Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS, Guest
Thyroid Nation
Electropollution saps energy—and packs on pounds.
According to my colleague, thyroid expert and patient advocate Mary Shomon, it’s estimated that as many as 40 million Americans may be suffering from undiagnosed or misdiagnosed thyroid conditions.
While there are many factors that can affect thyroid function, I find one risk to be specifically concerning—electropollution!
Mobile phones and wireless devices are everywhere these days. Even if you aren’t using your phone or WiFi at the moment, you’re probably within range of someone else’s. At least 84% of Americans have cell phones.
Due to the proliferation of these phones, Blackberries and other digital devices, broadcast and cell phone antennas, power lines, satellite TV, and WiFi zapping us everywhere from our favorite coffee shop to the public library, we’re now exposed 100 million times more to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) than our grandparents were.
What’s all this electropollution doing to us? One recent survey of cell phone users in Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, the U.K., and this country shows repeated complaints of fatigue as well as headaches, ill health, and muscle pains.
Even low-level EMFs can slow thyroid function. In addition to depression, intolerance to cold, joint pain, and muscle cramps, low thyroid function leads to fatigue and weight gain.
A recent study in the Journal of Experimental Biology shows that EMF exposure impacts both the structure and function of the thyroid. For example, animals exposed to cell phone radiation produce lower levels of thyroid hormone, a marker of hypothyroidism.
Every cell in your body is a target for thyroid hormones. Since thyroid hormones stimulate diverse metabolic activity throughout the body—including basal metabolic rate—it’s no wonder that hypothyroidism can make you tired—and contribute to weight gain.
Given our unprecedented exposure to invisible—but insidious—electropollution, I’m not surprised that Americans now weigh more than people in 33 other countries.
For years, clients kept coming to me with a wide assortment of symptoms from dizziness and anxiety, memory loss and ringing in the ears to unrelenting fatigue and weight gain—but nothing seemed to work. It was only when I realized that they, as well as I, were all exposed to high levels of EMFs that the light, literally, went on in my head!
After reviewing the published research and interviewing others who are electrosensitive, I’ve discovered that EMFs cause the cells in the body to go into “lock down mode,” trapping this new, invisible form of pollution inside while largely impairing the body’s natural detoxification processes.
What You Can Do
It’s shocking how electropollution has exploded in recent years, and there’s no evidence that it’s slowing down any time soon. While I use my cell phone only when it’s absolutely necessary, I’m not giving it up—and seriously doubt that the rest of you are either.
That’s why I’ve written Zapped with over 1,000 ways to protect you and your family against the damaging effects of EMFs. While (like me) you’ll want to detect and eliminate as much of this radiation as possible in your own home, it’s also critical to support your body nutritionally from all the electropollution that’s beyond your control.
Start by boosting your body’s production of the potent detoxifier gluatathione to counter EMF’s harmful effects. Among the Zap-Proof Supplements I recommend, Fat Flush Whey Protein Powder is one of the richest sources of amino acids from which super antioxidant glutathione is derived. Whey protein also contains naturally occurring lactoferrin, which has anti-radiation effects.
New research in the British Journal of Nutrition finds that whey protein reduces appetite and caloric intake better than other protein sources (including eggs, tuna, and turkey), making whey very effective for weight loss. A recent study in Obesity shows that whey protein even improves vascular function in overweight and obese individuals.
This is important since both hypothyroidism and EMFs can raise bad cholesterol (LDL) levels, elevating the risk for heart disease. New Australian research reports that supplementing the diet with whey protein significantly lowers both LDL and total cholesterol levels in people who are overweight and obese, while improving their insulin levels.
For more on All-Star Supplements and other ways to protect against electropollution, order your copy of Zapped.
Sources:
Zapped: Why Your Cell Phone Shouldn’t Be Your Alarm Clock and 1,268 Ways to Outsmart the Hazards of Electronic Pollution
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20456814
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20377924
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19893505
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11761657
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16916968
About the Author
Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS is a top nutritionist, visionary health expert and bestselling author. She has always been a trendsetter in functional and integrative medicine. Continually breaking new ground in traditional and holistic health, she is internationally recognized as a pioneer in dietary, environmental, and women’s health issues and is known as “The First Lady of Nutrition” among her millions of followers worldwide.
As one of the world’s foremost experts in functional and integrative medicine, she holds an M.S. in Nutrition Education from Columbia University, has the title of Certified Nutrition Specialist (C.N.S.) from the American College of Nutrition and a Ph.D. in Holistic Nutrition. Ann Louise has also served as the Chief Nutritionist of Pediatric Clinic at Bellevue Hospital and is the former Director of Nutrtition at the Pritikin Longevity Center in Santa Monica, CA. She has won numerous awards, including The American Medical Writers Association Award for Excellence. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The original article can be found here.
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