One day you stumble when you’re walking down the street. The curb seems a bit higher than it used to be. Maybe your first symptom is blurred or double vision. Or perhaps it’s the sudden onset of weakness, fatigue, or physical sensations like pins and needles.

Multiple sclerosis, commonly referred to as MS, is an autoimmune disease with a range of symptoms. It may present with a sudden onset or its course may be slow or intermittent. Symptoms may appear, disappear, and return years later. There is no specific progression with definite symptoms. Episodes can last for days, weeks, or months and alternate with periods of reduced or no symptoms. Because of the nature of the disease and how it attacks the central nervous system, it can affect many parts of the body, including the bowel, the bladder, or the eyes, and it can interfere with speech and swallowing.

Multiple sclerosis affects approximately 70,000 people in the UK and around 400,000 in the United States. The disease is usually diagnosed in young adults. Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with MS than men.

Contents

• What is MS?

• Potential Causes and Contributing Factors of MS

• Therapies, Herbs, Vitamins, Minerals, and Other Nutrients for MS

• Specific MS Protocol

Symptoms of MS

Symptoms of MS may include one or a combination of the following:

• Abnormal vision – blurred vision, double vision, loss of color perception, and loss of depth perception. Can present as loss of vision, usually in one eye. Eye movement is painful.
• Numbness or Weakness – typically occurs on one side of the body or in the legs and trunk. Loss of dexterity. Difficulty lifting or holding items. Difficulty swallowing.
• Clumsiness, tremor –loss of balance, lack of coordination may result in tripping and dropping things, walking as if intoxicated, slurred speech.
• Brain fog – difficulty concentrating, remembering, processing information, even speaking. During an MS flare, some people pause between words when speaking.
• Dizziness – could feel like motion sickness.
• Tingling or pain could be experienced as pins and needles, pain, or electric shock sensations that occur with neck movements.
• Fatigue
• Bladder and bowel problems.
• Psychiatric symptoms – depression, unstable mood, anxiety.
• Dysesthesia – burning, aching, or “girdling” around the body
• Trigeminal neuralgia – a stabbing pain in the face that can be brought on by random facial movements, like chewing, yawning, sneezing, etc.
• Joint Pain – MS does not affect joints directly like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or fibromyalgia. However, joint pain, typically in the knees and hips, is very common in people with MS.

But this is only a partial list. There are many more symptoms, which is one of the reasons diagnosing multiple sclerosis is difficult. Here are a few more reasons a diagnosis is hard to reach:

• Many MS symptoms are the same or very similar to symptoms that occur with other diseases.
• There is no blood test for MS.
• Symptoms usually come and go, and this cycle can go on for very long periods of time with little progression of the disease.
• More than 50 symptoms are linked to MS, and each person develops symptoms differently.
• MS symptoms include fatigue, sexual dysfunction, depression, cognitive difficulties, and other similar symptoms that are typically attributed to stress and often not taken seriously by health car practitioners.

Like many other autoimmune diseases, a definitive MS diagnosis may not be reached for years.

“…39% of people with MS wait more than a year for a correct diagnosis, during which time we are often dismissed, accused of malingering, told that we have suffered strokes, or are depressed and anxious.” – Penny Anderson

What is MS?

MS is both an autoimmune disease and a chronic neurological disorder. In the case of MS, the immune system attacks the central nervous system – the brain, the spinal cord, and the optic nerves. MS attacks the fatty myelin sheaths which insulate the nerve axons in the brain and the spinal cord, as well as the nerve fibers themselves, resulting in interference with the transmission of signals along the neuropathways. This leads to the production of hard scars or scleroses (aka plaques or lesions) in the central nervous system.

Relapsing – Remitting MS

The most common form of MS is relapsing-remitting. Symptoms occur and remain for days or weeks followed by a partial or complete remission that lasts for months or years.

Secondary – Progressive MS

Secondary – progressive MS involves a steady progression of worsening symptoms, with or without periods of remission. Around 60-70% of those with relapsing – remitting MS develop secondary – progressive MS.

Primary – Progressive MS

A minority of people with MS (10-20%) fall into the category primary progressive MS with a gradual onset of symptoms that steadily progresses without relapses.

Progressive – Relapsing MS

Progressive – relapsing MS is the least common type. With this type of MS the neurological decline is steady though there are signs of attacks as well.

What Is Known About MS?

Little is known about this disease. According to conventional medicine, there is no accepted cause and no known cure. Although MS is thought to affect 2.3 million people worldwide, this number is merely an educated guess due to difficulties faced in the study of the disease and the fact that mandated reporting is not required. However, gender, genetics, age, geography, and ethnic background all suggest possible factors that may influence susceptibility.

Although MS is generally diagnosed in adults age 20-50, it is also found in young children and in the elderly. Women are twice as likely to develop MS as men, except in the elderly. Elderly men and women are equally affected.

MS is more common in Caucasians of Northern European ancestry, though it does occur in most ethnic groups. Geography is an interesting aspect. The farther away from the equator, the greater the risk of developing MS, which suggests vitamin D deficiency may play an important part in the development of this disease.

“In general, MS is more common in areas farthest from the equator. However, prevalence rates may differ significantly among groups living in the same geographic area regardless of distance from the equator. For example, in spite of the latitude at which they live, MS is almost unheard of in some populations, including the Inuit, Yakutes, Hutterites, Hungarian Romani, Norwegian Lapps, Australian Aborigines and New Zealanders — indicating that ethnicity and geography interact in some complex way to impact prevalence figures in different parts of the world.

Migration from one geographic area to another seems to alter a person’s risk of developing MS. Studies indicate that immigrants and their descendants tend to take on the risk level — either higher or lower — of the area to which they move. The change in risk, however, may not appear immediately. Those who move in early childhood tend to take on the new risk themselves. For those who move later in life, the change in risk level may not appear until the next generation. While underlining the complex relationship between environmental and genetic factors in determining who develops MS, these studies have also provided support for the opinion that MS is caused by early exposure to some environmental trigger in genetically susceptible individuals.” – The National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Genetics

Genetic factors seem to play a big role in determining who develops multiple sclerosis.

• In the United States the likelihood of a developing MS is a little more than 0.1%.
• For those with relatives who suffer from MS, the risk increases. For first-degree relatives such as children, siblings, or non-identical twins, the risk rises to approximately 2.5-5%.
• The identical twin of someone with MS (who shares all the same genes) has a 25% chance of developing the disease.

(Note: If genes were solely responsible for this disease, that last statistic would be 100%.)

Potential Causes and Contributing Factors of Multiple Sclerosis

Like most health conditions, illnesses, or diseases; it appears that many factors combine to produce this disease, rather than one factor alone. People with multiple sclerosis have been found to have a variety of abnormalities in their neurotransmitters, including increased levels of noradrenaline, glutamate, aspartate, glutamine, glycine, and asparagine. There also seems to be a correlation between these imbalances and the severity of their neurological symptoms and progression of the disease.

Professionals speculate many different causes for MS, and often a combination of causes including infection (viral, bacterial, parasitic, or fungal), leaky gut, food allergies, and nutrient decencies.

Parasites Could Be Behind MS

Steven Fry has discovered a previously unknown protozoa in the blood of patients suffering with autoimmune disorders such as lupus, chronic fatigue, multiple sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s disease, and others. In his research, Dr. Fry found 75 medical papers dating back to the 1880s that discuss finding a malaria-like organism in the blood of those diagnosed with MS. Dr. Fry identified a malaria-like protozoa that may be transmitted by mosquitos or ticks.

Dr. Fry is not the only researcher to suggest that multiple sclerosis and other chronic conditions might be caused by a parasitic infection.

Lyme Disease or Other Bacterial or Viral Infections May Cause or Contribute to MS

It’s not uncommon for Lyme disease to be misdiagnosed as MS and for MS to be misdiagnosed as Lyme disease. Some doctors and researchers go so far as to say it’s the same thing or that the Lyme bacterium causes MS.

Our research didn’t come up with credible evidence that any one specific type of bacteria, including Lyme, causes MS over any other major factor, but it does seem likely to be a contributing factor. Treatment should address the probability that anyone suffering from Multiple Sclerosis is dealing with an underlying infection. Considering how weakened the immune system is and how much more prevalent infection is within the body than most doctors realize, it behooves anyone with multiple sclerosis to take the right nutrition to help the immune system fight and kill bacterial, viral, fungal, and protozoal infections while keeping gut flora balanced and healthy.

Candida, or Other Fungal Infection

When Candida and other fungi overtake the body, they release a variety of toxins that result in many of the same symptoms that are listed for MS. Many fungal proteins are similar to certain grains and some proteins within our own body. Many speculate that fungal infections in the body turn on an autoimmune response by overwhelming and confusing the immune system. The theory is that the immune system responds to similar proteins that are not the infection. The immune system may be attempting to fight Candida, but ends up attacking itself in the process.

Leaky Gut

Our gut flora is only as healthy as our immune system. Anyone with a damaged immune system has a damaged gut. Eventually, when the gut is damaged from poor diet or other factors, it becomes more permeable, or “leaky.” Anyone who is dealing with a chronic infection or an autoimmune disease (which is also likely involving a chronic infection) should assume they have a “leaky” gut.

Where there is systemic Candida, there is a leaky gut. There are many theories on the cause of autoimmune diseases, but we know the immune system is “tricked” into attacking healthy tissue. In the case of MS, the immune system seems to consider the myelin sheathing in the central immune system as a foreign invader, an infection, and it tries to get rid of it.

A virus may trigger the process in susceptible people (with the right genetics). A parasite, a bacteria, and Candida may do this, too. The body becomes much more sensitive to food, especially food with proteins that are similar to the proteins casing the problem, and these proteins will leak into the bloodstream, undigested, from a leaky gut.

Gluten, Celiac Disease

Research has indicated strong links between multiple sclerosis and celiac disease. Researchers in Spain analyzed the prevalence of celiac disease in people with confirmed multiple sclerosis and in their first-degree relatives. The researchers included 72 MS patients, 126 of their first-degree relatives, and 123 healthy control subjects. The study found the following:

• 1% of MS patients had celiac disease compared to 2.4% of control subjects
• 32% of 1^st degree relatives of MS patients had celiac disease

If the body’s intestinal tract is not healthy, as in, the gut is leaking, then gluten molecules are getting into the bloodstream undigested and causing serious problems in the body.

Many studies have shown improvement in MS patients when gluten is eliminated from the diet. This can also be said for eliminating gluten from the diet of those afflicted with many other autoimmune diseases. It all makes sense when you connect the dots with gut flora (and specifically how Candida causes a permeable gut), gluten (and how it can cause and exacerbate a leaky gut), and how our immune system works.

Deficiency

Many studies have shown that people with multiple sclerosis have lower levels of vitamin D, vitamin B12, vitamin B9, magnesium, vitamin E, and other key nutrients as well (including many more antioxidants). Many professionals also speculate that a lack of healthy fats may play a role.

Acidity

Many professionals believe that acidity plays a clear role in the disease’s onset and progression. The myelin sheath is an electrically insulating phospholipid layer that surrounds the axons of many neurons in the central nervous system. The body is electrical, and the central nervous system runs on electricity. The myelin sheath is kind of like the rubber coating on a power cord that keeps the electricity contained, controlling the body’s electrical signals.

Hypothyroidism

The process of myelination (the process of forming a myelin sheath around a nerve) is dependent on the thyroid hormone.  Many have been initially diagnosed with thyroid disorders only to find out that they have MS. Many of the symptoms are the same, and anyone with multiple sclerosis should pretty much count on having a slow thyroid as well. If the central nervous system is not working right, this will disrupt thyroid function. If the thyroid is not working right, this will disrupt the central nervous system. If the immune system is not working correctly, neither will the thyroid or the central nervous system and visa versa.

Neck pain, hip pain, and many of the previously mentioned MS symptoms are also symptoms for serious thyroid problems.

Oral Infection

Dr. Hal Huggins, a Colorado dentist, has treated thousands of people with multiple sclerosis with a cure rate of approximately 85% by safely removing mercury fillings and properly treating infections.

Cavitations are infections of the jawbone caused by lingering or perpetual infections of anaerobic bacteria from root canals and incomplete or incorrectly performed extractions and fillings. These ongoing infections have been linked to multiple health issues including heart disease, breast cancer, and MS.

Mercury and Other Heavy Metals

Mercury is not only highly neurophilic (meaning it is attracted to and binds tightly to nerve tissue) and highly lipophilic (attracted to and binds tightly to nerve tissue), which is bad news for the nervous system. Mercury is attracted to the neurons themselves, as well as the fats that make up the myelin sheaths.

Mercury exposure can come from many different sources including seafood, food grown in toxic soil (food from China and many parts of the U.S.), and dental mercury amalgams.

Other Heavy Metals

It is believed by many experts that autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, lupus, and Alzheimer’s may be due at least in part to toxic metals such as mercury, aluminum, and lead.

Heavy metal toxins cross the blood/brain barrier, resulting in a wide variety of symptoms including all of the symptoms mentioned for MS. Heavy metals produce free radicals and damage the myelin sheaths (remember, the body is electric), and disrupts the CMS signals, degrading the body’s nervous system, disrupting the body’s ability to communicate with itself. The immune system recognizes myelin sheath tissue damaged by the free radicals as foreign proteins, which results in an autoimmune process. Anyone with multiple sclerosis would do well to consider heavy metal toxicity as one of the primary contributors.

Vaccines

Vaccines contribute to heavy metal toxicity and more. Vaccines include aluminum, mercury, formaldehyde, GMOs, and many other toxic substances that are directly injected into the bloodstream or inhaled. There has been considerable suspicion about a link between hepatitis B vaccination and the development of multiple sclerosis.

A recent study examined data regarding a mass vaccination in the mid 90s. Twenty million French adults were vaccinated between 1994 and 1997 thanks to the World Health Organization’s recommendation in 1992 to mass vaccinate for hepatitis B to eradicate the virus. The result was a sudden increase in multiple sclerosis. In 1998, the French media exposed the phenomenon (apparently the media is not controlled by Big Pharma over there). Vaccination numbers fell. A firm link between the rise in vaccinations and a corresponding rise in the number of MS cases was established.

Environmental Toxins

Any toxic load amplifies free radicals, and free radicals are linked to MS. Limiting toxic exposure is imperative for those suffering from an autoimmune disease. Studies have shown that exposure to organic solvents or other toxic chemicals increases the risk of developing MS. It’s well known that those who live or work within toxic environments are much more likely to develop autoimmune diseases. Some get so sick that the mere smell of mattresses, books, car interiors, particle board furniture, and other everyday items are simply too toxic and overwhelming for the body.

Therapies, Herbs, Vitamins, Minerals, and Other Nutrients for Multiple Sclerosis

Sick people have an imbalance of vitamins, minerals, fats, and PH, along with an abundance of toxins. The modern lifestyle most of us live causes these imbalances, but also, once the person is sick, the disease exacerbates the imbalances. A sick body uses lot of nutrition and maintains acidity, toxicity, and other imbalances. In other words, even if you always got plenty of a certain nutrient growing up and well into the onset of MS, you may still benefit from said nutrient.

Vitamin D

Study after study shows that when people are chronically ill they are or were vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D is a hormone produced when we get sunlight. We can also get vitamin D from foods like fatty fish, mushrooms, beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks. Vitamin D is stored in fat and released as needed, but this does not work right for particularly toxic people or overweight people. On top of this, most of us in the modern world do not get nearly enough vitamin D in the summer regardless of our ability to store it, and most of us do not get enough in our diet to make up for our lack of outdoor life. People with MS or any other autoimmune disease will likely feel an immediate improvement by supplementing with a low to medium dose of vitamin D. Very high doses of vitamin D for long periods of time can be problematic.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Many studies have shown those with MS and other autoimmune diseases respond well to healthy fats. You can find many studies specifically on just omega 3s or DHA or linoleic acid or coconut oil, etc. for autoimmune disease treatments, but the key to getting well is to get a wide range of beneficial fats. Different fats play different roles in our health.

Antioxidants

Studies have shown that those with MS need more antioxidants. Selenium, vitamin C, vitamin E, Lipoic acid, N-acetylcysteine, and lycopene supplementation have all shown positive results in studies for those with MS.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an antioxidant and it’s essential to healthy mitochondrial function and energy production. A lack of CoQ10 is associated with many disease states including heart disease, hypothyroidism, cancer, and many neurodegenerative diseases. Several clinical trials with CoQ10 have yielded positive results for those who suffer from neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, and Alzheimer’s. CoQ10 can also regenerate the antioxidant capacity of vitamin E in the body.

Vitamin B12

Those who have MS have low levels of vitamin B12 in their cerebrospinal fluid, blood serum, or both. A vitamin B12 deficiency is often mistaken as MS. Studies have shown patients with MS given vitamin B12 supplements have experienced clinical improvements with symptoms. Those with MS are also likely to be low in other B vitamins, and should consider a B vitamin complex with extra B12. Taking just one B vitamin for long periods causes problems.

Magnesium

Magnesium is essential for a wide variety of functions. Some research indicates that magnesium deficiencies may be associated with some of the symptoms of multiple sclerosis and a number of other chronic and progressive ailments.

Ginkgo Biloba

It is believed that Ginkgo biloba improves blood flow and can influence neural activity and improve cognitive performance. Ginkgo leaf has shown in studies to improve brain function for those with Lyme disease, depression, dementia, and many more diseases including MS.

Curcumin (Turmeric)

Curcumin, an active component of turmeric, is anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic and is a powerful antioxidant that boosts the immune system and much more. Curcumin has powerful anti-inflammatory effects. Countless resent research with many different health issues has shown that curcumin can significantly reduce symptom severity and in some cases reverse disease. From studies on cancer to lupus to fibromyalgia to MS, studies have shown that turmeric spice should be a staple in everyone’s pantry.

Ginger

Ginger is a powerful herb that reduces pain, inflammation, and nausea. Ginger has a warming effect as it stimulates blood circulation. It boosts the immune system, inhibits the common cold, Salmonella, stomach ulcers, and gastrointestinal discomfort. Ginger can help reduce many symptoms of MS, and it also plays a substantial role in guarding against brain oxidative stress and neurological degeneration.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is another amazing herb that should be in everyone’s kitchen. Researchers are just starting to get excited about cinnamon, and more and more research is being done. In regards to MS there’s limited research, but one study with mice was very interesting. True cinnamon (Cinnamonum verum) powder was fed to mice with the animal equivalent of multiple sclerosis. The cinnamon altered the abnormal immune response we see in those with MS. The spice preserved regulatory T cells, inhibited damaging immune cells known as Th17), and blocked inflammatory cells from invading the spinal cord. Cinnamon also promotes remyelination of damaged myelin. Mice had an overall significant reduction of symptoms.

Echinacea

For MS patients, Echinacea research generally supports the plant’s ability to promote immune cell health and its anti-inflammatory potential for the central nervous system.

Chelation Therapy

Chelation (pronounced key-LAY-shun) therapy is a treatment for removing heavy metals from the blood. With conventional medicine, chelation therapy involves injections of a chelating agent called ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) into the bloodstream. EDTA binds to heavy metals and minerals in the blood, which are then excreted in the urine.

Side effects can include nausea, vomiting, pain around the injection site, headache, hypotension, and hypoglycemia as well as serious and potentially fatal effects including hypocalcemia (a drop in calcium levels so low it can affect the heart and brain), damage to the kidneys that may result in kidney failure and the need for a transplant or lifelong dependency on dialysis, and bone marrow depression.

Alternative medicine uses supplements and foods to chelate heavy metals from the body. In fact, a proper diet with a wide range of produce and herbs constantly removes heavy metals from the whole body without disrupting its mineral balance. Garlic, cilantro, amino acids, onions, activated charcoal, and chlorella are excellent at removing heavy metals.

Marijuana

Many report relief from pain and muscle spasms from marijuana, but ingesting or smoking marijuana is hard on the thyroid and the entire endocrine system as well as the immune system. Frequent use of marijuana may accelerate MS.

Other Therapies That May Improve MS Symptoms

Oxygen therapy, acupuncture, magnets, chiropractic, essential oils, various message therapies like reflexology, pressure point messaging, and other treatment modalities have been shown to slow progression of MS. These treatments do not focus on the root cause of MS, but they can help accelerate healing and potentially help reverse the disease when a proper diet is followed.

How to Treat Multiple Sclerosis Naturally – Step by Step Protocol

When people are sick they tend to look for the easiest solution – the absolute minimum they can do to feel better. Never really healing all the way, they find themselves chasing health, believing it to be elusive, an impossible condition to attain or maintain. When someone is so sick that they have multiple sclerosis, a complete, holistic, and long-term approach is critical. Some treatments may improve symptoms in the short run, but to truly get better and to ensure that the body does not relapse, a new lifestyle needs to be adapted.

Daily Journal

It’s easy to forget how sick we were. This tendency to minimize can seriously impede getting well and accepting what needs to be done in order to stay well. Keep a journal. Write down what you ate and how you felt with specific symptoms and severity. This will have many benefits, including the ability to identify trigger foods without relying on memory, and a better understanding of how your body responds to foods and new activities. It also makes it much harder to forget how damaging one night of drinking, or one cheeseburger can be when you’re trying to repair the body.

Diet

A healthy diet is a diet consisting exclusively of a wide variety of produce and other whole foods. Ingredients should be bought separately in most cases, and as unadulterated as possible. A full 80% of the diet would be raw produce, with more vegetables than fruit.

Put your juicer to good use daily but sweet juices (most of the fruits, carrots, and beets) should be restricted or eliminated due to their high sugar content until the gut flora is balanced and the gut lining is healed.

Include ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon in your foods, and check out this golden milk tea recipe. Eat salads, like this one, with lots of garlic and other foods that balance the gut and chelate heavy metals every day.

The Intestinal Tract

Anyone suffering from a disease of this magnitude has an impaired digestive tract. Fixing the immune system means fixing the gut. The immune system is only as healthy as the gut, and a damaged gut overworks the immune system. Your body will continue to be inundated with infectious flora and undigested protein molecules, which the immune system perceives as foreign proteins, foreign invaders it must attack, as long as the intestinal tract is damaged.

No one can properly digest gluten, MSG, refined sugars, chemical additives, GMOs, or other toxic ingredients when the gut is damaged. The sicker one is, the sicker one’s gut is. The sicker one’s gut is, the greater the negative effect of toxic foods and other poor lifestyle habits.

Candida

In our toxic, antibacterial, chemically laden world, fungi is able to flourish in our guts. Candida, in particular, is an incredibly resilient and opportunistic creature that resides in anybody’s body in abundance when they suffer from MS. Testing for an overabundance of Candida does not yield accurate results unless the person is at the time of the blood test so overwhelmed with Candida that it shows up in the blood work. Anyone who has too much Candida, and consequently has Candida infecting his or her body (which can happen the same way viruses, bacteria, and parasites can infect anywhere in the body), has moments when the blood is overrun with Candida, but this is not the typical norm. If you’re sick enough to have MS, or any other autoimmune disease, assume you are dealing with an overgrowth of Candida and other fungi.

Undecylenic acid (SF722) is very good at killing Candida and other fungal infections. Wormwood is one of the best for killing parasites, and probiotics should be utilized as well to ensure the non-beneficial flora gets replaced by the good guys.

Addressing Imbalances

Many of the vitamins and minerals needed for optimum health are hard to come by in food alone thanks to our current farming practices. Whenever possible, buy whole organic produce grown by small farmers who take organic standards, nutrition, environmental issues, and food quality very seriously. If the budget is tight, before spending money on a slew of vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, etc., get your diet right and get your gut flora balanced. Then consider what vitamins, minerals, fats, etc. you need.

Anyone with MS should benefit by supplementing with vitamin D, vitamin E, COQ10, selenium, magnesium, healthy fats, and B12, but minerals should be taken with other minerals and B vitamins should be taken with other B vitamins.

Supplements that address the immune system are a good idea considering the chance of an underlying infection. But don’t forget, even if it is an infection causing all these problems, an infection is still a symptom. Heal the immune system with the right diet, and then supplement that foundation with herbs that help the immune system. Echinacea, oil of oregano, and vitamin C will go a long way to boosting the immune system, and providing other benefits as well. In fact, oil of oregano and vitamin C are also powerful antioxidants, which is something anyone with MS needs a lot of.

Heavy metal chelation without injections can be done with supplements including food grade charcoal, food grade clays, and concentrated foods with chelation properties. I am yet to meet anyone with MS who wasn’t vaccinated or who doesn’t have a history of oral infections with metal fillings. (Usually both).

Conclusion

If you think you may have MS, or if you know you have it, it’s time to be strict. If you want to get well, to actually be well, or to at the very least, radically slow the progression of the disease, you need to completely eliminate toxic foods from your diet for a very long time. This includes gluten, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, soy, artificial sweeteners, MSG, GMOs, any chemicals that don’t belong in food, and alcohol. It’s also time to do a lot more reading. See the further reading list below and read all of the articles. Find out everything you can, not just about MS, but about how the body works. Keep refining and perfecting a holistic approach, not a here-and-there approach. If money is very tight, skip supplements and put every extra penny you have towards the healthiest, freshest food you can find. Most of all, don’t accept conventional medicine’s sentence. You do have a choice. You can choose to heal your body.

Recommended Supplements:

• Shillington’s Intestinal Cleanse (kills parasites, heals the intestinal walls, sets up hospital home for healthy flora)
• Formula SF722 (undecenoic acid, kills candida and other fungal functions, does not kill beneficial flora at same rate)
• Floramend-Prime by Thorne (a strong probiotic designed to pass through the stomach acid and into the intestinal tract)
• MicroDefense – Pure Encapsulations
• Shillington’s Intestinal Detox (This is necessary only for those with seriously damaged intestines, anyone who has recently been vaccinated, or those looking to do a thorough detox)
• Liquid Light
• Activated Charcoal
• Fish oil with D
• Total Nutrition Formula
• COQ10
• Magnesium Complex Liquid

Further Reading:

• Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases
• How to Cure Lyme Disease, and Virtually Any Other Bacterial Infection, Naturally
• Understanding and Detoxifying Genetically Modified Foods
• Understand Hypothyroidism – Prevention and Natural Remedies
• How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children
• Heal Cavities, Gum Disease, Naturally with Organic Oral Care – Toothpaste recipes included
• 80% Raw Food Diet
• Inexpensive, Easy Detox – The One Gallon Challenge
• Doc Shillington’s Total Body Cleanse
• Total Nutrition – Make your own Homemade Multivitamin and Mineral Formula

Sources:

• MS – National Multiple Sclerosis Society
• Multiple Sclerosis – Mayo Clinic
• Multiple Sclerosis Mercury Toxicity – The Natural Recovery Plan
• Protozoal Infection – The Health Care Advocate Institute
• Celiac Disease and Multiple Sclerosis – About.com
• Multiple Sclerosis and Other Hormone-Related Brain Syndromes – Ray Peat
• Multiple Sclerosis – Life Extension
• Cinnamon, the Next Cure of Week – Multiple Sclerosis Research
• EDTA Chelation Side Effects – LiveStrong.co˚m

I must have counted millions of sheep back when I regularly suffered from insomnia. I would lie in bed staring at the ceiling, or worse, staring at the clock. Minutes passed. Hours passed. I’d count the hours until I had to get up. Six hours. Five hours. Four. Regardless of how tired–how utterly exhausted my body and mind felt– I could not sleep.

Insomnia can be both debilitating and dangerous. According to The National Highway Safety Administration, 100,000 or more auto crashes each year are due to fatigue, with a resultant 1,550 deaths and 71,000 injuries. Some studies have shown that driving while exhausted can be even more dangerous than driving under the influence of alcohol.

When you have insomnia, you’re never really asleep… and you’re never really awake. – Fight Club

A chronic lack of sleep not only affects your work, your relationships, and your enjoyment of life, it also wreaks havoc with your hormonal system, your immune system, and your body’s ability to heal in every way (we regenerate while we sleep).

You don’t need to resort to pharmaceuticals with dangerous side effects and residual fatigue upon waking. Use these natural remedies to reset your sleep cycle and end insomnia.

Contents

• Different Kinds of Insomnia

• Causes for Insomnia

• Natural Remedies for Insomnia

  • Herbal

    • Marijuana for Insomnia

  • Music

• My Own Protocol for Insomnia

The # 1 Insomnia Cure – Earthing While Camping

Let’s cut to the chase before we get into everything else.For most people, camping is simply the best cure for insomnia. If you can get away for a few days, bring lots of organic produce and other healthy foods, forage if you know how, and go sleep outside! Leave your electronic devices at home. Leave your phone in the car. Take some time to meditate. Write. Do some yoga. Most importantly, sleep on the ground – not in a camper, your car, or a cabin. Get grounded. Reset. Your goal is to de-stress, to take a break from distractions and the EFTs, to avoid artificial light, and to use natural light and magnetic fields to re-set your circadian rhythms. By the third day, almost anyone will be falling asleep shortly after nightfall, as nature intended.

Camping and proper diet will work for most people’s insomnia, but for many people, camping is not an option right now. And for some, the need for significant dietary and lifestyle changes may need to happen before the benefits of camping.

The Different Kinds of Insomnia

There is onset insomnia, which is trouble falling asleep, and there is maintenance insomnia, which is waking from sleep prematurely and not being able to go back to sleep (marijuana and alcohol).

Onset insomnia is often caused by anxiety, depression, pain, sleep-shift disorder, and an active mind. Some studies have shown that very intelligent people often have a very hard time going to sleep, not so much because they can’t, but because they choose not to. After time, this can disturb the body’s sleep rhythm causing insomnia. When they try to get to sleep earlier, regardless of how tired they are, their bodies don’t cooperate. Imagine how much easier it was to go to sleep at the most opportune time before technology, before artificial light, even before candlelight. Camping is an obvious choice for those who just need to reset their biological rhythms and find some peace.

Depression, anxiety, and other altered mental states can cause insomnia by working the overactive mind that doesn’t want to go to sleep, but these conditions can be connected to health issues. When someone regularly gets depressed their brain is not working right, and this can typically be traced back to vitamin and mineral deficiencies and toxicity in the body.

Short-term Insomnia and Chronic Insomnia

Short term maintenance insomnia could be a result of drug use, chemical exposure, allergies, and sleep shift disorder. Short term onset insomnia is typically due to stress. Chronic onset insomnia can be caused by a wide variety of factors from poor health to an overactive imagination to high intelligence. Chronic maintenance insomnia is a sign that one’s health is seriously flawed.

Causes for Insomnia

• Marijuana – While marijuana can cure insomnia, chronic use of marijuana can lead to chronic maintenance sleep insomnia, and it can lead to onset insomnia when the person quits using it.
• Allergies – A runny nose; itchy, watering eyes; painful sinuses; and itchy rashes are not conducive to sleep.
• Diet – Poor diet equals poor health, and anything can go wrong.
• Toxicity – Chemical toxicity and heavy metal toxicity interferes with the neurological system, the endocrine system, the immune system and every function of the body.
• Medications – Pharmaceuticals are toxic, which is why all of them have side effects.
• Gastrointestinal problems – Candida overgrowth, leaky gut, bacterial and parasitic infections, and autoimmune disease lead to insomnia and originate with poor diet.
• Asthma – It is very difficult to sleep when breathing is impaired by bronchiospasms and mucous.
• Neurological conditions – Multiple Sclerosis, Restless Leg Syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, etc.
• Chronic pain – Lower back pain, headaches, arthritis, migraines, injuries, etc.
• Coffee – Other stimulants including nicotine, teas, energy drinks, and drugs.
• Hormones – Thyroid, adrenal system, endocrine system (see gut health).
• Brain Health – If the endocrine system (see above) is unwell, or blood is toxic, so is the brain.
• Vitamin B deficiency – Almost anyone with any mental or emotional issues from schizophrenia to depression has a vitamin B deficiency.
• Depression – See brain health.
• Sleep Shift Disorder – When the circadian rhythm is disrupted, hormones that aid in sleep are not released at the appropriate time.

Natural Remedies for Insomnia

There are many more well-known causes of insomnia than we can go over here, and the same is true for solutions. From meditation to warm milk, everyone has their solution to prevent a sleepless night. Most will also admit, if probed, that their solution doesn’t always work that well.

If camping is impossible, prolonged exposure to early morning light and regular contact with the earth (try grounding for 15 minutes a day) will reset your biological clock. Spend two hours in the early morning sun for one or two days. Set your alarm if necessary, and go back to sleep outside (on the deck or in the yard).

Eliminate stimulants from your diet. Coffee, tea, chocolate, soft drinks, energy drinks… If you won’t give these up, be sure to limit them to the early hours of the day.

For those who are too stressed out to sleep due to anxiety, consider stress management. Chronic anxiety should also be addressed as a physical health issue and addressed with nutrition. Don’t underestimate exercise, which has been proven in multiple studies to beat many prescription drugs in studies involving anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Studies also support the importance of getting out into nature. Take a walk in the woods, breathe the cleaner air, and just feel connected with nature. It’s also a good time to get grounded. Earthing, absorbing the energy, the electrical fields that we have been connected to for most of our existence, can improve health in a multitude of ways.

The aforementioned we should all be doing regularly regardless of how well we sleep. But, the best way to put an end to insomnia is to address the cause, or in most cases, the causes. While typically one of most common multiple causes of insomnia is a result of EMF exposure and not coming into contact with earth regularly, but there are many other common factors at play as well. Thyroid and adrenal fatigue can lead to insomnia and poor quality sleep, so address those glands, and the whole endocrine system, if needed. B vitamins are essential to the nervous system and deficiencies can result in disruption of sleep cycles. Take a high-quality B complex vitamin each day. If you do not get daily exposure to sunlight or you live north of Atlanta, Georgia or Los Angeles, California, supplement with vitamin D. A lack of healthy fats can also impair hormone production and proper vitamin B and D assimilation.

The only problem with getting healthier to get better sleep is that health doesn’t happen overnight, especially when said night is not restful, and it’s pretty hard to make good choices and take care of yourself when you’re chronically exhausted. Fortunately, there are plenty of herbal approaches that have been shown to put most to sleep without the side effects of pharmaceuticals.

Herbal Remedies and Supplements for Insomnia

To fix the biological clock long term, diet is key. B vitamins, thyroid health, and exercise are paramount, but the right combination of the following herbal remedies will knock almost anyone out at least for the first few nights they’re used, without the pharmaceutical side effects.

Tryptophan

Our bodies require tryptophan, an amino acid, to make serotonin and melatonin. It can help you fall asleep and improve your quality of sleep by lengthening the time you spend in deep sleep. In addition, studies have shown an increase in alertness upon waking. Tryptophan is plentiful in many different foods including tart cherries, spirulina, soy, many different kinds of meat, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, eggs, oats, lentils, and much more. The problem is that eating foods with tryptophan has been shown to not increase the tryptophan levels in the blood. Supplementation works better, but the need for tryptophan shows a need to address the endocrine system and balance the body’s hormones.

5 HTP (hydroxytryptophan)

5 HTP is produced in the body from tryptophan. You won’t get 5 HTP directly from your diet. The 5 HTP used in supplements is obtained from the seeds of Griffonia simplicifolia, a plant native to Africa. 5 HTP is a direct precursor of serotonin and it’s an intermediate for synthesis of melatonin.

Valerian Root

Valerian root aids in sleep onset as well as the quality of sleep. The best results are found when combining valerian root with melatonin or hops. Take 400-500 mg at bedtime.

Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland and may be also synthesized in the gastrointestinal tract from L-tryptophan. There are those who cannot convert tryptophan into melatonin as well, which is likely the reason why many find melatonin works better than tryptophan. For some, melatonin can help with the length of sleep or the quality of sleep, but many say it helps with sleep onset, but they find themselves waking after four or five hours. Side effects may include strange dreams, nightmares, and daytime drowsiness. Dosage ranges from 1-10 mg.

Must Read: How To Heal Your Gut

Hops

Hops extract is another sleep aid that helps one get to sleep and  improves sleep quality. It works well with valerian extract and the combination may help increase alpha brain waves.

Black Cohosh

Black cohosh minimizes sleep disturbances which is great for relief from maintenance insomnia, and it also reduces irritability and mood swings.

