Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Written by Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND For further questions or concerns email me at carcidiacono@invitehealth.com† Last week we talked about prediabetes. While not all people with diabetes type 2 first present with prediabetes, in my clinical experience many people do. Likewise while not everyone with …
Dr.Kay speaks about the impact of the gut microbiome connection with the hormone estrogen and the importance of maintaining their balance.
weight management
Written by Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
For further questions or concerns email me at carcidiacono@invitehealth.com
Almost everyone knows the thyroid controls weight. But did you know it also controls metabolism? What exactly is metabolism? In the medical world, it is known as basal metabolic rate or BMR. Basically, it’s the number of calories you use to just live. Sleeping, breathing and even sitting are all things that contribute to the BMR. Being very active and engaging in physical exercise will cause it to increase. BMR is usually calculated based on the following factors: age, gender, height and weight. (1) In addition to the thyroid, other hormones can and do affect weight. However as this is a series on the thyroid, I’ll focus solely on how thyroid affects weight.
To recap, the thyroid is in charge of BMR. Studies show that people with low thyroid function had lower BMRs, compared to those with a higher than normal amount of thyroid hormone, who had higher BMRs. (2) Meaning, those with a decreased thyroid function gained weight easily; while those with an increase in thyroid function were able to lose weight.
Now, it is very important to first determine if weight loss or weight gain is related to the thyroid. Blood work is always a great place to start. In the article regarding blood testing, I gave you some things you should go over with your doctor. After that, you’ll have some time in between doing blood work and getting results back. During that time, you should utilize it by starting a food diary or log of anything you eat throughout the day. It’s very important to be honest about what you’re eating if you want to try to balance your food intake. I know it might be embarrassing to write down or tell a nutritionist you had 4 slices of pizza, 3 times this week; but it’s easier to understand what we need to do when someone is honest about what they eat; rather than saying what they think we want to hear. Why do I seem to be harping on this issue? Even with a thyroid disorder, what we eat is one of the most important things to help regulate our weight. While it is true that having a lower/higher level of thyroid hormone will make it easier to gain or lose weight, it’s not the only concern regarding a healthy weight. Having a healthy or unhealthy relationship with food is just as important to talk about. (3) If you have a thyroid disorder and an unhealthy relationship with food, it’s like throwing gasoline on a fire; it will only make it worse.
Well first, get blood work down then do your food log. Once you have your blood work and food log feel free to contact an InViteⓇ Health nutritionist. I am always happy to go over your food log. Email me at carcidiacono@invitehealth.com, if you’re interested in working with me! Next, work with a nutritionist to determine what is going on with your thyroid. Is it higher than normal? Lower? Is there an autoimmune problem going on? All of these are topics we have covered in this series. Feel free to look back on any of our previous blogs!
In addition to working on the thyroid and what you are eating, there are supplements that studies show can help with weight loss and weight gain.
For weight loss the following have been found to be helpful, Green Tea: This has been found in studies to help with weight loss. (4)
See InViteⓇ Health’s Supplements: Green Tea Tx™ , Green Tea HxⓇ, and Green Tea Fat Burner
HOW GREEN TEA SUPPORTS FAT BURN AND WEIGHT LOSS >> Read Now!
For weight gain the following have been found to be helpful, CLA: in a study with obese men, they supplemented CLA for 4 weeks, which showed a decrease in belly fat. (5)
See InViteⓇ Health’s Supplements: CLA
Phase 2: A great addition to green tea, it has been found to potentially help both obesity and triglycerides. (6)
See InViteⓇ Health’s Supplements: Phase 2 Carb Controller
*The following smoothie recipes can be used as a meal replacement
Citrus Smoothie
Water
InViteⓇ Health Whey Protein
Oranges HxⓇ
Collagen HxⓇ
Add 1 dropper-full Green Tea Tx™
Open 1 capsule of Probiotic HxⓇ Weight into the shaker.
Shake well and enjoy over ice!
Detox Smoothie
Water
InViteⓇ Health Whey Protein
Collagen HxⓇ
Dr Pressman Daily Detox
Dr Pressman Organic Greens Plus
Open 1 capsule of Probiotic HxⓇ Weight into the shaker.
Shake well and enjoy over ice!
For more information see Allie Might’s podcast on this fantastic topic!
*The following smoothies will be best eaten in between meals for weight gain benefits (not instead or in place of one of the three meals eating each day)
Retro Weight Gainer
Milk of choice
Weight Management Powder
Cocoa HxⓇ
Dr Pressmen Organic Greens Plus
Collagen HxⓇ
1 Avocado, or banana or 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Superfood Weight Gainer
Milk of choice
Weight Management Powder
Reds HxⓇ
Greens HxⓇ
Collagen HxⓇ
https://www.garnethealth.org/news/basal-metabolic-rate-calculator
https://www.btf-thyroid.org/thyroid-and-weight-the-science
https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-minute-which-is-better-for-losing-weight-diet-or-exercise/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938410000703
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11477497/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15005645/#:~:text=Results%3A%20The%20results%20after%20eight, percent%20(p%3D0.35).
Looking for ways to shed a couple of pounds? Look no further with tips and tricks to weight loss with Allie Might, INHC.
Feel like all the fad diets you have been going on are not helping you keep off the weight. Learn more about alternative ways to help with weight loss for the long term!
thyroid
Written by Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
For further questions or concerns email me at carcidiacono@invitehealth.com
The thyroid has many important functions in the body, but how much do you really know about it? Today, we get into the basics of the thyroid.†
What exactly is a thyroid gland? Well to start off with, what is a gland? A gland is a type of organ that makes hormones or other secretions that “get stuff done.” There are two types of glands. One is called endocrine, the other is called exocrine. What does that mean exactly? Well it basically means that one type, the endocrine, secretes its hormones directly into the blood stream vs exocrine, which secretes its products into a “duct.” The thyroid is an example of an endocrine gland, since its hormones go directly into the blood. In contrast, sweat glands are exocrine type glands. (1) There are other differences in what is produced, but these are the main differences.†
The thyroid gland is located in the front of the neck and is shaped like a butterfly. This is what the doctor feels when he asks you to cough while he is palpating your throat.† (2)
The thyroid gland secretes three hormones. The first is Triiodothyronine or T3, which is the active form of thyroid hormone. The second is Thyroxine or T4. This is used to make T3. The last hormone is called calcitonin and it affects calcium and bone building.† (3)
HOW TO BE PROACTIVE ABOUT BONE HEALTH – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 232. Listen Now>>
The thyroid doesn’t just decide to produce hormones. It is controlled by an enzyme called thyroid stimulating hormone or TSH. This is produced by the anterior pituitary gland. This is in turn controlled by another hormone. However that is outside the reach of this article.† (4)
The thyroid is one of the most important glands in our body. It is in control of almost every system! To start off with the thyroid is in charge of “metabolic rate.” By metabolic rate, we mean body temperature, appetite, regulation of weight (aka weight gain and weight loss), and absorption of our nutrients from food, as well as blood sugar and cholesterol levels.†
The thyroid also affects the heart rate. In addition to the heart, the thyroid affects brain development in a fetus and memory in adults and children. Similarly, it also affects sleep patterns and quality. Those with thyroid disorders tend to suffer from either too much energy or too little energy!†
Sexual health such as libido, and maintenance of healthy menstrual cycle are also affected by the thyroid.†
BIRTH CONTROL PILLS AND VITAMIN DEFICIENCIES – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 514. Listen Now>>
Healthy hair, skin, nails, as well as bone health, are all controlled by the thyroid.† (5)
What does this all mean? It means that the thyroid is in control or related to almost every system in our body. It controls them either directly via its hormones or via its hormones relationship to other hormones.†
Just like any other organ, things can go wrong with the thyroid. I won’t get into detail here since this is an introduction to the thyroid. I will be writing about each of these in more detail in later articles. The main two dysfunctions of the thyroid are hyper- and hypothyroidism. Also related to these two are nodules and goiters or in other words “growths of the thyroid.” While I will be discussing natural approaches to thyroid health, it is important to understand that thyroid supplements are very strong. They do not prevent disease, but rather are used to treat a condition. Using them to “prevent” a problem can actually cause problems later on. Unfortunately, there is really not prevention when it comes to thyroid.†
My article next week will be discussing thyroid labs and what they mean. It is important to know what the labs mean before we can get into treatment.†
For further questions or concerns related to the thyroid, email me at carcidiacono@invitehealth.com.
Sources
(1) https://thebiologynotes.com/exocrine-vs-endocrine-glands/
(2)Standring S, Borley NR, et al., eds. (2008). Gray’s anatomy : the anatomical basis of clinical practice (40th ed.). London: Churchill Livingstone. ISBN 978-0-8089-2371-8.
(3)Hall JE, Guyton AC (2011). Guyton and Hall textbook of medical physiology (12th ed.). Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders/Elsevier. ISBN 978-1-4160-4574-8.
(4)Boron WF, Boulpaep EL (2012). Medical Physiology (2nd ed.). Philadelphia: Saunders. p. 1052. ISBN 978-1-4377-1753-2. \
(5)Boron WF, Boulpaep EL (2012). Medical Physiology (2nd ed.). Philadelphia: Saunders. p. 1052. ISBN 978-1-4377-1753-2.
