Susan Tucker - Thriving with Hypothyroidism: The Holistic Guide to Losing Weight, Keeping It Off, and Living a Vibrant Life

THE HOLISTIC GUIDE
to Losing Weight, Keeping It Off,
and Living a Vibrant Life

S USAN T UCKER
A NNA A USTIN

NEW YORK

LONDONNASHVILLEMELBOURNEVANCOUVER

T hriving with Hypothyroidism

THE HOLISTIC GUIDE to Losing Weight, Keeping It Off, and Living a Vibrant Life

2019 S USAN T UCKER & A NNA A USTIN

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in New York, New York, by Morgan James Publishing in partnership with Difference Press. Morgan James is a trademark of Morgan James, LLC. www.MorganJamesPublishing.com

The Morgan James Speakers Group can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event visit The Morgan James Speakers Group at www.TheMorganJamesSpeakersGroup.com.

ISBN 978-1-64279-149-5 paperback

ISBN 978-1-64279-150-1 eBook

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018907326

Cover Design by:

Rachel Lopez

www.r2cdesign.com

Interior Design by:

Bonnie Bushman

The Whole Caboodle Graphic Design

In an effort to support local communities, raise awareness and funds, Morgan James Publishing donates a percentage of all book sales for the life of each book to Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg.

Get involved today! Visit
www.MorganJamesBuilds.com

We dedicate this book to the unconventional doctors and nurse practitioners who guided us along our health journey, who taught us to heal our thyroids by thinking outside the box and to let nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle changes be the cornerstones of our treatment.

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

Gandhi

Why is it that we Americans are having such a love affair with prescription medicine? Dont misunderstand the question we are asking. In an acute situation, medicine is lifesaving or when the body has become so ill that it cant fight back on its own, medicine is absolutely life-giving. No question! But many drugs we take are simply masking the symptoms of disease and not curing the disease at all and maybe doing more harm than good.

Its the quick fix we are all after. We are too busy with being busy that we dont want to have to stop, take the time, and think about what we could do to prevent the disease in the first place or heal disease once it manifests. The quick fix will work just fine, so why even bother has become the mindset in todays society regarding health. We have heard so many times, They make a medicine for that and its easier than watching what I eat, so I will take the medicine! As people age, they are usually on several prescriptions and changing their lifestyle or diet to be able to get off their medication is a scary proposition for them. They settle for the excuse that their disease comes with aging.

We should be asking the question, What is my responsibility in maintaining my health into old age? But sadly, taking the pill because its easier in our fast-paced lives is the norm. Doing the work could mean giving up something that is pleasurable instead of trying to find a more suitable replacement. Most of us have been guilty of this at some time in our lives. We pop the ibuprofen for that headache instead of trying relaxation techniques or trying to determine why we have a headache in the first place. In many circles, ibuprofen is affectionately called vitamin I. We want that instant gratification and instant relief. We are not used to waiting. Healing takes time.

Did you know that over half of Americans are on prescription medication, taking four drugs, on average? We are taking more drugs today than ever before in history and far more than any other nation, and yet, we are sicker. Estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say almost 1.3 million people in the U.S. went to hospital emergency rooms due to adverse drug interactions in 2014 and about 124,000 of those people died. What are these chemicals doing to our bodies? What kind of chemical soup is created in our blood when we mix several drugs together? What happens when we mix them with other chemicals we are coming in contact with? Can the mixture be causing damage to the body? Why has there been such an increase in the use of medications? Instead, we should be asking the question, What is the root cause of disease?

According to Medical News Today, the top leading cause of death in this country is still heart disease. What could prevent most of the heart disease in this country? A change in diet and lifestyle can dramatically reduce your chances of developing heart disease. Why shouldnt this be the first line of defense against such a pervasive disease?

The second leading cause of death in this country is cancer. According to the World Cancer Research Fund, one third of all cancers are related to conditions like being overweight, obesity, inactivity (sedentary), and having a poor diet. What could prevent a third of all cancers? Changes to diet and lifestyle.

Respiratory diseases are the third leading cause of death, with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) being the primary condition, but also include bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma. Key factors in developing respiratory diseases are tobacco smoke and air pollution in the home and workplace. What could help these conditions? Again, its about changes to diet and lifestyle, as well as cleaning up the air inside your home.

Other leading causes of death include accidents (that would include adverse drug interactions), strokes, Alzheimers disease (which is also called diabetes of the brain), and diabetes. What could help these conditions? Youve got itchanges to diet and lifestyle.

In addition to diseases caused by our diet and lifestyle choices, we had better think about our health care system. Our health care costs are increasing faster than our rise in wages. The average worker now spends $5,714 for a family health insurance plan, while the deductibles having to be paid out before the plan kicks in are skyrocketing as well. Most employers now are having their employees pay some amount out of pocket for individual policies because the cost to employers is becoming burdensome.

What is spearheading the rise in premiums? Analysts say it is directly related to the cost of medical treatments and the rise in chronic illnesses and obesity. Were spending more time in the doctors office than ever before. Were you aware that nearly half of the U.S. population has one or more chronic conditions such as asthma, heart disease, or diabetes? When you combine that with the aging population and the number of obese people in America, along with inflated medical spending, its a recipe for disaster. We are not even including the lack of transparency in the true cost of care and escalating cost of pharmaceuticals.