Breastfeeding is as important for your baby as it is for mom. The process is designed to ensure survival of the human race and is thus woven into your genes and your baby's genes in a multitude of ways -- perfected over hundreds of thousands of years of evolution. No baby formula on earth can begin to approximate the benefits from your milk or the...

It is a national tragedy that our food supply is contaminated with PCBs (courtesy of Monsanto, Westinghouse, General Electric, and others) and the rocket ignition fuel compound known as perchlorate (courtesy of the military). Both toxins accumulate in breast tissue and find their way into breast milk. Furthermore, PCBs cross the placenta during pregnancy....

Substance P is intimately involved with pain, anxiety, and poor mood. Substance P is the main way your body processes pain and intense stress. Under routine stress, your body simply turns up the volume knob on nerve activity and energy production and when the stress is over, everything is supposed to recover. Substance P is not used as a basic coping...

Once you make it through the first two weeks after pregnancy then you simply need to keep track of the demands on you versus your ability to recover. Nutrition plays a role in its ability to help you have more energy, greater stress tolerance, and natural thyroid support. All of these issues are fully covered on the Prenatal Nutrition topic pages, and the...

Leptin is a hormone that comes from your stored body fat. It controls your metabolism, including the function of thyroid hormone. It controls your body weight. Women have a higher percentage of body fat than men, and thus higher levels of leptin even when not pregnant. This is specifically so that women have enough energy reserves to sustain pregnancy and...

If you are struggling with body weight prior to pregnancy you are wrestling with an inefficient leptin system that will invariably increase the risk for problems during and following pregnancy. Whenever possible, you should be at a proper body weight for at least six months prior to getting pregnant. Minimally, you should have weight issues trending...

The importance of keeping your thyroid system in tip-top working condition cannot be underestimated. A variety of recent studies have concluded that a struggling thyroid system is associated with an increased risk of death, especially when there is a concurrent health problem or when there is cardiovascular issues.

Take caution before reaching for the newest prescription drug to lose weight fast and easy. There are serious side effects and health issues to know about.

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness, a gradual deterioration of the optic nerve that often “sneaks up” on a person. A new study says that patients who have glaucoma also have a 38% higher rate of thyroid problems.

Kidney problems go hand-in-glove with adrenal problems and stress intolerance.

In 1994, with the discovery of leptin, the view of white adipose tissue was transformed from a warehouse whose primary role was the storage of extra calories into one of the most important endocrine organs in the human body. The explosion in leptin-related research, now involving over 16,000 studies, is a testament to the emerging reality that leptin...

New research suggests that electromagnetic fields (EMF) from cell phones, Wi-Fi, and other wireless technology can negatively affect thyroid health. The key is to protect your thyroid adequately.

Fenvalerate Exposure Alters Thyroid Hormone Status in Selenium- and/or Iodine-Deficient Rats.

Cytochrome P4501A1 expression, polychlorinated biphenyls and hydroxylated metabolites, and adipocyte size of bottlenose dolphins from the Southeast United States.

Associations between weight loss-induced changes in plasma organochlorine concentrations, serum T(3) concentration, and resting metabolic rate.

Extreme longevity is associated with increased serum thyrotropin.

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis Affects Symptom Load and Quality of Life Unrelated to Hypothyroidism: A Prospective Case–Control Study in Women Undergoing Thyroidectomy for Benign Goiter

Subclinical hypothyroidism is characterized by increased QT interval dispersion among women.