I was twenty, the wart problem worsened. Plantar warts invaded the bottom of my feet. These were large patches of warts that spread from the balls of my feet to my toes. The edges of the skin were peeling and it hurt every time I took a step.

An acquaintance of mine suggested I try vitamin E to get rid of the warts. I didn’t believe it would make any difference at all, but I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. I patiently waited while she poked holes in vitamin E capsules, then I spread the liquid on my feet and those old warts on my hand. Imagine my surprise when they all disappeared after that one application. It’s been forty years, and they never came back.

Years later a new wart appeared on another finger. One application of vitamin E took care of it as well. But when my brother told me he had a wart on his thumb, and I suggested he try vitamin E, it didn’t work for him. I don’t know if this was due to personal chemistry or if it was due to the fact that there are more than 100 strains of the wart virus. Perhaps the large number of different strains explains the reason why there are so many natural cures. What works for one person may not work for others. More likely, it was the quality of the vitamin capsule.

If the substance is a liquid you want to stay in contact with the wart or a messy mixture, use a cotton ball and then bandage the area to secure. Directions vary from leaving the treatment on around the clock, to treating only at night, to applying several times a day. Use your best judgment based on your reaction to the substance.

  • Vitamin E
  • Vitamin A
  • Witch hazel
  • Essential Oils: tea tree, clove, lavender, Frankincense
  • Lemon juice
  • Aloe vera
  • Crushed vitamin C tablets
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Milkweed (the liquid inside of the stem)
  • Crushed basil leaves
  • Banana (scrapings from the inside of the peel)
  • Dandelion milk (the liquid inside of the stem)
  • Pineapple juice
  • Papaya
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Castor oil
  • Carrot and olive oil paste
  • Baking powder and castor oil paste
  • Baking soda mixed with vinegar
  • Urine (yep, an old cure)
  • One final treatment to consider, especially with children, is faith. My friend Helen told me her father rubbed a coin on her warts and told her they would disappear. It worked. Stories abound on the internet of children being told any number of cures that worked, such as coloring the warts. Belief in the cure caused the result. Children are highly suggestible. It’s worth a try.

Some of these cures may be painful. The enzymes in pineapple and papaya may irritate surrounding skin. I have read testimonials about apple cider vinegar working painlessly within 5 days, but I have also read about painful burns to surrounding tissue. Personally, if I had to choose any of the above methods, I’d start with the vitamins. Vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin D, as well as vitamin E, have long been known to fight viral infections. I also believe the efficacy of any vitamin treatment may be dependent on the quality of the supplement itself. The following vitamins are all of the highest quality.

If these did not work, I’d move on to a natural cure in a bottle. Though I’m all for natural remedies from items in the pantry, I don’t like the mess and the fuss, especially when I am told the treatment requires an application once a day, or several times a day, for weeks. I was lucky. Vitamin E, for me, was a onetime application.

We offer vitamin E and a couple of other formulas that knock out warts pretty quickly. Combine a few of the remedies (including the garlic, but be careful) and most warts can disappear within a week. Remember that a wart is a virus, which is a sign that our body is in a condition that makes it a decent host for an infectious organism.  A wart is a good indicator that it’s time to get the diet on track and take better care of one’s health. We recommend a detox and more produce, see further reading for more on that.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading: