Author: Karline Jensen
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Diet, Supplements, and Lifestyle for Hypothyroidism
If you have hypothyroidism — or suspect you may — you may have wondered whether what you eat, the supplements you take, or your daily habits could make a real difference. The answer, supported by a growing body of research, is yes. A functional medicine approach to hypothyroidism goes well beyond medication management to address…
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Understanding Thyroid Lab Tests: A Functional Medicine Approach
If you have been told your thyroid is fine because your TSH is normal, but you still feel exhausted, cold, and mentally foggy, you are not alone — and you are not imagining things. TSH is a useful starting point, but it is only one piece of a much larger picture. A functional medicine approach…
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Everyday Exposures Stacking Up: Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Dysfunction
Many conversations about oxidative stress focus on a single cause — perhaps too much sugar, not enough antioxidants, or too much sun. But in real life, oxidative stress accumulates from many sources. A person might be exposed to vehicle exhaust on their commute, spend hours around chemical fumes at work, and enjoy a drink or…
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How Resistance Training Can Increase the Effectiveness of Your CoQ10 Supplement
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplements have become increasingly popular — and for good reason. While the human body produces CoQ10 on its own, this capacity tends to diminish with age. Without adequate CoQ10, the body cannot efficiently access the energy stored in carbohydrates and fats, because CoQ10 plays a critical role in the electron transport chain…
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Preventing Depression
A systematic review by O’Neill et al. (2022) examined 7 randomized controlled trials on the effect of different dietary interventions on depression in adults, and found fresh produce, wholegrains, low-fat dairy and lean protein to be beneficial, and processed and high-fat foods to be detrimental. In their discussion they highlight a study by Lindseth et…
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Motivational Interviewing
Motivational Interviewing has been shown to be more effective than standard care in eliciting change towards more healthy diets. Hollis et al. (2015) used the technique with 28 premenopausal women ages 44-50, with the goal of influencing their diets to be less likely to result in weight gain as they entered their menopausal years. The…
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Binge Eating
There is a tool called the Binge Eating Scale which can be used to identify binge eating (Grupski et al., 2013). It consists of 16 phrases and the client can rate to what degree they identify with each one, for example concealing their eating or eating when bored. I feel like it would be a…
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Malabsorption
Even if someone’s diet seems to include plenty of a particular nutrient, if they aren’t absorbing the nutrients they are consuming they could still have deficiencies. In the Discussion section of their paper, the authors of the LIFEHOUSE study (Stone et al., 2023) mention vertical ridging of the nails as an example of a symptom…
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Phytonutrients
The IFM Phytonutrient Spectrum – Comprehensive Guide has some great ideas about how to diversify your diet and consume a broader range of nutrients, like that cooking carrots with a little olive oil can make the carotenoids more bioavailable. I love the idea that eating green leafy vegetables every day slows aging by 11 years. …
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When Your TSH Is Normal But…
If your TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) is normal but you still feel exhausted, cold, and foggy, you are not imagining things. TSH is a useful screening tool, but it does not tell the whole story of thyroid function. Research points to several nutrient deficiencies and inflammatory conditions that can disrupt thyroid hormone levels — and…
Northern Nutritionals 