Passionflower

Passionflower clears anxiety and restores the body to a more peaceful state.

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is known as an adaptogen that blocks stress messages in the body, promoting relaxation and peacefulness.

Chamomile flower

Chamomile flower and leaf soothes anxiety and has sedative properties. Check out Organic Solutions Cal-Calm Tea, with chamomile, red clover, and raspberry leaf.

Skullcap

Skullcap promotes calmness and increases the body’s ability to adapt to stress. It also acts as a sedative for aches and pain.

Marijuana for Insomnia

Cannabis works so well to put people to sleep that is truly a miracle drug/plant for many. Unfortunately, it’s not without its problems. Smoking anything is toxic to the body. Vaporizing is too, but with the right equipment, “vaping” can be much less toxic (the industry is new, and there are lots of toxic vaporizing products out there, so be careful). THC has both positive and negative side effects on the body.

Using marijuana is very hard on the thyroid, the pineal gland, the prostate, and probably the entire endocrine system (the endocrine system regulates our hormones and much more). Marijuana acts a lot like alcohol and other drugs to the body with sleep quality. The sleep isn’t deep enough and sleep is often interrupted. Many also find that marijuana use makes them more tired, groggy, and sometimes irritable during the day.

On the other hand, it really does work amazingly well to put someone to sleep. Used sparingly, combined with the right diet, exercise, and a few supplements will result in fewer side effects than simply smoking oneself to sleep. This is a very smart approach for anyone who is suffering from chronic pain, and need the powerful effects of marijuana to sleep while trying to repair the body and get well.

Music and Sounds for Insomnia

My Own Protocol for Insomnia

Having a family with a small child and having a business I love makes insomnia much less common. I don’t get nearly enough sleep, but it’s typically by choice. It’s hard for me to stop working at night when everyone else is finally quiet and letting me work undisturbed. Growing up, I suffered from severe insomnia and depression. It was more of a health issue. Today, if insomnia does grip me, it’s usually because I’ve been staying up working too late for too long and I need to push back my sleep schedule. When I was younger, I used this protocol to reset my sleep rhythms and improve my sleep quality, and to ensure that I slept for as long as I needed for optimum health and woke up feeling alert and refreshed.

• Anytime I need to get to sleep on time, no matter what, I make sure I exercised that day. I also stay active throughout the day, too.
• I like naps, but of course, I skip them if I am having trouble sleeping at night.
• When I am adjusting my internal sleep clock from weeks or months of going to bed too late, I always make sure to wake up at the same time every morning, and I stay up, regardless of when I went to bed. Make sure your bedtime allows for enough sleep, regardless of when you fall asleep, and get up at the same time every morning no matter what.
• I also get grounded and take that time to do some peaceful meditation in the mornings and before bed.
• I make sure I get sunlight during the day, and I take vitamin D and B vitamins.
• Before going to sleep, all the lights should be turned off or covered (those little blue, red, flashing lights on electronics inhibit proper sleep rhythms). Absolute darkness aids in melatonin production. If thoughts are swirling in my mind, I write them down. A bedside journal can be a great sleep aid.
• L-Tryptophan or melatonin, Shillington’s Nerve Sedative Formula, and some B vitamins will knock me out within a half an hour every time. I like L-Tryptophan better than a melatonin supplement because it increases production of melatonin and serotonin, and I know my gut is healthy enough to convert it as it should. I have also had very good results with using both.

30 mins Before Bed

• I take 1,000 to 3,000 mgs  (some need 3k but many people only need 1k) of L-Tryptophan
• Two droppers full of Shillington’s Nerve Sedative
• 2 capsules of Giai Herbs sleep Maintenance

Laying In Bed

When I lay down to go to sleep, I make sure I am breathing properly (see How to Breathe) and I do math in my head. If the math problems are big or complex (or both), it’s something I can focus on without drifting into thoughts that are more likely to keep me up, and it will eventually put me to sleep. I also like to make up a dream for myself, roleplay it out in my head, and imagine it is a dream. I try to feel it like a dream, which is not easy to explain, but it also works well for me.

Shillington’s Nerve Sedative Recipe (or click here to purchase):

• 2 – parts Valerian Root
• 2 – parts Lobelia Seed Pods
• 2 – parts Passion Flower
• 1 – part Hops Flowers
• 1 – part Black Cohosh
• 1 – part Blue Cohosh
• 1 – part Skullcap
• 1 – part Wild Yam

A “part” is a measurement by volume.  Blend all ingredients together and make into a tincture using a 50 – 50 blend of alcohol and distilled water. For more, see How to Make a Tincture.

A dropperfull is considered to be about 1/2 way up the dropper from a two-ounce bottle.

Be sure to shake well before each use.

Other Steps You Can Take

Eliminating EMFs can help keep your sleep schedule consistent and rejuvenating. Try pulling mattresses away from outlets and keep electronic devices at a distance, or better yet, out of the bedroom.

A humidifier can help some people with dry sinuses, allergies, and those who snore.

Sleep on nontoxic bedding with nontoxic pillows, sheets, and blankets. This is a big deal! As previously mentioned, there are multiple causes for any one case of insomnia. One of those causes, and in fact, one of the causes for overall poor health and diseases is toxicity. Conventional mattresses are very toxic. Laying on them and breathing in the offgasses all night makes for a very toxic toll on the body. Fortunately, our bodies can take a very high toxic load without much complaint if the diet is healthy. Unfortunately, for those who suffer from autoimmune diseases and other health issues, a toxic mattress may inhibit them from restoring their body to optimum health and getting enough sleep even when their diet is improved for a consistent period of time.

Conclusion

For those who just need to reset their sleep rhythms, once you get your biological clock reset, your new sleep habits will require discipline, but you will reap the benefits of healthy, restful sleep. The trick to having a set sleep schedule (besides health) is all in the wakeup time. If 7 a.m. is when you want to wake up, then that’s when you wake up, no matter what, for the next 6 weeks. This includes your days off work and the morning after staying up late on purpose.

If you suffer from chronic insomnia, be it onset, maintenance, or both, your hormones are off, your health is not well, and your gut flora is unbalanced. The thyroid, the adrenal glands, and the entire endocrine system will need to be healed, and to do that, you’ll need to fix the digestive system. The following articles will help you address these conditions.

• How To Heal Your Gut
• Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones

Again, get off the caffeine!

Let us know the tricks and tips you have to get to sleep easily. If none of these tips work for you, the least you can do is spend your time wisely. You can always develop a case of multiple personality disorder and spend your nights setting up a band of violent misfits to topple our banking system via high-powered cheap explosives. (Yes, I saw Fight Club too many times.)

Recommended Products:

• Shillington’s Nerve Sedative
• Sleep Maintenance – Gaia Herbs
• 5-Hydroxytryptophan – Thorne Research
• EndoSleep – Emerald Health Bioceuticals
• Vitamin B
• Vitamin D
• More supplements for insomnia

Almost all diseases or ailments stem from inflammation. This is why inflammation is thought to be the root of disease, but it’s not. This distinction makes sense when you consider the causes of inflammation.

Inflammation is a natural, healthy response to cellular damage or a natural, healthy immune response to a perceived threat. The idea that inflammation can persist without serving a purpose is a misnomer that allows the cause of disease to go unchecked and ignored. A symptom cannot be the root of disease. Chronic inflammation is a symptom.

When any part of the body is inflamed, it is either damaged and healing or damaged and deteriorating. Forget the idea that inflammation is “wrong” or “unnecessary” or that it can even get out of control. It’s not inflammation that is “out of control.” Inflammation is what brings the disease-fighting cells and the extra nutrition needed to heal damage to the site. Without inflammation, we wouldn’t heal.

What causes damage? Damage, in this case, is cell trauma. Cells malfunction due to trauma caused by an external force or from internal trauma caused by toxicity of some kind and (or) a lack of nutrition.

It’s important to note that while nutritional deficiencies are one of the main causes of cell malfunction, diet is not always to blame. Sometimes the problem is a lack of ability to absorb and assimilate nutrition due to damage from toxic foods. For example, many people consume plenty of nutrition while they also ingest way too much sugar.

Contents

• Candida Causes Inflammation

• Foods That Cause Inflammation

• Inflammation and Free Radicals

• Specific Nutrient Deficiencies Known To Cause Inflammation

• How Excess Weight Causes Chronic Inflammation

Candida Causes Inflammation

Inflammation is not the root of disease; Candida is typically the root of disease.

An overgrowth of Candida causes an imbalanced gut that cannot digest and assimilate nutrition well, and Candida burrows into the gut lining, penetrating the gut wall to allow proteins, sugars, infectious microbes, and other particles into the bloodstream.

Candida Albicans is a very opportunistic parasite. It can normally live in our intestinal tract in harmony with bacteria. “Normally,” in this case, indicates the natural way, but in today’s society, a balanced gut is far from the norm. An imbalance in the gut almost always leads to a massive overgrowth of Candida, which is very good at tearing through the intestinal walls to flood the whole body, opening the door to other infectious agents that should not escape the gut, causing infection and inflammation everywhere.

Candida and other infectious microbes cause inflammation by being properly perceived in the body as an infectious agent (when an immune response is activated) and also due to the toxins they release throughout their lifecycle.

Fungal infections and other parasitical infections cause massive amounts of toxic substances to overwhelm the body, causing cellular damage everywhere. Infection also feeds off of dead and decaying cells, and infection leads to more dead and decaying cells. It’s the epitome of a vicious cycle.

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

Foods That Cause Inflammation

Candida flourishes when there is not enough beneficial bacteria in the gut. Candida can survive toxic substances more easily than bacteria. Candida spores are almost indestructible. When alcohol is consumed, beneficial bacteria are killed as soon as alcohol enters the gut. Candida bounces back to take over the intestinal tract, and soon invades the whole body when the gut becomes “leaky”. Toxic foods either kill beneficial bacteria due to their toxicity, or they feed Candida and other infectious microbes, which then outnumber the beneficial bacteria.

Foods that feed Candida cause inflammation by feeding Candida, but these and many other foods cause inflammation in other ways, too. Some foods have natural, and naturally beneficial inflammatory properties, like many omega 6 fats. But these fats are not “bad,” they promote the healing process.

Refined Carbohydrates

Sugars feed Candida and almost all other well-known infectious microbes as well. Almost everyone has too much sugar in their diet. In nature, sugar is harder to get. Fruit is seasonal, and in areas where people eat lots of fruits all day, their diets also included strong anti-microbial foods to keep the gut flora in check. Take papaya, for instance, which is high enough in sugar that it could lead to a gut imbalance (especially for those who don’t have the healthiest gut to begin with) if it is eaten too often. In areas of the world were people eat a lot of papaya, they also eat a lot of papaya leaves and seeds, which, among other benefits, have anti-fungal properties that offset the sugars of the fruit.

When healing the gut, it’s important to cut out sweets, including fruit juices (even fresh, slow pressed), honey (even raw), agave, brown rice syrup, and all other sweeteners with the exception of stevia.

Acid Forming Foods (Generally Refined Foods)

When fiber is removed from foods, many of the minerals that alkalinize the body and the beneficial fats are also removed.

It’s imperative to cut out all other refined carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, other refined flours, and any processed starches. They feed Candida as well, but they also are inflammatory and acidic by nature, having lost their anti-inflammatory fatty profile and alkalinity due to the processing that removed fiber. For instance, the brown part of the rice contains the fiber and anti-inflammatory properties.

GMOs and Pesticide Laden Conventional Foods

Pesticides and herbicides are designed to kill pests and microbes, and they do this in our gut as well. GMO foods that are designed to kill the “pest” or the microbe that would otherwise infect the crop will kill the good microbes in the gut, too. Candida will bounce back, along with other infectious microbes, because the gut becomes inhospitable to our naturally beneficial flora as the toxic food keeps coming in.

Factory Farmed Animal Products

Factory farmed animals are raised on genetically modified grains that are already on the inflammatory side of the spectrum, even without being genetically modified. For instance corn, wheat, oats, hay, and certain grasses are inflammatory, especially when they are not balanced with a wider variety of natural foods within the diet.

