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6946. Ulgine Barrows - 4/13/2007 8:46:52 AM I am really liking the Isagenix grape flavor energy drink.
Tried a few brands... does anybody want to buy my leftover Advocare Spark?
Feeling fat & ugly, I dragged my sorry ass to the gym today. The steam room at the end of it all, felt great. 6947. Ulgine Barrows - 4/13/2007 9:02:07 AM ooopsie....6945. clydefo.........'too smart to bet my fitness numbers against a swimmer'
Almost forgot why I wanted to post here.
We made the kid take swimming Tues/Thurs because he was getting the man titties, at twelve. Ick, icky poo. That was back in January.
Well, that is all behind us. Tuesday there was bad weather and the 6th graders had to stay inside for recess. The boys did arm wrestling, and MY SON WON! Hee hee, they were chanting his name so loud the teacher made them all stop.
Also he has an uncle that was on a wrestling team who gave him tips on arm wrestling, but still....he is learning the benefits of regular exercise.
And yeah, I know it, too.
Just been lazy lately, but summertime pool time is approaching.
My son delights in lifting me up, now. He is almost taller than me. He looks so grown up, but he is only 12. Eight hairs on his chin - he was in a charitable mood when he let me count them.
We had a nap together with the cat a few days ago on the floor, these sort of days are numbered. I treasure them. 6948. Ulgine Barrows - 4/13/2007 9:20:55 AM I highly recommend a siesta/nap as part of any health routine.
6949. thoughtful - 4/13/2007 2:35:08 PM clydefo,
There's been lots of new stuff on the benefits of vit d and the difficulty in getting adequate amounts, though if you drink as much milk with supplements, you're probably ok.
If you're feeling well, that's good. My only suggestion would be to do a fasting cholesterol/blood sugar check. Those are important numbers to watch, especially annually at your age. Probably should get a regular blood test at the same time where they can check liver, kidney function, white blood and red blood cells and signs of inflammation. Throwing in a psa couldn't hurt.
6950. wonkers2 - 4/13/2007 2:39:40 PM The Cap'n sez, "Ulgine's right about the nap, and try to have sex at least once a day." 6951. thoughtful - 4/13/2007 2:52:10 PM arky, so sorry you've joined the ranks of the thyroid patients, but so glad you found it and can now fix it. The important thing to understand about the thyroid is that it is the body clock. It controls the speed of everything in the body. It affects every body system from hair growth to digestion to reproduction to heart rate. When you are hypothyroid, you are prone to gaining weight, feeling sluggish with low energy levels. You can have slow pulse, low blood pressure and high cholesterol. You can have dry hair and even significant hair loss. You can have edema. Post hysterectomy it won't matter, but if you were still menstruating, it can cause your periods to be frequent, long and heavy.
The important blood tests to get are the Free T3, Free T4 and the TSH. The TSH is the thyroid stimulating hormone which will tell you how much thyroid hormone your body is requesting. The T3 and T4 are the key thyroid hormones at work in your body. The reason why you want the 'free' test is that it measure how much is available for your body to actually use. These tests are key indicators for how you feel. Many people find it useful to keep a diary of sorts on how they feel when they get their blood tested so they learn their personal set points...what t levels make them feel their best. You also want to keep a record of the actual numbers and reference ranges of your blood work. Never accept the answer "your results are normal". Normal for a very wide reference range may not be normal for you. You should learn the symptoms of hyperthyroid too as, if you are oversupplemented, you will become hyperthyroid: tremors, rapid heart rate and palpitations, high blood pressure, nervousness, sleeplessness, and so on.
Be aware that the synthetic thyroid supplements only supplement the T4. It is believed that the body is able to make the other thyroid hormones out of this in sufficient quantities. Some have found that they do better on something like armour thyroid which is made from pigs and is a supplement for the T3 and T4.
There's a book by Dr. Rueben called 'thyroid for dummies' that is supposed to be very good. I would recommend the mediboard that I belong to, but unfortunately they are switching servers and have been out of commission for awhile now. If they get up and running again, I'll let you know. It's mostly of people who were hyperthyroid. But people who are hyper and have received radiation will be forced into being permanently hypothyroid so they are very familiar with supplementation and blood testing.
Like any chronic illness, the more you know and the closer you monitor your situation, the better outcome you will have.
The other place i'd suggest is to do a search on mary shomon. She runs a newsletter and has a website with lots of info the latest thinking on thyroid issues and she does a lot with weight loss when you're hypo and so on. You might find that helpful as well. 6952. thoughtful - 4/13/2007 2:52:54 PM ulgine (you finally posted something I can understand!) I agree wholeheartedly with the importance of sleep and napping. 6953. thoughtful - 4/13/2007 4:33:11 PM conc'd, so glad you found out about your bp and are treating it. High bp does a lot of damage and can't be caught and treated soon enough. 6954. thoughtful - 4/13/2007 8:01:39 PM Saw this:
A recent report linked high blood sugar levels with cancer in women. This highlighted again the problem of high blood sugar levels, even below the level found in diabetes, as they also increase peoplešs chances of getting heart disease and full-blown diabetes.
