Lemon + Ginger + Green Detox Smoothie

Try this fantastic smoothie for your post holiday munchies!

 Spicy Lemon Green Smoothie

1 frozen banana 1 celery rib ½ field cucumber ½ lemon, peeled 1-inch piece ginger root 1 cup water or coconut water

Health Benefits

Lemon and ginger are a match made in nutrition and flavor heaven. Lemon is amazing for helping to cleanse the liver and ginger is great for cleansing the digestive tract. If your liver is processing toxins but you are not eliminating them through your bowels, you may be at risk for re-absorbing those toxins. Lemon and ginger are a detox super duo.

Reference: Raw Living

Tis the Season for Cinnamon's Bone Building Benefits! (Cinnamon Bread + Hot Chocolate with Cinnamon and Whisky Recipe)

This wonderful spice has been used for thousands of years as a healing agent  and is a highly prized food item for not only for flavoring, but for its antioxidant and digestion-enhancing effects, as well as for its ability to lower blood sugar and reduce insulin resistance.

But did you know..... Cinnamon reduces bone breakdown and can help prevent osteoporotic bone loss.

Best to Purchase:   Ceylon Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) also called “true cinnamon.”

Abundant Vitamin and Mineral Benefits in Cinnamon! 

• Manganese: important in helping the body use other enzymes and nutrients, such as thiamin, ascorbic acid and choline. It also keeps the bones, nerves and cells healthy, maintains functions of the thyroid gland, and helps the body synthesize cholesterol.

• Dietary fiber: very important to colon health. It can help monitor blood glucose levels, aid digestion, relieve constipation, reduce "bad" LDL cholesterol, reduce the risk of heart disease, and balances intestinal pH.

• Iron: helps with oxygen transport in the body, and can provide energy when the body needs it most. Individuals with low amounts of iron tend to feel fatigue and exhaustion sooner, so peanuts can be a great energizer.

• Calcium: often associated with milk, and is known to strengthen and build strong bones and teeth.

• Vitamin C: vital in strengthening the immune system and protecting the body against the common cold and the flu. It is also a potent antioxidant that can help with cancer prevention, vision protection and cardiovascular health maintenance.

• Vitamin K: plays a key role in blood coagulation, as well as promoting circulation of blood. It also protects the cardiovascular system, maintains bone health and has anti-inflammatory properties.

• Polyphenols: powerful antioxidant that helps maintain artery health and decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

ADDING CINNAMON TO YOUR DIET

Some ideas of incorporating cinnamon into your diet include:

• Adding a teaspoon on hot oatmeal, cold cereal or yogurt for a nourishing breakfast food.

• Adding a tablespoon to your favorite baked goods.

• Add a generous dash to baked beans, curries and stews.

• Simmer a cinnamon stick in milk and honey for a comforting drink.

• Sprinkle over broiled or baked starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes or carrots.

• Sprinkle over bananas, apples or your favorite nut mix for a healthy, midday snack.

• Add to a meat rub or marinade.

• Dash some cinnamon when you blend your next smoothie.

• Sprinkle some into your coffee, tea or hot chocolate.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Yield: One 9” x 5” loaf

4 C light spelt flour

1½ C dark raisins

¼ C raw sesame seeds

¼ C Sucanat sugar

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp sea salt

2 1/8 C unsweetened almond milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350ᴼF. Lightly coat a 9” x 5” loaf pan with vegetable oil, clarified butter, or cooking spray or line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, raisins, sesame seeds, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

3. Add the milk to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly with a spoon until a stiff batter forms.

4. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared loaf pan. Gently knock the bottom of the pan on your kitchen counter to remove any air pockets in the batter.

5. Cover the pan with aluminum foil to keep the top of the loaf from splitting. Bake for 40 minutes.

6. Remove the pan from oven, discard the foil and return the pan to the oven. Bake for 30 additional minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool.

7. Toast slices and serve them along with a non-hydrogenated margarine or clarified butter.

Hot Chocolate with Cinnamon and Whisky  (a little naughty)

chocolate + whisky + cinnamon, it's the perfect combination of rich, earthy rustic flavors

yields : 4 servings - Ingredients:

4 cups whole milk

1 cup (5 3/4 ounces) dark chocolate chips, unsweetened

1 cup (6 1/8 ounces) milk chocolate chips, sweetened

1 teaspoon cinnamon, freshly ground + a little extra for dusting

1/4 cup whisky

a  few marshmallows for garnishing (optional)

4 peppermint sticks (optional)

1. Place the milk in a thick bottomed saucepan. Heat the mixture on medium-low flame until the milk begins to steam with constant stirring. Reduce the flame to a gentle simmer.

2. Add the chocolate and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the hot milk and whisk constantly by hand until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove from the milk from the stove and mix in the whisky.

3. Pour the hot chocolate into serving mugs and top them off with a few marshmallows and dust with the extra ground cinnamon. Serve with the hot chocolate with the peppermint sticks and extra marshmallows on the side.

Courtesy of : "A Brown Table" andBread recipe courtesy of The Amazing Acid Alkaline Cookbook by Bonnie Ross

The Biggest Stressor on your Hormones and Health .....especially this holiday.

It is mother of them all, and certainly an issue as we approach the apex of the holiday season.  

What is it?  Blood Sugar.

"We're all on the same hamster wheel of life, and Kasia is here to bring about "informed beauty" information and resources.  Contact us today to inquire how to increase the health of your hair and skin health and hormones. "

Did you know that blood sugar imbalances are one of the biggest stressors on your endocrine system?

If you are suffering from any type of hormonal imbalance, whether it be hypothyroidism, PMS, menopause or even fatigue and weight gain your blood sugar needs to be addressed.  Blood sugar issues are almost guaranteed to be a foundational part of the problem of any hormonal problem. Every time your blood sugar ebbs and flow up and down, your adrenals and pancreas have to come to the rescue.

When your blood sugar goes up, your pancreas has to produce insulin to help lower your blood sugar. While at the opposite end you andrenals have to spit out adrenaline and cortisol to bring your blood sugar back up. Oh and did I mention when cortisol goes out of balance it causes belly fat!

The more your blood sugar handling system is stressed, it predisposes your body to hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue!

The typical pattern tends to be: Eat a meal with excess refined carbohydrate, your blood sugar spikes very high. Your body responds by producing a whole bunch insulin to knock that blood sugar down! The pancreas overshot, and produced too much insulin. Now our blood sugar is super-low, we may start to feel anxious, jittery, and craving lots of sugar and sweets. The next thing we do is eat more find carbohydrate and start the cycle all over again.  This is the cycle of death that is common with most patients that have hormonal issues. It may not quite be quite so blatant for most people, but at some level it is happening and it’s very addicting!

Is Low blood sugar making you stupid?

When blood sugar drops (hypoglycemia) your body also increases production of an excitotoxin called glutamate. The combination of low blood sugar and high levels of glutamate, decreased activation of the frontal cortex. The frontal cortex is the part of our brain that allows us to have higher levels of thinking and brain function;  It differentiates us from almost all other mamals.

When we lose activation to our frontal cortex it’s common for us to make stupid decisions, act irrational and eat more unhealthy food. When we eat poorly, we literally lose our brain, and it’s so easy for this vicious cycle to perpetuate itself again and again and again.

The same type of excitotoxin response can happen when you consume aspartame, food dyes and MSG. Avoiding these food additives can have a tremendous effect on lowering your glutamate levels and thus not allowing you to use your frontal cortex as efficiently. If it’s your goal to perform at the highest level, you want to make sure you are using your head!

When your cells become resistant to insulin, one of three things happens. Insulin can’t keep up with the demand and your blood sugar starts to rise, leading to diabetes Insulin gets really good at clearing the blood sugar triggering fat storage and your midsection grows steadily. Insulin gets too good at clearing the glucose.  Not only does your fat storage increase, your blood sugar plummets and you experience the symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia.

SO…what should you do?

First and foremost, get off ALL sugar and processed foods. That means no bread, even gluten free, no cookies, crackers (except raw dehydrated ones, made from vegetables, nuts and seeds) no cakes, pastries, candies and fruit juice.  These foods trigger blood sugar spikes which trigger excess insulin release.

You also need to restore your cell’s receptivity to insulin. There are a number of nutrients like chromium, magnesium, glutamine and zinc that are important here.