A cow, for instance, would normally eat many different kinds of grasses and other plants growing from the ground. Now, beef comes from cows that are typically feed toxic grains that they would not normally eat and lots of antibiotics. Even grass fed cows (especially from larger scale farms) are typically only given access to a very limited diet with only one or a few kinds of grasses. This lack of diversity does not meet their nutritional needs for optimum health.

Dairy has the same issues, plus pasteurization and homogenization destroy many nutrients in milk and makes proper digestion more difficult. Homogenization also changes the protein molecules.

Wheat, Bread, Gluten

If we were making bread the way we did a very long time ago, we would be using probiotic and yeast cultures to fully break down the gluten proteins before they are ingested. The flours would be processed by hand and not refined (no nutrition removed). The sugars added to make the bread would be much less refined, and the bacteria would go to work on the sugars like it does with yogurt, leaving an end product many beneficial properties.

Today, due to hybridization, there is a new kind of gluten molecule that we ingest. This gluten molecule in our wheat is more inflammatory than previous varieties. It’s not the only gluten molecule in bread, but it’s prominent, and it’s not found in ancient wheat strands.

Today’s bread is made from wheat sprayed with Round-Up and other chemicals that is then refined and processed with most of the nutrients stripped before being fortified with toxic manufactured vitamins and minerals that the body cannot properly assimilate. Then sugar is added along with other chemical ingredients like preservatives and colorings. The end result is a bread far removed from the kind of food the Bible mentions.

“Bad” Fats

Omega 6s are not all inflammatory fats or “bad” fats. Omega 6s are just as important as omega 3s. Healthy, naturally occurring “inflammatory” omega 6s, in balance with omega 3s, and 9s, help the body properly respond to injury, and consequently, to heal. An imbalance of fats causes an inflammatory response for many different reasons, including but not limited to, the natural inflammatory properties found in some fats.

On the other hand, there are “bad” fats. No, they’re not saturated fats. Most informed people know by now that coconut and avocado and plenty of other fats have tremendous healing properties and do not naturally contribute to obesity. The bad fats are commercial, highly processed fats, rancid fats, trans fats, and otherwise unnatural fats. These fats cause inflammation and contribute to every autoimmune disease.

Other Toxic Ingredients

Soy lecithin, casein, and protein isolates generally have heavy omega 6 profiles and are also very acidifying.

Excitotoxins like MSG, aspartate, and glutamates, excite nerves, damaging the nervous system.

In cells, glutamate and aspartate can be synthesized from each other. The two main food additives that are sources for excitotoxins are MSG (monosodium glutamate) and aspartame (NutraSweet). High levels of glutamate and aspartate are found naturally in protein rich foods, including very high levels in wheat gluten, and milk casein. While these amino acids are necessary for normal brain function, excess amounts of them create a wide range of bodily damage.” – Dr. Amy A. Yasko

We could go on and on about artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, artificial flavors, preservatives, and other food additives, but the body needs whole foods to heal, not processed foods with ingredient labels.

Inflammation and Free Radicals

Inflammation causes free radicals, which damage cells and cause more inflammation.

You can picture free radicals as red-hot particles bouncing around inside a cell burning anything they come into contact with such as your DNA, cell membranes and proteins in the cytoplasm. – Evergreen Nutrition

Free radicals are created by our natural everyday functions, and they play many important roles, including the elimination of the weakest cells in the adjacent area (like infectious microbes). But too much inflammation means way too many free radicals that are overwhelming the body, impeding healing.

Specific Nutrient Deficiencies Known To Cause Inflammation

Any nutrient deficiency can cause inflammation one way or another. Two common nutrition deficiencies well known to directly cause inflammation include:

Vitamin D deficiency

Vitamin D deficiency is linked to depression, pain, increased overall inflammation, an ineffective immune system, inflammatory bowel disease, many different autoimmune diseases, many forms of cancer, and so much more.

Vitamin B deficiencies (especially B6 and B12)

Vitamin B deficiencies can cause, exacerbate, and also be the result of inflammation. When the body’s digestive system isn’t healthy, B vitamin assimilation becomes more difficult, and extra B vitamins often give some almost immediate relief to those suffering from inflammation. This is especially important for anyone dealing with an abundance of stress.

How Excess Weight Causes Inflammation

Most studies that point to obesity as a cause of inflammation rely on the problems associated with obesity to show correlation to inflammation. This is problematic because the cause of the inflammation is not obesity. Inflammation is due to causal factors that leads to obesity. While a fatty liver can lead to inflammation, it’s not obesity that makes a liver fat; it’s a poor diet that makes the entire body overweight.

That said, carrying a lot of fat on the body is stressful to the body, which leads to damage, which requires repair and causes inflammation. But there are some interesting studies showing a direct cause.

We did not know fat cells could instigate the inflammatory response. That’s because for a very long time we thought these cells did little else besides store and release energy. But what we have learned is that adipocytes don’t just rely on local resident immune cells for protection… – A Mechanism by Which Fat Causes Chronic Inflammation

Chronic Anxiety

This is another chicken and egg scenario. Inflammation of the body causes a tremendous amount of stress, both physical and emotional. Chronic pain is stressful! On the other hand, chronic anxiety will leave the body in an inflammatory state as well. The two feed off of each other.

When intense anxiety has been a part of someone’s life for more than a few days, anxiety causes depleted levels of certain nutrients, like B vitamins, which are needed to get over anxiety. A deficiency in B vitamins also leads to anxiety.

Chronic anxiety eventually causes numerous nutritional imbalances, and the whole endocrine system begins to function poorly. Anyone who has been dealing with any kind of chronic stress needs to nourish and heal the thyroid, the adrenals, and the gut before inflammation will subside.

Conclusion

Whole foods, foods that have no need for an ingredients list, heal the body. There are lots of conditions that cause allergic reactions, sensitivities, or other inflammatory responses from otherwise healthy foods. For instance, someone with severe hypothyroidism may worsen with the consumption of cruciferous vegetables. The problem with eliminating whole, healthy foods in the diet is that the nutrient deficiencies that are at the cause of the problem get worse. Remove all unhealthy foods from the diet. Temporarily remove some healthier foods if you must, but add them back in as soon as you are able.

For those who are forced to breathe toxic air regularly, or live under power lines, or have other environmental issues that cause inflammation, it takes much longer to heal the body if the environmental toxins are not removed. For most people, it is doable. The body can handle a very heavy toxic load if the gut is balanced and the diet is good. Also, be sure to read How To Heal Your Gut if you’re suffering from chronic inflammation.

Recommended Supplements:

• Shillington’s Intestinal Cleanse Formula
• FloraMend Prime Probiotic – Thorne Research
• Formula SF722 – Thorne Research (kills Candida and other fungi)
• Boswellia – Pure Encapsulations (reduces inflammation and relieves pain)
• Curcumin 500 with Bioperine® – Pure Encapsulations (A powerful formula for inflammation and many other ailments)
• Arctic Cod Liver Oil with Vitamin D – Nordic Naturals
• Organic Vegan EFA Liquid (vegan-friendly fats, but not necessary if doing cod liver oil)
• Fibrenza Systemic Enzymes – (systemic enzymes eliminate fibrous, damaged tissue and foreign proteins)
• AR-Encap – Thorne Research (joint support formula)
• American Ginseng – Gaia Herbs (for inflammation, but juicing your own organic ginger is better)

Further Reading:

• Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases
• Understand Hypothyroidism – Prevention and Natural Remedies
• 80% Raw Food Diet

Sources:

• Overview of Inflammation – Oregon State University
• Could This Be the Root Cause of Inflammation and Many Modern Diseases? – Socio-Economics
• Three Hidden Ways Wheat Makes You Fat – Mark Hyman

As we age, many of us will develop skin tags. Yes, they are more prevalent in people who are overweight or obese, in those who are pre-diabetic or diabetic, and in the elderly. But the truth is, nearly half of us will have one or more by middle age. Pregnancy, steroid use, genetics, and the HPV virus also increase the incidence of skin tags.

What Are Skin Tags?

Skin tags are small flaps of skin that usually appear in places where skin rubs against skin, such as the eyelids, underarms, groin, neck, under breasts, or in skin folds.. Although they can reach up to one half an inch in width, they are usually no bigger than an apple seed. They are often attached to the body by a “stalk” of skin, smaller than the body of the tag. They may be a little darker than normal skin color or may be the same color as the skin.

Skin tags are known by many names:

• acrochordon
• cutaneous papilloma
• cutaneous tag
• fibroepithelial polyp
• fibroma molluscum
• fibroma pendulum
• papilloma colli
• soft fibroma
• Templeton skin tag

Skin tags are benign skin tumors that do not pose a problem unless their appearance is disturbing or if they are in a place where friction causes discomfort or shaving is problematic. They can, however, rarely be associated with Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome and Polycystic ovary syndrome.

Conventional Treatment for Skin Tags

General treatment is removal via surgery (just cutting or clipping), freezing, or burning.

Alternative Treatment for Skin Tags

When it comes to natural treatments, all are not created equal. A number of natural treatments cause skin tags to dry up and fall off, but many of them are slow, taking weeks to months to produce results. In addition, some require application many times a day.

Natural remedies include:

• Apple cider vinegar
• Banana peel
• Castor oil
• Dandelion juice
• Garlic
• Lemon juice
• Oil of oregano
• Tea tree oil

Of the choices, castor oil seems the easiest to use, and it has the added benefit of not irritating surrounding tissues. Just wash and dry the area; apply castor oil five or more times a day.

Apple cider vinegar, dandelion juice, and lemon juice are used the same way, simply apply several times a day.

To use oil of oregano, mix with a carrier oil (like coconut oil) with a 1 to 2 ratio (2 drops of oil of oregano to 4 drops of oil).

To use tea tree oil, mix with a few drops of water.

Garlic can be applied as a sliver with a bandage or as a paste of crushed garlic, though be aware that many complain of a burning sensation and skin irritation.

A piece banana peel can be taped to the site at night, the inside of the peel against the skin.

Most of these natural remedies take weeks of diligent application before you see results.

Conclusion

According to the odds, if you have skin tags you may be pre-diabetic or have been diagnosed with type II diabetes, and you are struggling with your weight. If you are looking for a diet that will make you feel wonderful and bring your blood sugar back in line quickly and effortlessly, check out the 80% Raw Food Diet and read 8 Easy Steps to Health.

Sources:

• What are skin tags? What causes skin tags? – Medical News Today
• Skin Tag – Web M.D.
• Cutaneous Skin Tag – Medline Plus
• 7 Fantastic Home Remedies to Remove Skin Tags – Simple Household Tips

Natural Remedies – Letter from the Editor

Natural Remedies for Adrenal Fatigue

How To Lower Your Blood Pressure Quickly and Naturally

Understand Hypothyroidism – Prevention and Natural Remedies

How to Kill Fungal Infections

How to Cure Migraines For Good

Natural Remedies for PMS Mood Swings, Bloating, Cramps, etc

Natural Remedies for Colds, Flus, and Other Common Viruses

Natural Cure for Sinus Infections

Natural Remedies for Chronic Stress

Reversing Erectile Dysfunction Naturally

Natural Remedies for Kidney Stones, Prevention, and What Really Causes Them

Natural Remedies for Anxiety

Natural Hair Loss Baldness Remedies and Cures

Natural Diabetes Cure

Natural Remedies for Acne

Natural Remedies for Canker Sores

Natural Arthritis Remedies

Natural remedies for a Hangover

Natural Cure for Yeast Infection

Natural Remedies for Constipation

Natural Cough and Sore Throat Remedies

Natural Heartburn Remedies

Natural ADHD Treatment

Natural Flea Remedies

How to Cure Candida

Natural Remedies For Migraines

Natural Remedies for Cold Sores

Natural Home Remedies for Ear Infections

Natural Remedies for Depression

Reduce Muscle Soreness

The problem with blood pressure medications is that they do not correct the underlying issue of the problem. Imagine you have a car with a 6-cylinder engine that is running very rough. You find out that two of your six cylinders have the problem, so you remove them or shut them down. Now your car runs smoothly, but it has to put out a lot more effort to get up to speed.

You should have cleaned all of the cylinders, flushed out the engine, and changed the oil, like an automotive detox. Instead, you cut out two of the cylinders completely, and now four are doing the work of six. And because the car was not meant to do this, your gas mileage is terrible, and more problems will develop soon. How long do you think this engine is going to last?

