Do You Wake Up at 3:00 AM?
Do you wake up at 3am or some time in the wee hours of the morning when you are supposed to be SLEEPING? Ack! I know, right. It happened to me over and over again. I didn’t know why and neither did the few doctors I saw seeking a solution, but alas, it was as mysterious to them as it was to me.
Now that I am in researching health information for this blog, I stumbled upon the reason why I and millions of other people (I feel your “pain.”) were not sleeping through the night. Stress! Stress! Stress!
And what does stress do? It causes the adrenal glands to shoot off adrenaline for a burst of energy to run away from that lion that you just came upon in the jungle. Okay you don’t live in a jungle but your adrenal glands don’t know that, and your boss just assigned you another project while telling you he was going to reduce your pay. Stress! What happens is your heart rate increases, your blood pressure go through the roof, your pupils dilate and everything internally is on High Alert!
Okay, I can understand the surge of adrenaline during the day when stress is high but why in the early hours of the morning when you need sleep the most? It’s because your liver is regenerating and to do that it needs glycogen*, and you used up all your glycogen during the day from the adrenaline surges caused by stress. Your liver will look for adrenaline if it cannot find enough glucose so cue the adrenaline at 3:00am and, hello, you are wide awake. Mystery solved.
Have no fear for I have the solutions. First thing is please purchase my book available on Kindle here: The Insomnia Cure: How I Kicked Insomnia Out of My Bed! I go into detail and helpful tips on how to get a good night’s sleep. I was an insomniac for years.
Second: Here is the magic recipe for the Adrenal Cocktail that you drink before you to to sleep and it will help you sleep all night long.
Adrenal Cocktail Recipe
½ cup FRESH orange juice or FRESH lemon juice (organic is best)
½ teaspoon cream of tarter
½ teaspoon Himalayan or Celtic salt
Just mix all the ingredients and drink before bed.
How does this work? The juice replenishes the glucose your liver needs to regenerate, the cream of tartar (yes, cream of tarter) is high in potassium, an element that is essential for a good night’s sleep, and the Himalayan salt contains minerals that help feed your adrenal glands. Thousands of people say this works and I urge you to try and see if it helps you sleep through the night.
Before you ask:, here is a Q and A:
Does it have to be fresh juice?
Yes! Double yes!
Where can I find cream of tarter?
In your grocery store in the baking section.
Where can I find Himalayan or Celtic salt?
I bought my Himalayan salt at a health food store but you can order it here Click Here!
Can I add alcohol to the recipe?
No!
Should I consult my doctor before I drink this and ask him for his/her opinion?
By all means, please do.
What if I drink the cocktail and I still wake up?
I would give it at least a week before throwing in the towel and I would definitely read my book about Kicking Insomnia Out of My Bed! Click Here to Order.
Can I tell my friends about this?
Absolutely!
Should I tell my boss?
Not if he just lowered your salary. You don’t want him sleeping through the night.
Thanks for reading!
Terry Ryan
Terry Ryan, Health Blogger and Author
*Glucose is: Glucose (/ˈɡluːkoʊs/ or /-koʊz/; C6H12O6, also known as D-glucose, dextrose, or grape sugar) is a simple aldosic monosaccharide found in plants. It is one of the three dietary monosaccharides, along with fructose and galactose,[citation needed] that are absorbed directly into the bloodstream during digestion. It is an important carbohydrate in biology, which is indicated by the fact that cells use it as a secondary source of energy and a metabolic intermediate. Glucose is one of the main products of photosynthesis and fuels for cellular respiration. Glucose exists in several different molecular structures, but all of these structures can be divided into two families of mirror-images (stereoisomers). Only one set of these isomers exists in nature, those derived from the particular chiral form of glucose that is denoted D-glucose, or D-glucose. (Source: Wikipedia)
My Personal Session With Mary Shomon by Terry Ryan
Hello fellow Hashimoto Thyroiditis patients,
I had the great pleasure to have a one on one session with, Mary Shomon,a thyroid patient advocate. I visited her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thyroidsupport on Monday and saw that for $100.00 you may signup for a personal telephone session with Mary. Impressed with Mary’s knowledge, I signed right up and the next opening was Friday at 3:30. I was booked.