But how do we go about making sure we maintain healthy blood sugar levels?
Professor Martin Wiseman, Medical and Scientific Advisor for World Cancer Research Fund, gives his top five tips:
1. The most important thing is not to become overweight. If you are overweight, then you should lose weight. This can be done through having a general healthy diet and be regularly physically active.
2. Always go for the wholegrain option. Replace white rice with brown rice, and make sure your pasta is whole wheat.
3. Cut down or completely stop having sugary snacks like sugary fizzy drinks and cakes. Temptation can be hard to resist, but cutting these out of your diet is a great step towards maintaining healthy sugar levels.
4. Make sure you get as many vegetables into your diet as you can. Itšs particularly easy to get your vegetable quota by chopping vegetables up and putting them into sauces.
5. Be as physically active as possible - it doesn't have to be exercise at the gym, but even walking instead of driving, or taking the stairs instead of the lift, can really help."
6955. arkymalarky - 4/13/2007 10:21:13 PM Thanks for all the info, Thoughtful! I'm very glad to get diagnosed rather than be frustrated that I'm trying to diet and exercise and nothing seems to be working, which is where I'd be a month from now if I hadn't gone in for a physical. Thyroid wouldn't have been on my radar. I will be very meticulous about medicine adjustment, because I have too much to do in the next month or so to feel too crappy either direction. I just hope I can get it adjusted fairly quickly.
My dr has ordered several other blood tests, and I will probably get the results on Monday. She will start my meds from there. Like I said, both my parents have thyroid problems--my mother's due to Lupus was hypo- at one time, and my dad's, once hyper-, doesn't work at all now. 6956. arkymalarky - 4/13/2007 10:22:28 PM I have a feeling I was getting a problem with my thyroid which led to me needing the hysterectomy in the first place. 6957. clydefo - 4/13/2007 10:53:56 PM But how do we go about making sure we maintain healthy blood sugar levels?
A high complex carb diet delivers just the right steady feed of fuel to the furnace, a clean burn to energy, water and carbon dioxide.
I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Dr. Wiseman learned at Pritikin's knee.
Following the KISS principle, I think the minimalist best health advice is:
Work and play hard enough to sweat for at least 100 minutes a day.
Throughout the day maintain a belly sated with plants and moderate amounts of other food.
Don't eat it if it has a face. (Optional)
Minimize salt and toxins. 6958. judithathome - 4/13/2007 10:59:21 PM I'm happy for you that this diet works for you, Clyde...but I just have to say that I run like hell from anyone who uses the line "I don't eat anything that has had a face". I think it's a ridiculous statement and puts people like me who eat meat, poultry, and fish on an immediate "lower plane" than the sanctimonious vegans who feel so morally superior seem to smirk while delivering that remark.
"I'm not a meat eater" gets the point across without the smugness, thank you very much! ;-) 6959. judithathome - 4/13/2007 11:00:08 PM AND seem to smirk... 6960. robertjayb - 4/13/2007 11:23:43 PM For a real keep it simple program look into Dr. Peter Gott's no flour, no sugar diet.
The Skinny on Diets 6961. concerned - 4/13/2007 11:25:43 PM Re. 6957 -
Clydefo -
Do insects have faces? 6962. concerned - 4/13/2007 11:32:06 PM Why do producers of vegetarian replacements for meat, milk or egg foods feel it is necessary to price their products anywhere from 50% to 300% higher than the real thing? If they weren't more expensive, I'd buy them (at least much of the time). They're clearly cheaper to produce. 6963. clydefo - 4/14/2007 12:15:34 AM I disavow any claim to moral superiority because I don't eat animals. It's just a health tip about avoiding unnecessary sources of protein and fat, mercury, animal hormones and antibiotics (things that cause our little girls to need more than training bras). I acknowledge it's optional and say it not with smugness but with a "do as I say, not as I do" attitude.
Nonetheless, and realizing that it may just be weak-minded sentimentality, I do sort of feel sorry for the whales and dolphins and seals. Imagine their anguish and disillusionment and terror at witnessing what their friends from Cozy Cove Marine Encounter Sanctuary are doing to all sea creatures. For sport as well as food; they don't bother to eat the Tarpon. I can't help feeling compassion for the plight of veal calves, foie gras geese, tenter hooked hogs listening to the screams of their litter mates as they advance to the slaughter. Restrictive poultry cages. All an unnecessary inefficient way to reprocess protein. We should just eat the grain ourselves rather than feed it to animals. Far cheaper and healthier.
But I know what you mean about those sanctimonious Vegans. They are menacing, aren't they, with all those smirks, tattoos and motorcycles?
6964. clydefo - 4/14/2007 12:34:00 AM Do insects have faces?
O.K., I'll bite. Yes.
Maybe reprocessing protein to make fake meat actually costs more. And they are probably advocates of P.T. Barnum's marketing strategies. 6965. concerned - 4/14/2007 2:22:06 AM Do insects have faces?
O.K., I'll bite. Yes.
Rather ambiguous sounding answer there. I wonder if anyone has ever come up with chocolate covered centipedes.
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