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Category: Blog - Organic Lifestyle Magazine Category: Blog - Organic Lifestyle Magazine

Silence Increases Neurons in the Brain

I vividly remember the fear I felt when faced with the empty nest syndrome. It wasn’t just that my kids would be gone, I would be alone. Alone. Alone. Alone. In silence.

As it turned out, silence was the best part. It was regenerative. It was healing. It was… awesome. And the silence sparked the most creative period of my life.

A 2013 study may explain why. Imke Kirste, Ph.D., a regenerative biologist from Duke University, studied the effects of different sounds on cells in the hippocampus region of the brain in mice. The sounds being tested were white noise, piano music by Mozart, and pup calls (baby mouse cries). Two hours a day of silence was supposed to be the control. Instead, silence became the surprise trophy winner. Silence caused an increase in new neurons. Sounds did not.

So… silence is more than golden. It feeds the brain.

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Is Online Health Food Shopping Affordable?

While fresh, organic, whole foods are the ideal, few of us have the time or dedication to make everything from scratch. Though many die-hard foodies make their own condiments, who makes their own olive oil?

Recently a quest for gluten-free balsamic vinegar led to the discovery of Vitacost, an online grocery that carries most, if not all, of the packaged pantry items we would ever need. Their costs were a complete surprise. While a few things were a bit higher, others were lower. Groceries are delivered to your door. There are no travel costs. No taxes. And what makes it truly affordable, no shipping charge for orders over $49.00 (or $25.00 for selected products).

Soon after discovering Vitacost, I noticed advertising for a similar company, Thrive Market. Both are vocal about competing with Whole Foods. It was time to do a serious cost and website comparison to learn a little more about these companies.

Vitacost

Vitacost started their business in 1994 as an online source for third party vitamins and supplements. In 1999, the company began carrying proprietary brands. Over the years, it expanded into personal care products, sports and fitness diet supplies, pet supplies, green cleaning supplies, and “shelf-stable” natural and organic food. Vitacost was purchased by Kroger in 2014. The company now carries more than 45,000 items.

Thrive Market

Thrive Market is new in the game, having launched in September of 2014. Thrive is growing in leaps and bounds, though their selection is sparse compared to Vitacost and they require a $60.00 annual membership fee. The company now reports that they have acquired more than 200,000 members. They also claim to be carbon neutral and to be a company with a conscience that gives away memberships to those who cannot afford them. The company is working hard to make healthy foods (organic and non-GMO foods) accessible to everyone.

Website Comparison

Vitacost is hands down the winner when it comes to website design and user-friendly features. While Thrive has incorporated many of the same search features, they don’t have all as many categories so narrowing search parameters isn’t nearly as precise.

A search in Vitacost for olive oil reveals 172 hits in food and beverages. On the side of the screen, the user can limit choices by checking one or more of the 24 specialty choices such as GMO-free, gluten-free, organic, sugar-free, kosher, vegan, BPA-free, etc. Further limitations can be made by choosing brands, price range, form (like chips or liquid), servings, flavor, ratings, featured products, or price range.

The same search on Thrive Market results in 19 hits in the food category. The search can be further narrowed by the following categories: form, manufacturers, certifications and awards (certified gluten-free, kosher, non-GMO, etc.) environmental and social (categories like family-owned business, made in the USA, women-owned business, recyclable), health and ingredients (sugar free, salt free, pesticide free, etc.), and lifestyle (their broad categories like gluten free, paleo, vegan, etc.)

Where Vitacost’s site really shines is how it allows shoppers to save and organize favorite items. Shoppers can even create separate folders. For instance, you can create a folder for canned goods, one for baking items, one for cookies, one for pasta, etc. When you return to the site you can open a folder and check off items you wish to purchase rather than searching through the site. You can also reorder from a previous order (you can even modify it) and you can set up and schedule automatic re-orders for the items you know you are going to purchase regularly.

Amazon

Although prices were competitive on some items, others were ridiculously high. However, Amazon may remain the go-to spot for large bulk items like 25lb bags of rice or cases of canned goods.

Prices are accurate as of 5/30/2016.

Item
Whole Foods
Vitacost
Thrive
Amazon

Spectrum Organic Olive Oil
25.4 fl oz

12.99 14.59 Carries Spectrum spray olive oil but no bottled Spectrum olive oil.

Napa Valley Organic Olive Oil
25.4 fl oz

10.45

29.99

Nature’s Way Organic Coconut Oil 32 oz

16.99

(.53 oz)

16.19 Doesn’t carry this brand of coconut oil.

Dr. Bronners 30 oz

14.95

(.50 0z)

16.19

Pacific Brand Organic Vegetable Broth
32 oz

3.69 3.68 2- 8 oz cartons for

2.95

32 oz would cost
5.84

4.09
for Prime members only.

Other price
12.04

Muir Glen Organic crushed canned tomatoes with Basil
28 oz

2.99 3.19 Only carries Muir Glen tomato sauce and tomato paste

3.29

Muir Glen Organic Tomato Paste
6 oz
1.39 1.32 2 pack only

2.05

4.29
Better pricing for muti-packs

24-pack price equals 1.25 per can

Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
44oz
8.99 7.79 6.95

12.77

Native Forest Organic Coconut Milk – Light
13.5 oz
2.69 2.47

Classic
2.52

Only has Classic variety
2.45

2.47

It is clear that both Vitacost and Thrive Market are viable alternatives to shopping at Whole Foods even before taxes, travel costs, and time are considered. For these who don’t live near a store that carries these items, online shopping may be the only means to purchase natural and organic staples. Affordable, accessible quality foods are now within the reach of all our citizens.

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Glyphosate Found In 93% of Urine Samples

The Detox Project is a research organization bringing awareness to the public by testing for man-made chemicals in our bodies and in our food. The project gives consumers an accurate report on the levels of glyphosate in their urine.

Through this unique public testing project carried out by a laboratory at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), glyphosate was discovered in 93% of urine samples during the early phase of the testing in 2015. The urine and water testing was organized by The Detox Project and commissioned by the Organic Consumers Association.

The project has provided more urine samples for testing than any other glyphosate bio-monitoring urine study ever in America. It was supported by members of the public, who themselves paid for their urine and water samples to be analyzed for glyphosate residues by the UCSF lab.

The data released in a presentation by the UCSF lab only covers the first 131 people tested. Further data from this public bio-monitoring study, which is now completed, will be released later in 2016.

Later this year, The Detox Project will be working alongside a new, larger lab to enable the public to once again test their urine for glyphosate residues. The Detox Project is also researching whether or not an organic diet has an effect on the level of man-made chemicals in our bodies. They’re not just testing for glyphosates either, they are also testing for 150+ man-made chemicals.

The Results

glyphosate was discovered in 93% of urine samples

Glyphosate was found in 93% of the 131 urine samples tested at an average level of 3.096 parts per billion (PPB). Children had the highest levels with an average of 3.586 PPB.

The regions with the highest levels were the West and the Midwest with an average of 3.053 PPB and 3.050 PPB respectively.

Glyphosate residues were not observed in any tap water samples during the early phase of the project, most likely due to phosphorus removal during water treatment.

The Method

Glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine ) is directly analyzed using liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Water and urine samples are prepared for analysis by solid phase extraction using an ion exchange column. Extracted samples are injected to the LC-MS/MS and the analyte is separated using an Obelisc N column (SIELC Technologies, Prospect Heights, IL) through isocratic elution. Ionization of glyphosate is achieved using an electrospray ionization source operated in negative polarity. The analyte is detected by multiple reaction monitoring using a 13C-labelled glyphosate as the internal standard. Quantification of the analyte is done by isotope dilution method using an eight-point calibration curve.

The assay has a limit of quantification of 0.5 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-day precision observed are 6-15% in concentrations that range 0.5-80 ng/mL. Recoveries for glyphosate range 70-80% at concentrations within the assay’s linear dynamic range.

Glyphosate and Health Concerns

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Glyphosate-containing herbicides are sold under trademarks including Monsanto’s “Roundup”. Glyphosate was labeled a “probable human carcinogen” by the World Health Organization’s cancer agency IARC in 2015. The European Union is currently putting restrictions on the use of glyphosate due to health concerns.

Glyphosate has never been studied at the level of exposure that we in the U.S. are currently being subjected to (under 3 mg/kg body weight/day). Industry-funded science many years ago suggested that lower exposure is likely safe, but that more exposure could prove to be dangerous. Modern independent science has discovered that many toxic chemicals can have major effects on our endocrine system, sometimes at very low doses. Interestingly enough, due to the nature of endocrine disrupters, there’s often a “sweet spot”, where less or more exposure would be more damaging to health. These chemicals are known as hormone disruptors, or endocrine disruptors.

For more on the endocrine system check out Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones.

A study from March 2015 stated that the health cost to the European Union of only a few of these endocrine disrupting chemicals is over EUR 150 Billion per year. The same report also said that lower IQs, adult obesity, and potentially 5% or more of autism cases may be linked to exposure to endocrine disruptors like glyphosate.

“With increasing evidence from laboratory studies showing that glyphosate-based herbicides can result in a wide range of chronic illnesses through multiple mechanisms, it has become imperative to ascertain the levels of glyphosate in food and in as large a section of the human population as possible. Thus, the information gathered by the glyphosate public testing service being offered by The Detox Project is most timely and will provide invaluable information for the consumer and scientists like myself evaluating the toxicity of real world levels of exposure to this most widely used pesticide.”

These results show that both the U.S. regulators have let down consumers in America. Independent science shows that glyphosate may be a hormone hacker at these real-life exposure levels found in the food products. The safe level of glyphosate ingestion is simply unknown despite what the EPA and Monsanto would have everyone believe.” – Henry Rowlands, Director, The Detox Project

If consumers had any doubt about the extent to which they are being poisoned by Monsanto’s Roundup, these tests results should put those doubts to rest,” – Ronnie Cummins, International Director of Organic Consumers Association 

It’s interesting to note that the testing is on a volunteer bases, and some speculate that people getting tested are more likely than the general public to purchase organic foods and avoid GMOs.

How to Avoid and Detox Endocrine Disruptors

The most common endocrine disruptors we are likely to have in our bodies include Bisphenol–A, AKA BPAs, Phthalates (added to plastics to make them softer and last longer), Parabens, PBDE’s (found in flame retardants) PCB’s, Dioxin: (an unintentional by-product of many industrial processes),  pesticides and herbicides, and heavy metals. It’s a scary list, and there’s obviously many more chemicals we haven’t heard about yet.

The good news is that studies have shown that fresh, raw, organic vegetables detox the body of all of these toxins. It’s becoming more and more imperative that we grow our own food and buy unpackaged, unprocessed food to prepare at home. Get gardening and get detoxing if you’re not already. See the recommended reading list below for more on this.

Conclusion

If you’re ready to send in a sample, unfortunately, the project was put on hold. Due to the enormous interest, they had to temporarily stop the urine and water testing program until they are working with a much larger lab, which is supposed to begin in “summer, 2016.” You can sign up if you’re interested at The Detox Project here.

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How to Test and Amend Soil

Even gardeners with a green thumb can be foiled by bad soil. If you’re doing everything right but your plants are still dying, it might be time to take a look below the surface. Learning how to test your soil and use natural amendments to restore it to a healthy type will tremendously help your lawn or garden flourish this season.

The Different Types of Soil

When it comes to your soil, you might be thinking, “Why does it matter? Dirt is dirt”. That’s not exactly the case, though. There are several kinds of soil, and each is different. Each soil type drains differently and has varying levels of nutrients that can impact the growth of your lawn and garden. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the soil types:

  • Loamy soil. This kind of soil is the best type for gardening. It tends to be slightly acidic (which lots of plants prefer) and drains well to keep plants hydrated but not soggy.
  • Clay soil. When you have clay soil, it tends to be thick and feels sticky when it’s wet. While clay is rich in nutrients, it doesn’t drain well.
  • Sandy soil. Sandy soil drains well but doesn’t retain any moisture, which makes it difficult for plants to stay properly watered. Sandy soil is also low in nutrients and won’t feed plants well.
  • Silty soil. This soil type is rich in nutrients; however, it can get slimy when wet, resulting in poor drainage.
  • Chalky soil. When you’re dealing with chalky soil, you’ll find it is very alkaline and free draining. It dries out very quickly and doesn’t have many nutrients to offer besides calcium.
  • Peaty soil. Soil that is peaty is damp and spongy. It will retain moisture well, but drainage can be a problem.

Find out What Kind of Soil You Have

Now that you know about the different soil types, it’s time to do a test to find out what kind of soil you have. Use the following steps to get your soil sample:

  • Dig down about six inches and take some soil. If you have a large planting area, you’ll want to test soil from multiple places.
  • Put soil in a pint-sized jar until it’s about halfway full. Then, add a few drops of liquid dish soap and fill the jar the rest of the way up with water.
  • Put the lid on tightly and shake the jar for about three minutes.
  • Put the jar aside and allow 24 hours for all the particles to settle. Once it’s settled, you’ll be able to see the individual layers that make up your soil.