Terry Ryan
Mary promptly called at the arrange time and she introduced herself and got right down to business. I paid by credit card. Then she went over my note I had sent her. “I see here that you want to discuss weight loss.” I have put on about 50 pounds in the ten years since being diagnosed with Hashimoto, and they were 50 pounds that no matter what I did to lose weight, they would not budge. Ack!
Mary speaks in a rapid fire way which is great because that way you get a ton of useful info in the 30 mins. It is also good that I have researched Hashimoto Thyroiditis so I could keep up with her. I had my recent labs done and had previously reviewed them 2x over the phone with my endocrinologist’s assistant, but I had the feeling she missed some things. I was looking at the actually paperwork that was sent to me by the lab, but the assistant was looking at a computer screen and kept on saying, “Wait a minute and let me find that.” Anyway, she had missed a lot and I am glad I spoke to Mary who straightened everything out for me.
Mary asked me for the lab results and then asked me for the range which is on the right side of my lab paperwork. Example below.
TSH 0.102 0.358-3.740 (I was over medicated on T4)
Free T3 2.83 2.18-3.99 (Mary said that was too low)
“Free T3 should to be closer to the 3.99 for optimal health and weight loss,” Mary stated. I had been taking Cytomel (T3) before but in the last few months I had stopped when my prescription was changed to Tirosint (150mcg) from Synthroid and my doctor had eliminated the T3 (Cytomel).
Then going over my lab report she noticed another red flag. My ferritin level was very low. 39
Ferritin (iron) 39 range 0-252 (I was low.)
Mary explained that I could cut all the calories I wanted to and join 10 workout classes a week and with my T3 low and my ferritin so low that I was never going to lose weight. (I should point out that my other lab results were fine according to Mary.)
Her advise was:
- Call my endocrinologist and ask for a prescription of Cytomel. If he prescribes 5mg ask for him to prescribe it as 2.5mg tablets and take one in the morning and the other after lunch.
- Start taking a iron supplement. This is tricky because most will be hard on the stomach and will cause constipation. She recommended a liquid iron supplement called Floradix and said that my local health food store should carry it. I could also call my doctor if I wanted to get a prescription for iron.
- Mary said to go to www.drrosedale.com and on that website there is a tiny heart that if you click on you can download a diet PDF. She said to follow that diet. I did download it (Ron-Rosedale-Health-Plan) and basically no fruit, no sugar, no gluten, no dairy.
I told her about my juicing and she is not too impressed with juicing. She said it was introducing too much glucose/sugar into the body at once. It was okay to juice celery and cucumber but to stay away from spinach and kale because they slow down the thyroid because they are goitrous foods. Goitrous is a substance that slows down the thyroid. It is found in bok choy, broccoli, Brussels’ sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, mustard greens, radishes, soy, soy milk, soy lecithin (often used as a filler in vegetarian food) and tofu and now apparently spinach is on the list. I was using a lot of raw spinach and kale in my juices. Ugh! But I was feeling so much better with juicing and my skin is glowing from all the veggies, but no, I haven’t lost a single pound. (sigh)
Mary also said that some of her clients have had great results on fasting for two days a week. Let’s say you practice a Paleo diet 5 days a week but on Monday and Thursday you only eat 500 calories. Mary said that you don’t have to eat the 500 calories of the fast day and it may be easier to just drink water. She recommended a couple of books. See below.
Other tips were to check out T-Tapp for light exercise on Youtube. Mary said she has lost many inches by practicing the T-Tapp exercises. I checked it out and they look pretty easy so I will give that a try. Also:
- Limit snacking.
- No alcohol!
- Eat only three times a day.
- Don’t eat after 8:00pm
Okay, so that’s why I haven’t lost any weight. I just went out and bought a steak which shocked the heck out of my husband since I have been mostly vegetarian (the dog is thrilled), and I will make a spring salad with lemon juice as the dressing.
