Welcome to January ~ 2018! A new year! Set your intention now to make 2018 an extraordinary year. Look around you and focus on what you are grateful for instead of what is driving you nuts. Focus on the positives in your life. The late Wayne Dyer commonly said, " Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change." Frigid temperatures? Just a great time to try out that new coat or scarf. Or maybe a good time to stay at home and sit in front of your fireplace with a warm cup of tea. Here are some other "indoor activities" that are fun:
~ Write thank you notes for those special gifts you received over the Holidays
~ Watch that favorite movie you've been wanting to see
~ Work a puzzle - challenge yourself with at least a 500-1000 piece puzzle
~ Dust off your treadmill or exercise bike and make a commitment to use it while the weather is too cold to exercise outdoors

Take some time to set your intention for a powerful, fulfilling 2018. Visualize who you want to be in 2018. Get a clear picture of your goals and dreams. Write these intentions down. Speak them out loud. This sends a powerful message to the universe to set in motion invisible forces to help you achieve your vision. Another quote that Wayne Dyer used frequently was by Patanjali who said, " When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be." This is what is possible when you create your intention.
Intend now to have an extraordinary 2018!

~Love, Kim

Health Tip Notes with Kim Evans...
Keeping Healthy during Cold & Flu Season!

This year we are doing "rewinds" of our favorite Health Tip Videos from the past 3 years. This video from 2015 is very appropriate given the current epidemic of viral infections and flu bugs going around our area right now. Remember to keep your immune system healthy with a good probiotic and a good multi-vitamin. Take at least 1000 mg Vitamin C daily (I prefer a buffered Vitamin C) and 5000 IUs Vitamin D. You may need to increase the Vitamin C and D if you start to get ill. Keep some Viraclear or Viracid handy if you start to become symptomatic with a cold or flu. Stay healthy! Wash your hands frequently and use that anti-bacterial gel.

Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland is underactive and not producing adequate thyroid hormone. Symptoms may include weight gain, constipation, low energy, cold hands and feet, hair falling out and heavy menstruation. The most common laboratory test to check the thyroid is the TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). If the thyroid function is subnormal (as in hypothyroidism), the TSH will increase in order to alert the body to produce more thyroid hormone. The normal TSH is less than 3.0. In hypothyroidism, the TSH will typically be > 5.

Hyperthyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland is overactive. Symptoms include weight loss, diarrhea, heart palpitations, and heat intolerance. It is not uncommon that patients with hyperthyroidism may develop a goiter (enlarged thyroid gland). Commonly the TSH will be very low (less than 1.0).

As helpful as the TSH is, it may not reflect the total picture of the thyroid function. In my opinion, only checking the TSH is like looking through the peep hole of 1st base and making a judgement on the entire baseball field. It's not possible. For instance, even if you believe you have hypothyroidism and you have an elevated TSH, only measuring the TSH will not tell you WHY you have hypothyroidism. This is why it is so important to also measure the other thyroid parameters. Perhaps there is a problem producing thyroxine (T4) due to insufficient iodine. Perhaps there is a problem converting T4 to T3 (Triiodothyronine) which is the more powerful thyroid hormone. If one has Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the TSH may be normal, low or high. The best way to check for Hashimoto's thyroiditis is to look at the full thyroid panel especially the TPO (thyroid peroxidase) antibodies and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies. Hashimoto's is an auto-immune disease of the thyroid in which the body produces antibodies against the thyroid gland. This is a common thyroid disorder and may not be recognized if only the TSH is measured without also measuring the antibodies.

These are the labs I check to get a full picture of the thyroid gland:
* TSH
* Free T4
* Free T3
* TPO
* Anti-thyroglobulin Antibodies
If a person is on thyroid medication, then I also check the Reverse T3 and Total T3.

If you suspect thyroid problems, give us a call so we can check your full thyroid panel.
~ Kim Evans

Regards,
Kim Evans and the Practitioners at the Institute for Integrative Medicine
205 Townepark Circle, Suite 100, Louisville, KY 40243
502.253.4554 info@integrativemedicine4u.com
Website: www.integrativemedicine4u.com