Check Your Soil’s pH

Your soil pH is another important factor in how well things will grow and even what you can grow in your soil. Knowing what the pH of your soil is and how to amend it is a big part of having a healthy garden:

  • You can pick up a pH test kit from your local garden center, but if you’re more of a DIY person, there are several options for testing pH at home.
  • A pH reading of 7 means your soil is neutral. pH readings below 7 are acidic, and readings above 7 are alkaline. An ideal soil reading will be around 6.5. This means your soil is slightly acidic, and nutrients will dissolve well and be readily available.
  • To raise your soil pH, you can add limestone to your soil. The lime will break down in the soil and raise the alkalinity over time.
  • To lower your soil pH, sulfur should be added. Peat moss can also be used, but this method isn’t sustainable. Additionally, peat moss has been overharvested in some areas, which may make it difficult or expensive to obtain.
  • When amending your soil pH, be sure to check your pH levels regularly and add any amendments slowly over time.

What to Do With Difficult Soil

Many gardeners often dump too much time and too many resources into their lawn before realizing it’s just not working as well as they’d hoped, or it’s taking too long. If you find yourself in this situation — with a soil type or pH that will take too much to fix — you can still have a garden.

You might look at planting raised garden beds and using prepackaged soil. This is a perfect solution to yards that are massive works in progress. A few advantages to a raised garden bed include:

  • You can quickly and easily put together a raised garden bed.
  • Raised beds are more accessible to gardeners with physical limitations such as arthritis.
  • You can often plant earlier since the soil stays warmer in a raised bed.

No matter what challenges are put in front of you, there’s always a way to create your own little slice of heaven by growing a garden. With the right testing processes and soil amendments (or raised garden beds), you’ll have your garden on track and ready to grow in no time.

What's Good Soil - Infographic by Safer Brand

Infographic created by Safer Brand.




Following the Photo Trail: Truly Healthy Celebrities After 40

Let’s face it: the majority of celebrities have a leg up in the looks department. But being born beautiful doesn’t mean you stay that way. The damage the body accumulates over time from poor food choices and an excessive use of substances like cigarettes, alcohol, and/or drugs (both recreational and pharmaceutical) can only be disguised with special effects for so long.

Then there are those celebrities who seem to get better looking as they age, prompting countless people to ask, “How do they do it?” Some of Hollywood’s finest have realized that the only way to keep what your momma gave you is through regular exercise and, most importantly, an exemplary diet.

Meryl Streep

Meryl StreepInstantly recognizable, Meryl Streep has been appearing in plays, movies, and television since the 1970s. What’s not so well known is her advocacy for organic, local food. Meryl was the founder of a food co-op and CSA when she lived in Connecticut as well as Mothers and Others, a campaign calling for tougher pesticide residue standards. She is meticulous about reading labels and finding the food she eats from trusted sources. Though not a vegetarian, she makes tries to eat less meat and to find grass-fed, organic beef. Her formidable talent is the reason she’s a fixture in prestige pictures, but the fact that she has retained her looks with only a slight luminous softening can be attributed to the smart choices she makes in regards to the food she consumes. Maybe the ketogenic diet had something to do with it?

Lenny Kravitz

Oh, Lenny. A rock star, sex symbol, and renaissance man, he released his first album in 1989. The years since then are the only indication that Lenny is actually aging, as his face remains ever the same. But how? Working out is an important piece in every healthy lifestyle, but that alone doesn’t account for over 25 years of looking fantastic. His secret? Listening to his body.

A vegetarian for 15 years, he then transitioned eating grass-fed, organic meat after he felt his body needed it. Now he focuses on fish (especially as he lives in the Bahamas for much of the year) and vegetables, often from his own organic farm. To round that out, Lenny never goes anywhere without his juicer. He might enjoy a decadent, outrageous cheat every once in awhile, but he knows that staying and looking healthy is about focusing on quality, organic food, especially vegetables.

Jared Leto

Jared LetoActor Jared Leto is a well-known vegan (or “cheagan”) who’s transformed his body for various roles over the years, a practice that’s given him a unique perspective on how food affects the body. While his Oscar-winning role required him to whittle down to under 120 pounds, another of his jobs required him to gain 67 pounds, which he accomplished through binge-eating foods like giant pizzas. Years of eating well left his body unprepared to deal with the weight, and he experienced problems with his feet and was at one point even using a wheelchair. The experience left Jared more committed to a healthy, active lifestyle, and it’s the reason why the changes to his face between now and the mid-1990s have been so minimal.

Susan Sarandon

Susan SarandonWe’ve been seeing more of Susan Sarandon in the news lately, whether celebrating the 25th anniversary of her film Thelma and Louise or professing her unabashed love for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. A woman unafraid to speak her mind, she’s also a fantastic advertisement for the benefits of taking care of yourself. She’s credits her exemplary outsides to her insides. A vegetarian for a period of time, she now prefers to eat a diet of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables while limiting red meat, carbs, and refined grains. Susan found that avoiding smoking and drinking alcohol while focusing on eating well, exercising regularly, and practicing deep breathing and visualization has translated to her looking and feeling her best. Yes, the outside reflects the in. It’s no wonder she looks better than ever.

Lucy Liu

Lucy LiuDetermining Lucy Liu’s age through photos alone is impossible. While she takes advantage of moisturizers, oils, and plants like aloe vera to protect her skin, she also credits what she eats for the longevity of her looks. Drinking lots of water and eating lots fresh fruits and vegetables is the easiest way to take care of your skin. Gluten-free for a while, Lucy takes a common sense approach to her health, with occasional treats but a focus on eating fresh foods balanced with an exercise regimen and meditation. She makes smart choices when it comes to her health as well as her career. You never know where she’ll show up next…but she will look gorgeous.

Jennifer Lopez

She’s been a fly girl, a dancer, singer, and an actress (among other things), and she’s looked damn good the entire time. People who work with Jennifer Lopez, from directors to peers to trainers, all eventually mention one thing: this woman is disciplined. That same discipline is evident in her diet. She snacks on fruits and vegetables, focuses on eating lean meats and nutrient dense foods, and avoids processed foods, fueling her body with the best quality, organic food she can find. Jennifer has always been active, from sports in high school to her years as a dancer to her current commitment to working out. She pairs that activity with an eating regimen that includes salads, other veggies, whole grains, and lean meats. Her lifestyle has allowed her to stay fit and glowing since her first movie role in 1986. It’s easy for Jenny from the Block to remember where she came from when her face in the mirror hasn’t really changed.

Tilda Swinton

Tilda SwintonAn artsy, oddball chameleon capable of disappearing into a role, Tilda Swinton’s distinctive looks render her immediately recognizable no matter her hairstyle or age. She does things on her own terms, and she credits good genes, luck of the draw, and her lifestyle in the Scottish highlands. While the first two are definitely factors, her life in Scotland has her cooking vegetables she grows herself and eating eggs from her own chickens. She’s not forthcoming with the details of her diet, but then she wouldn’t be the mysterious Tilda we know and love if she revealed too many details. All we know is that she likes to keep it simple. It’s clear from looking at the numerous photos of her from her collaborations over the years, that her choices and easy-going lifestyle have left her radiant.

Angela Bassett

Angela BassettStella got her groove back 18 years ago, but it’s plain to see Angela Bassett never really lost hers. Since her career got going in the nineties, Angela has always maintained that diet is more important than exercise in keeping herself in top shape. Her diet is similar to the Paleo program, with organic lean protein and non-starchy vegetables. She also stays away from processed foods, grain, and sugar. That doesn’t mean she’s willing to sacrifice taste though. Angela tries to keep it interesting by choosing flavorful and passionate food. She especially emphasizes eating non-starchy veggies, and you can tell that she’s willing to put in the work to be as healthy and happy as she can be.

Jason Mraz

Jason MrazHe isn’t quite over 40, and he’s only been in the public eye for 15 years or so. But when it comes to eating well and making smart, healthy choices, Jason Mraz is doing some pretty cool stuff. He eats locally whenever possible, travels with his Vita-mix for green smoothies, uses soap and vinegar to manage pests on his avocado farm, and sells the fruits of his labor to Chipotle while donating leftover avocados to local food banks. Mostly vegan after supporting a bandmate with diabetes in trying a vegetarian and raw diet, he makes an exception for eggs from the chickens that provide the fertilizer for his farm. He’s also a big fan of yoga. Hippie much? Yup! Jason is the perfect example of someone who saw what a difference eating well and being healthy can do and took control of his food chain to ensure that he’s eating is the best quality. The proof is in the chocolate avocado pudding (grown on your own avocado farm, of course).

Who Else Is Out There?

We’re never going to know exactly what celebrities eat. Most of the interviews about diet, especially for actresses, talk about how they only eat this or that…but then they mention they still indulge in some particular treat once in awhile in a somewhat vague attempt at relatability. We’re definitely not getting the whole story. For every interview that claims he or she is eating salmon and quinoa salad, there are most likely a hundred different things happening healthwise behind the scenes.

Obviously, genetics play a role here. Some actors are so humble that’s all they will ever attribute their good looks too. But that humility minimizes the importance of  diet is and how the choices they make help maintain their appearance. We are biologically wired to find healthy people more attractive. Makeup and plastic surgery can only hide so many unhealthy choices. Good food means healthy skin, eyes, teeth, and nails, and it gives a person an indefinable aura.

These celebrities are by no means the only celebrities who choose to eat properly, but they are some of the rich and famous who’ve surpassed expectations through the years of being in the public eye. When you see someone on the screen who looks years younger than they actually are, there are probably some serious health stories behind it. Who’s your favorite?

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Nurses Against Vaccines

Not all medical professionals support vaccination. Some nurses are bold enough to publicly question their safety for some time now. This is bad for Big Pharma’s image. Masters of the game, the pharmaceutical industry has pushed for vaccine mandates on all hospital workers, nurses included and they have been lobbying for laws like these under an all too familiar guise, for the betterment of all, for the “greater good.”

Vaccine mandates nearly guarantee that those who are skeptical of vaccines don’t pursue a career in medicine. Many nurses have lost their jobs for speaking out against vaccines, which has backed them  into a corner and made many of them feel like they have nothing left to lose. Most nurses choose to criticize vaccines under the guise of anonymity. As long as their identity is protected and reprisals are all but impossible. Freedom of speech is how these nurses are fighting to restore our medical freedoms. In the information age, censorship is more difficult for Big Pharma than it ever has been before. The world is waking up.

From all walks of life, here are the stories from those brave enough to speak out. Hear from the nurses against vaccines.

Patriot Nurse

In the time I was at my educational institution there was very little discussion, true discussion, and even less true debate, on the subject of vaccination, on the true science of vaccination and on real risks and possible perceived benefits of vaccination. So I had to search out the information, the studies, the data for myself and in an effort to find the truth, I have come to the conclusion that I am against vaccination, especially for children and infants under the age of 2. I have three main areas of objection. We could spend hours talking about this

…my areas of objection are the additives that are present in the vaccines, the vaccination schedule for children, especially under the age of one, and the sufficiency of breast milk for conferred immunity.

Guerilla RN

As an E.R. nurse, I have seen the cover up. Where do you think kids go when they have a vaccine reaction? They go to the E.R. They come to me.

…The cases almost always present similarly, and often no one else connected it. The child comes in with either a fever approaching 105, or seizures, or lethargy/can’t wake up, or sudden overwhelming sickness, screaming that won’t stop, spasms, GI inclusion, etc.

And one of the first questions I would ask, as triage nurse, was are they current on their vaccinations? It’s a safe question that nobody sees coming, and nobody understands the true impact of. Parents (and co-workers) usually just think I’m trying to rule out the vaccine-preventable diseases, when in fact, I am looking to see how recently they were vaccinated to determine if this is a vaccine reaction.

Too often I heard a parent say something akin to “Yes they are current, the pediatrician caught up their vaccines this morning during their check-up, and the pediatrician said they were in perfect health!”

If I had a dollar for every time I’d heard that I could fly to Europe for free.

But here’s the more disturbing part.

Mind you, I have served in multiple hospitals across multiple states, alongside probably well over a hundred doctors and probably 300-400+ nurses.

…I have even made a point of sitting in the most prominent spot at the nurse’s station filling out a VAERS report to make sure as many people saw me doing it as possible to generate the expected “What are you doing?” responses to get that dialog going with people.

And in every case, if a nurse approached me, their response was “I’ve never done that!” or “I didn’t know we could do that,” or, worse “What is VAERS?” which was actually the most common response. The response from doctors? Silence. Absolute total refusal to engage in discussion or to even acknowledge what I was doing or what VAERS was.

The big take away from that?

The number one place parents bring their kids in the event of a vaccine reaction is the E.R., and as an E.R. staffer, I have NEVER met anyone who filed one, in spite of seeing hundreds of cases of obvious vaccine-associated harm come through.

What does that say about reported numbers?

The CDC/HHS admits that VAERS is under-reported

…In an industry that is rocked on a monthly basis by horrible medication scandals, if you didn’t question everything they told you, I would look at you funny. And it’s my job to give these medications to people.

Just to note, on a recent scandal, I have been warning people about Zofran use in pregnancy for 5 years. The information was right there in the insert. It was right there on the manufacturing website. It was right there in the PDR. As well as on every downloadable app and printed IV drug book.