Yesterday I drove over to the health food store to purchase the Floradix but they did not have it. The young girl at the counter told me to take a couple of tablespoons of Plantation Blackstrap Molasses ($4.95/15 fl 
oz.) per day. Okay, that certainly was cheaper than the Floradix which runs around $20.00 for 8.5 ounces so I am giving that a try. It tastes okay, not too bad. What is Blackstrap Molasses? Click here.
So, I would honestly say that I am very happy with my 30 minute session with Mary Shomon and I would recommend it for anyone who is having problems with their Hashimoto symptoms. I will try all the things she suggested:
- Take Cytomel (If my doctor will not prescribe it Mary has already given me a name of a local holistic doctor who will but will not take insurance.)
- Try eating more foods that contain iron like steak.
- Take my iron supplement.
- Stop juicing spinach and kale.
- No fruit, dairy, gluten, sugar.
- Try T-Tapp for excercise.
- Try the 2 day fasting diet.
I’ll let you know how it works out.
Thanks for reading,
Terry Ryan, Health Blogger
Read The Thyroid Diet Revolution by Mary The Thyroid Diet Revolution: Manage Your Master Gland of Metabolism for Lasting Weight Loss
Here’s a great article by Mary Shomon titled
Help, I’m Hypothyroid and I Still Don’t Feel Well
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/hypothyroidism/a/notwell.htm
Recommended reading by Mary Shomon
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From Sarasota House Flipper to HGTV-Jennifer Hawn
Jen “Six” Hawn
Jen Hawn, my friend, former Sarasota resident now living in Chicago, and experienced house flipper decided to show up at a casting call last year for HGTV (House and Garden TV) on a whim, at a kitchen and bath show in New Orleans and was selected to be a contestant on The Property Brother’s spin off show, Brother vs. Brother. The show features Drew and Jonathan Scott, handsome twin brothers, and it was the number one show on HGTV last year. Each brother has a team of 5 people and the teams compete in renovating separate houses, and the team that produces the most property value through renovations wins. The losing team has to vote a team member off and the last man/woman standing wins a $50,000 grand prize.
Kitchen Before
So, on one of Jen’s recent trips to Sarasota she stopped in for a night at my house and we talked about her TV experience. The show will air starting on Sunday, June 8 but has already been filmed in Los Angeles area last winter (2014). For Jen it was perfect timing to have a respite from the brutal Chicago winter, however she didn’t have time to see a lot of southern California. Filming 6 days a week kept her busy and the cast ate, worked, and at night slept together in the same condominium complex; men on floor one and women on another. Plus she was sworn to secrecy and had to sign a 30 plus page document that said she would not reveal any personal details from the show. I did
Kitchen After
find out that it was a lot of hands on work, stressful working conditions on a the tight time schedule, and that living with a bunch of different personalities was at times difficult. From the sounds of it I would have been gone the first day, but Jen said she was determined to work as hard as she could so she wouldn’t be voted off. I asked her if she won and she said, “I cannot tell you, you’ll have to watch the show.” I plan on it!
Kitchen Before
Kitchen After
Jen and I met when she responded to my Craiglist’s ad offering services as a bookkeeper specializing in construction. She asked me to meet her at the house she was renting and I got there ahead of her and she soon pulled into the driveway. I watched as this beautiful and tall young woman (she is 6′ tall) got out of her car and she enthusiastically held out her hand for me to shake and profusely apologized for being late. She was friendly plus fun and we started working together after that meeting. (Funny fact: Jen’s mother and I have the same name.) Jen needed someone to help her not only with the costs of the different house flips, but also with project management which I was only too happy to do. When I came on board she was just putting the finishing touches on a house in the Gulf Gate area and soon sold it at a nice profit. For the next house I was there at the beginning and got to see the house before improvements, and to tell you the truth, I was scared to go inside because it needed so much work. But Jen has the amazing ability to visualize what renovations need to be done to turn a once neglected house into a beautiful home. She has no problem taking the drywall down to the studs, moving walls to open up a kitchen, add bedrooms, picking out the right plants for curb appeal, and knows how to design great kitchens and baths. I learned from her the importance of selecting the correct tile to go with the granite, to splurge on the faucets, and to choose lighting fixtures with a little pizazz!
