What You Need To Know About Underactive Thyroids

Posted on by in Vitamins

One prominent thyroid problem that most people take for granted is underactive thyroids, also called hypothyroidism. You get underactive thyroid symptoms because of a decrease in the production of your thyroid hormones. It is usually the thyroid that produces the hormones but sometimes problems with the pituitary gland also causes the problem. If left untreated, underactive thyroid symptoms can become fatal. What happens is that your body, instead of speeding up and overheating, it usually slows down in several ways whenever you experience underactive thyroid problems. You can watch out for some prominent underactive thyroid symptoms such as the following:

sluggishness
fatigue
depression
greater sensitivity to cold
unexplained weight gain
dry hair and skin
constipation
menstrual irregularities

If you have encountered these problems in a regular basis, then you might want to have yourself checked. Similar to an overproductive thyroid hormone, underactive thyroid symptoms also pose a risk to pregnant women. This is because during the first trimester, your baby will rely on all of the thyroid hormones that you supply to it so if you have underactive thyroids then you may have insufficient thyroid hormones to give to your child. To avoid this, it would be best if you get yourself tested especially if you have a history of thyroid problems in your family.

Underactive Thyroid Symptoms: Myxedema

Myxedema is a very dangerous underactive thyroid symptom. It happens when the thyroid hormones in your body drops to very low levels, which can be fatal. People who suffer from myxedema are prone to suffering from infections and can have serious reactions to injuries, medications, and even become really sensitive to the cold temperature. Sometimes, people who suffer from this problem also slip into a coma and hypothermia could occur, dropping the body’s temperature level at a fatal low.

If you are suffering from any of these underactive thyroid symptoms then it is best to have yourself checked as soon as possible so you can obtain treatment right before the problem gets worse. Getting help as soon as possible could prevent the problem from worsening and could help avoid other serious outcomes.

Is Cod Fish Oil Really Effective?

Posted on by in Supplements

Cod fish oil has been the health supplement of choice for millions of families since decades. Everyone knows fish oil is good for health, so we never stop to think if they are still relevant today or not. Fact is, science is making tremendous progress and what was valid even a few years ago may not be valid today.

The same is true for cod fish oil too. Latest research has shown that there are much better fish oils out there which provide more benefit than cod fish oil and do not have any potential side effects.

There are two problems with Cod oil:
1) It contains really high quantities of Vitamins A and D. While these vitamins are good for us, their overdose can actually harm our body. They may cause symptoms like diarrhea, dizziness, weakness and nausea.

2) The Omega 3 fats that Cod oil contains is not the optimal one for health benefits. Omega 3 is the most important component of fish oil, and you need to get it right to really get all the benefits out of it.

The ideal Omega 3 fats we need in our fish oil are – DHA and EPA. Till now EPA was the centre of focus in fish oils. Research has shown now though, it is DHA that is the most beneficial for our body.

How? The list of benefits of DHA Omega 3 is endless – it provides protection against cancer, avoids thrombosis, regulates the electrical rhythm of the heart, prevents hypertension and diabetes, reduces joint inflammation to remove arthritic pain, improves our memory, prevents Alzheimer?s disease and reduces the risk of AMD and cataracts. In short, this one ingredient can turn our health around in quick order.

Not only that, our body can convert DHA into EPA easily by a simple process – it only has to drop off two double carbon bonds from the DHA molecule. DHA has 22 double carbon bonds, and EPA has only 20. The reverse, however, is not possible for the body. It?s difficult to add carbon bonds to the EPA molecule. So, we need to rely on external sources only for DHA.

The Hoki fish contains an ideal mix of DHA and EPA Omega 3. DHA is the dominant one among the two. This makes the hoki an ideal candidate for extracting oil.

The added advantage is, hoki is naturally found in the southern area of New Zealand – a pristine area free from pollution. This makes the fish free from any contaminants that you can find in other fish oils like cod fish oil.

Combine this with a rigorous refining process such as molecular distillation, and you will get a completely pure, Omega 3-rich fish oil.

In conclusion, don?t make do with cod fish oil when there are better alternatives. DHA Omega 3 is the way to go.

Myrrh Extract:: What Are The Health Benefits?

Posted on by in Health and Fitness

Myrrh extract – What are the health benefits? A supplement that contains Guggul is most important. It is extracted from the Commiphora mukul or Indian myrrh tree.

Myrrh is most commonly used as incense that is made from the dried sap of a number of different trees. Some of types are beneficial to the health, others are not. Only the ones that contain Guggul have medicinal activity.

The myrrh extract benefits have been valued since Ancient times. It was a staple of Ayurvedic medicine, which is still widely practiced throughout India, today. Only in recent years has the active component (Guggul) been identified. Many of our ancient remedies have been evaluated by modern scientists. The thought that folk remedies were less beneficial to our health than modern-day drugs is slowly changing.

Health Benefitt::Anti-Inflammatory

Many of the chronic and life threatening health problems that people develop as they get older are due to chronic inflammation, free radical damage and oxidative stress. Prescription drugs that treat inflammation have little or no infect on chronic inflammation and they cannot prevent free radical damage or oxidative stress. But, natural anti-inflammatories, most of which are antioxidants, are highly beneficial for reducing our risk of diseases caused by chronic inflammation and free radical damage.

Health Benefit::Prevents Oxidation of Fats (Cholesterol)

Cancer and heart disease are out two biggest killers. Chronic inflammation plays a role in both of them. So does oxidation. One of the myrrh extract benefits is to prevent the oxidation of fats. Fat oxidation is what causes the plaque buildup that is seen in the arteries of people with atherosclerosis and other types of heart disease.

Health Benefit::Stronger Heart

Preliminary tests indicate that Guggul can help prevent death of the heart muscle. Other plant extracts, such as resveratrol derived from red grape skins, have been shown to prolong the life of the cells of the heart. It may be possible for people to live longer and have stronger hearts, if they simply take the right combination of supplements.

Health Benefit::Weight Loss

Other myrrh extract benefits include stimulation of the thyroid gland, which would be highly beneficial for people suffering from hypothyroidism. It could also be beneficial for other metabolic disorders and may help people lose weight. It has been shown to inhibit the production of cholesterol in the liver, similar to some of the popular weight loss aids.

Health Benefit::Acne

Because of its anti-inflammatory activity, Guggul can provide relief for arthritis sufferers and other painful conditions. This was one of its ancient uses. It was also used in a variety of skin diseases. Modern researchers have suggested that it could be beneficial for people that suffer from acne, because it seems to inhibit sebum production and bacterial growth in the pores.

Sebum is the oil produced by the glands within the skin. Bacteria, normally present on the skin, multiply in acne and cause these minor infections that we commonly refer to as pimples. Prescription drugs are largely ineffective against acne and are accompanied by numerous side effects. Treating acne is only one of the myrrh extract benefits, but it is of interest to many people.

More Health Benefits of Myrrh Extract

There are many other positive health benefits of Myrrh. For more complete details on the benefits of Myrrh Extract and other herbal extracts, please see my website listed below. -Larry L. Taylor