The information is there.

It is the medical professionals that are failing the general public.

…Everything I’m saying is public domain knowledge. It’s stuff we SHOULD be telling you.I am sorry we are not. I try to take a stand where I can, but at the end of the day, I’m only one nurse.

Matt Smith, RN

After being on the vaccine team for one day and seeing children get sick after receiving their vaccine, I came home exhausted and turned on TV and I happened to catch the Larry King Show and he had a story and it aired. I think it was November 2nd, 2009 where he did a story about 19 deaths caused by the vaccine, and it was a vaccine that I was giving out that day.

In response, I sent out an email to all my co-workers saying, “Hey, watch this report,” because I felt it was my responsibility to inform that what’s going on and they might be giving a shot that could kill somebody.

…Basically, they said, “Shut up, you’re fired. Stop using email,” and they sent me a confidentiality agreement threatening federal prosecution and that pretty much scared me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj6ZKVeQ8hU

Michelle Rowton, MSN, RNC-NIC, C-NPT, NNP-BP

Well, I had mentioned that they go ahead and vaccinate premature infants on time, meaning that once they are two months old, they are ready for their two month vaccines regardless of the fact they are supposed to have been inside their mothers’ stomachs and not even born yet, and some of the things we’re seeing and that are being said is like a neonatologist calling from the step down unit to the level three, to the more intensive unit, saying, “Hey, I’m going to give these four babies their two month vaccines this weekend so I just wanted to make sure you had four beds ready cause I know they’re all going to have issues and need increased care.

I had mentioned before that I had sat in the call room before with a bunch of providers saying, “Hey we have this 25-weeker that was so strong and now, they never required intubation with a breathing tube to actually go on the vent, had a less invasive type respiratory support and you come in and they’re like, “Oh how embarrassing. We gave that baby his two-month immunizations and now he’s intubated and on the vent for the first time. Oops.” And it’s just kind of blown off.

Really low birth weight infants are 28 weeks of gestation or less and under 1000 grams, approximately 2.2lbs or less at birth. You had a group of physicians and a practitioner that went into a database of a large neonatology corporation with almost 14,000 infants looked at. What the results said that they were looking at the pre-immunization period versus the post-immunization period and their sepsis workups went up 3.7 times in the post-immunization period. What sepsis means is a blood infection and so there were multiple labs drawn, blood cultures, urine cultures, they go ahead and start those babies on antibiotics right away while they wait for results so it’s not a benign thing. It’s life threatening. And if it ends up not being an infection, they’ve still had pain, they’ve still had invasive procedures, and they’ve had antibiotics given, which is not a benign thing for these babies with their very sensitive intestines. So it’s a big deal. We had increased respiratory support, two times higher in the post-immunization period and then intubation, actually getting intubated with a breathing tube and going on the vent at about 1.7 – 1.8 times higher and what really shocked me, I had to read it about three times, when I got down to the conclusion, they said based on this, there was no difference in reaction between single shots and combo shots and so you could just go ahead and keep giving the combo vaccines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPBHGa4TtUs

Whistle Blower Nurse

Since the Affordable Care Act came out, we are now as nurses required to ask every single patient who comes into the hospital if you’ve had your flu vaccine or your pneumococcal vaccine. If you say no to either one of those, in the computer an order will generate that says we need to give you this vaccine. We don’t need to speak to a doctor; it’s hospital policy. It’s now health department policy that we now have to give you the vaccine. Even if you came to the hospital with a stubbed toe, you will be offered both vaccines if you meet requirements, which just about everybody meets requirements for flu vaccine and most people over the age of 65 will meet the pneumococcal vaccine. Even if you come to the hospital with a stubbed toe, you are going to be given this vaccine. You have the right to say no. If you say no, they just check off as “refused”. This was never like this years ago. This was a new thing.

When you go into a hospital, if you need surgery, you need a knee replacement surgery, first they’re going to ask you if you’ve had the vaccines, and you’re going to say no. Then they’re going to say, “Well you need to sign this consent. If you’re going to have surgery, you need to sign this consent.” In the consent is a word called “biogenics” [and/or bioligics]. If you sign the consent saying I consent for you to give me biogenics [or biologics] basically it means they can give you anything deemed necessary, including vaccines. So if you say you didn’t get a flu shot and its flu season and you sign the consent to say they can give you biogenic[biologics], they will give you a flu vaccine even when you’re under anesthesia because you already signed the consent.

Unless you go and get your medical records, you will not know you got a flu vaccine. They may tell you at the end “Oh, by the way, you’re now covered. You got the flu vaccine,” or “You got the pneumococcal vaccine,” but two people now have reported to me last week, saying they got the vaccine, that they did not want the vaccine, and that they did not know.

… You can, when you sign consent for surgery, you can specifically say no vaccines. I don’t want this. You can write and initial after you say what you do not want and they have to honor that. And if they don’t honor it, they can be sued.

The word biogenics [biologics] is now being used. In the past, there used to be a consent that basically said we could give you blood products if we feel you need it, we could give you other medications if we feel you need it, but now with the word biogenics [biologics] it’s now including vaccines.

Brenda Ikemeyer, FNP

I’m a family nurse practitioner practicing emergency medicine. My story with immunization is basically I bullied a dad to get a chicken-pox vaccine for his two-year-old daughter when the chicken-pox vaccine first came out. She then developed shingles and went blind in her left eye at the age of three all because of immunizations. I had to take a flu shot because of mandatory vaccination for my job. I developed GuillainBarré and I could not walk for a month and a half.

…It was a new vaccine and they didn’t want to get it. Nothing had come out about MMR at that time. There was no controversy with immunizations at that time. That was in ’99, ’98. I blame myself. Probably in 2002 when I had my GuillainBarré reaction myself.

I do emergency medicine. I got out of primary care so I didn’t have to be part of the problem anymore. Now, I get to educate about why are we immunizing and when their children come in, I can actually make the VAERS report because their children come to the Emergency Department when they are vaccine injured.

#vaxxed review from a nurse practitioner

Posted by Tia Severino on Saturday, May 14, 2016

Anonymous Nurses Speaking Out Against Vaccines (Their names have been changed to aliases in order to protect their careers)

Mel RN

I became aware of the dangers….well, I had to get my DTaP updated about four years ago to enter into my FNP program.  My arm swelled up huge, like a football player’s and was red, hot, and swollen.  This lasted a couple of weeks.  I could not even work for a week or more.  To be honest, I have been sick ever since.  I have something autoimmune going on.  I am not sure what it is, but I feel my body go through “flare ups.” …I am not 100% if it is related to this, but it is a definite possibility.  Then, I have just awakened to more and more situations via Facebook and my own research.  I am in functional medicine as an R.N. and plan to specialize in this as an FNP as well.

Jana RN

There is a huge emphasis on informed consent of the risks/benefits of procedures/meds. Vaccines are not singled out in this portion of the education. I get a strong feeling from comments made by the instructors that in the real world we won’t have time for proper informed consent often.

Lila RN

A year or so after I graduated and had my first child, I noticed that a high school friend posted on FB that she didn’t vaccinate her child. This led me to look into them enough to realize that they weren’t made of saline solution. I saw that Jenny McCarthy had started a “Green the Vaccines” campaign. Unfortunately, I didn’t really dig much further than that until the CDC Whistleblower story came out in the summer on 2014. I posted about it on FB, and thought it was going to become an international story and immediately affect the U.S. vaccine program. When I realized that it was a media blackout instead, I really started researching vaccines.

Liz RN

If nurses knew more about the dangers of vaccines I think more of them would feel ethically conflicted about administering them. I think now everyone is fooled into thinking that neuro-developmental problems are genetic. I NOW know that genetics are involved in the extent of injury, but I believe all vaccines are injurious.

…Based on my experience it doesn’t matter what is presented in school because the science isn’t being done. “You give a vaccine, you make antibodies, you are protected” – that’s all there is to it. There is so much more to it than that but it has been hard to find, especially when organizations such as the CDC fraudulently withhold data, there’s poor access to the VAERS data, the VAERS data is completely voluntary so it’s almost meaningless anyway, there’s no transparent access to the vaccine safety data. All the lack of transparency, the deliberate Google misdirections, [and] the very system of research funding all goes against vaccine safety research and sharing of information.

An Anonymous Nurse From The FB Page Informed Consent

I was asked to discuss a cover up I witnessed.

…The ambulance report was a male child who had just received vaccinations a few hours ago, who was progressively deteriorating in mentation and finally experienced sudden onset seizing. It was what we call status epilepticus, where the seizure starts, and it doesn’t stop. It just keeps going. I wrote in large letters across the bottom of the paramedic report “JUST RECEIVED VACCINATIONS, NOW SEIZING”. Often I didn’t get a chance to convey relevant or important material to the doctors because we were too busy. That medic radio report was stuck on top of the chart when it went to the doc, and they were supposed to look at it first before anything else. It also was supposed to be part of their record for the visit as it was the only record of prehospital interventions we often received and functioned as the first director of interventions.

On EMS arrival to the scene, kiddo was still in active seizure. They had administered drugs to stop the seizure, but were not convinced it was not still ongoing at some subacute level because there was no responsiveness and they were seeing clenched hands, and tight arms, and minimal spontaneous breathing, but it was apparently there, and pulseox was getting a reading over 90%. Mind you, I’m just getting what the very scared sounding paramedic was quickly spitting into the radio. It always makes you clench up when the paramedics sound scared. Anyway, I acknowledge their radio report and looked for an open room. There was a couple literally walking out, just discharged. We had bare minutes until their arrival. I couldn’t find the nurse assigned to the room, so I just ran in and hammered out a quick clean down so we could use the room when the medics got there.

Right as I finished cleaning the room, they roll in. Charge nurse is finally back, but has no idea what’s going on. I grab the papers and get them into the room yelling back at charge nurse “pediatric status epilepticus” so he knew to get people heading my way to help. I started getting bedside report as we are transferring the kiddo over to our gurney. Mom is with them, near breakdown, freaked out. Additional help arrives as we are padding the bed rails and working on vitals, and the nurse assigned to the room finally arrives. At this point, I’m supposed to turn the case over. But this is kind of heavy to drop, so I pause and give the nurse a quickie run down emphasizing the pediatrician office visit and vaccinations immediately prior to onset of symptoms with mom nodding yes while crying in the corner and the paramedic nodding yes.

Here, I then get out of the way, and I step out of the room, telling the nurse I’ll get the rest of the history and enter it for her to save her time so she can work on interventions. At this point the doctor is finally getting to the room, chart in hand, with the paramedic report and my large block writing visible on it. The medic is talking to me telling the rest of the story for their report. The doctor interrupts us and asks what happened. This is typical. Poor medics usually have to tell their story three times before they get back out the door unless all the staff meet them at the same time in the room. The paramedic starts relaying the story from call out, what they found on scene, interventions. The doctor asks if there is a seizure history. Medic says no. I add in that the child vaccinated only hours ago, and symptoms onset was after vaccination. The doctor does a dismissive “humph” and turns away from me and looks at the medic and asks, “Is that right?” The medic says, “Yes.” Then the doctor looked at the room and the mom standing about ten feet from us, kind of glares at us, turned on both of us and walks into the room.

I finish getting the medic report. And the doctor has started some orders, and the doctor is now talking to the mom who I hear talking about how he was perfectly healthy earlier, how the pediatrician was saying he looked in perfect health, how he got his vaccines. I figured my part was done.

… A couple hours go by before I finally catch a break to go check in. We dosed the heck out of the kid with benzo’s, and he was sawing logs and mom was calmer. I caught the nurse and asked if he came out of it at all, and she said he had some semi-lucid speech at one point and it looked like seizures were done, but that he had been gorked out with the drugs and had been sleeping for a while. She said the labs and imaging had been coming back, and that the doc was in contact with a peds neuro trying to decide what to do with the case.

I went into the room to check vitals and re-document. I was honestly helping the nurse who was busy where I finally had a break, but it also gave me an excuse to get back involved and stay involved in the case. I talked with the mom while she was in the room. I asked what she had been told. Not much. She told me the doctor did not believe the vaccine had anything to do with it. I asked her when the doc had told her this, and she said right away, when they first got there and met her. I asked if she had shared what the labs and imaging showed, and she said all she was told was that there was some kind of swelling in his brain and they were getting transferred to another hospital, and the doctor didn’t know what caused it.

(Encephalitis, or swelling of the brain is a common adverse reaction to vaccines, and it is frequently listed in vaccine warning inserts).

I went out to look at labs and imaging report from the perspective of patient education with the intention of filling the mom in more with what was going on. I also dug through to the doctors notes to see what the doctor had written up. Since they were being discharged, I could help the primary nurse by printing off our chart copies to make a transfer packet. The paperwork is what kills in the ER. The primary nurse was more than grateful to get the help, and I was more than willing to help. Plus it let me get a look at what was going on.

