Sneaky Thyroid Problems That Slip Under the Radar

I'd like to share story about a patient that I've worked with for the past few years. This person has struggled with anxiety and mild depression since about 1998, And has been on approximately 3 different antidepressants during that time period.

When this person discovered that we were treating hormone imbalances, they mentioned to me that they would like to get their hormones checked. When we got their results back we discovered that they had  subclinical hypothyroidism.

Let me explain what subclinical hypothyroidism is. Subclinical hypothyroidism is a condition in which a person has very minimal changes in their labs but have significant physical symptoms that relate to standard hypothyroidism.

This client of mine had symptoms such as thinning hair, sadness, low energy, low motivation, cold intolerance, muscle tension, weight gain, and mild anxiety. These are all the symptoms of standard hypothyroidism; however, when we checked their labs, they seemed "normal". As is the case 99% of the time, this type of hypothyroidism often gets overlooked. That's exactly what happened in this person's case.

Two weeks after starting thyroid medication, this person stopped their antidepressant on their own. When they came back for follow-up after one month, they discussed the fact that they had stopped their antidepressant. When asked how they were feeling, they said they were feeling better than they had felt in over 15 years. 

If this particular scenario sounds like you, or someone you know, give us a call at Matrix Wellness Solutions. There may be a good chance that there's a hormone imbalance that can be corrected.

Thanks,

Brian G. Brown

Harmful Bacteria Linked To Obesity

Here’s an excerpt from a recent article that I read:

So how might bacteria in the gut affect your weight? Research suggests that organisms in our intestines have a significant impact on how fats in our food are metabolized, absorbed and stored. The first data to suggest a connection between the health of the gut and the risk of obesity was published in 2004, and since then more than 100 articles have been published trying to elucidate the mechanism behind this. 

An imbalance of harmful bacteria in the gut can secrete substances known as endotoxins that can incite inflammation and contribute to changes in hormones that subsequently lead to weight gain. In a recent study in China, scientists identified an obesity-linked bacteria known as Enterobacter from a morbidly obese adult male; when that bacterium was eliminated from his gut, he lost nearly 30 percent of his body weight. The researchers then fed this same Enterobacter to a group of mice; they developed obesity and insulin resistance from this exposure. (K. Judge & M. Barish-Wreden; The Sacramento Bee - Mclatchy-Tribune News Service; Sacramento, Calif.; 2012)

Symptoms of enterobacter infections are serious and most always lead to hospitalization and sometimes fatality. Although it’s unlikely that you will ever have these serious bacteria in your gut, it’s important to note how fragile our gut is. We have to take care of our gut in order to maintain healthy nutrition balance.

Knowing the things that can lead to a build-up of harmful bacteria can help us avoid pitfalls later on. Here are some of the things that can affect that build-up:

Foods we eat

Use of antibiotics

Chronic ingestion of acid-reducing medications 

Stress

It may be hard to believe, but the bacteria in your gut can change in as little as a day. So how do we keep our gut healthy?

Avoid processed grains 

Avoid sugars

Switch to whole, unprocessed grains 

Incorporate more fermented foods like yogurt