Here’s an eye-opening statistic--currently, nearly eight out of 10 Americans are overweight or obese. And those numbers are not going down.

Of course, the begging question here is: What in the world is going on? Why is it our “new normal” to be overweight?

Well, there are a lot of factors behind the scenes, including processed/fast foods, lack of exercise, exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, chronic stress and the resulting elevated cortisol levels, and our ever-expanding reliance on medications.

But there’s another sneaky, often-missed factor that can pack the pounds on you and/or make it next to impossible for you to lose weight.

Having a sluggish thyroid—in other words, hypothyroidism!

Here’s the scoop on this grossly underdiagnosed condition that can wreak havoc with your health (and weight).

Our ever-growing epidemic of thyroid disease 

More so than ANY other time in our existence, thyroid disease is at epidemic levels!

Currently over 20 million Americans have it, with underactive thyroid being far more common than overactive.

Women are affected more than men—their risk is about one in eight, and once menopause hits, that risk shoots up to about one in four.

Since thyroid hormones are used by literally every cell in your body, having an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) can affect you from head to toe with a myriad of symptoms.

The most notable sign is when your pooped-out thyroid starts affecting your metabolism… and you begin putting on weight no matter how much you diet, and find yourself dragging all day long.

Why in the world?

Here are some of the most common causes of thyroid disease:

Autoimmunity

Autoimmune diseases are characterized by your immune system becoming hypersensitive and attacking your healthy cells, tissues and organs.

When the thyroid becomes the immune system’s target, you get Hashimoto’s disease—aka autoimmune hypothyroidism.

Nutrient deficiencies

Your thyroid needs a wide varity of nutrients to do its job properly, and when you’re lacking in what it needs, you will suffer the consequences.

Especially important are zinc and vitamins A, B2, B3, B6, C and E.

Iodine is also essential to thyroid function, but it’s an interesting paradox. Most of our salt is iodized and Heaven knows the average person gets enough salt in processed and fast foods… so, very few of us are lacking iodine.

However, toomuch iodine can backfire on you and interfere with your thyroid’s ability to produce hormones! People with high-salt, processed food/fast food diets are especially vulnerable.

Water fluoridation

Studies have shown that fluoride is an endocrine disruptor and can impair normal endocrine function.

In addition to your thyroid, fluoride can also affect your parathyroid and pineal glands, as well as your adrenals, pancreas, and pituitary.

Heavy metals

Heavy metals can disrupt thyroid function, especially mercury.

Common sources of mercury include vaccines (especially flu shots), dental amalgam fillings, large carnivorous fish like swordfish, cigarette smoking, municipal water supplies, water-resistant fabrics and chlorine bleach.

Certain medications

Certain medications such as steroids, barbiturates, statins and beta blockers can disrupt your thyroid function.

Get tested—and help it bounce back!

Start by seeing a doctor and getting a complete thyroid workup—NOT just a TSH test. The TSH is a snapshot test that is more of a measure of pituitary function than thyroid function.

Ask for these thyroid tests as well:

• Free T4 and Free T3
• Total T4 and Total T3
• Thyroid Antibody Testing
• Reverse T3
• TRH Stimulation Test (aka TRH Challenge test)—note that this is more of a holistic test, so many mainstream doctors are unfamiliar with it. Seek out an integrative physician to have this test done.

Depending on what’s behind your exhausted thyroid, here are some ways to help it bounce back—and feel a whole lot better FAST:

Fight back against autoimmunity 

A top-quality vitamin D supplement like Optimum DK Formula with FruiteX-B can help counteract and tame the “overzealous” immune responses taking place with autoimmune conditions.

This is especially important because once someone has an autoimmune disease (and their immune system is already hypersensitive), they are extremely likely to develop another one or more!

And considering that vitamin D is a very common deficiency (especially in the Northeast where sunlight is limited), it’s no wonder that autoimmunity is on the rise and people’s thyroids are increasingly affected.

Choose the best hormone replacement

If thyroid hormone replacement has been recommended to you, there two options:

Synthetic hormones (such as Synthroid)—which contains only one thyroid hormone (T4).

Natural thyroid hormones (such as Armour Thyroid)—these are made from desiccated pig thyroid glands and contain the complete range of thyroid hormones (T1, T2, T3 and T4). Natural thyroid hormones have been a Godsend for many people with hypothyroidism.

If your doctor is unfamiliar with natural thyroid hormones, ask him to research them, or find a doctor who is familiar with them.

Have your nutritional bases covered

Eating a healthy diet and supplementing with a complete multi-vitamin and mineral formula like Super Core can help make sure you have adequate levels of the nutrients your thyroid needs.

Super Core contains health-supportive doses of all the crucial thyroid nutrients I mentioned above, plus its natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatories are helpful to counteract disease-causing free radicals and inflammation!

Also, be sure to watch for goitrogens—these are foods that, when eaten raw, can interfere with your body’s ability to absorb and use iodine:

Broccoli	Mustard greens
Brussels sprouts	Rutabaga
Cabbage	Turnips
Cauliflower	Millet
Kale	Peanuts
Radishes	Spinach
Kohlrabi	Soybeans

**Note that these foods are fine if COOKED because cooking deactivates goitrogens.

Limit your exposure to fluoride and mercury

Try to eliminate these toxins from your environment (and body)—for example: 

• If you smoke, please quit. Get help if you need it.
• Use chemical-free, chlorine-free, biodegradable laundry and household cleaning products.
• Use filtered water for drinking and bathing.
• Avoid the following types of fish that have high levels of mercury: Tuna, sea bass, marlin, pike, shark, oysters, halibut, walleye, largemouth bass, swordfish or farmed fish.
• Request that your dentist use composite materials in any fillings instead of silver amalgam and replace existing amalgam fillings (by a dentist who is experienced in safe removal of amalgam).
• Heavily weigh the risks vs. benefits of flu shots. Having a strong immune system is your body’s best defense against flu and other viruses and infections.

Rethink medications

If you use any type of medication that can affect your thyroid, talk to your doctor about alternatives.

For example, omega-3 fish oil (as found in our VitalMega-3) has been shown to be very effective in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol—without the dangerous side effects of statins or beta blockers.

Try ashwagandha

Exciting research has supported the fact that the herb ashwagandha can help improve thyroid function!

Although the studies may be current, the fact is, ashwagandha has been used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine to help support the body’s endocrine functions and promote mental clarity and alertness.

Also important is the mineral zinc. Zinc is needed to support the conversion of T4 thyroid hormone to the more active T3 hormone, so zinc deficiency can prevent your thyroid from making enough active thyroid hormone.

You can put the power of ashwagandha and zinc to work for you with our very own Ashwa Blend Gummies!

See what a difference it can make in how you feel when you take safe, natural measures to support strong thyroid (and overall) health!

To your health,

Sherry Brescia