I quickly noted that there was absolutely nothing documented in the physicians notes about the vaccination or the pediatrician appointment, in spite of its obvious necessity for mention as it was the “last known normal” time and correlated with an exam by a medical doctor who declared him in perfect health. If for no other reason, that should have been in there to establish time frames for onset of illness. But it also, because of this, did not include any mention of vaccination, in spite of the mom saying it, the medic saying it, and the triage RN saying it. It appeared to be a new onset illness, out of the blue, that occurred with no outside interventions or changes in routine, if you were to simply read her physician pass-off notes (which is all the receiving medical doctor is going to do. They don’t read nurses notes). So this information was not being relayed. Most disturbing, in the face of this absence of inclusion of potential etiology, the disposition line that my doctor included under diagnostic impression was “encephalitis of unknown etiology”. Okay, well, yeah, I can’t argue with that statement, but, there was a potential source, a change in daily routine and exposure, that was temporally associated! It should have been mentioned, or at least discussed as a possibility.

Not willing to leave it alone, I approached the doctor and politely tried to broach the subject. I said that I noticed when I was putting together the packet, there was no mention of the pediatrician office and the vaccinations in her pass off report and ER summary, and did she want to amend this before I finalized the transfer packet. I thought it was a polite way of nudging to try to get her to include it. I got “the glare” and a stern voice dismissal that was something to the effect of “they’re not related”. That’s it. I said something like Don’t you want to at least include it for the neurologist to consider? And I got the glare again and was told no, and to just finish the packet.

So I went about piecing and copying the packet together. I included a larger text line with more emphasis about the vaccinations in my triage notes, hoping that at least someone over there might notice that. And then I tried to find the paramedic report to copy it. There is the paramedic radio report that I fill in while I’m talking to them on the radio and they are inbound. Then there is their official run report, which is their paperwork, which they make a copy of for our records. Both were missing from the chart. In fact, every mention of the vaccines was sterilized from the chart. The primary nurse had not written in anything about it either.

…The doctor, of course, did not report to VAERS. In spite of the fact that there were lab findings, radiology findings, and symptoms which all warranted a VAERS report, and the child was not just brought in to the ER, but was hospitalized, and assigned neurological follow up care.

… I went and filed a VAERS report nice and publicly sitting at a prominent terminal as close to the doctors as I could get. I made sure to say it loud enough to be overheard that I was filing a VAERS report on the kid we just transferred when a colleague questioned what I was doing. I know the doctor overheard. She ignored me.Top of FormBottom of Form

Conclusion

Medical freedom is quickly becoming endangered. Sadly, some things must get worse before they get better, and this is what we are experiencing now. When persuasion to vaccinate fails, we are seeing mandates, coercion, and deception used instead. Although this may seem like things are getting worse (and in some ways they are), in the end, these kinds of heavy-handed tactics will only make us stronger. Mandating vaccines for nurses is ultimately what inspired so many nurses to speak out against vaccines. The biggest difference between the nurses who are against vaccines or for them is that those nurses who are against vaccines actually know something more about vaccines than simply how to administer them. Knowledge has a way of changing minds, the same way it has changed the minds of these nurses. They took the time to research vaccines, as they were not taught about the dangers of vaccination in school, they had to take the time to teach themselves. Knowledge is power. When we live in ignorance, we are slaves to the propaganda of others. It is knowledge of the truth that will set us all free and restore our medical freedoms.

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

Is your endocrine system healthy? If you suffer from regular insomnia and other sleep issues, dull skin, depression, low energy, alopecia, a low sex drive, weight gain, puffy skin, excessive fear, anger, or ADHD, the answer is no. These are just some of the many symptoms that pretty much guarantee a sluggish endocrine system. Basically, if you’re not healthy, your endocrine system is not healthy. An unhealthy endocrine system means congested and otherwise degenerated glands are causing imbalanced hormone levels.

Contents

The holistic approach to ridding the body of disease is all about achieving homeostasis of the body through proper diet, elimination of toxins, and targeting specific,underlying issues through supplementation to reduce the most prevalent symptoms and aid healing. In other words, the goal is to rebuild the body’s cells. This is always the goal with achieving or retaining good health. As Raymond Francis taught us, there is only one disease, and that’s cell malfunction, which has two causes: nutrient deficiencies and toxicity. How sickness manifests itself depends on which cells are failing. If you rebuild the cells, the body works properly. For most people this can be done with diet alone.

On the other hand, sometimes a specific gland, organ, or an entire system (and it’s often a combination) within the body becomes so depleted, infected, and toxic, the body needs targeted assistance.

When the body is overwhelmed with toxins, parts of the body will become so dysfunctional that simply functioning produces more toxins than the body can properly evacuate. Picture a car engine with a blown head gasket (or the wrong gas, or whatever makes sense to you). For many people, their endocrine system, or one or more of the glands within, are so dysfunctional that autoimmune disease is just around the corner. The head gasket is about to blow.

How do you know if your endocrine system needs help? As mentioned earlier, if you’re not feeling well, your endocrine system is taxed. Even if the problem is originating within an organ or another part of the body, if you don’t feel well, your endocrine system doesn’t feel well. A look at the endocrine system will explain why.

Endocrine Anatomy 101

endocrine system

The endocrine system is the collection of glands and glandular organs that produce hormones to regulate metabolism, tissue function, growth and development (which includes repair), sexual function, reproduction, sleep, mood, the immune system, and more.

The glands of the endocrine secrete hormones directly into the spaces surrounding their cells where the bloodstream picks them up and circulates them throughout the body, ultimately reaching the organ or cells designed to respond to the particular hormone. Hormones, much like the nervous system, tell the body what to do, and when. The endocrine system does this through chemicals, while the nervous system does this through electrical nerve impulses.

Nerve impulses execute their effect immediately, but those effects are generally short-lived. The endocrine system takes longer. Hormones have to make their way from the gland that produces them into the bloodstream and eventually into the organ or cells where the hormones will take effect. A common way to look at the difference between the two is that the nervous system causes short-term responses, and the endocrine system is responsible for the body’s longer-term responses. The two systems are mutually interconnected.

Endocrine glands are glands of the endocrine system that secrete their hormones into the bloodstream. The major glands of the endocrine system include the pineal gland, pituitary gland, pancreas, ovaries, testes, thyroid, parathyroid, hypothalamus, and the adrenals. When most people consider detoxifying the endocrine system to balance their hormones, these are the body parts that come to mind.

The endocrine system includes a few organs that are not exclusively endocrine in function, meaning, they don’t just release hormones. The hypothalamus, ovaries, and testes are included in this list, but the liver, pancreas, stomach, small intestine, kidneys, and the placenta are all also part of the endocrine system.

  • The hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and pineal gland are located in the brain.
  • The thyroid gland is located in the anterior neck, spanning between the C5 and T1 vertebrae, with the four parathyroid glands situated behind it.
  • The adrenal (AKA the suprarenal) glands lie on top of the kidneys.
  • The pancreas, stomach, ovaries, and testes are located in and beneath the abdominal cavity.
  • The thymus is a gland in the chest. It contains glandular tissue and produces several hormones. But the thymus is much more closely associated with the immune system than the endocrine system.

How Hormones Work

Hormones are chemical messengers created by the body to transfer information from one set of cells to another in order to regulate the functions of different parts of the body. This includes hormones that are created only for the purpose of telling another gland to produce another hormone. (In this case, this would be only to tell a glandular organ to produce a hormone.)

The endocrine system is regulated by feedback. Take the pituitary gland for instance. A signal is sent from the hypothalamus to the pituitary gland to secrete a hormone, which signals the target gland to secrete its hormone, which we will say is T4 in this case, a hormone produced by the thyroid.

When hormones enter the bloodstream they come in contact with many cells, but our hormones can affect only a few very specific cells called target cells. These target cells contain highly specific receptors, surface glycoproteins. The geometry of the glycoprotein molecules allows only for very specific hormones to attach to the receptor in the target cell surface.

Target cells have up to 100,000 receptors for any one specific hormone. If the desired hormone molecules are lacking, the receptor sites of the individual cells will multiply to raise the level of sensitivity. When there is an excess of a hormone, the receptors for that hormone decrease, reducing the target cell’s sensitivity. Back to our pituitary example, the levels of the T5 hormone should eventually rise in the bloodstream, and this tells the pituitary gland to reduce or stop producing the hormone responsible telling the thyroid to produce T4, and that’s a feedback loop.

Of course, this is a very simplistic explanation of only one of a few ways the body reduces hormonal response. There are many different kinds of hormones, and different hormones perform very different tasks. For a better understanding of these hormones, it’s on to the hormone creators.
Upper Endocrine Glands

Hypothalamus

The hypothalamus is a part of the brain about the size of an almond, located below the thalamus, at the center for many critical bodily functions. The hypothalamus monitors the amount of salt and water in the body (by sensing the concentration of electrolytes in the blood), hormone concentrations in the blood, and the body’s temperature. It is associated with rage, aggression, hunger, and thirst. The hypothalamus creates “releasing hormones” that stimulate or inhibit the secretion of pituitary hormones. The pituitary gland used to be considered the master gland, but now we know that the pituitary is receiving its orders from the hypothalamus’s hormones.

The hypothalamus is an intermediary between the endocrine system, the nervous system, and the immune system. Its responsibility includes certain activities of the autonomic nervous system like growth, metabolism, childbirth, milk production, circadian cycles, and more. If you feel fatigued, sleepy, emotional, hungry, or thirsty, your hypothalamus is communicating with you.

Conventional doctors and holistic health practitioners agree that the hypothalamus functions pretty much problem free for most people, but, anorexia, bulimia, malnutrition, infections, inflammation, chronic insomnia, an excess of iron, excessive bleeding, head traumas, genetic disorders, tumors, radiation, and surgery can cause problems for the hypothalamus.

The hypothalamus and the pituitary gland are tightly integrated. Together they regulate all processes having to do with our primitive reactions like fight or flight, body temperature, thirst, hunger, sexual activity, and survival in general.

Hypothalamus Nutrition and Herbal Support

Healthy fats, B vitamins, vitamin E, and glandular support (desiccated animal glands) are typically used to support the hypothalamus, but eliminating inflammation is key. This gland usually responds quickly to a balanced diet.

When the brain becomes inflamed, hypothalamic cells are disrupted, which leads to disease.  Research recently elucidated the effects of hypothalamic inflammation and how it can lead to diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

If the hypothalamus is failing, there are a lot of other problems within the body that need to be addressed, including the entire endocrine system as a whole, but reducing inflammation with healthy fat supplementation, the right diet, and B vitamins should be a good first step. Grounding and sunlight are also extremely beneficial and sometimes imperative for its optimal function.

Pituitary Gland

The pituitary is about the size of a pea. This gland lies in the sella turcica, known as the “Turkish saddle” at the base of the brain, behind the optic chiasm. The pituitary gland contains two functionally different body parts known as the anterior pituitary and the posterior pituitary. As far as we know, these two, while right next to each other, do not really work together.

At one time, the pituitary gland, also called the hypophysis, was thought to be the “master gland” that controlled all of the other endocrine glands. Now we know that the hypothalamus takes messages from the brain and tells the pituitary which hormones to excrete. For instance, the hypothalamus will secrete growth-hormone-releasing hormone or growth-hormone-inhibiting hormone to tell the anterios pituitary to release or stop releasing growth hormones. The hypothalamus and the pituitary are tightly integrated. Together, they regulate all processes having to do with primitive reactions, such as stress, rage, flight, body temperature, thirst, hunger, sexual activity, and survival in general.

Anterior Pituitary – Adenohypophysis

The anterior pituitary gland is controlled by negative feedback mechanisms that make up three-quarters of the pituitary gland. Once triggered by the hypothalamus, hormones are released by the anterior pituitary into the bloodstream.

For example, the hypothalamus releases hormones that tell the pituitary to release hormones that stimulate the thyroid to release hormones. These hormones enter the bloodstream to boost metabolism within the body where required. The negative feedback loop we spoke of above is how hormones in the blood communicate to the brain. When the metabolism has been successfully increased to the desired state, hormones in the blood tell the hypothalamus to tell the pituitary to stop stimulating the thyroid gland.

Principal Anterior Pituitary Hormones

Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone

TSH stimulates the thyroid gland to release thyroid hormones.

Follicle-Stimulating Hormone

FSH & LH (luteinizing hormone) are known as gonadotropins because they stimulate the gonads (testicles and ovaries). They are not necessary to sustain life, but these hormones are essential for reproduction.

Prolactin

PL stimulates milk production.

Adrenocorticotropic

ACTH stimulates the release of adrenal cortical hormones by the adrenal glands.

Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone

MSH is a collective name for a group of peptide hormones produced by the pituitary gland, the hypothalamus, and the skin. This hormone is an anti-inflammatory hormone that gets its name because of its effect on melanocytes, skin cells that contain the black pigment, melanin. Melanocytes are responsible for moles, freckles, and suntans. Melanin helps protect our cells from DNA damage from sunlight.

Studies have recently shown that MSH can also suppress appetite. In all likelihood, MSH is also responsible for a range of other processes in the body.

Human Growth Hormone

HGH (somatotropin) stimulates growth of the body and helps regulate metabolic processes. People feel younger and the body heals much faster when there is enough (or excess) growth hormone. The most important function of HGH is to tell the liver to produce IGF-1, or insulin-like growth factor 1. IGF-1 is considered by many to be the key anti-aging hormone. Together these two hormones influence every system in your body.

Increase Your Growth Hormones Naturally

If you get a prescription, injections given twice a day by a doctor can increase your IGF-1 hormone production by 20 to 40 percent. Professional athletes and movie stars swear by growth hormone injections. They may be the untold secret to many people’s success, but there are health problems with injecting hormones into the body. One of the many problems is that the pituitary can lose its ability to produce its own GH.

Some take pills and supplements that contain growth hormones, which are available over the counter like other supplements. Users should do their due diligence before taking any product containing human growth hormones.

There are also many supplements designed to increase the body’s growth hormone production (Growth Hormone Production Nutrition). When someone is matched with the right supplements, the right formula can increase IGF-1 levels by 20 percent or more. A good alternative to HGH injections, these supplements are amino acid-based precursor formulas that contain ingredients such as glutamine, tyrosine, GABA, arginine, and lysine.

Working out can dramatically increase growth hormone prevalence. A thirty-minute aerobic session can increase IGF-1 levels by more than 100%, and a serious weight training session can increase levels by 400 to 800%. On that note, everyone should be doing squats for a multitude of reasons, including but not limited to growth hormone production!

HGH Protocol

Squats have a myriad of health benefits including an increase in growth hormone production. It’s one of the most important movements we can do for our health. Try with just a few bodyweight squats if you’re out of shape, and work your way up to being able to do 100 squats at one time without getting sore. If you can’t do squats, try lying on the floor and then standing up, then lying back down to repeat, alternating legs each time. If you’re really serious about kicking up your growth hormone production, try sprints with high-intensity-interval training and low rep Olympic barbell squats with deadlifts, rows, pull-ups, and bench presses. The more muscles involved in the action and the heavier the load, the more HGH is released.

Specific nutrition is known to increase growth hormone production under the right circumstances; these supplements are much more powerful when combined with the right exercise program.

  • L-arginine is an essential amino acid that can increase the release of HGH, but do not take with sugars. L-arginine should be taken only with low glycemic nutrition.
  • Glutamine is your body’s most abundant amino acid. Studies have shown that even modest amounts can significantly increase HGH levels.
  • Glycine plays a critical role in initiating normal patterns of REM sleep and has shown some promise in increasing HGH. We’re not sure if the high-quality sleep is what’s improving the hormone levels, or if there are also other factors when supplementing, but proper sleep is a critical factor in the body’s ability to regulate the circadian release of HGH.

Adequate sleep is a must! The highest concentration of HGH activity occurs when we are sleeping.

Growth hormone and testosterone production peak during sleep. You can actually get people to test pathologically low for growth hormone by waking them repeatedly during the night. I always tell people that if you want to maximize your growth hormone, get a good night’s sleep.” – University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas

Avoid high glycemic load foods, which is good advice for most anyone who’s not healthy or wants to stay healthy. Insulin inhibits HGH secretion. High glycemic foods (which are generally processed foods with refined sugars) wreak havoc with our insulin levels.

Hawthorn berries, horny goat weed, and maca are also known to aid the body with HGH production.

Anterior Pituitary Nutrition

Conditions such as acromegaly, Cushing’s syndrome, and prolactinoma occur when the pituitary gland produces too much of one or more of its hormones.

Adult growth hormone deficiency, diabetes insipidus, hypopituitarism, hypothyroidism, and hypogonadism may result from the pituitary gland producing too little of one or more of its hormones. There are many more diseases that stem from a dysfunctional pituitary gland, like acromegaly, which gave André the Giant his stature and early death.

As previously mentioned, high glycemic foods and refined foods should be avoided for healthy pituitary function, but this is true for all glandular function, and for the entire body, for that matter. It should be noted that fruits with high glycemic loads have other benefits that make moderate consumption healthful, provided the person does not have an illness that requires limited natural sugars. Adaptogens like ashwagandha, eleuthero, holy basil, maca, Panax ginseng, Rhodiola rosea, and schisandra, as well as glandulars (desiccated glands), are generally used for naturopathic healing of the pituitary. Check out Shillington’s Brain Tonic and Desiccated Pituitary.

Considerable recent research has shown that the pituitary is extremely sensitive to diet. (Someday science will recognize that this is true for every cell in the body.) If you don’t assimilate enough protein, your pituitary can’t produce enough pituitary hormones (which are made up of amino acids). The pituitary is also known to need manganesevitamin Evitamin Avitamin D, and B vitamins for proper healthy function.

Posterior Pituitary Gland – Neurohypophysis

The posterior pituitary gland is slightly smaller and lighter in color than the other half of the pituitary, and it is not technically a gland, though it is a vital part of the endocrine system (and everyone still calls it a gland). This “gland” does not synthesize hormones. Instead the posterior pituitary stores and secretes two hormones, oxytocin and vasopressin, which are actually produced in the hypothalamus (master gland) and transported to the pituitary.

Diabetes insipidus is the only clinical disorder that is generally conceded by the medical community to be of neurohypophyseal origin, but more and more evidence suggests that the posterior pituitary may have functions now scarcely appreciated. Treatment for the posterior pituitary gland is lumped in with treatment for the entire endocrine system, and the nutrition recommended is the same as mentioned above for the anterior pituitary gland.

Oxytocin

OXT is a powerful hormone with a lot of responsibilities. During childbirth this hormone increases the strength of uterine contractions and stimulates the ejection of milk after delivery. Incidentally, pitocin is a synthetic form of oxytocin, used to induce labor.

Oxytocin is known as the “love hormone,” or the “bonding hormone,” because it’s said to foster maternal instincts and sexual pleasure during and after intercourse. It’s not just a sex hormone, oxytocin levels in the body increase when we hug or kiss a loved one like a spouse, parent, or child.

Oxytocin plays a role in healing as well:

As mice age, the amount of oxytocin in their blood decreases. But what does that mean for their health? Researchers injected oxytocin under the skin of elderly mice with damaged muscles and discovered the muscles healed much faster than those of mice left untreated.” – Mental Floss

We’re just beginning to find out that oxytocin radically affects many aspects of our lives. This hormone inhibits the brain’s fear center, has been shown to influence how men remember their mother’s affection toward them as children (likely true for women, too), makes it easier for us to lie, makes it easier for us to trust, has been shown to make men more loyal to their spouses, is released when we feel safe and unobserved (causing shyness and a desire for privacy), increases the pain threshold, relieves stress, helps us relax, alleviates depression, increases generosity, and generally makes us feel good.

While oxytocin is partly responsible for a man’s courage to ask a woman out, this dynamic also helps give men the loyalty to stay with their loved ones. Dads who got a dose of an oxytocin nasal spray were shown to play more closely with their infants than dads who did not get the hormone spray. Another study found that men in relationships, when given a burst of oxytocin, stay farther away from an attractive woman.

It stands to reason that oxytocin plays a key role (though certainly not the only one) in women being able to handle the strain and pain of childbirth.

Antidiuretic Hormone

ADH: (aka vasopressin, argipressin) is responsible for water concentration and blood vessel constriction. While precise control of the body’s water concentration is a function of several hormones acting on both the kidneys and vascular system, ADH is a key player in this process. Blood vessels increase re-absorption of fluids by the kidneys, which decrease urine production to improve hydration. The effect raises blood volume and blood pressure.

Not-so-fun fact: alcohol inhibits this hormone, producing the profuse urination we experience from a drinking binge, which can lead to severe dehydration.

Pineal – Conarium or Epiphysis Cerebri

The pineal gland, also known as the pineal body, epiphysis cerebri, or conarium, is an endocrine gland in the vertebrate brain about the size of a grain of rice. It is shaped like a tiny pine cone (hence its name), and it’s located in the center of the brain behind and above the pituitary gland. Mystics consider this gland to be the third eye and the connecting link between the physical and spiritual worlds, but until recently the medical community considered it vestigial (an organ that has become functionless through evolution). Now the medical community knows the pineal gland is our major source of melatonin production.

circadian rhythmMelatonin

Since its discovery in 1958, melatonin has been studied extensively and shown to be widely beneficial to the body. The pineal gland releases melatonin with a clear circadian (daily) rhythm. The trigger for the production and release of melatonin from the pineal gland is darkness. The darker it is, the more melatonin is released. Streetlights, nightlights, and ambient lights from cell phones, TVs, computers, and other electronics disrupt melatonin output. If you’re thinking that covering the eyes will solve this, think again. It turns out that light falling on any part of the body will inhibit the hormone. While the physiological function of the pineal gland remained unknown until recently, considering this gland seems to be able to see, the “third eye” concept once again gives credence to thousands of years of ancient wisdom.

It seems most health professionals agree that melatonin levels decline as we age, but this isn’t completely accurate. A Harvard study back in 1999 proved that melatonin levels do not necessarily decline with age. Previous studies had not excluded those on medications that suppress melatonin, nor did they control for factors such as sunlight and fluoridation.

On the other hand, our own melatonin may lose some of its potency as we age. Our receptors for melatonin don’t create the same power from the dose of the hormone they receive. In other words, as we age, the effect of melatonin in our body may diminish some. We don’t know much more than that yet, but it shouldn’t surprise anyone within the natural health community that this too is much more heavily influenced by lifestyle factors than age.

Melatonin offers many other benefits other than sleep. It is one of the most powerful antioxidants produced in the body. It is both water and fat-soluble which allows this neurotransmitter to reach almost every cell in the body, and some studies suggest this hormone may improve the immune system’s health.

Nighttime melatonin levels are low in people with mood swings, depression, panic disorders, seasonal affective disorder, and many other mental health issues.

Unlike sleep medications, supplementing with melatonin does not affect rapid eye movement, REM sleep, or dreaming, but many experts suggest limiting supplementing to no more than three months straight unless recommended by a professional, as melatonin supplementation may have long-term effects on the pineal gland’s production. (Like with other glands, you use it or lose it.)

How to Decalcify and Detoxify the Pineal Gland

Calcification is the biggest problem for the pineal gland, and the main cause is suspected to be fluoride, which accumulates in the pineal gland more than any other organ, leading to the formation of phosphate crystals. There are foods and supplements that can help decalcify the pineal gland, as well as other steps you can take to help rejuvenate and restore health to the third eye.

Don’t wear sunglasses. Light reflected by the retina stimulates the pineal gland. We’re supposed to get sunlight daily, on our skin and with our eyes. Just don’t stare directly at the sun of course.

Fluoride, chlorine, lead, pesticides, synthetic calcium, artificial sweeteners, synthetic fragrances, and mercury, are well-known endocrine disruptors that can lead to pineal calcification. Eat organic produce (from small, responsible farms), and drink only clean, healthy drinking water. When drinking or cooking with tap water, use a filter that removes fluoride and chlorine. A whole house filter, or at least one for the bathtub/shower, would be advisable since we breathe a lot of fluoride and chlorine and other chemicals into our lungs when we shower with tap water, and chemicals are absorbed through the skin.

Antioxidants are a big help to the pineal gland and the endocrine system as a whole. Oregano oil is a powerful antioxidant with a host of other healthful properties that can aid a detox. Oregano oil and neem oil are said to be able to remove existing calcification within the pineal gland. Spirulina, chlorella, wheatgrass and blue-green algae are chlorophyll-rich foods that can also assist in the decalcification of the pineal gland due to strong detoxification properties and massive nutritional benefits. Raw apple cider vinegar is another natural detoxifier that can assist with decalcification of the pineal. Iodine is also imperative for strong pineal function, but supplementing with too much can cause problems as well.

Vitamin K2 is imperative for the body’s ability to properly assimilate calcium. K2 also helps remove calcification and puts that calcium to work elsewhere. Vitamin K2 deficiency is common in modern society and has been connected with a wide array of health ailments. K2 is the new D.

Boron, naturally present in beets, can also be taken in supplemental form and can help decalcify and remove fluoride from the gland. Most importantly, avoid refined, processed foods. Eat a diet with lots of organic, fresh raw produce, which will alkalinize the body and alleviate almost every other symptom of poor health.

Thyroid

The thyroid gland is located in the lower front part of the neck. Thyroid hormones are best known for regulating the body’s metabolism, which is your body’s ability to break down food and convert it to energy. It also plays a role in breathing, heart rate, central and peripheral nervous systems, muscle tone, muscle control, menstrual cycles, body temperature, cholesterol levels, bone growth, body growth rate, nervous system development, brain, reproductive functions, and more.

Thyroid hormone receptor sites are found in every cell of the body. Every single cell of our body depends on thyroid hormones. If your thyroid doesn’t operate optimally, neither will the rest of your body.

Three Thyroid Hormones

Thyroglobulin is a protein (not a hormone) that’s produced by the thyroid, synthesized from amino acids and an iodide, and stored in the follicular lumen as colloid. This protein is used only within the thyroid gland for production of thyroid hormones. T3 and T4 are the two most well-known hormones the thyroid produces, and there’s also calcitonin.

Triiodothyronine or T3

T3 affects almost every physiological process in the body. The thyroid produces about 20% of the T3 in our body. The rest is converted to T3 from T4 in our cells throughout the body.

Thyroxin or T4

T4 (AKA tetraiodothyronine) is a prohormone (a committed precursor of a hormone, usually having minimal hormonal effect by itself) that the body converts to T3, a much more active and viable hormone. T4 is synthesized from residues of the amino acid tyrosine. A normal thyroid gland produces about 80% of the body’sT4 and about 20%of the body’s T3.

Calcitonin

Calcitonin lowers blood calcium and phosphorus levels by decreasing the rate of re-absorption of these minerals to bone.

Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism occurs when the thyroid makes too much T3 or T4 (or both). This leads to elevated blood pressure, rapid heart rate, hand tremors, and many other symptoms. Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disorder that is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. Graves’ disease causes antibodies to stimulate the thyroid to produce and secrete too much.

Other causes of hyperthyroidism can include:

  • Excess iodine
  • Thyroiditis – inflammation of the thyroid gland (causes T4 and T3 to leak out of the gland)
  • Benign tumors of the thyroid or pituitary gland (causes pressure, hormones leak out)
  • Large amounts of tetraiodothyronine taken through dietary supplements or medication
  • A tumor of the ovaries or testes

Hyperthyroidism can’t last forever; it’s sure to wear out a thyroid eventually, leading to hypothyroidism.

Hypothyroidism

Around 20 million Americans and about 250 million people worldwide have low thyroid function. Up to 90% of all thyroid problems are autoimmune in nature. Hashimoto’s is the most common thyroid disorder. In people with Hashimoto’s, the immune system attacks the thyroid.

List Of Hypothyroidism Symptoms

  • Allergic rhinitis
  • Asthma
  • Angina pectoris
  • Atherosclerosis
  • Bursitis
  • Conditions related to the cardiovascular system
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Carotenodermia (slight orange tinge to the skin, usually on the palms of the hands and soles of feet)
  • Cold extremities, intolerance to the cold
  • Coarse, dry, or thinning hair
  • Constipation
  • Decreased libido
  • Dry, rough, and/or itchy skin
  • Edema
  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Fallen arches
  • Fatigue
  • Fibrocystic breast changes
  • Fibromyalgia symptoms
  • Headaches
  • Hoarseness
  • Infertility
  • Hypercholesterolemia
  • Hyperhomocysteinemia
  • Hypertension
  • Itchy and/or flaky scalp
  • Memory loss
  • Mood swings, irritability
  • Muscle aches
  • Menstrual irregularities (amenorrhea, oligomenorrhea, menorrhagia)
  • Neck pain, stiffness, aches (especially in the back of the neck)
  • Knee pain (due to fallen arches)
  • Pallor (an unhealthy pale appearance)
  • Pain in the trapezoid and/or neck area
  • Psoriasis
  • Poor mental concentration
  • Polycystic ovary syndrome
  • Postpartum depression
  • Premenstrual syndrome
  • Reactive hypoglycemia
  • Recurrent infections
  • Sluggishness, tiredness
  • Shoulder pain
  • Tinnitus
  • Urticaria
  • Vasomotor rhinitis
  • Vertigo
  • Weakness
  • Weight gain

How to Heal the Thyroid

Learning about the endocrine system is one the best ways to understand how incredibly connected each and every part of the body is and how imperative a holistic approach to healing is to repair the body. You can’t really heal the thyroid gland without taking care of the adrenals, the pituitary – the whole endocrine system.

Fresh, raw, organic produce heals. Produce heals everything. Other than that, foods high in iodine and foods that are high in selenium are known to aid in thyroid function.

The thyroid gland requires iodine to function. Iodine taken by itself or ingested through fortified salt can be problematic. Good food sources include the usual: meat, seafood, yogurt, milk, and eggs, but there are vegan sources as well:

  • Blackstrap molasses
  • Seaweed
  • Himalayan sea salt
  • Navy beans
  • Cranberries

Selenium is required for the body to convert T3 into T4. Without enough selenium in the diet, the thyroid suffers. Seafood and meat are high in selenium, but there are also some vegan choices:

Vegan Food Sources of Selenium

  • Brazil nuts
  • Shiitake/white button mushrooms
  • Lima/pinto beans
  • Chia seeds
  • Brown rice
  • Seeds (sunflower, sesame, and flax)
  • Broccoli
  • Cabbage
  • Spinach

Supplements For Hypothyroidism

A number of vitamins and minerals are critical to thyroid health, and many herbs can help boost thyroid function as well.

B Vitamins

Vitamin B12 is found in every cell of the body. It is required for cellular metabolism and energy production, so obviously, without B12, the thyroid can’t function optimally. B12 deficiencies are very common with hypothyroidism. A lack of B12 can cause and worsen hypothyroidism. Even though most people actually consume enough vitamin B12 in their diets, a deficiency occurs in many due to an inability to absorb the nutrient in the blood. This goes back to gut health. The body cannot absorb and assimilate nutrients properly with a poorly functioning digestive system.

In addition, a poorly functioning liver radically inhibits the body’s ability to utilize B12. Unless a knowledgeable naturopath recommends it for a limited amount of time, do not take vitamin B12, or anyone B vitamin, without the entire B complex.

Vitamin D

Over a billion people worldwide do not get enough vitamin D. A recent study showed that vitamin D levels were significantly lower in people suffering from hypothyroidism than the general population. While vitamin D deficiencies and hypothyroidism do tend to take place together, a lack of vitamin D and pretty much every other disease (including cancer) coincide as well. It’s unlikely anyone’s hypothyroidism is primarily caused by a lack of vitamin D, but it’s a certainty that the body will not fully heal without enough vitamin D.

Vitamin A

We all know vitamin A is required for good vision. We also need vitamin A for the immune system, hormone synthesis, and the production of T3. Without enough vitamin A, thyroid hormone levels quickly drop.

Bromelain

Bromelain is the enzyme that makes pineapple the superfood that it is. Bromelain helps reduce inflammation.

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is an adaptogenic herb that has many benefits, including the ability to significantly improve liver function, and it can help stabilize cortisol levels. This helps stimulate T3 and T4 hormone synthesis.

Licorice Root

Licorice root can benefit the thyroid and adrenal glands for people who have low cortisol (adrenal fatigue).

Reishi Mushroom

Reishi mushroom is a good source of selenium, and it has a ton of other benefits including boosting the immune system.

Schisandra Chinensis

This is another adaptogenic herb that helps the thyroid and has many other health benefits.

Ginseng

There are many varieties of ginseng, all with their different strengths, but Siberian ginseng root, Brazilian ginseng root, Korean or Asian ginseng, American ginseng, and Chinese ginseng all benefit the endocrine system, and therefore the thyroid.

Selenium

Selenium is the major cofactor for the key thyroid enzyme 5’deiodinase. This enzyme converts T4 into T3 and can help normalize the thyroid hormone balance.

Zinc

A zinc deficiency has been shown to inhibit T3 production. Zinc also contributes to immune modulation, which may reduce thyroid antibody levels. Additionally, like selenium, zinc contributes to 5’deiodinase activity.

Iodine

A lack of iodine inhibits the body’s natural detoxification, leads to cancer cell growth, and causes hypothyroidism. The thyroid absorbs iodine and, in doing so, replaces other toxins it has accumulated.

It’s also important to avoid excessive iodine intake for anyone with Hashimoto’s or hyperthyroidism. As stated above, we highly recommend that any iodine consumed come from whole food sources unless otherwise recommended by a knowledgeable, competent professional.

Gluten, Hashimoto’s Disease, and Leaky Gut

When the thyroid is not functioning properly, there is a good chance the gut is hyper-permeable, or “leaky.” Many suspect leaky gut to be the main cause of Hashimoto’s. In this state where the gut is too permeable, undigested food proteins leak into the bloodstream. Human tissues have proteins and antigens very similar to those in foods, bacteria, parasites, and Candida. When the body senses these foreign molecules, it develops antibodies that attack the body, hence the name “autoimmune disease.” Gluten proteins are very similar to Candida proteins and proteins that make up the thyroid. This is probably why the immune response to gluten can last up to 6 months each time you eat it.

When healing the thyroid (or the body in any way), regardless of whether or not it’s due to Hashimoto’s, modern wheat is a bad idea for a multitude of reasons.

Important Notice About Gut Health!

If you restore gut health, in most cases, everything else will follow. Chances are you can ignore the rest of the article and just fix your gut to restore health to your entire endocrine system.

Fungal Supplement Stack – Knock Out Yeast, Candida, Mold, Fungus

The first three should be plenty for most people, but for impatient people with really prominent fungal issues and bigger budgets could use all of these:

I recommend taking the SF722, Berberine, MycoCeutics, and Microdefense with meals, and the Abzorb and Syntol separately, on an empty stomach (like in the morning and before bed). The Abzorb and the Syntol are a bit redundant, but I find good results using both if the budget can afford it. If money is really tight, just get the SF722 and put your money into your diet.

Also, for gut health, read the following:

 

Calcium regulationParathyroid

There are four parathyroid glands; they’re located two on each side of the thyroid. Although the parathyroids are attached to the thyroid gland anatomically, and the glands are connected to the thyroid, they have no related function. The parathyroid release parathormone, or PTH, or parathyroid hormone. PTH has the opposite job of calcitonin (the lessor known thyroid hormone); PTH increases levels of calcium and phosphorus in the blood. It accomplishes this by increasing the cells of the bone (osteoclasts), which reabsorb calcium. It also increases urinary re-absorption of calcium by the kidneys. In addition, it causes the kidneys to form calcitriol, a hormone made from vitamin D that increases absorption of calcium from the GI tract.

Parathyroid Adenoma

Hyperparathyroidism refers to increased PTH production, usually because of a benign tumor of one or more of the parathyroid glands (parathyroid adenoma). When PTH is excessively produced, calcium is reabsorbed back into the blood from the kidneys, bones, and stomach. This leads to a condition sometimes called “stones, bones, groans, and moans,” which refers to the classic set of hyperparathyroidism symptoms: kidney stones, osteoporosis, groans of pain due to intestinal distress, and moans due to psychosis.

Removing a parathyroid adenoma, a fairly simple, typically successful surgery, can cause an immediate return to healthy function.

Natural remedies for hyperparathyroidism generally include anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, vitamin C, desiccated glandsg, and vitamin D supplementation (extreme caution should be taken with large dosages of vitamin D when blood calcium levels are high). A holistic approach for tumors on the parathyroid will take time, but fortunately, hyperparathyroidism has a very slow progression.

Adrenals – Suprarenal Glands

Our two adrenal glands are on top of the kidneys, hence, the terms “adrenal,” as in “added” to the renal glands

The adrenal glands are composed of two entirely separate sections, the cortex and the medulla. Like the pituitary gland, the two sections of the adrenals evolved from two entirely different types of tissue.

Adrenal Medulla

The adrenal medulla evolved from the nervous system. The adrenal medulla works with the autonomic nervous system (the unconscious processes like breathing and digestion). The inner adrenal medulla has a direct connection to the brain.

Adrenal Medulla Hormones

The adrenal glands produce adrenaline (80%) and noradrenaline (20%), more commonly known among the medical establishment as epinephrine and norepinephrine. These hormones together are known as catecholamines.

The medullary hormones are not essential for life, but life without them would be difficult. Without stress, these hormones wouldn’t be necessary, but there are varying degrees of stress. The adrenal medulla hormones compensate when we stress our bodies with a simple act like standing up from a reclining or sitting position. Without these hormones, your blood pressure would drop when you stand because gravity causes your blood to pool at the feet and legs.

Adrenaline

Epinephrine, more commonly called adrenaline, can increase heart rate, contract blood vessels, dilate air passages, and get the nervous system ready for a fight or flight response. Epinephrine acts on almost every part of the body.

Noradrenaline

Norepinephrine, also known as noradrenaline, works with epinephrine and adds its own stimulus to the brain. Like adrenaline, noradrenaline responds to the fight-or-flight stimulus. Noradrenaline increases our heart rate, triggering the release of glucose from the body’s energy stores, and increasing blood flow to our muscles. Noradrenaline also affects the parts of the brain where attention and response actions are carried out. Noradrenaline is also an anti-inflammatory agent for the brain.

Adrenal Medulla Disorders

When the medulla is in trouble, so is the nervous system. Pathology of the adrenal medulla is primarily caused by neoplasm (tumors) or otherwise poor nervous system functionality, but there are many other issues that can cause too much or not enough of the two hormones. The nervous system will compensate for a lack of adrenal hormones for some time, but healing the thyroid, healing the entire adrenal gland, and if need be, healing the endocrine system as a whole, is the only way to ensure returned health to the adrenal medulla.

Adrenal Cortex

The adrenal cortex is divided into three zones and produces three main types of steroid hormones.

In medical school, one way we learned to remember these three layers is: ‘Salt, sugar, sex… the deeper it goes, the sweeter it gets.’ Not important, but catchy.” – Precision Nutrition

Zona Glomerulosa & Mineralocorticoids

Mineralocorticoids (such as aldosterone, which makes up about 96% of the hormones in this mineralocorticoid group) produced in the zona glomerulosa help regulate blood pressure and electrolyte balance. Aldosterone controls water and electrolyte (sodium and potassium) concentration.