The next house she flipped was also in scary condition and was renovated into a gorgeous three bedroom with modern updates and a new kitchen and bathrooms. It too sold quickly and after that Jen had opportunities calling her back to Chicago and she moved away. We still keep in touch through Facebook and text messaging and I truly miss our flipping days and wish she would return to Sarasota, but TV has found Jen and they are in “talks” to create a new show with her as the star.
Please tune in to HGTV and watch Brother vs. Brother on June 8 and see if Jen wins. If she does she owes me a drink!
Terry Ryan
Terry Ryan lives in Sarasota, FL and is a health blogger at www.slimhealthysexy.com. She is very fortunate to have a great home, family and wonderful friends.
Meditation by Guest Blogger Bobette Stanbridge
I asked Bobette Stanbridge to be a guest blogger. I can tell just from talking to her that Bobette has had an interesting life; once living in California and then upstate NY and now in Sarasota, FL, where she has a sprawling beautiful home and a large art room where she creates her wonderful paintings and children books: Bunky Books. Http://www.thebobetteartco.com. Here is what she wrote.
You asked me to explain how I got on the path I am on so here goes.
In 1967 the Maharishi came to America to teach meditation. The Beatles had gone to India, met him and sang about him so the young people of the world became interested. My friends and I were on a path to expanding our consciousness and were told that meditation was the way. Everyone was experimenting with mind altering drugs and I was one of the lucky ones who decided that meditation was a good path instead. That’s not to say that I didn’t try them too but I chose to give them up. I think meditation helped me make that decision.
A man named Jerry Jarvais came to UCLA in Southern California to initiate many of us. We were given mantras, which were sounds to use as our focal point in our meditation. Each of us was given our own sound. I definitely felt something when I meditated. I remember going to a group meditation at one of the halls on campus. Everyone was meditating in a large auditorium and I started laughing uncontrollably. I don’t know why but I couldn’t stop so I left. I didn’t want to disturb the otherwise very quiet room of mediators.
I meditated but not regularly for years but was always wondering where God was in all of this. After my son was born in 1974 we moved to Oregon. My husband got a job at the Steamboat ranger station up in the mountains. We moved there since it was 40 miles away from Roseburg, which was the closest city. There I met my friend Cathy who turned me onto the book The Autobiography of a Yogi by my now guru Paramahansa Yogananda. After reading his story I knew he had found God and so I read everything I could that he had written. I have been meditating ever since. George Harrison handed out the book to everyone and Steve Jobs had it given to all of his employees at his funeral. I recommend it to anyone seeking God.
Meditation is amazing. It is very difficult to understand the effects of it because they can be very subtle. One of the things I have become aware of is a sense of knowing. I have quoted the bible but have never read it. I have learned to move energy and have watched burns disappear. I have had my own super natural experiences and even though I have had some very difficult lessons, I have thrived.
A successful life is all about choices. We are always presented with a new experience to which we must respond. It is how we respond that counts. If we experience something that is extremely difficult we can either fold or pick ourselves up and continue on. If we start to get depressed, it is extremely important to fight it any way we can because if we go into the negative it is a path that just gets more negative and we feel bad. When we are positive, we feel good. It’s a harder path to get into the positive once we are in the negative.
Our thoughts are so powerful that they can actually “throw ourselves under the bus” daily. When we let them happen without responding, we will have a life that flows. If we let them direct our actions, we need to think about the consequences before we act. Will the action be something we chose to experience? We have the ability to choose and design our lives but sometimes we let the outside circumstances direct us to a place we don’t really want to be. Do we want to spend our time fighting or grooving? Sometimes the answer is fighting. There is no right or wrong choices. Everything we experience will teach us something.
