Tag: weight loss

Are You Looking For Weight Loss Tips & Tricks? – InVite Health Podcast Episode 548

Are You Looking For Weight Loss Tips & Tricks? – InVite Health Podcast Episode 548

Looking for ways to shed a couple of pounds? Look no further with tips and tricks to weight loss with Allie Might, INHC.

Guidelines To Help You Improve Weight Loss More Effectively

Guidelines To Help You Improve Weight Loss More Effectively

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!

The Basics of the Thyroid

The Basics of the Thyroid

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 is 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)

thyroid

 

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 role of this gland

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.

 

Melatonin for More than Sleep – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 513

Melatonin for More than Sleep – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 513

Melatonin is commonly known as the sleep hormone, but did you know that it’s also important for immune functions, fat burning and more? Learn more about why it’s important to have sufficient levels of melatonin from Amanda Williams, MD, MPH.

Targeting Belly Fat with Blueberry and Pomegranate – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 508

Targeting Belly Fat with Blueberry and Pomegranate – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 508

Blueberry and pomegranate extracts are powerful sources of proanthocyanidins that support the brain, joints and more, but did you know they can also target belly fat?

Chromium: An Essential Element for Health – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 444

Chromium: An Essential Element for Health – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 444

chromium

InViteⓇ Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH

Subscribe Today!

Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsiHeartRadioSpotify

When we think of the human body, we know that we are composed of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and friendly bacteria that help make up the human body. It is through those nutrients that we maintain certain signaling pathways that are used for different enzymes, hormones and neurotransmitters being released. But there is one particular element in the body that oftentimes is very misunderstood. Sometimes people will hear about the dangers of chromium. I want to highlight what chromium is, why there is that misinformation when it comes to this element, and why taking this nutrient as a supplement would be beneficial to optimize your overall health and wellness.†

The confusion about chromium

When we look at chromium, this is a trace element or mineral that comes in two different forms. We have the trivalent form and the hexavalent form. When we take something into our body that is not the proper structural form, the body can go haywire. This is what we see in the hexavalent form of chromium. This is the form that is used in the automobile industry and it can be toxic if you inhale it.†

PROMOTING HEALTHY DETOXIFICATION – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 360. Listen Now>>

When we are taking chromium as a dietary supplement, this is always in the trivalent form. Trivalent chromium is an essential micronutrient. When we look at what this element is actually doing in the human body, most of its abilities comes into play when we look at its role in glucose and fat metabolism.† 

Supporting healthy blood sugar

When we’re supplementing with chromium, this can have an effect in terms of helping to support healthy blood glucose or blood sugar levels. When people have elevated blood sugar and they take chromium, oftentimes we see this really nice balance that is produced. It helps to push that high glucose level down. This can also create a dual effect by helping to support fat metabolism. This is why many people have looked at chromium as a wonderful supplement for working out and losing weight.† 

HOW CINNAMON AND COROSOLIC ACID SUPPORT HEALTHY BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 144. Listen Now>>

When it comes to dietary exposure to this mineral, oftentimes we are not yielding enough. Potential chromium deficiencies can occur because of that lack of dietary exposure. Certain foods such as mushrooms have a trace amount of this element, but that’s only if they’re grown in soil that contains a high amount of chromium.† 

Researchers have found that when you partner this mineral with magnesium, this is that one-two punch for helping to support healthy blood glucose response. They found that when they gave this combination to people who had insulin resistance, they started to see a significant lowering of their fasting blood glucose and fasting insulin levels, as well as improvements in markers for insulin resistance.† 

In this episode, Amanda Williams, MPH discusses the important element chromium. She addresses misconceptions about this nutrient and also examines why it is so important for supportive overall wellness.†

Key Topics:

  • The science behind chromium
  • How much of this nutrient should you be taking?

Thank you for tuning in to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at InViteⓇ Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the InViteⓇ Health Podcast.