The mineralocorticoids act upon the kidneys, which under the direction of these hormones excrete sodium or potassium as required to maintain optimal balance. Adrenal adenomas (benign, actively secreting growths in the cortex) cause hyper-production of aldosterone, which may account for as much as 25% of patients with high blood pressure.

Zona Fasciculata & Glucocorticoids

Cortisol (also called hydrocortisone) makes up 95% of the glucocorticoids hormones produced, but there’s also corticosterone and cortisone.

What does cortisol do:
  • Depresses the immune system.
  • Anti-inflammatory by reducing immune system response.
  • Retards allergic overreactions, but this may slow wound healing.
  • Promotes the breakdown of protein (catabolism).
  • Promotes the conversion of triglycerides to stored fatty acids.
  • Promotes glucose formation (gluconeogenesis).
  • Promotes resistance to stress which results in higher blood pressure.

Two well-known diseases of the adrenals are Addison’s disease and Cushing’s syndrome. Addison’s disease results from acute adrenocortical insufficiency. Cushing’s syndrome is caused by excessive adrenal cortical function.

John F. Kennedy may be history’s most famous Addison’s disease patient and required regular cortisone injections to deal with stress. Since one of the side effects of cortisol injections is a “tanning” of the skin, JFK looked his best (tanned and relaxed) during times of stress — immediately after injections.” – John Barron

Full blown Addison’s disease is rare, but adrenal fatigue is extremely common. Cushing’s syndrome is rare, too.

Zona Reticularis & Androgens

Testosterone is the most well-known androgen. Androgens are masculinizing hormones. In adult males, not many of these hormones are produced in the adrenal gland. Men produce most of their androgens in the testes while women produce their androgens in the adrenal glands.

Adrenal Fatigue

Many health care professionals estimate that 80% or more American adults suffer from some level of adrenal fatigue. With our addiction to caffeine, nicotine, and other stimulants and our tendency to bathe in Wi-Fi and cellular radiation, it seems likely.

Symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue Include

  • body aches
  • trouble concentrating
  • racing thoughts
  • moodiness and irritability
  • always feeling tired
  • feeling overwhelmed
  • hormone imbalance
  • cravings for sweet and salty foods

Nutrients that Boost Adrenal Response

How to Heal Adrenal Glands

Supplement with vitamin D3, a B complex that’s got extra B5, a fatty acid supplement with DHA and EPA, a good multivitamin powder, and a liquid mineral formula.

Get the diet right. No stimulants like coffee, caffeinated teas, energy drinks, tobacco, etc. In fact, no drugs period. Eat more fresh raw vegetables than anything else, and eliminate refined and processed foods like white rice, HFCS, and even that bag of organic, super healthy, ancient grain, non-GMO quinoa chips. If you didn’t make it, don’t eat it.

Make sure the body is working right in other areas that affect adrenals. The endocrine system as a whole, and especially the thyroid, kidneys, and hypothalamus, must be in decent working order to heal the adrenals all the way. If necessary, kill Candida and balance the gut. (it’s likely very necessary if you have adrenal fatigue with our toxic, sugar-laden, antibacterial crazed society, which is often the underlining cause of endocrine disorders).

Start grounding regularly, at least 15 minutes a day (more is better). Do some sun gazing while you’re at it (but do not look directly at the sun). Get out in nature a little every day or as often as possible (again, more is better). Avoid or compensate for Wi-Fi, cellular, and other EMFs (salt lamps help, grounding probably does, too). Learn to breathe properly by breathing in deeply in a manner that causes your stomach to expand when you breathe in.

If your symptoms don’t improve quickly, glandular supplementation can help (if you’re not vegan) and a few adaptation herbs can help as well.

The Pancreas

The pancreas produces enzymes for digestion (exocrine) and makes hormones (endocrine). The pancreas makes more exocrine than endocrine. Ninety-eight to ninety-nine percent of the pancreas is used for the digestive juices, but the pancreas also contains scattered groups of neuroendocrine cells called pancreatic islets, or islets of Langerhans. The pancreas is about 12 inches long and tapers to your left. It’s located in the upper abdominal cavity, towards the back, in the C curve of the duodenum.

Physiology of the endocrine pancreas — four cell types

The islet of Langerhans is comprised of four distinct types of cells, alpha, beta, delta, and gamma.

Alpha cells

Alpha cells constitute 20% of the islet’s cells. They secrete a hormone known as glucagon which is a polypeptide made up of 29 amino acids, which raise blood sugar as needed to maintain normal levels.

The pancreas releases glucagon when glucose levels in the blood fall too low. Glucagon causes the liver to convert stored glycogen into glucose, which is released into the bloodstream. High blood glucose levels stimulate the release of insulin.

Beta cells

Beta cells constitute around 80% of islet cells. They produce and secrete insulin, a small protein hormone that regulates how the cells in the body utilize glucose. Seventy-five percent of this glucose is used for brain function, while the rest is used for muscle function, red blood cell production, and fuel for every single cell in the body.

Beta cells also produce insulin-like growth factors (specifically, IGF-2), which are available in many body tissues at concentrations that far exceed insulin. IGF -2 shares the molecular structure and shape of insulin and is involved in growth.

Delta cells

Delta cells, which constitute less than 1% of pancreatic islets, secrete somatostatin, the same growth-hormone-inhibiting hormone secreted by the hypothalamus. This hormone inhibits insulin release and slows the absorption of nutrients from the GI tract.

Gamma cells (F cells)

Gamma cells also constitute less than 1% of pancreatic islets. They secrete a pancreatic polypeptide to inhibit somatostatin release.

Delta cells and Gamma cells regulate each other.

Diabetes Mellitus

As of 2015, diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. and it’s moving up, especially throughout the rest of the world. If stats took into consideration cardiovascular disease (when caused by diabetes) and kidney failure, those numbers could be considerably higher.

There are two main types of diabetes. Type I is insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and Type II is non-insulin-dependent diabetes, which used to go by the name “maturity-onset” or “adult-onset diabetes,” but with our modern diets, it’s not just adults over 40 anymore, or even just adults who are diagnosed with Type II. The third type of diabetes, gestational diabetes, is a temporary condition that occurs during pregnancy. Type I and Type II diabetics end up at essentially the same place, though they arrive there in a very different manner.

With Type I, the body can’t produce enough insulin to drive the sugar into cells where it needs to be used for energy production. With type II the body produces enough insulin (at least in the beginning), but cells become insulin resistant, so sugar stays in the blood.

Natural protocol for dealing with diabetes

Alternative methods for dealing with both types of diabetes are similar, but there are a few additional needs for anyone with type I due to the fact that it’s an autoimmune disease as well as an endocrine disease.

Metformin is the first-line medication for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, generally used to keep blood sugar levels low. Like almost every other pharmaceutical, it’s toxic and has a list of side effects. The good news is the following herbs are shown to work just as well, or even better when you consider the lack of side effects:

  • Gymnema sylvestre, also called “miracle fruit” (note that this is a common name for two unrelated plants), is an herb native to the tropical forests of southern and central India and Sri Lanka. Studies have shown that this plant can help maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
  • The prickly pear cactus, known as nopal in Mexico, offers many medicinal effects including the ability to lower blood sugar. It has been well documented by many studies, and it’s used for treating type-2 Diabetes in Mexico.

Other herbal supplementation known to stabilize blood sugar levels:

The following nutrition can help reverse insulin resistance:

You can also help to rebuild the beta cells in the pancreas to optimize insulin production with:

Remember, adrenaline suppresses the release of insulin. Some say to reduce stress, which is always a good idea, but more importantly, handle stress well without losing your temper.

Specific Additions for Type I diabetes (insulin dependent)

Since Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease, addressing autoimmune activity makes sense. But, the following nutrition wouldn’t be a bad idea for type II diabetes or for almost any autoimmune disease.

Immunomodulators

The following can balance immune system activity and reduce inflammation.

Infection

Viruses may be a cause of Type I diabetes (and Lyme, and many other autoimmune diseases). It’s not at all the whole story (and our bodies can turn off and on viruses depending on our health and genetics, and incidentally, our genetics change with our health as well). Candida, bacterial infections, other fungi, parasites, and/or viruses are likely to be running havoc on anyone with diabetes.

  • Garlic (antimicrobial, many other benefits, pills are ok but best when eaten raw, crushed, see more on garlic)
  • Olive leaf (rare herb that leaves beneficial bacteria intact, kills bad guys)
  • SF722 (antimicrobial, specifically very effective antifungal
  • Berberine (powerful antimicrobial)
Other Nutrition

Protect organs from damage and repair damage caused by the high insulin caused by diabetes:

  • Blood cleaning formula, because the healthier the blood is, the healthier the body is.
  • Proteolytic enzymes (aka systemic enzymes) to break down protein. (Better assimilation of proteins, and helps break down virus proteins, too.)
  • Probiotics, because anyone who’s eaten enough sugar to get a diabetes diagnosis needs to take a good probiotic for a long time!
  • Coenzyme Q10 may help with blood glucose control, and it’s got a massive amount of other benefits, many of which help with diabetic issues.

Gonads – Reproductive Organs

Although the gonads are part of the endocrine system, their primary purpose is to produce gametes (semen and eggs).

The woman’s ovaries are located on both sides of the uterus below the opening of the fallopian tubes. They are oval or almond-shaped. The ovaries produce estrogen and progesterone. These two hormones affect many of the female characteristics and reproductive functions.

The male’s testes are egg-shaped organs that hang in a pouch of skin called the scrotum outside the male body. The testes produce testosterone, which affects many of the male characteristics and sperm production.

Women synthesize most of their estrogen in their ovaries and other reproductive tissues. Since men lack this female anatomy, they need to produce estrogen through a process involving an enzyme called aromatase that transforms testosterone into estradiol.

In women, testosterone is produced in various locations. One-quarter of the hormone is produced in the ovaries, a quarter is produced in the adrenal glands, and one-half is produced in the peripheral tissues from the various precursors produced in the ovaries and adrenal glands.

Testes

The testes secrete testosterone, which is necessary for proper physical development in boys. Testosterone maintains libido, muscle strength, and bone density. Disorders result from a lack of testosterone production. Here are the common causes:

  • Defects in the pituitary, hypothalamus, thyroid, and adrenals can affect testosterone production.
  • Medications can affect testosterone production.
  • Testes-based conditions, such as severe injury, radiation, or chemotherapy can all deplete testosterone levels.

Besides the case of an injury, if the testicles aren’t working there’s almost always a problem within the endocrine system.

Raise Your Testosterone Naturally

  • HITT (High-intensity interval training)
  • Weightlifting
  • Moderate intermittent fasting
  • Don’t smoke
  • Detoxify the endocrine system (if need be)
  • Eliminate refined foods, especially sugar
  • Eat healthy fats
  • Get enough vitamin D and zinc
  • Handle stress well
  • Sleep well
  • Avoid soy and alcohol
  • Eat nuts
  • Limit or eliminate coffee

Ovaries

The ovaries are a pair of ova-producing organs (that is, they produce egg cells) that maintain the health of the female reproductive system. The ovaries, like their male counterpart, the testes, are known as gonads. This simply means they are the primary reproductive organs.

In addition to their role in producing ova, the ovaries also have the distinction of being an endocrine gland because they secrete hormones—primarily estrogen and progesterone—that are vital to normal reproductive development and fertility.

Estrogen (estradiol, specifically) plays a vital role in breast development, fat distribution, and the development of the reproductive organs.

Diseases and Disorders of the Ovaries

Diseases associated with the ovaries include ovarian cysts, ovarian cancer, menstrual cycle disorders, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and osteoporosis.

Menopause is a rapid loss of estrogen production at a certain age, typically around 50; better health can delay it.

The ovaries play an immensely important role in the female reproductive system, and in the endocrine system as a whole. The hormones they secrete ensure the proper development of the female body and promote healthy fertility.

Natural Remedies for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Avoid AGEs: Women with ovarian cysts have higher levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in their blood. These are cancer-causing compounds formed when glucose binds with proteins, typically caused by high-heat cooking methods with meat and sugars.

Get Enough Nutrition

Obviously, eat well, but also make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D, calcium, vitamin E, essential fatty acids, chromium, and magnesium.

Avoid Wheat

Just try it for two weeks. Today’s wheat is wreaking havoc on our bodies, and many women dealing with ovarian cysts have issues with gluten. Eliminate refined sugars as well, detoxify the gut, and take care of the endocrine system.