In order to get off of high blood pressure medications, it helps to understand the cause of high blood pressure.

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

What Causes High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure is almost always caused by thick, toxic blood. Consider that engine analogy, and think of our blood like the car’s motor oil and its gasoline. The cleaner the blood, the easier it is for the heart to pump it through the body. Chronic high blood pressure is a result of the heart working harder to push the blood where it needs to go. Restricting the heart doesn’t seem like the smartest thing to do, does it?

So What Causes This Toxic Thick Blood?

• Smoking – Smoking anything toxifies the blood, makes it thick, and makes it harder to circulate. This includes marijuana.
• Toxic Liver – A toxic liver results in dirty, sticky, thick blood full of toxins. And of course, smoking anything makes the whole body very toxic. Junk food, as in refined, processed food, does as well.
• Kidneys – Kidneys that aren’t at optimum health do a poor job of filtering the blood. Sugary and artificial beverages slow down the kidneys. For non-smokers, getting off of sodas and cheap juices is often enough to lower blood pressure.
• Candida – Candida seems to be at the foundation of almost everyone’s poor health and with good reason. Almost everyone, even self-proclaimed health experts, eats way too much sugar. Sugar feeds Candida, and Candida thickens the blood as it multiplies, poops, and multiplies some more.
• pH Balance – Acidic blood is slow, thick, problematic blood because it impedes the kidneys’ ability to function, and causes a host of other problems, many of which also result in higher blood pressure for other reasons.
• Fibrin – Vascular injury leads to inflammation and damage from free radicals which contributes to fibrin accumulation.
• Low vitamin D and other vitamin and mineral imbalances.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism has also been recognized as a cause of hypertension. Previous studies regarding hypertension in subjects with hypothyroidism have demonstrated elevated blood pressure values. Increased peripheral vascular resistance and low cardiac output, known causes of hypertension, are believed to be the possible link between hypothyroidism and diastolic hypertension.

How To Reduce High Blood Pressure Naturally

If you’re willing to get off the drugs and do right by your body, the good news is that high blood pressure is extremely easy to fix. The bad news is that you’re going to have to change your lifestyle. The habits that got you here will have to go.

Low Blood Pressure Diet

The goal is to balance the body’s pH, remove toxins, and increase enzymatic actions. There are some easy short-term solutions for balancing the pH and achieving these other goals, but a diet with lots of fresh raw produce that is devoid of processed junk food is the best and only way to permanently balance the body’s PH and achieve optimum health. Also, eating in this manner eliminates the other toxic accumulation from junk food.

The foundation of a truly healthy diet is raw, fresh produce – 80% should be raw, fresh, organic produce, more vegetables than fruit. It’s this simple: the more raw fresh vegetables anyone eats, the healthier they become. Eliminate processed foods and increase your raw food intake; there’s nothing else that comes close to the power of raw produce when it comes to eliminating ailments and restoring health. Nothing comes close except…

Cranberry Stevia Lemonade

I drink a gallon of cranberry stevia lemonade a day. The difference in my health that I experienced when I started drinking it is amazing. I ate well and I was very healthy, but this took my body to another level.

For a surprising number of people, high blood pressure is simply dehydration. Soda, Gatorade, sugary juices, and coffee either dehydrate you immediately or they dehydrate you in the long run (for instance, Gatorade and cheap, sugary juices will impeded kidney function). When you don’t have enough fluid in your body, the blood gets thick and harder to move. Cranberry juice will help normalize the kidneys, lemon juice will flush the liver and normalize pH levels of the body, and the stevia, I find, simply goes very well with cranberry and lemon.

If for any reason you can’t do cranberry stevia lemonade, drink a lot of clean water. Distilled or spring water (provided the source is reliable) are the best choices to drink and to make the lemonade.

The Body’s pH

Between diet and the lemonade, your pH should balance quickly. If you need it to balance nearly immediately, or your body is extremely acidic (due to toxic accumulation such as drugs like chemo drugs) then try:

Doc Shillington’s Body Balance Formula Recipe:

• 1 – cup of Organic Blackstrap Molasses
• 1 – cup of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar

Mix well and take a tablespoon twice a day. I recommend also taking a strong probiotic with this formula as the molasses can feed Candida. This formula tastes horrible in my opinion, but some people actually like the taste, it’s got a lot of benefits, and it’s well worth it.

Other Recipes For Normalizing Blood Pressure

If you want to bring blood pressure down as quickly as possible, especially if you’re coming off medication and/or have a heart problem, the following formulas are an absolute must have to bring the body out of the danger zone quickly and promote long-term healing:

Ginger, Cranberry, Turmeric Tonic

Equal parts:

• Cranberry juice
• Ginger juice
• Turmeric juice

This is an awesome way to start out the morning. Drink a shot of fresh pressed ginger, cranberry, turmeric juice. Ideally, as always, fresh is best. Juice turmeric root with the peel, ginger root with the peel as well, and cranberries. The perfect ratio is equal parts juice. Try to get whole, fresh cranberries if possible. If not, find some organic, unsweetened, un-concentrated/reconstituted cranberry juice with no additives.

Juice a total of  4 to 6 ounces and take the shot on an empty stomach. You should feel the benefits right away.

Doc Shillington’s Brain Tonic Recipe (or purchase here)

Doc Shillington’s Heart Formula Recipe (or purchase here)

Doc Shillington’s Blood Detox Formula Recipe (or purchase here)

Vitamin D

Studies have shown that those with higher levels of vitamin D in their system have lower blood pressure. Unfortunately, studies designed to prove supplementation with vitamin D lowers blood pressure have been inconsistent. Those showing benefits from supplementation have been small studies. But as often happens, the flaw in a large study was easy to spot. In the 7-year double-blind study of 36,282 postmenopausal women no evidence was found to support the idea that vitamin D supplementation reduces blood pressure. However, the dose given was too low (400 IU/day), half of the normal dose (700-800 IU/day) used for clinical purposes.

Coenzyme Q10

While the mechanism by which coenzyme Q10 reduces blood pressure is not fully understood, countless studies have shown significant improvement and reversal of high blood pressure with coenzyme Q10 supplementation.

Magnesium

Magnesium levels are consistently low in those who have hypertension. It’s recommended for most cases to take a mineral supplement that has a balanced range or minerals with magnesium, as opposed to just magnesium alone, especially for long-term supplementation.

Systemic Enzymes

Digestive enzymes break down food. Plant enzymes break down food in the pre-digestive phase of digestion before stomach acid inactivates them. Metabolic enzymes, also known as systemic enzymes, break down foreign proteins and fibrin and clean your blood of impurities. Consider the ramifications of this. Fibrin builds up when the body is damaged. It’s an important part of the healing process. Enzymes eliminate this scar tissue. Enzymes also eliminate viruses.

When a virus contacts a human cell, its external coating connects to the cell and the virus becomes able to contact DNA. This connection to DNA permits the virus to reproduce in a rapid manner. Proteolytic enzymes consume the exterior coating of a virus, rendering the virus permanently inert. They also break up circulating immune complexes in the blood. They enhance the elasticity of erythrocytes and reduce aggregation of blood platelets, increasing blood fluidity and its circulation in tissues. Enzymes are what take out the garbage, and they are the tools to rebuild the body. But the body can only produce so many.

When the body quits, producing proteolytic or protein digesting enzymes responsible for controlling fibrin levels in the body system, the body dies within 24 hours. The more enzymes we supplement the body with and get in our diets, the longer we live. It’s that simple. Heart attack, stroke, somewhere, somehow, the body will cease to function.” – Dr. Tim Kelly

Enzymes are the fountain of youth, if ever there was one. Aging appears to begin between the ages of 27 and 35 when the production of enzymes that dissolve protein begins to diminish. Scars stick around longer and remain more prominent. Aches and pains take longer to fade, injuries become slower to heal, and our body just doesn’t seem to recover like it once did because it doesn’t. We do damage to our body simply by being alive, and the more damage we do, the more enzymes we need to repair the damage.

Everybody can use more enzymes. We cannot get an optimal amount in our food unless we grow most of our own food with best practices to produce the most nutrient dense crops. Even then, we could still use more. Our body produces enzymes, but only a finite amount. The more foods we consume that are void of enzymes, the more we use up our finite supply.

Enzyme supplements fall under two categories: digestive and systemic. Digestive enzymes are taken with food to help digestion. There are also enzymes in raw foods that make it easier to absorb and properly assimilate nutrition.

Systemic enzymes (pancreatic enzymes, proteolytic enzymes, metabolic enzymes) are a bit more complicated. Getting enzymes from the digestive tract into the bloodstream isn’t easy. Enzymes released in the stomach will help digest food but will not survive the stomach acid. This is why systemic enzymes are typically offered in an acid-resistant capsule. The capsule is designed to release in the more alkaline environment of the intestinal tract. As long as the enzymes are taken on an empty stomach, the results have been shown to be spectacular.

Systemic enzymes have been used to treat problems and successfully eliminate ailments ranging from physical injuries, arthritis, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, autism, herpes, HIV, (seems to work against any virus) fibromyalgia, asthma, and so much more. Most of the research has been published in non-English language journals. This systemic use of oral enzyme supplementation is just beginning to take off in the United States.

There are no reported side effects with systemic enzymes. Massive doses do not cause any problems or side effects, unlike high doses of pharmaceutical drugs or extremely high doses of supplements and herbs. The initial dosage, which is often one potent enzyme pill taken three times daily, 45 minutes before or 45 minutes after a meal, can be raised by three tablets daily every few days until the desired therapeutic response develops. A person given more than 3700 enzyme tablets in one day experienced diarrhea, but this was attributed to the capsules, not the content. The only side-effects from the enzymes themselves will be reduced inflammation and reduction of damaged and decaying cells, fibrin, viruses, and other proteins that have been introduced from a leaky gut or the body’s own mutated proteins (which happens under stress).

Enzyme supplementation is not a quick fix, but over time, they do produce amazing results. Consider systemic enzyme supplementation for repairing the damage done to the body from vaccines, infections, toxins, poor diet or lifestyle choices, breathing the air we breathe, or anything that would cause any damage. Enzymes can help the body to reverse its age. What is age if not accumulated damage?

Conclusion

For those suffering from high blood pressure for a very long time, or those who have any other heart conditions, we also highly recommend Shillington’s Heart Formula and large doses of systemic enzymes right away. And do read Understand Hypothyroidism – Prevention and Natural Remedies if you suffer from hypothyroidism.

Be sure to check out How to Make A Tincture if you plan to make one of the aforementioned formulas, and see the cranberry lemonade recipe here. High blood pressure is something you can eliminate very quickly. You just need to let go of conventional wisdom, embrace natural health, and clean your blood to that your heart can do its job.

Recommended Supplements:

• Systemic Enzymes
• Vitamin D
• Omega-3 w/CoQ10
• Liquid Light – Sunwarrior
• Shillington’s Blood Detox Formula
• Shillington’s Body Balance+
• Shillington’s Blood Detox Tea
• Shillington’s Brain Tonic
• Shillington’s Heart Formula

Further Reading:

• Understand Hypothyroidism – Prevention and Natural Remedies
• How to Make A Tincture
• Inexpensive Easy Detox the One Gallon Challenge
• 80% Raw Food Recipes
• Acidity and Alkalinity Balance

Sources:

• Alternative approaches to hypertension – Dr. Hoffman
• Heart Health, Inflammation & Systemic Enzymes

Thyroid conditions generally fall into two categories: hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. The most common thyroid problem is hypothyroidism, an underactive thyroid, which leads to a slow metabolism, hormonal imbalances, a weak immune system, muscle pain, weight gain, fatigue, dry skin, hair loss, heart problems, and much more.

Contents

• The Endocrine System

• How To Tell If Your Thyroid Is Slow

• Hypothyroidism Symptoms

• Causes Of Hypothyroidism

• Thyroid, Adrenals, and the Body’s Hormones

• Foods That Inhibit the Thyroid

• Foods That Heal the Thyroid

• Vegan Food Sources of Iodine

• Vegan Food Sources of Selenium

• Supplements For Hypothyroidism

• Natural Remedy For Hypothyroidism

The Thyroid and The Whole Endocrine System

Hormones are liquid chemical messengers that regulate many activities of the body.

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

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

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

The thyroid, like every other gland, relies on other hormones to properly regulate its hormone production. When one gland or an organ is not working, the whole endocrine system becomes stressed.

The follicular cells of the thyroid gland produce T3 and T4, and the pituitary gland produces TSH to regulate the thyroid hormone production.

Hypothyroidism typically (but not always) shows higher levels of the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and low levels of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4. So the pituitary gland is pumping out TSH, telling the thyroid to work harder, but the thyroid is still unable to produce enough T3 and T4. While this is the typical model of hypothyroidism, a slow thyroid can present with low T3 or low T4 (rather than both), or perfectly normal TSH levels, or with normal (or seemingly normal) levels of all three.

Hyperthyroidism is an overactive thyroid. The gland can’t maintain such a pace and will eventually revert to hypothyroidism.

Autoimmune disorders such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, which cause inflammation of the thyroid gland, can have an effect similar to hyperthyroidism–over-activity. This is often followed by burnout, leading to underactivity.

How To Tell If Your Thyroid Is Slow

There are various testing methods for poor thyroid function, but the testing is problematic. Most physicians use outdated reference ranges when testing thyroid function. Also, studies have demonstrated that standard thyroid tests do not correlate well with tissue thyroid levels, which causes inaccurate diagnoses.

Most physicians and endocrinologists believe TSH is the best indicator of the thyroid function of an individual. However, someone can suffer from a significantly slow thyroid despite having a normal TSH, free T3, and free T4.

Some will test for T3. People can also have low T3 and show normal T4 and normal TSH. Many practitioners do not realize that this indicates a selenium or zinc deficiency, rather than a problem with the thyroid.

There are other problems with standard testing as well, and many thyroid specialists will tell you that more than 80% of patients with low thyroid function do not show thyroid problems with standard testing.

Naturopaths and many of the more progressive physicians and endocrinologists are using a combination of lab tests and looking at symptoms, while many holistic practitioners recognize the testing is flawed, therefore, they look at the symptoms and the function of the body as a whole.

Some of the most common symptoms of hypothyroidism include a dry, flaky scalp and pain, tightness, or a feeling of joints being “out of place” (in need of a chiropractic adjustment) in the trapezoid muscles including and especially in the back of the neck and shoulders, hip pain, bursitis, elbows, and wrists (carpal tunnel). When any of these symptoms is going on, the thyroid is struggling.

The thyroid becomes swollen and inflamed, as any part of the body should be when it’s hurting, and puts constant pressure on the vertebras in the neck and shoulder area. This causes issues including misalignment that can be temporarily relieved by chiropractic, but the thyroid has to be healed in order for the pain to stop reoccurring. Carpal tunnel also a common symptom. This syndrome is often primarily caused or solely caused by thyroid problems. And last but not least, flat feet are also a sign of hypothyroidism. I know, weird, right? But the body is all connected in so many fascinating ways.

Here’s a comprehensive list of symptoms indicative of hypothyroidism:

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

While weight gain, an inability to lose weight, and increased appetite can be signs of hypothyroidism, in severe cases one can actually lose their appetite and consequently lose weight. This is just a step before myxedema, when one loses brain function as a result of severe, longstanding low level of thyroid functionality.

Causes Of Hypothyroidism

There are many pathways available for the regulation of the production and conversion of thyroid hormones. Consequently, there are a lot of opportunities for things to go wrong. A healthy thyroid relies on many factors, including but not limited to, a healthy endocrine system, hormone levels being stable, healthy and balanced gut flora, a healthy liver, properly functioning adrenals, healthy kidneys, and clean, healthy blood.

Must Read: How To Heal Your Gut

Candida

Candida overgrowth leads to a host of problems and eventually causes autoimmune disease. It also inhibits the body’s ability to properly digest and assimilate nutrition. An overabundance of Candida toxifies the blood in many different ways, which inhibits all gland activity.

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

Best Supplement for Candida if you could only pick one: SF722

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

Every single person I’ve ever known to get over hypothyroidism (and almost every other chronic disease) fixed the gut first. That means killing fungi and balacing the gut’s ecosystem. Thre first step is to kill the fungi, mold, yeast, Candida.

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:

• Formula SF722 – Thorne Research
• Syntol AMD – Arthur Andrew Medical
• Berberine 500mg – Thorne Research
• Candida Complex – Complementary Prescriptions
• MycoCeutics MycoPhyto Complex – EcoNugenics
• MicroDefense – Pure Encapsulations
• Abzorb Vitamin & Nutrient Optimizer (500mg) HCP Formulas

Autoimmune disease

Hashimoto’s disease is a condition where the immune system attacks the thyroid. Autoimmune disorders occur when your immune system produces antibodies that attack your own tissues. This is typically due to a leaky gut as a result of an overabundance of Candida due to poor diet and/or antibiotic use.

Conventional Hypothyroidism Treatments

People with overactive thyroids are often treated with radioactive iodine or anti-thyroid medications intended to normalize thyroid function. Often these treatments result in permanent hypothyroidism (permanent by conventional medical standards).

Thyroid Surgery

Removing a portion of your thyroid gland will diminish or halt hormone production. A person who wants to balance their hormones after thyroid removal surgery (or partial removal) needs to either take hormones for life or grow back their thyroid.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation used to treat cancers of the head and neck can do serious long-term damage to the thyroid gland.

Medications

Many medications contribute to hypothyroidism, including but not limited to medications for mental health, sleep medications, painkillers, and allergy medications.

Other Drugs (nicotine, caffeine, marijuana)

Any stimulant will wear out the thyroid and the adrenals. Many people consume a lot of caffeine over a period of time, eventually leading to adrenal fatigue and hypothyroidism.

Marijuana disrupts the entire endocrine system, affecting all glandular hormone production. THC, in particular, lowers the immune system’s ability to fight infection, and can, with heavy use, lower thyroid hormonal output. Also, smoking anything causes the blood to become thick and toxic with free radicals and carcinogens that clog glands and hinder hormone production.

Iodine Deficiency

The thyroid gland converts iodine into thyroid hormones. Iodine is a trace mineral found primarily in seafood, seaweed, plants grown in iodine-rich soil, unrefined sea salt, and iodized table salt. Many people do not get enough iodine, and contrary to popular belief, this includes many people in developed countries.

Iodine from iodized salt is poorly absorbed and is not a healthy choice for raising iodine levels in the diet. Refined table salt contributes to a host of health problems. Iodine is absolutely necessary for thyroid function, but too much iodine (especially iodine outside of food) can impair thyroid function as well.

Genetically Modified Foods

Eating genetically modified foods can trigger autoimmune conditions like Graves’ Disease or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. GMOs destroy the gut lining and lead to a host of problems.

Vaccines

Vaccines can wreck havoc on the endocrine system and cause autoimmune issues that can end up attacking the thyroid. Formaldehyde and heavy metal toxins such as mercury and aluminum are huge contributors to the hypothyroidism epidemic. Many studies have concluded that the ingredients in vaccines harm thyroid function.

Mercury Amalgam Fillings

A mouth full of mercury is usually synonymous with a problematic thyroid. Mercury wrecks havoc on the endocrine system, the nervous system, the brain, and well, the whole body. Amalgam fillings absolutely must be removed to restore normal, healthy thyroid function.

Fluoride

Even small amounts of fluoride lessen the pituitary gland’s ability to function, which in turn slows thyroid production. Larger amounts of fluoride, which most people do consume from tap water, disrupt the whole endocrine system and wreck havoc on hormone production. Fluoride consumption over time essentially slows the whole body down, including the brain.

Environmental Toxins

The thyroid is quite vulnerable to environmental toxins including, but not limited to, pesticides, herbicides, BPAs, jet fuel, perchlorates, thiocyanates, PCBs, lead, chlorine, fluorine, bromine, and many other chemicals we come in contact with that have been proven to cause hypothyroidism. We are bombarded with these chemicals due to the way we construct buildings, the way we produce products, the way we travel, and the way we grow food. Our only defense is high quality nutrition and avoiding toxin exposure through diet, chemical exposure in our environment, and the products we use for personal care.

Less Often…

Less often, hypothyroidism may result from congenital disease, a pituitary disorder, and pregnancy (due to lack of nutrition while pregnant).

Thyroid, Adrenals, and the Body’s Hormones

Weakened adrenal glands lead to the development of thyroid disorders. Adrenal fatigue is often, perhaps usually, the root cause of hypothyroidism.

What causes adrenal fatigue? Pretty much the same things that cause low thyroid output. When the adrenals are constantly being worked (due to stress, stimulants, and lack of sleep), an overabundance of cortisol produced by the adrenals will cause a host of problems and completely unbalance the hormone levels of the body. For instance, cortisol can also inhibit proper T3 utilization. When the adrenal glands are performing poorly for a long enough period of time, the body ends up in a state of catabolism; the body begins to break down. Eventually the adrenals will “crash” and cortisol levels well below optimum levels. This is adrenal fatigue.

Truly healing the thyroid typically requires healing the adrenals and/or the entire endocrine system.

Foods That Inhibit the Thyroid

If you have hypothyroidism, you may have read that certain vegetables need to be avoided or at least cooked, such as broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, spinach, turnips, soy, peanuts, linseed, pine nuts, millet, cassava, mustard greens, asparagus, and sweet potatoes. This is a narrow-minded approach to a complicated problem. By all means, avoid soy like the plague (unless it is organic, and properly fermented). If you have a thyroid disorder and are not properly addressing it with nutritional healing, or you continue to smoke and/or drink coffee, kale smoothies are likely to make an underperforming thyroid much worse. On the other hand, a varied diet consisting primarily of fresh raw organic vegetables can cure almost anything (given enough time), including an adverse reaction to the foods themselves.

So what foods actually cause the problem with the thyroid in the first place? Refined, processed, homogenized, pasteurized, genetically modified, fortified, artificially flavored (or colored or preserved) “foods.” The key to fixing the body, not just covering up ailments or shifting symptoms, but truly fixing the body, is produce. The key to deteriorating your health is refined, processed foods.

In addition, you must avoid gluten. I know, suddenly everyone is allergic to gluten, but there are reasons for this sudden rise in gluten sensitivity. The gut has to be in proper working order to properly digest gluten; otherwise it’s toxic to us. People are eating more and more sugar, which consequently feeds Candida and other bad guys that tear up the gut. You cannot heal hypothyroidism, or any other disease for that matter, without healing the gut. It will not work. You could fix the thyroid and wreck the kidneys. You could have a toxic liver and a healthy heart (to a degree, for a while). But you cannot have an intestinal tract that is seriously damaged and have any major organ or gland work properly. Things may go unnoticed, but nothing is working right, and more importantly, nothing will heal unless the gut is at least in decent working order. Most people’s guts today are not in decent working order.

When gluten molecules escape the gut:

Immune cross-reactivity happens when the immune system mistakes one protein for another. The gluten protein is similar to protein structures in the nervous system and the thyroid tissue. When the body creates antibodies for gluten, it may also produce antibodies to the body’s own nervous tissue or thyroid.⁹ This cross-reactive effect leads to damage to the brain, thyroid, and other neurological tissue when the individual consumes anything with even the slightest bit of gluten.” – Gluten & Neurological Disorders, David Jockers

Foods That Heal the Thyroid

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:

Vegan Food Sources of Iodine

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

Selenium is required for the body to convert T4 into T3. 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. Due to the fact that thyroid conditions are associated with inflammation, anti-inflammatory herbs can aid in thyroid healing 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, if the liver is not up to par, this 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 alone. We recommend a B vitamin complex with extra B12.

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 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 drop quickly.

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 also 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.

Traditional Asian Herbs

• Coleus forskohlii(Indian coleus)
• Melissa officinalis(lemon balm)
• Ningpoensis (Chinese figwort)
• Prunella vulgaris(common selfheal)
• Radix scrophulariae (xuan shen)

Conventional Hypothyroidism Treatment

A Levothyroxine prescription is the most common treatment for hypothyroidism. It consists synthesized T4 and does not have T3. This can be problematic. Many people cannot properly convert T4 to T3 (which could indicate a zinc and/or selenium deficiency, but it may be a genetic issue). There are synthetic T3 drugs like Cytomel as well.

Desiccated thyroid from cows or pigs is another option. Armour Thyroid, the most popular prescription for desiccated thyroid, contains both thyroxine (T4) and tri-iodothyronine (T3) extracted from the thyroid gland of pigs. Desiccated porcine (pig) thyroid contains approximately 20% T3 and 80% T4 (1/4 ratio), as well as iodinated compounds diiodotyrosine and monoiodotyrosine. A human has about a 1/14 ratio of T3 to T4.

Some doctors don’t like prescribing desiccated thyroid because the dosage of hormones is not always consistent, whereas synthesized hormones are more exact in dosage. The concern over consistency in understandable, but studies have shown that many do not respond well (likely for various reasons) to the synthesized hormones, but do respond well to desiccated thyroid. It makes sense from a holistic standpoint, considering all of the nutrients you’re getting when you consume the desiccated thyroid that are absent from the synthesized hormones. These nutrients are obviously of significant importance considering that people tend to do very well on desiccated thyroid that has had the hormones removed, which is the only way to legally buy desiccated thyroid in the U.S. without a prescription.

Natural Remedy For Hypothyroidism

My Protocol – Clean Up The Gut, Fix The Endocrine System, Everything Else Will Follow

Here are three articles I put together on diet. This is indicative of how my family eats every single day.

• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• Start Eating Like That and Start Eating Like This – Your Guide to Homeostasis Through Diet
• How to Make the Healthiest Smoothies – 4 Recipes

We start off with cranberry lemonade and a huge salad every morning. For lunch, we sometimes do a smoothie or we snack on some nuts and/or fruit or we just finish our massive 11-cup salads. For dinner, we always cook from scratch, which takes preperation and time, but it gets easier. Rice and beans, quinoa, lentils, millet, oatmeal, and amaranth are common staples for our cooked meals. We add lots of raw vegetables and herbs to our dinners as well, for instance, the rice and beans go great with chopped tomatoes and avocado, diced onions and garlic, and shredded turmeric and ginger. Eat raw herbs and cooked herbs together for maximum health benefits.

This is truly a lifestyle, not a diet, and it’s one we live every day. You may not need to go to this extreme to rid your body of disease, but I find that most who are dealing with chronic illness need to take it this far, at least for at least for a few months.

The salads are the most important part of this protocol. More than supplements, more than anything save getting enough water, the salads are imperative. Eat lots of it. Make sure they are diverse with at least 15 different vegetables and herbs. If you could see what packing your gut with salad does to your ecosystem under a microscope, you’d understand why I’m so passionate about them. There is nothing more beneficially life-changing than developing a salad habit when the salads are big and diverse and homemade. They do more than any supplement or any other food to clean the intestinal walls of filth and develop a beneficial gut ecosystem.

The cranberry lemonade helps keep the kidneys and liver working optimally. These organs typically get sluggish quickly when lots of Candida are killed. If salads are #1, this cranberry lemonade is #2, and supplements are a distant #3.

For those with very serious gut issues, legumes and grains will be a no-no for the first few weeks at least, but when enough salad has been consumed, the gut should be able to reap many benefits from cooked foods like the dinner meals aforementioned.

Sweet fruit should be severely limited, and for the very ill, avoided until the gut is working better. Grapefruit, cranberry, avocado, lime, and lemon do not fall under this category.

Juicing with fruits is not much better than refined sugar, so don’t make the common mistake of thinking a fresh-juice fast is going to get you well.

Now that diet is covered, here’s the supplement part:

SF722 – 5 capsules three times a day, once on an empty stomach, the other two times with or without food.

Abzorb – take two capsules with harder to digest meals, and also take two on an empty stomach twice a day, like early morning and late night.

For anyone on a tight budget I recommend putting the money to food, and if affordable, add Abzorb and SF722. That’s enough with the right diet to eliminate fungal overgrowth in almost everyone. There are some who work or live in environments that constitute more environmental stressors on the body, and therefore need a lot more help. There are also many living in areas of the country where the healthy food selection at the local grocery store is sparse. I recommend more supplements and growing your own food in such a case. And I recommend growing your own food for a hundred other reasons as well.

If you’re someone who needs more supplementation or, like me, you just tend to prefer overkill, here’s a step-by-step protocol that includes all of the previously recommended supplements, and a bit more to address Candida die off and healthy defecation.

Each day has two supplement routines that are repeated. Each supplement routine has an objective.

Clean and Populate with Good Guys:

On an empty stomach

• 2 Abzorb
• 2 cups of cranberry lemonade
• Optional: Add a serving of the MycoPhyto Complex
• Optional: Additional probiotic with Abzorb, or separate probiotic and systemic enzymes instead of Abzorb

Antimicrobials, Kill the Bad Guys:

Usually with food

• 5 of the SF722
• Optional: one serving of MycoPhyto Complex
• Optional Intestinal Cleanse
• Optional: Other antimicrobials like the Undecyn, Gastro-cleanse, Candida Complex, Berberine, and the Micro-defense, you could take one or two of each

Nutrtional:

• Thyro Complex – Progressive Labs

Also, take absorb with any food that is difficult to digest.

Protocol

6am – Clean and Populate With Good Guys

Start with Abzorb and a big glass of cranberry lemonade and the

9am – Antimicrobials, Kill the Bad Guys

Salad time! The MycoPhyto Complex company recommends to take on an empty stomach, but I like it with salads and smoothies too. I recommend taking 1 or 2 of the Thyro Complex at this time as well, depending on how well the thyroid is working.

12pm – Antimicrobials, Kill the Bad Guys

Homemade Smoothie Time! If you’re extremely ill you may need to wait on the smoothies and just double up on the salads for the first week, but I’ve found that many people who were suffering from a plethora of ailments and having trouble recovering responded very well to pineapple smoothies. Pineapple smoothies (made with fresh pineapple), like the ones I have recipes for in the above link, pack a massive amount of enzymes and can help break down a lot of junk in the gut, while delivering large amounts of nutrition. But, smoothies have plenty of sugar, so it’s a good time to repeat the supplements from 9am.

Use pineapple, coconut water, water, cranberry juice, or if you can withstand some sugar try granny smith apple juice, but don’t use sweet fruit juices for smoothies.

3pm -Week 1 – Antimicrobials, Kill the Bad Guys

3pm -Week 2 – Populate With Good Guys

6pm – Antimicrobials, Kill the Bad Guys

Dinner time! Everything from scratch, nothing pre-made in any way, all whole food ingredients. Also, take 1 or 2 Thyro-complex.

9pm – Populate With Good Guys

Finish of the night with probiotic support and leave them alone for the night to do their thing.

Three More Supplements to Consider – Die-0ff, Heavy metal Detox, & Bowel Movements

If Candida die-off is a concern be sure to drink plenty of cranberry lemonade and I also recommend adding Total Nutrition Formula and the Intestinal Detox. Here’s a recipe to make your own Total Nutrition. This way you’ll get bentonite clay, charcoal, chlorella, spirulina, and more, which are all great for mitigating the die-off effects of a Candida detox, and they also chelate heavy metals.

You can take the Total Nutrition Formula with the smoothie or sprinkle it on the salad (or choke it down with water), and take the Intestinal Detox anytime throughout the day as directed.

If you’re not defecating easily and at least twice daily, I also highly recommend the Intestinal Cleanse. It kills parasites and moves the bowels better than anything else on the market that I know of, by far. I recommend taking it with the antimicrobials.

There are many natural treatments for hypothyroidism. Here is what works fast for fixing one’s thyroid in my experience. And the benefit of this protocol is that it works with both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, while it repairs the whole endocrine system, and the entire body. And remember, if you suffer from hypothyroidism, you are dealing with a lot more than just a thyroid problem.

Heavy Metal Toxins

If your mouth is full of mercury, the thyroid will never fully recover until the mercury is removed (though desiccated thyroid and other supplementation will still improve thyroid function, it will need to be taken indefinitely). Vaccinations also weaken the thyroid (mercury, formaldehyde, aluminum, GMOs, and more), so if you’re pro vaccine, and sticking to the schedule, the thyroid will continue to suffer. Click here if you need to detoxify from heavy metals. Also, for tooth and gum health, check out this article.

Detox the Blood

Thick and/or toxic blood makes it very hard for glands to do their job. Use Shillington’s Blood Detox Formula and this cranberry lemonade protocol to quickly detoxify the blood and the whole body, and improve circulation. Improved blood flow will quickly improve thyroid health.

Thyroid Nutrition

You probably won’t need this, but it will speed up healing for most

Desiccated thyroid supplements that are sold without a prescription are void of the thyroid hormones. In order to sell the products without prescription, the manufactures must remove the hormones.

On one hand, it’s not cool that the government restricted the sale of unmolested thyroid gland and called it a drug, which many believe (as do we) was done for the sole purpose of benefitting the synthetic hormone manufacturers. On the other hand, ideally, you want your thyroid to produce its own hormones, and desiccated thyroid supplements lacking in hormones do help kick start the thyroid.

Even better than just taking desiccated thyroid to heal the thyroid, some supplements contain other desiccated glands as well. This is the holistic approach that helps heal the entire endocrine system. As mentioned, iodine supplementation can be problematic when it’s not in whole food. Thyro Complex from Progressive Labs. It has raw thyroid, raw adrenal, raw pituitary, and raw spleen, along with kelp for iodine. This is one of the most potent thyroid supplements I know of. While there are plenty of herbal supplements that help with the thyroid, it’s pretty easy to end up with too much iodine when combining thyroid supplements as most of the other supplements to boost the thyroid have iodine. Thyroid I one from Wise Woman Herbals does not have iodine in it, and this works very well. Combine these two supplements with a vitamin B complex with extra B12, and you’ve got a truly holistic and powerful supplemental approach.

And finally, the most important aspect of healing is the diet. A healthy diet consists of 80% or more raw, fresh, organic produce (more vegetables than fruit). Check out the 80% Raw Food Diet.

Get Grounded

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) cause our bodies a lot of problems. Anyone who is having trouble sleeping or for other reasons is feeling sluggish and drained throughout the day, will benefit from spending some time outdoors with skin against the earth. Check out Earthing – Ground Your Body for Optimal Health.

Fitness and Rest For Hypothyroidism

Some say to take it easy with hypothyroidism, as long as you don’t push yourself too hard for too long, exercise can help jump-start your thyroid. I like yoga and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for anyone who’s trying to normalize their energy levels. Yoga offers a host of benefits including improving the body’s flow of energy, but can also be done at a slow pace. HITT training is almost the opposite of yoga. This training method involves alternating between very intense bouts of exercise and low-intensity recovery. A common HIIT workout is done by sprinting for 30 seconds, then walking for 60. Be careful with this, for obvious reasons. It’s good to push ourselves, but for some with severe thyroid problems, this could be dangerous. Once the thyroid is responding to better nutrition and detoxification, HIIT can radically accelerate the thyroid and adrenals’ improvement.

Conclusion

If the gut is healed and the diet is healthy, in most cases, the thyroid will eventually heal. Unfortunately, it can take a very long time, often many months. With desiccated thyroid, the process is much faster, and relief from hypothyroid symptoms are immediate. But again, you must fix the gut! Be sure to check out Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections. Since you’ve read this far, if things are overwhelming and you would like to communicate with me for clarification, feel free to go to Green Lifestyle Market to chat with me anytime.

Recommended Thyroid Supplements:

• Thyro Complex – Progressive Labs
• Thyroid I – Wise Woman Herbals
• B-Complex #12 – Thorne Research
• Other supplements for thyroid health

Further Reading:

• Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones
• Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections
• Mercury Fillings, Root Canals, Cavitations – What You Need to Know

Sources:

• Do You Have A T4 to T3 Conversion Problem? – Natural Endocrine Solutions
• Are thyroid problems caused by environmental toxins? What role do heavy metals play in causing thyroid disorders? – The Salerno Center
• Vitamin B-12 Deficiency and Hypothyroidism – Progressive Health
• Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) – Mayo Clinic
• How the Thyroid Works – Endocrine Web
• Understanding the Adrenal and Thyroid Connection – Holtorf Medical Group