Insulin Receptor Sensitivity Restoration System

1. Remove all foods that trigger blood sugar spikes: sugar, all grains, potatoes, fruit juice, dried fruit and high glycemic fruits like bananas and grapes.  I recommend my patients purchase a glucose meter and test the fruits to determine which ones they need to eliminate.  I also recommend that whenever fruit is consumed it’s taken with green leafy vegetables like lettuce, spinach and sprouts.  Smoothies are the best way to eat fruit.

2. Supplement with the nutrients needed to restore regulation.  In general these may be chromium, magnesium, glutamine, zinc and the B vitamins.  It can vary from person to person.

3. Supplement with DHA, an omega 3 fat that’s vital for insulin sensitivity.  This can be in a plant form, from algae or from fish.Insulin resistance and blood sugar level imbalance are not minor inconveniences that can be ignored.  The long term consequences are serious and life threatening.

  Contact us today to inquire how to increase the health of your hair and skin health and hormones.

Thank you + Guest Post:  Justin Marchegiani, DC & Dr rRta Marie

Clear and Bright Skin! A Facial that Exfoliates and Oxygenates? (details inside)

Exfoliates + Oxygenate + Anti-age Kasia aesthetics O² Facial = Fountain of Youth

"A bubbly that transforms your skin...." 

Oxygen is known to give skin brightness and clarity. It works on clogged pores and dullness, and brings back radiance and freshness.  As we age, the oxygen in our body is depleted, which results in lifeless skin.

Get quick results as active ingredients break down into water and oxygen, and then supplies the skin with oxygen, which enables it to breathe.  Oxygen increases circulation, which increases the delivery of nutrition to the skin, and gives your skin energy.  It also kills bacteria which keeps post-facial breakouts at bay.

The bottom line: O²   =   The Fountain of Youth.

  The O² Lift is a oxygen facial treatment that exfoliates and oxygenates the skin while infusing plant-derived stem cells, peptides, and a high concentration of enzymatic botanicals to leave skin glowing and illuminated. Regenerate your skin cells and automatically turning back the clock on your face, smoothing your fine lines, clearing out impurities and leaving your skin hydrated and healthy.

Facial Benefits

~ A professional cleansing and exfoliation of the pores.

~ By increasing the circulation with stimulation, the skin is oxygenated and detoxified.

~ Corrects or alleviates conditions such as dryness, oiliness, and softens wrinkles.

~ Helps clear blemishes and minor acne.

~ The facial massage relaxes the senses while simultaneously balance the nerves and muscles.

~ Stimulation of the skins natural functions such as cellular turnover, metabolism, lymph drainage and the immune system..

~ Reduces puffiness

~ Regular treatments visually improve appearance and help prevent premature aging.

~ The popular blend of vitamin packed nutrients and antioxidants infused into the skin creates  a natural beauty balance Leaving you rejuvenated with a radiant glowing complexion.

~ Anti-aging effect with firming of weakened muscles.

~ A way to relax, unwind  and allow yourself time to detox, distress,  purify and put balance the otherwise stressful every day busy lifestyle of the world we live in today.

Contact our team today!

  Most of us are in a zone that causes excess stressors (skin inflammation & degradation) are effected by excess sugar and carb intake (breakouts and puffy under eyes).    Oxygenate with our skin care + health professional!

612.824.7611    kassie@kasiaorganicsalon.com

Spider Vein Prevention - 5 Easy Tips!

They aren't dangerous, but they're not fun to look at, either – spider veins, the cousins of larger varicose veins, are enlarged red or blue blood vessels that live close to the skin's surface and often form a branching or web-like pattern.

Causes of spider veins include hormonal changes, obesity, being sedentary and sun exposure. While spider veins aren't always preventable, there are some things you can do to avoid this unsightly problem.

Follow these five tips to reduce your chances of getting spider veins.

1. Wear sunscreen – Not only will sunscreen protect you from skin cancer and early skin aging like wrinkles and dark spots, it will also help prevent spider veins – especially on the face.

2. Don't cross your legs – Sitting with your legs crossed for too long can slow blood flow in your legs and may cause vessel damage. This can lead to weakening of the vein valves and walls and contribute to spider and varicose veins.