Supplemental
  • Increasing progesterone in the body, which decreases estrogen, can help as well. You can do this with a progesterone cream applied to the skin, but the following herbal remedies are a better choice than ingesting or absorbing a hormone.
  • Maca root (Lepidium meyenii) helps the body produce progesterone, balances the hormones, and helps balance the endocrine system as a whole.
  • Black Cohosh root (Actaea racemosa): helps regulate the menstrual cycle, and is really good at relieving ovarian pain.
  • Dong Quai root (Angelica sinensis) is a Chinese herb known to aid hormonal balance and, specifically, congestive fertility issues. Dong Quai also supports healthy circulation to the reproductive organs and promotes healthy menstruation cycles. Dong quai should not be consumed by women with fibroids or blood-clotting problems.
  • Milk thistle seed (Silybum marianum) supports hormonal balance through liver support.
  • Tribulus (Tribulus terrestris) has been shown to normalize ovulation when used prior to ovulation.
  • Vitex, AKA chaste tree berry, chasteberry (Vitex agnus-castus) aids in regulating hormonal balance, promotes ovulation, and improves menstrual cycle regularity.
  • Wild yam root (Dioscorea villosa) promotes a healthy menstrual cycle and hormonal balance and reduces ovarian pain.
Naturally Alleviate Menopause Symptoms

Menopause can be both a blessing and a curse. The right diet can usually alleviate symptoms, but the bad news for some women is that when health is restored fully, menopause may be delayed. It may be a choice between hot flashes or periods, but know that PMS symptoms dissipate as well with better health, and so does heavy menstrual bleeding.

  • Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa, Cimicifuga racemosa) has received considerable scientific attention for its effects on hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms.
  • Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) has been reported to help women with hot flashes. Studies report few side effects and no serious health problems with use.
  • Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis) has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat gynecologic conditions for centeries. Dong quai has blood thinning properties, and should not be consumed by anyone with fibroids or blood-clotting problems.
  • Evening primrose oil or black currant oil provide gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an essential fatty acid that can influence prostaglandin synthesis and help moderate menopausal symptoms.
  • Ginseng (Panax ginseng or Panax quinquefolius has been shown in research to alleviate some menopausal symptoms, but it has not been found to be helpful for hot flashes.
  • Omega 3s with DHA and EPA, B vitaminsvitamin D, Vitamin E, Magnesium, and exercise have all been shown to alleviate hot flashes as well.
Natural Remedies for PMS

Most women deal with headaches, mood swings, bloating, and other hormonal problems that threaten their relationships, work life, and well-being every month due to PMS.

It’s not a curse. It’s not something women have to live with. Difficult monthly cycles are a sign of poor health. The healthiest women barely notice their cycle, do not feel as though emotions run away with them every month, are exceptionally regular, they do not cramp, and they spot, as opposed to a heavy bleed. Along with a healthy diet, make sure you have the basics covered, including B vitamins (get a complex with extra B6), healthy fats (with DHA and EPA) vitamin D, Vitamin E, Magnesium and exercise, along with lots of fresh, raw, organic produce every day (more vegetables than fruit). And as always, avoid stimulants, soy and refined processed foods.

PMS is also a symptom of an unhealthy gut with too much Candida. Cutting out sugar and other foods that feed yeast, and high-quality probiotics taken regularly also work wonders for many women with difficult PMS.

Also for cramps, cranberry lemonade with stevia, and Mountain Rose Herb’s pregnancy tea works amazingly well. This is also great for detoxifying the liver and kidneys, and alleviating morning sickness.

  • Chasteberry fruit extract (Vitex Agnus-astus) can help balance the hormones released by the pituitary gland that control your overall hormone function. Studies of over 5,000 women have found it effective. Take 100 mg twice a day of a 10:1 extract.
  • Wild yam (Dioscorea villosa) and cramp bark (Viburum opulus) can help regulate cycles and relieve cramps.
  • Dandelion root can help with liver detoxification and also works as a diuretic.
  • Flax seeds contain lignans that balance hormone metabolism and block some negative effects of too much estrogen. The fiber in flax seeds helps too. 
  • Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa, Cimicifuga racemosa) has received considerable scientific attention for its effects on hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms.
  • Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) has isoflavones that improve estrogen detoxification.
  • Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis) is an antispasmodic herb that eases cramps and other symptoms of PMS. It dilates blood vessels to increase flow and helps replenish blood after the period has ended.

Some swear by progesterone creams to calm raging PMS. As previously mentioned, increasing progesterone reduces the problems associated with estrogen. Extreme care should be taken with this or similar hormone therapies.

Endocrine Abilities of the Liver, Heart, Stomach, and Kidneys

The kidneys release erythropoietin and calcitriol. Erythropoietin stimulates the red bone marrow to produce red blood cells (erythrocytes), and calcitriol is a hormone involved in regulating the amount of calcium and phosphate ions found in our blood.

The heart produces a peptide hormone called natriuretic peptide (ANP) that’s involved with regulating blood pressure and blood volume in our blood vessels.

The stomach produces many hormones, including gastrin which is involved in stimulating parietal cells in the stomach to secrete gastric acid (HCl), which increases the acidity (decreases the pH) and gets the digestive system ready to absorb and assimilate nutrition.

The liver releases thrombopoietin, which is involved in the production of platelets required for blood clotting.

When the endocrine system does not perform well, it can set off a chain reaction that affects all of the body’s hormone production, which can affect every gland, every organ, and obviously the entire body. While specific detoxification and healing protocols of these hormone-secreting organs are a bit out of the scope of this article. A holistic protocol that addresses the endocrine system as a whole will address hormonal activities of the heart, liver, stomach, and kidneys, and improve their entire functionality as well.

Heal the Endocrine System and Balance Hormones Step By Step

As OLM always says, it starts with diet. Supplemental therapies are much more effective with a healthy diet, and for most people, the right diet is all they need. But there are plenty of people who do not have access to healthy foods, and there are many who have such a depleted endocrine system that the body is just plain going to need a lot of help.

Eliminate and Flush Out Endocrine Disrupters and Detox the Body

Endocrine disruptors (EDs) are chemicals that mimic our own hormones. They bind hormone receptors and disrupt the body’s normal hormonal actions. Endocrine disruptors may cause a more powerful response than the natural hormone would have or a diminished response. In some cases, they cause a completely different response than its natural counterpart would have created. EDs are typically measured in parts per trillion, which is indicative of the fact that very small amounts can have a disrupting effect on us. EDs are very stable. They don’t break down quickly. This is, in large part, why they are in so many products. They also get stored in our fat cells. They tend to stick around for a long time.

How to Avoid Exposure to Endocrine Disruptors

  • Keep your home clean, and vacuum often.
  • Always avoid artificial fragrances
  • Avoid plastic (I know, easier said than done)
  • Avoid touching, breathing the air, or consuming foods or liquids that have come in contact with warm or hot plastics (make sure that a hot car is well ventilated)
  • Avoid canned foods
  • Avoid any and all BPAs and most products that replaced BPAs with other petroleum based products
  • Filter tap water before drinking
  • Get a whole house water filter (we breathe chemicals from tap water when we shower)
  • Avoid chemical cleaning products
  • Avoid conventional personal care products like makeup, shampoos, soaps, moisturizers, etc.
  • Avoid food sprayed with chemicals
  • Avoid BPA paper receipts (some receipts contain 250 to 1,000 times the amount of BPA typically found in a can of food)

As usual, eating right makes all the difference. Science is finding that people who eat well, and include copious amounts of various vegetables in their diet, have less concentration of BPAs and other EDs in their body than people exposed to similar levels who do not eat well.

Get Your Gut Right

A healthy gut expels toxins better than an unhealthy gut. A healthy gut has beneficial bacteria, which science is finding makes a big difference in the amount of EDs we retain. Specifically, there’s been some big research on probiotics:

In one study, lab rats were exposed to BPA and some of them were later given probiotics. The results found that the amount of BPA excreted through urine and bowel movement was 2.4 times greater in the rats given probiotics, and the percentage of BPA bound to the excrement was significantly greater. This equated to lower BPA concentration levels in the blood for the rats administered probiotics.

Eat Right – Always Be Detoxifying

Eat a salad every day with lots of raw vegetables and herbs, many of which help moderate estrogen and other hormone levels, and these salads will help flush out chemicals. Drink lots of water, and try cranberry lemonade with stevia to aid the body with detoxification.

Avoid and Remove Toxic Heavy Metals

Arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, and many more of these kinds of waste from industry have detrimental effects on our endocrine system.

Supplements and Foods that Remove Heavy Metals

Sleep Well

We work all day. Our body works all night to regenerate. When we don’t get enough sleep, we need adrenalin to make it through the day. This wears out the adrenal glands and eventually disrupts the entire system. Adrenaline, as common as it is, can be toxic to us after some time. Get plenty of quality, deep, regenerative sleep and don’t compensate with stimulants.

Exercise and Be Active

If sleeping well is difficult, exercise is most likely the answer. But that’s not all exercise has to offer. Breathing heavily and sweating profusely during an intense exercise program can expel a tremendous amount of toxins. Exercise also resets our hormones, balances our mood, and makes our brain work much better. While most turn to alcohol, television, and drugs during times of stress, this is when we need exercise the most. Here’s a tip: next time life gets too stressful, take a squat break. Squats release tons of hormones and will help alleviate stress and cravings for vices.

Top 10 Herbs, Vitamins, and Minerals for Better Endocrine Health

Before we get into this, know that every vitamin and mineral is important. We tend to be low in some more than others due to the way we live, but taking vitamin D won’t make up for not getting enough calcium. For that matter, taking a calcium supplement won’t make up for not getting enough calcium either, because we need to get most of our vitamins and minerals from our food. Supplements can supplement our food, but they don’t make up for a toxic diet.

  1. B vitamins: Always use a complex unless otherwise recommended by a professional.
  2. Fatty acids with DHA and EPA: There’s a million reasons, but the bottom line is that we need the right fats to create healthy cells. Since cells are what we are made of, healthy cells = healthy body.
  3. Vitamin D: It’s actually a hormone.
  4. Magnesium: Like vitamin D, Magnesium is one of those nutrients that we tend to be pretty low in, and the results from fixing the deficiency are usually pretty dramatic.
  5. Maca root: Most often taken to improve libido, energy levels, mood, and fertility, maca does not affect the hormones directly, but it has hormone-balancing effects that help alleviate a range of stressors including fatigue, anxiety, stress, depression, and sleep issues.
  6. Chasteberry: This herb has been used for thousands of years by women to relieve menstrual problems and it’s also used by natural health practitioners to reduce a male’s testosterone levels when need be (not recommended for most men of course).
  7. Black cohosh: First used by native Americans, and now very popular in Europe, this herb has commonly been used to treat symptoms of menopause, PMS, painful menstruation, acne, weakened bones osteoporosis, and for starting labor in pregnant women. Black cohosh also has many positive benefits for men as well.
  8. Saw palmetto: While the previous two are typically used by women, saw palmetto is known as a male supplement, primarily for better prostate health and to balance men’s hormones. But it’s not just for men, as it’s also useful for women with hair loss, acne, menopausal symptoms, and more. It also keeps women from producing too much testosterone but does not seem to impede normal production.
  9. Glandulars: Glandulars are desiccated glands, typically derived from pigs, cows, or sheep. They are obviously not for vegans, but if they are an option, glandulars provide the nutrition that the glands need, obviously, since they are made up of that nutrition.

Stress

You see every professional talking about eliminating stress when you look at articles about balancing hormones. For those who like to cause stress, this is great advice. On the other hand, the idea of eliminating stress for most people is fool hearty. Accidents happen. Children go missing. People get fired. Wars happen. People die. Stress will always be around, ready and waiting to consume us. The trick is in how you handle it.

People who are dealing with a lot of stress often attempt to balance their hormones in part by avoiding stress, but the stressful situation that may have helped set off the hormonal imbalance still needs to be dealt with, and chances are, dealing with stressful situations is going to be stressful.

Handle stress better.

Breathe properly (deeply, like a singer or a martial artist). A well-trained massage therapist can help detoxify the body, and we all know how relaxing a massage can be. Grounding helps open our energy pathways, which has a tremendous effect on our glands. Spend lots of time in nature. Try yoga. Meditate. And don’t quickly make big decisions when you are stressed.

Conclusion

It takes time for the endocrine system to heal; it’s rarely a quick process. Since our endocrine system is responsible for our hormones, when our hormones aren’t working, we really aren’t ourselves. Or at least, we’re not our best. Hormones influence us so powerfully that a balanced endocrine system can be the difference between happiness and misery. When our hormones aren’t working right, we can’t think straight. We make poor decisions. We lash out. We live in fear. We excite too easily. We sleep too much or not nearly enough. Hormone balance is critical! But that’s the catch.We tend to self-sabotage when our hormones aren’t working properly. Someone who’s head isn’t working right tends to have a very hard time getting well. It often makes a long road to health even longer. And for those who are overweight, hormonal problems will continue to be an issue until well after that excess weight is lost because of how we store toxins in our fat.

Be patient. The good news is that it virtually always takes a heck of a lot less time to get well than it took to get chronically ill. And if you read this far without skipping ahead, then patience is something you obviously have!

P.S. The following is a list of supplements that could all be taken together (save the male and female formulas, obviously you’ll pick one). Not everyone will need more than a few of these to see significant results. Most importantly, nobody will notice significant results without a healthy diet. It’s imperative that the gut is taken into consideration for any holistic approach to healing. Gut health comes first, and ignoring the gut will result in a lot of problems. Be sure to check out Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included, and Candida, Gut Flora, Allergies, and Disease, and see the Further Reading section below.

Recommended Products:
Related Reading:
Sources: