Happy Friday!
Uh, whew! This week just flew by. I’ve had the BEST time interviewing health experts for a new free resource I’m creating for y’all on managing and thriving in your life while reversing thyroid disease.
I can’t believe the simple and game-changing tips coming out of these interviews. Keep your eyes peeled for more information in November.
So, this week, as I’ve been shellacked in makeup for these video interviews, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’m putting on my skin and how that affects the thyroid. I’m usually very conscious of what goes in and on my body and really took note of how many substances were in the makeup artist’s kit this week. That reminded me that we should talk how what you put ON your body is as important as what you put in it for thyroid health (see article below).
October has been a fantastic month for resources designed to make your life easier. Check out my favorites below and have a great weekend! I’ll be spending mine with great friends, sipping hot apple cider out at some of Sonoma County’s best pumpkin patches. I just love the Fall, don’t you?
Here’s to autumn leaves and spiced (or spiked!) beverages –
Warmly, Jen
This Week’s Hot Health Resources
Here’s why I’m lucky: my colleagues are amazing and they are doing beautiful things. Here’s this week’s list of FREE resources.
1. If you haven’t hopped into the Wellness Family Summit yet, do it now! This week I interviewed Katie The Wellness Mama for our upcoming lifestyle series and I was just blown away by the depth of knowledge she has on natural family wellness. She balances managing 5 kids and a thyroid condition with ease and provides great resources to. This week, she’s hosting a free summit on family wellness that you don’t want to miss.
2. With each video I watch of Sean Croxton’s FREE Digestion Sessions, I learn something uber valuable and new. The burgeoning research on digestive issues and leaky gut leads us to more practical solutions for healing gut issues every day. Check out the Digestion Sessions.
3. This one almost slipped by me in my busy week, but there’s a Women’s Weight Loss summit going on now for more tips on how to effectively manage weight without stressing out yourself or your adrenals. You can find that one here.
4. Finally, JJ Virgin has purchased thousands of copies of her new book, The Sugar Impact Diet (regularly priced $26) and is giving them away for free to those located in the U.S. She’s just asking for $9.97 to cover the cost of shipping this gem to your house. If you’re interested in a practical guide to banishing your sugar addiction, check it out here.
Beauty Blunders: What You Put ON Your Body is as Important as What You Put In It for Thyroid Health
Your skin is your largest organ, and its job is to protect your insides from what’s outside. But we often don’t think of our skin as an organ, or we wouldn’t treat it so casually! Many of the products we slather on our skin have warnings that they aren’t to be ingested or taken internally — but at least some of those products are being absorbed into our bodies through our skin.
According to the Environmental Working Group, the average American woman uses 12 products containing more than 150 chemicals daily. That’s a huge toxic burden for your body, especially when you consider that many of those chemicals are known endocrine disruptors, meaning that they affect the exact systems of your body that are under attack when you have thyroid disease.
Here’s a quick run-down on the worst offenders to avoid in your beauty products for better thyroid health:
- Pthalates – These chemicals have been linked to hormone changes and thyroid irregularities, and actually create a chemical signal that tells our cells to die! They’re found in plastic food containers, especially those with the recycling number 3, and some beauty products. Avoid products that list pthalates and “fragrance” which is a catch-all term that can sometimes include pthalates.
- Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) – PFCs are mainly found in non-stick cookware, but can also be on stain and water-resistant coatings on clothing and furniture. And yes, you guessed it: if it’s on your clothes, it’s on your skin, and can get into your body. Avoid fabrics with water and stain-resistant coatings and look for PFC-free non-stick cookware.
- Flame retardants – Another kind of chemical that’s often added to fabrics, flame retardants are known to imitate thyroid hormones in our bodies and disrupt normal function. The bad news is that they’re incredibly pervasive in the environment, and they stick around forever. But you can reduce your exposure by avoiding buying any clothes or furniture with flame retardants (kids’ pajamas are notoriously coated with the stuff), using a vacuum with a HEPA filter, and take care when replacing old carpets, as the pads are probably full of the stuff.
- Parabens – Parabens are widely used as preservatives in beauty products, but they are known to have properties that mimic estrogen in the body. This is bad news if you’re trying to get your hormones back into balance. Look for paraben-free makeup, body washes, deodorants, shampoos and facial cleansers to avoid exposure.
- Triclosan – This antibiotic chemical is a known endocrine disruptor, especially thyroid hormones, and is thought to contribute to making bacteria antibiotic-resistant. Look for it in toothpastes, antibacterial soaps and deodorants. (And P.S., studies have shown that washing hands properly, for at least 20 seconds, with regular soap is just as effective at killing germs as using antibiotic soap.)
The Environmental Working Group has a Dirty Dozen list of endocrine disrupting chemicals to avoid on its website, which includes other chemicals found in your food and around your home.
Of course, if you live a modern life, it’s nearly impossible to eliminate all chemical exposure, but by educating yourself about the worst offenders — the chemicals that are really going to have an impact on your life and your thyroid health — you can minimize your exposure and your risks.
Do you try to use natural beauty products? What are some of your favorites? Let us know on Facebook (it’s a party over there!) or in the comments below.
-Jen
If you found this article helpful, check out my resources on healing your thyroid naturally for even more information, including:
- Our totally free Thyroid Healing Type Assessment, Report and Coaching Sessions
- Right here on my blog, where I talk about what’s worked best for me and my clients, as well as the latest research and resources I come across. You can subscribe to get new blog posts delivered right to your email by signing up on the righthand side of the page.
- My book, Healing Hashimoto’s Naturally — part memoir, part instruction manual for how I personally healed my Hashimoto’s disease.
- My exclusive free 6 Thyroid Myths That Can Keep You From Healing workshop — with info on the comprehensive Thyroid Fix in 6 program, which walks you through, step-by-step, the exact actions you need to take to heal your thyroid and get your life back! We’ve seen hundreds of participants in the Thyroid Fix in 6 avoid, decrease, or even eliminate the need need for thyroid medications.
- The incredible Your Best Thyroid Life Video Bundle, in which I personally invited 27 of the world’s top health experts to share their best tips for living with and healing thyroid disease.
Sometimes small, simple things are the game-changers when it comes to your health. Keep this in mind and you can get back to feeling your best!
Jen Wittman is a Certified Holistic Health Expert, Chef, Author & Vitality Coach, who teaches women how to reverse thyroid and autoimmune conditions naturally. She’s helped hundreds of women decrease (or even eliminate) their thyroid medications and has helped others stay off thyroid medication entirely.
Through her free Thyroid Healing Type Assessment, Jen teaches easy and simple steps to thyroid healing that can fit into your busy day. She also provides print outs to bring to your next doctor’s appointment so you can get the support and respect you deserve.