3. Get moving – Don't stand or sit for too long without moving. If you have to stand for a long time, shift weight between each leg every few minutes to keep blood flowing. Try not to sit for more than 30 minutes without getting up or going for a walk. Movement and exercise promote blood flow and decrease your risk of unsightly veins.

4. Elevate your legs – When you're resting, put your feet up to help take the pressure off your legs and feet and help blood drain back to your heart. This will decrease the pressure on the veins and skin and make them less likely to weaken.

5. Get good footwear – Leave your high-heels for special occasions – low-heeled shoes will help promote good blood flow. Also, avoid tight clothes that constrict you at the waist, groin or legs, as these can cause backup of blood in the lower extremities. Compression stockings or socks can also help blood get back to your heart and keep your veins from enlarging.

Reference and Thank you:  Dr Oz: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/5-ways-prevent-spider-veins

The ROOT of an Autoimmune Disease and 8 Lifestyle Tips

The one thing connected to almost every known chronic disease — from heart disease to cancer, diabetes to obesity, autism to dementia, acne to hair loss and even depression is INFLAMMATION!

Other inflammatory diseases such as allergies, asthma, arthritis, and autoimmune disease are increasing at dramatic rates. Conventional doctors are trained to shut off inflammation with aspirin, anti-inflammatory medication such as Advil or Motrin, steroids, and increasingly more powerful immune suppressing medication with serious side effects.

But alternative doctors are trained to find and treat the underlying causes of inflammation in chronic disease. Hidden allergens, infections, environmental toxins, an inflammatory diet, and stress are the real causes of these inflammatory conditions.

Autoimmune diseases, specifically, now affect 24 million people and include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, thyroid disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and more.

So how are they addressed? By powerful immune suppressing medication and not by addressing the cause. That’s like taking a lot of aspirin while hitting your thumb with a hammer. The treatment is not more aspirin or a strong immune suppressant, but removing the hammer. It you want to stop inflammation in the body, you must find the source. Treat the fire, not the smoke. In the allopathic world they are mostly taught to diagnose disease by symptoms, NOT by their underlying cause.

In Functional medicine, the emerging 21st century paradigm of systems medicine, teaches us to treat the cause, not just the symptoms, to take a thorough history and exam to find out the diagnosis of your patient! Functional medicine is a different way of thinking about disease that helps us understand and treat the real causes of inflammation instead of finding clever ways to shut it down. Medicine as it is practiced today is like putting a band-aid on a gapping wound instead of stitching it while the body bleeds to death!

Autoimmune diseases are the result of an uncontrolled immune response also known as systemic inflammation that results in your body attacking its own tissues.

Why is it when the patient described how he cured his autoimmune disease by finding and eliminating the causes of inflammation in his diet and environment, the medical doctors dismiss it as a “spontaneous remission.” Instead of being more inquisitive and trying to find out more information, these doctors are hardly curious and quickly dismissive. What kind of health care is that?

Autoimmunity: What it is and How it Occurs

We are facing an epidemic of allergic (60 million people), asthmatic (30 million people), and autoimmune disorders (24 million people). Autoimmune diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, celiac, thyroid disease, and the many other hard-to-classify syndromes in the 21st century. These are all autoimmune conditions, and at their root they are connected by one central process: An uncontrolled immune response also known as systemic inflammation that results in your body attacking its own tissues.

Your immune system is your defense against foreign invaders. It is your internal army and has to clearly distinguish these invaders — to know you from others. Autoimmunity occurs when your immune system gets confused and your own tissues get caught in the cross-fire.

Your body is fighting something — an infection, a toxin, an allergen, a food or the stress response — and somehow it redirects its hostile attack on your joints, your brain, your thyroid, your gut, your skin, or sometimes your whole body. This immune confusion results from what is referred to as molecular mimicking. Conventional approaches don’t have a method for finding the insult causing the problem. Functional medicine provides a map to find out which molecule the cells are mimicking.

Another interesting fact: Autoimmune diseases are seldomly found in countries that lack running water and sterilization. They occur almost exclusively in developed countries. Playing in the dirt, being dirty, and being exposed to bugs and infections trains your immune system to recognize what is foreign and what is “you.”

Autoimmune diseases, are a huge health burden in the US.  They are the eighth leading cause of death among women, shortening the average patient’s lifespan by eight years. The annual health care cost for autoimmune diseases is $120 billion a year representing nearly twice the economic health care burden of cancer (about $ 70 billion a year).

Unfortunately, many of the conventional treatments available can make you feel worse. Anti-inflammatory drugs like Advil, steroids, immune suppressants like methotrexate, and the new TNF-alpha blockers like Enbrel or Remicade can lead to intestinal bleeding, kidney failure, depression, psychosis, osteoporosis, muscle loss, and diabetes, not to mention overwhelming infection and cancer.(ii)

These drugs are not a long-term solution. They shouldn’t be the end of treatment. There is another way to deal with autoimmune conditions.

Recovering from Autoimmunity: Addressing the Root Causes of Inflammation

Using a functional medicine approach, a new way of thinking about the underlying causes and imbalances in chronic disease, begin asking some simple questions. Then hunt for toxins, allergens, and infections — all common causes of inflammation — and find the real causes of the symptoms. Order labs and other necessary tests.

Start cleaning house, get rid of food allergies,fix the gut, and detox. Then heal the immune system by supporting it with nutrients. Start a clean, whole-foods, allergen-free, anti-inflammatory diet. The results will reflect addressing the root of the health problems and treating the underlying causes of what ails you instead of suppressing symptoms with medications.

If you have an autoimmune disease, here is what you need to think about and do.

Eight Steps to Treating Autoimmune Disease

1.    Check for hidden infections — yeast, viruses, bacteria, Lyme, etc. — with the help of a chiropractic physician, who can order labs, stool analysis and saliva tests and treat them. 2.    Check for hidden food allergens with IgG food testing or elimination diet. 3.    Get tested for celiac disease, which is a blood test that your chiropractic physician can do. 4.    Get checked for heavy metal toxicity. Mercury and other metals can cause autoimmunity. 5.    Fix your gut. 6.    Use nutrients that your chiropractic physician prescribes to help calm your immune response naturally. 7.    Exercise regularly — it’s a natural anti-inflammatory. 8.    Practice deep relaxation like yoga, deep breathing, biofeedback, or massage, because stress worsens the immune response.

Give these steps a try — and see if you don’t start feeling less inflamed. The answers are right in front of you. Treat the underlying causes of your illness and you will begin to experience vibrant "beautiful health: once more.

Guest Post and Thank You :  Dr Elena Morreale

5 Major Ways to Reduce Hair Static!

Winter is here and in Minnesota's abrupt cold, it’s appropriate to bring out our cute scarves and classy sweaters.  It’s also the end of the year, which often brings great closure, but also a bit of stress.  “Is your hair standing on end?”

Kasia brings you a solution whether you are fighting those popping grays, fly aways, or that nasty culprit.......hard to control static!! 

“So what’s with the static anyways?”

The fabric on our clothes and the dry heat from our furnace give our hair a positive charge and causes our hair to rise and become fly away.

There are two major steps to rid your locks from static:  reduce friction and increase moisture. It sounds simple, but there is more to it.

Here are a few tricks for you to get your hair back in control.

Add in Moisture

Use a moisture friendly hair oil, we recommend  our rich oil treatment with Kasia Restore Oil.  Simply apply it to your mid-strands to ends before styling hair or after. The oil will counter act the positive charge in your hair and calm the strands. Restore adds moisturizers, proteins, vitamins and minerals that combine the help needed for static, a healthy scalp and to promote hair growth.

Frequency of  Washing

Naturally our scalp produces oil, we can use that to our advantage and it’s free! Washing hair everyday strips our hair of the naturally oils and can leave hair feeling dry. Giving your hair a rest in between days helps keep the moisture our scalp produces locked in and often makes it easier to style hair too!

Styling Brush

By just styling your hair - adds static chaos! It is important when styling to use a good quality bristle brush. We recommend using a brush that is mostly boar bristle and fewer nylon bristles. Our professional round brush favorite is from     Spornette.  They help smooth out your style, as well as eliminate static and frizz by evenly distributing moisture from roots to ends.

Dry with an Ionic Blow Dryer!

