AtoZ Fitness Article Blog.

It is not uncommon for a person to have an average temperature that is two to four degrees below normal, this correlates to a 12%-24% reduction in overall metabolism. No wonder these people feel tired and depressed and are consistently challenged with their weight.

Hypothyroidism is a common health condition affecting millions of men and women (more women than men) that is frequently overlooked in our health care system. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) estimates that 10% of Americans - more than the number of Americans with diabetes and cancer combined - suffer from thyroid disease.

The bottom line is that millions of Americans are hypothyroid, many hypothyroid patients receive inadequate treatment, and millions more are hypothyroid and may never even know.

Fatigue is one of the most common reasons for visits to primary care doctors, but the risk factors of having a poorly active thyroid are varied, and include: auto immune disease, post-partum depression, infertility, multiple miscarriages, pms (the previous 5 are specific to women only), weakness, problems with skin or hair, lethargy, sensation of cold, impaired memory or mood, constipation, weight gain or loss, muscle/joint pain, emotional instability, swelling around eyes, face or legs, nervousness, depression, heart palpitations, fullness in the throat area or difficulty swallowing, and much more.

In addition to being hypothyroid, there are many other reasons for fatigue. These include: poor blood sugar regulation, low adrenal function, anemia, nutritional deficiencies (often B vitamins), heavy metal toxicity, lack of exercise, allergies, inadequate sleep, clinical depression, and chronic infection - all of which can be positively effected by switching to a healthy diet high in raw vegetables and lean protein, where the meals are structured and evenly spaced throughout the day.

Diagnosing low thyroid can be difficult using the current medical model. Although there are numerous lab values that can be used to evaluate thyroid function, many physicians use only one lab test for diagnosis: thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). Many patients with 8 out of 10 low thyroid symptoms will be told that their thyroid is not the cause of their symptoms because their TSH level is “normal.“

Doctors using the TSH test as the sole criterion for detecting and treating the low thyroid patient are missing a great opportunity to help more sick people. Recently, the AACE has lowered the acceptable TSH values in order to detect more patients with this condition.

Although TSH is the most common method to diagnose low thyroid, having “normal” TSH levels does not automatically rule out hypothyroidism. In addition to the TSH test, a more complete thyroid panel should also include free T3, free T4, and possibly TPO antibodies, and reverse T3.

Although these are the best tests to evaluate thyroid function, these tests are often not performed because they are more expensive than the common tests and may not be covered by your insurance companies. When choosing a doctor to treat your possible thyroid problem, ask your doctor what tests they include in their thyroid panel.

Another very simple but less effective method to detect low thyroid is for the patient to measure their basal body temperature at home using a mercury thermometer. The basal temperature is measured by putting the thermometer under the arm for five minutes before getting out of bed. Men and post-menopausal women should record their temperatures for a week, menstruating women should start recording their temperature for a week beginning on day two of their period. Anyone with an average temperature of less than 97.6 F could be hypothyroid and should consult a skilled physician for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Once a diagnosis is made, the conventional treatment of hypothyroidism is to prescribe synthetic thyroid (Synthroid) and retest the TSH level in 4-6 weeks. The goal of the treatment is to bring the TSH level back into a normal range. This approach can be effective for some patients, but many patients do not feel better even after achieving normal TSH lab values.

When choosing a doctor to help with your potential low thyroid, you should ask whether the doctor uses medications other than Synthroid. Synthroid is the most commonly prescribed thyroid medication but is not the best solution. Physicians with experience in successfully treating thyroid disease will also utilize other alternatives such as naturally compounded T3/T4 hormone, Nature-throid, or Armour thyroid or natural supplements such as l-tyrosine, iodine, bladderwack (sea weed), natural progesterone, adrenal and thyroid glandular.

And ANY treatment to improve your thyroid functions absolutely must include instructions on how to eat healthier and lead a more active lifestyle.

Exposure to toxins can also cause poor thyroid function. Radiation treatments for an overactive thyroid is one of the most common causes of low thyroid. Heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium and others can also be a primary cause of hypothyroidism and need to be removed from the body. Lastly, fluoride and chlorine compete with the iodine needed for thyroid hormone metabolism and can cause poor thyroid function.

Many of you reading this article of are suffering needlessly from the symptoms of undiagnosed or ineffectively treated hypothyroidism. The ideas and suggestions contained in this article should provide you with a starting point and some direction for pursuing an effective solution.

Always consult your physician first and always maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Note from Lewis if you received this twice I apologize seems as the first one went to Sarah’s blog and not my own

How did you sleep last night?

I had a great night sleep, but when I woke up I thought what a powerful effect a great night’s sleep has on your metabolism, and I wanted to share with you some idea’s about how to get a better night’s sleep.

Now my idea of a great night’s sleep is one in which you sleep soundly and wake fully refreshed and full of energy.  During a great night’s sleep you rarely, if ever, think about your troubles, your never think about the news, and your usually fall asleep within 10 minutes of your head hitting the pillow (with positive thoughts in your mind).

Also, a key factor in determining if you had a great night’s sleep is if you dream ‘positive’ or ‘fun’ dreams.  Because if your night is full of ‘bad’ or ’stressful’ dreams then you’re most certainly tossing and turning throughout the night and NOT getting a "restful" sleep.

Why is it so important to get quality sleep each and every night:

Your body and your mind break down and get worn out from stress during the day. 

The only time that your body and your mind repair itself and rejuvenate are when you’re sleeping.  But it’s important to note here that "restful" sleep is the key.  Tossing and turning all night or waking up every few hours is not considered restful sleep.

I recently read an article that made it to my research center that stated the facts about how snoring effects your sleep and your health.  People who snore, tend to disrupt their sleep, on average, 300 times each night - now that’s not a restful night’s sleep!

Now think about it this way for a moment - if you’ve been under stress lately, or if you’re mattress sucks, or if you just plain haven’t been able to sleep well for the past few weeks (or months), then you haven’t given your brain or your body the time it needs to repair itself. 

So you actually start each and every day a little bit less focused and less metabolically healthy than the previous day.

Don’t try to catch up on your sleep:

People tell me all the time that they know that they don’t get enough sleep during the week - but they "catch up" on the weekends.

Let me put an end to that myth right now…That does not work!!!  Your body and your mind need a regular sleeping pattern to repair and rejuvenate - without it you’re actually deteriorating yourself rather than re-energizing yourself.

So what’s considered enough sleep?

Generally speaking everyone should strive to get 8 hours of restful sleep. 

Now if you eat a very healthy diet and exercise properly, and give yourself a few mental breaks during the day, and if you sleep like a baby and awaken fully refreshed every day, then you might be the type of person who can get away with less sleep - maybe 6 hours each night.

On the other hand, if you experience extraordinary amounts of stress each day (mental or physical), then you’ll need more than 8 hours.

A marathon runner for example, tends to put his/her body through a lot of stress each day - that person needs more than just 8 hours because their body needs more repair time than normal.  The same holds true for the person going through massive mental stress as well.

So what can you do to help facilitate a better night sleep for yourself and those around you…

1. Make a list of what you need to do the next day, write it all down and keep that paper and pen near your bedside in case you think of anything else you need to do.  When you write things down your giving your brain the signal that it no longer needs to think about those tasks.

2.  Don’t watch television or listen to the radio (especially the news) before retiring for the night - and certainly do not fall asleep with the TV or radio on.

3.  Read some inspirational or self-growth material for at least 30 minutes prior to bed.  Your goal is to fill your mind with inspirational thoughts before falling asleep so that the last thoughts you have before drifting off are uplifting thoughts - as opposed to the stressful thoughts that most people fall asleep thinking about.

4.  Make sure the room that you’re sleeping in is as dark as possible - the body is made to sleep when it’s dark out - the darker the room the more potential for a deep sleep.

5.  Make the room as silent as possible - turn off all electric devices and ask others in the house to be as quite as they can be.

6.  Don’t eat for at least 3 hours before going to bed.  When there’s undigested food in the stomach your body is forced to focus on digesting that food rather than being focused on repairing your body and mind - which is what sleep is all about!  The body was designed to digest food best while moving - not while laying down.

7.  Try to go to bed at approximately 10:00 pm and awake at approximately 6:00 am.  In Ayurvedic medicine it’s believed that there are cycles that are the most conducive for certain activities.  Going to bed at 10:00 pm and arising at 6:00 am appears to allow the body to rest the deepest, rejuvenate the most, and gives the person the most energy throughout the day.

8.  Don’t take drugs or vitamins/herbs that are supposed to help you sleep (unless required by your physician).  Most of these artificial sleeping aids do nothing more than deaden your senses - the goal of ’sleep’ is to give your body the time and means to repair itself and prepare for the coming day. When you drug yourself to sleep, every system in your body is slowed down, including all those systems that are responsible for repairing you.

9.  Make sure that there’s a fresh air supply in the room.  The air indoors is said to be some of the most toxic air around.  When you sleep, you’re only able to breath in the air that surrounds you in your enclosed bedroom.  Try opening a window (if it’s cold outside then just open the window a crack).  The fresh air that comes in while you sleep will help your body repair itself because you’ll have access to cleaner, more oxygenated air.

10. During the day, do 60 minutes of mild exercise.  If you don’t have time to do 60 minutes in a row, then break it up into 2 - 30 minute sessions, or 3 - 20 minute session, or 6 - 10 minute sessions — just get a full 60 minutes in.  The best exercise when talking about general health and preparing your body for a great night’s sleep is "walking".

You can get loads of other great tips on how to live a healthy lifestyle and sleep better from this day forward on my 4 hour Living Health Audio Program.

I wish you the best night’s sleep tonight and every night from this day on.

About the Author:
Peak performance and energy enhancement expert Christopher Guerriero knows how to achieve success again and again.

His name is in the rolodex of some of today’s most successful business people and famous Hollywood stars.

He has helped over five-hundred thousand people in 93 countries to unleash true success in their lives by developing an abundance of energy that lasts all day – every day.

For over 17 years he has worked with everyone from high school athletes to Olympic athletes … from housewives to actors and actresses … and from college students to business tycoons, helping them achieve greater success in life, by taking control of their body shape and their energy…

…and helping them understanding how to use this new energy to reach ALL their goals - faster and more effectively.

He’s the founder of the National Metabolic & Longevity Research Center, the host of the new television show called The Energy Factor, and author of more than 20 books and audio’s.

A master storyteller, Chris uses his experiences as an metabolic researcher to inspire audiences to think differently about their health, to live life with passion and to have the courage to take the necessary steps toward their goals– to push beyond their self-imposed limitations, and finally have the energy to achieve greatness in their lives.

His dynamic and compelling programs are designed specifically to help people notice immediate and long lasting improvements in their energy level and their ability to perform at peak efficiency both mentally & physically.

Visit Christopher’s website at http://maximizeyourmetabolism.atozfitness.com today.