We are creatures of habit. We do things repetitively by nature and so we would be wise to watch our 
habits. Habits can become addictions and addictions control us and take away our freedom to choose the habit. When we lose our balance our lives can become quite chaotic. It is a good idea to do things in moderation. We can become addicted to anything. This includes food, sports, hobbies, sex, games, gambling, drugs, alcohol, art, music or having too many babies. Anything that we have to do, takes away our freedom to choose.
I love to create and paint most of all but I choose to balance my activities daily. I write, read, clean, cook, and do many different tasks in between my art. It also helps to have a more balanced perspective. Stepping away from something allows it to be viewed from a different perspective.
We are on this planet for such a short time. What do you want to experience? What do you want to learn? Who is the authentic you? Meditating helps to bring our focus back to ourselves because most of the time we are outwardly focused. We reflect who we are in all experiences that present themselves to us. We are all the center of our own universes and see things from our own perspectives. When we meditate, we shut out the chatter and let our spiritual aspect download a higher perspective. It allows us to have a more intimate relationship with ourselves. It helps us to love ourselves, which is my ultimate goal. Everything we put out we get back. Everything is in equal measure and love is no different. We can only love others in equal measure to the amount we love ourselves and we can only feel love from others the same.
Everything in life has atoms, movement, and consciousness and is alive. It is all a piece of God. Each of us is a piece of the puzzle and therefore important. We are all expressing God. Our job is to love ourselves because if we don’t, we do not love God. I hope that one day all of mankind will be able to love one another. We are all one.
What a wonderful post. Thank you, Bobette!
Juicing Made Easy!
Juicing Myths and Myths About Juicing
Eat your veggies!
Juicing Myths? There are many myths surrounding the juicing industry that often confuses consumers. There are those that say it’s a waste of time and money and others that claim it’s just another craze. But yet, there is no denying that juicing is good for you. There’s also no argument that it’s often difficult for most people to eat enough fruits and vegetables in a day that is needed for optimum health.
So let’s separate the juicing truths from the juicing myths:
1. It tastes bad!
This is one of the top juicing myths. Many people assume that when they try a green colored juice, they will essentially be drinking something that takes like their backyard. But this is not true! Even the pickiest of eaters are surprised at how fresh and delicious a nutritious juice tastes! Adding an apple, mint, ginger or a lemon can naturally sweeten a juice to make it taste even better. Want the benefits of kale but don’t think you can stomach the taste? Try this:
1/2-cup pineapple
4-cups kale leaves
1 large cucumber
1/2 squeezed lemon
1/2 mint
Add to juicer and blend. This recipe is rich in enzymes and tastes terrific. Make sure your drink your juice right away, as vegetable juice is highly perishable.
2. Juicing is a fad!
Once you give juicing a try, you will find that it will be a staple to your healthy diet. Not only is it easy, but it’s an excellent way to lose weight safely while increasing your energy level and improving your overall mood. It doesn’t take long to notice a huge difference in how you feel.
3. I won’t get full!
This is one of the most inaccurate juicing myths! Juice fresh from your juicer is a natural supplement that can actually make you feel fuller longer. When your body is getting exactly what it requires, it feels satisfied.
4. Juicers are too expensive:
There are several very high end juicers available on the market, however, if you are new to juicing, then start with a mid-price machine. Because you will be saving on those expensive pre-made supermarket juices, as well as those packaged foods that aren’t always healthy anyway, it will pay for itself in no time.
5. Juicing takes up too much time:
People are surprised at how easy juicing really is. Many chop up their vegetables and fruits and keep in the refrigerator so that everything is ready to go when a juice craving hits. Not only that, many parts from juicing machines are dishwasher friendly. A good quality juicer should produce a delicious, satisfying drink in less than five minutes from start to finish, often shorter than brewing a cup of coffee.
There seems to be plenty of Juicing Myths floating around but you’ll be surprised to find that juicing is healthy, it tastes great, it saves you time and money, and has a positive impact on you.
Source: http://www.justonjuice.com/juicing-myths/
D5 Creation