Quality dryers emit negatively-charged ions that attach themselves to the positively-charged hair for a neutralizing effect. The ionic molecules break down the water molecule rather than evaporate it, without stripping your hair of its moisture -- and the less dried out your hair, the less static.

Learn more about THEORIE!  It's an incredible dryer with the bonus of a LIFETIME Warranty!  

When all is lost....resort to a braid.

Take it easy by pulling your mane into a manageable style with as few loose hairs as possible will minimize the static problem. Plus, with a braid tight to your head, you can avoid hat hair.

By: Amber, Kasia Hair Health Specialist

Confused about the many thyroid hormones? Which is right for you?

A question that is frequently asked by women, “What is the best thyroid hormone?” and the answer is, “It depends!”

Enjoy this guest post from  Dr. Kharrazian, DHSc, DC, MS, MNeuroSci

No one magic thyroid hormone medication exists—instead a variety of factors must be considered. For instance, many people on thyroid hormones have a normal TSH but still suffer from hypothyroid symptoms. Others have a history of trying different thyroid hormones and getting different responses with each. Some do better with bio-identical (Armour), others with synthetic (Synthroid®). And for some, certain brands in either category make them considerably worse or better.

Do you even need thyroid hormone replacement?  When the autoimmune disease is successfully managed, thyroid hormones may not be necessary…However not taking them when you truly need them can have disastrous consequences for your health and well-being.

Choosing the right thyroid hormone

When choosing the appropriate thyroid hormone, three factors must be considered:

Sensitivity to fillers

Some people, especially those with autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s, are sensitive to the dyes and fillers in thyroid hormone medications. Cornstarch, found in many brands, is a common trigger. Synthroid®, Westhroid, and Thyrolar contain cornstarch. A good example of how fillers can affect people occurred recently when Armour was reformulated with increased cellulose, decreased dextrose, and added cornstarch, which caused problems for many users.  Nature-Thyroid appears to be the most hypoallergenic brand.

Bio-identical versus synthetic hormones

I personally prefer my patients use a bio-identical thyroid hormone such as Armour. Lab tests can measure bio-identical hormones in your system, whereas they cannot measure synthetic hormones (only TSH is an effective marker when synthetic hormones are used). However, some people clearly do better with synthetic hormones, such as Synthroid®.

Why is that? This is common in people with an autoimmune thyroid disease, especially Graves’, who have developed an autoimmune attack against T3 and T4. In other words, their immune system is attacking their thyroid hormones. Because bio-identical hormones contain both T3 and T4, this stimulates the autoimmune attack and makes the person feel worse. In these cases, a synthetic T4 may be a better option. Currently there are no lab tests to test for antibodies against T3 and T4, however one is in development.

The function of T3 hormones

T3 is the active form of thyroid hormone, having the greatest impact on metabolism, but also carries the greatest risk of overdosing. People who have difficulty converting T4 to T3, or whose cells have become resistant to thyroid hormones, do better with thyroid hormones that include T3.

However some people develop hyperthyroid symptoms with T3 support — feeling wired, nervousness, insomnia, heart palpitations, etc. This scenario is most common in Hashimoto’s patients who have constant immune attacks against their thyroid gland, which releases excess thyroid hormone into the bloodstream. These people typically do better with a T4-only medication.

Assessing responses to thyroid hormones

Many thyroid hormone users have a history of trying various meds. Some thyroid hormones make people feel wired, jittery or nervous. Others bring TSH into a normal range but do not alleviate symptoms. Some worked really well. All of these reactions provide insight into the mechanisms involved in the hypothyroidism.

No significant response, but normal TSH

This is very common with those who have Hashimoto’s. Chronic inflammation, whether it is from unmanaged Hashimoto’s or other sources (injury, surgery, infection, cancer, overtraining), can cause three scenarios:

• Prevents the conversion of T4 to T3
• Hampers communication between the pituitary gland in the brain and the thyroid gland.
• Inhibits thyroid receptors on cells from responding to thyroid hormones

In these cases, the response to T4-only medications will be poor. Another factor to consider is that the person may have many other conditions affecting thyroid health, such as insulin resistance, hormonal imbalances, gut infections, food intolerances, and more.

Only felt better with bio-identical hormones

This scenario can occur for several reasons:

• Unable to convert T4 to T3 when using T4-only medication
• Sensitivities to dyes or fillers in synthetic compounds that are not in bio-identical compounds
• May need T3 due to problems with the thyroid hormone receptors on cells
• Receptor sites on cells simply respond better to bio-identical than synthetic hormones

Only felt better with T3 combination hormones

If a person consistently does better with isolated T3 hormones, whether synthetic or bio-identical, a couple of factors are possible. One is difficulty converting T4 to T3. The other is that receptor sites on cells are resistant to thyroid hormones due to high cortisol, low progesterone, inflammation, high homocysteine, vitamin A deficiencies, and more.

Only felt better with synthetic hormones

This may occur in individuals who have an overactive metabolism and can’t tolerate additional T3. As mentioned earlier, this is common in those with Hashimoto’s who experience repeat immune attacks against the thyroid, or when the immune system is attacking T4 and T3, such as with Graves’ disease or multiple autoimmune diseases.

Felt over-stimulated with T3 or bio-identical hormones

Again, this may occur in the person with Hashimoto’s whose immune system is constantly attacking the thyroid gland, releasing excess thyroid hormone into the bloodstream. It also occurs in those with high epinephrine, an adrenal hormone, due to excess caffeine or nicotine, severe psychological stress, constant overtraining, or genetic mechanisms.

Felt fatigued and run down with thyroid hormones

This is almost always related to sensitivities to dyes or fillers in the thyroid hormone medication. It may also occur if the person is having an autoimmune response against their thyroid hormones, such as in Graves’ or in those with multiple autoimmune diseases.

Do you even need thyroid hormones?

Another factor to consider is whether you even need thyroid hormone replacement. Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune attack against the thyroid, accounts for 90 percent of hypothyroidism cases in the United States. When the autoimmune disease is successfully managed, thyroid hormones may not be needed at all, and taking them unnecessarily can do more harm than good. Another consideration is poor thyroid function caused by breakdowns in thyroid  pathways that need addressing, instead of true hypothyroidism (this is discussed in Chapter Four of the book).

However if damage to the gland is substantial enough, then thyroid hormones are necessary. Not taking thyroid hormone replacement when you truly need it can have disastrous consequences on your total health and well-being. If a person shows repeated and continuous elevations of TSH, thyroid hormones should be considered.

Even when thyroid hormone replacement is used, it is still vitally important to manage the autoimmune condition. This will enhance the effectiveness of the medication, preserve the integrity of the thyroid gland, and prevent the progression of the autoimmune condition into attacks on other areas of the body.

Thyroid replacement hormones

Brand Name Thyroid Hormones

• Synthroid – synthetic T4 only
• Levothroid – synthetic T4 only
• Levoxyl – synthetic T4 only
• Unithroid – synthetic T4 only
• Cytomel – synthetic T3 only
• Thyrolar – synthetic fixed ratio of T3 and T4
• Armour – bio-identical fixed ratio of T3 and T4 combination
• Westhroid – bio-identical fixed ratio of T3 and T4 combination
• Nature-Throid – bio-identical fixed ratio of T3 and T4 combination

Generic Thyroid Hormones

• Levothyroxine – synthetic T4 only
• L-Thyroxine – synthetic T4 only
• Liothyronine – synthetic T3 only
• Liotrix – synthetic fixed ratio of T3 and T4 combination
• Dessicated Thyroid – bio-identical T3 and T4 combination

Synthetic Thyroxine (T4) Hormones

• Synthroid – Brand Name
• Levothroid – Brand Name
• Levoxyl – Brand Name
• Unithroid – Brand Name
• Levothyroxine – Generic
• L-Thyroxine – Generic

Synthetic Triiodothyronine (T3) Hormone

• Cytomel – Brand Name
• Liothyronine – Generic

Synthetic T3 and T4 Combination

• Thyrolar – Brand Name
• Liotrix – Generic

Bio-Identical T3 and T4 Combination

• Armour –Brand Name
• Westhroid – Brand Name
• Nature-Throid – Brand Name
• Dessicated Thyroid – Generic

Thank you: Dr. Kharrazian, DHSc, DC, MS, MNeuroSci