This article is Dr Ben's notes from a Free 15 Minute Consult with Dr Ben. Helping direct you to which products, dietary changes & lifestyle products may help you.

Here was the submitted question:

 

Underactive thyroidThyroid tests don't show problem my body feels underactive, I’m 70lbs overweight and lost 15lbs but it stopped there. Not sure if candida is part of it although the spit test in a glass shows small spots. I have herniated disks c3-6 and L4-7 with intermittent nerve pain. Thank you in advance for this consult.

I appreciate the gifting of wisdom and time Dr Ben is giving to others. I love his blog and have been wanting to do this myself although am not a MD and those credentials are best fit as I have 31 years as holistic Medical Massage Therapist working with thousands of bodies and stories..  [deleted name]

My response:

Good talking with you today. It sounds like you know what you need. It is simply a matter of finding the right doctors to get you on the path.

For starters, I recommend you find a holistic minded physician for long term care:

 The women’s clinic we were discussing is Women to Women, which is located in Maine. 

I recommend you test your adrenal hormones and full thyroid hormones:
-    TSH, T4, T3, anti-TPO, anti-TG
-    Salivary Cortisol
-    Urinary Iodine 24 Hour collection
-    Basal Body Temperature Test

IMPORTANT TIP: An effective test to see if your thyroid is underactive, consider the Basal Body Temperature Test.

For Nutritional Support:
I believe supporting your adrenals and your digestive system are essential as they are safe, help with energy and typically provided an improved sense of well being quite quickly.

Adrenal Support Plus contains a blend of B vitamins and specialty nutrients which may reduce your fatigue, stress while increasing energy and positive outlook.

Consider taking 1 capsule of Adrenal Support Plus with your breakfast in the AM and one at lunch in the afternoon. Do not take Adrenal Support Plus past 2 pm or within 6 hours of going to sleep. If you take Adrenal Support Plus within 6 hours of going to sleep, it will keep you awake.

You may find after 1 week of taking Adrenal Support Plus that it is easier to get out of bed in the morning, deeper sleep at night and having more energy.

Sleeping:
In terms of sleeping well, having less stress, having the right tools to make the neurotransmitters, I recommend a combination of a highly absorbable form of magnesium combined with vitamin B6. Combined, these two nutrients work on over 500 biochemical pathways. Without magnesium or Vitamin B6, these biochemical pathways will not function; thus causing countless symptoms.

I recommend you consider taking 1 capsule of Magnesium Plus on rising from bed and one capsule before going to sleep.

For the herniated discs, consider:

  • Releaf Neck Rest: This is great to support the cervical vertebrae while working at a desk all day or simply resting and holding your head up. The Releaf Neck Rest relieves tension on the vertebrae thereby relieving pinched nerves.
  • Neck Pro:This is useful to gently stretch the neck muscles which helps decompress the vertebral discs and relieve nerve compression.
  • BodyBridge:This is used to gently stretch the neck and back muscles which helps decompress most, if not all, the vertebral discs which relieves nerve compression. I personally use this in my own home and have been for over 10 years. I also have it in our main office in Bellingham, WA so our HealthE Goods team remains limber from sitting all day.

High dose fish oil has shown to reduce pain associated with herniated discs.

Read this study abstract about fish oil reducing pain.

 We have quite a few of fish oils and EPA/DHA to choose from

I recommend a liquid EPA/DHA or liquid fish oil as they are the most concentrated in EPA/DHA per serving and they are the least expensive per serving. My favorite is the Pharmax Finest Pure Fish Oil as it is potent, pure and tastes very good.

If you prefer capsules, then I recommend Ultra EPA/DHA by Pure Encapsulations and it is on sale now as well:

For Digestive Support and Candida Relief:
In terms of healing the digestive system and restoring healthy digestive bacteria which will push out the candida, I recommend ProBiota 12 capsules. ProBiota 12 contains 12 active probiotic strains at 25 billion bacteria per capsule. In order to effectively get rid of candida, diet must change but also the gut environment must be inhospitable to them. Taking high amounts of beneficial bacteria in numerous strains creates an inhospitable home to the candida and they get pushed out.

ProBiota 12 capsules: consider taking 4 capsules at dinner time for 2 weeks and then take 1 capsule at dinner as a maintenance dose for another 2 months. Taking probiotics at dinnertime is the best time to take them according to research.

Overweight is likely tied to your suspected underactive thyroid, increased stress, pain causing you to not be mobile and active and potentially diet as well. Once the adrenals begin working properly, sleep gets on schedule and blood sugar gets regulated by the adrenals, weight should begin to slough off. Once the adrenals begin working well, the thyroid gland may begin to function better as well. Once that happens, your metabolism will speed up and slough off calories while you sleep.

One big tip I always tell people is found in this article: Lose Weight by One Simple Step

Should you have further questions, please do ask.

Comments are welcomed and encouraged.

In health,


Dr Ben
Keep HealthE. Stay in touch!
Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter