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AUDIO TRANSCRIPTION
(00:04):
All right, you guys. Welcome back to the Thriving Thyroid Podcast. We are talking about your immune system and how to create a strong immune immunity.
(00:19):
Welcome back to the Thriving Thyroid Podcast, where we choose to become empowered patients and take our health into our own hands. Hi, I'm Shannon Hanson, a Christian entrepreneur, a mom of three. And after dealing with my own health mysteries, I made it my mission to learn everything I could about the thyroid. I soon became certified as a holistic wellness practitioner, a functional nutrition practitioner, and a functional diagnostic practitioner. And so much more after that, I founded the Revolutionary Thyroid Program, the Handsome Method. As a health professional and a mom, I fully understand the importance of having a fun, simple, and sustainable plan for achieving a responsive thyroid. So I share actionable and practical strategies for developing a responsive thyroid so that the ambitious moms and women can gain freedom from fatigue and lose the thyroid weight once and for all. Each week I will be here for you, along with my guest experts. We will be sharing simple and tangible tips that work for not only your thyroid, your hormones, your family, and your mindset, so that you can get back to living the life that you envision for yourself. Welcome to the Thriving Thyroid Podcast.
(01:41):
All right, you guys. So let's dive into the importance of a strong immunity. Now, one of the reasons that I'm sharing this episode is because we are getting ready to enter into the lovely time of year of cold and flu and viruses and germs and yuckiness. And I feel like the last couple years it has changed people's perspective on our immune system. And for a lot of people we've become more aware of <laugh>, our immune system. And hopefully you've learned more about it. And let me be very honest and frank with you guys. When I had my classes on the immune system specifically, I was like, This is, I hate this stuff <laugh> because your immune system, it lives everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. Like it's not a step by step process. First. This happens and this happens, and I mean obviously like I got the information and now I understand it, but I was like, what are all of these B cells and T-cells and this cell and that cell?
(02:53):
And but where does it live? Well, it doesn't live anywhere. Like, but it lives everywhere. <Laugh>, okay, It really wasn't that way, but that's, that's not really how it works. But that's how it felt at the time is I'm like, I just want this, this happens, then this happens, and this happens because I feel like that is much more of health and that is why our immune system is still constantly being discovered and we don't fully understand all of the things about the immune system and why people develop autoimmune diseases and why this, this, and this happens. I mean, we have some really good foundational information and understanding and you know, I think especially over and over again, we are able to make these logical conclusions about, So here's Shannon's I guess more or less theory <laugh> of why, let's say the thyroid attacks itself.
(03:57):
So one of the things that I have seen over and over again with the hundreds of women that I've worked with and you know, other people that I've talked with, when I start talking to them about you know, their history and you know, I'll ask them, Well, have you had neck trauma? You know, maybe you were in a car accident or whiplash. Or some of another big one is, you know, did you have chronic strep throat growing up? Okay, well, how was it treated? Well, it was treated by antibiotics. And so one of the conclusions that I have more or less come to is that the body becomes confused and thinks that there is probably still a virus or something happening in the thyroid for it to continue to attack it because I don't believe the body would just attack itself to attack itself.
(04:53):
I just don't believe that the body is somehow for some reason confused. Okay? So that there's Shannon's little theory and we could go into that maybe another day. But the part that I wanted to focus in on is how the importance of building a strong immune system and what we can do. And so our immune system is our body's defense in a mechanism to fight bacteria and germs that can make us sick, right? And cause disease. When it comes to staying healthy or shortening an illness, it is really important for us to have a good, strong, healthy immune system. And with thyroid, we see, I don't wanna say it like deteriorate, but we are more prone to infections and things like that. So most of us generally have an idea of what our immune system, but not so much as what our immune system is co comprised of, which can make it really difficult for us to maintain a good healthy body if we don't understand all of the components of it.
(06:03):
So there are four. The first one is going to be our skin. The body's physical barrier system stops bacteria and germs from entering into it. So having good healthy skin is super important. Number two, the gut. So most of the good bacteria in our body is held in the gut and having a healthy gut with balanced bacteria levels can help fight off infections and illness and germs and all of those things. And then the next one, number three is mucus membranes. So the mucus lining inside of our body is designed to catch germs and bacteria before they have a chance to essentially attack the body. So this is the mucus in your nose, in your lungs, all of those things are that mucus is designed to in encase the germs and help destroy it or prevent it from taking hold somewhere. The fourth, and I, I don't know, I think probably I was gonna say the most important it's not, they're all super important <laugh>, but the lymphatic system.
(07:19):
So the lymphatic system is comprised of our lymph nodes and the marrow and the spleen. And this can help or this does carry oxygen, food and water throughout the body and acts as I like to call it, our body's sewer system. So it's gonna help flush out toxins and bacteria and germs. So now that you guys have hopefully a little bit better idea of the immune system and how this works together at fighting off bacteria inside the body, let's dive into food and nutrition and supplements that can help support our body in strengthening the immune system so that we have less sick days. So before I dive into food and, and things that boost the immune system, I also, so at the day of this airing, it should be Halloween. Watch what happens from Halloween on. So all a sudden this time of year, and I swear it's like November 1st, okay?
(08:26):
<Laugh>, we are, we get introdu. So well, okay, let me say it this way. So sugar is more prevalent in our diet. We have it in our home, we're snacking on it. We've got leftover Halloween candy and three tablespoons of sugar suppresses our immune system for three to five hours. So to put this into like perspective for you, the, like a mini Snickers bar has I think 10 grams of sugar. So you're so essentially with that, you're so oppressing your immune system for about five hours, just from one little teeny tiny snic snicker bar where if you're like me, you usually eat two of them <laugh>. And you know, we enjoy those things. So what's happening is we are weakening our immune system for several hours at that point. And then we're going to work, we're going grocery shopping, we're going to a big large gathering of friends, with friends and we are weak.
(09:39):
We are walking into that situation with a, a weakened immune system. Okay? So here are some of the top foods that help build and boost a strong immunity. So citrus fruits, they're not only good and delicious, but they're also loaded up with vitamin C. And this is, as you guys know, <laugh>, I feel like everybody knows vitamin C is really, really beneficial for boosting our immune system and aiding in that and aiding and fighting the infection. So citrus, lemons, orange limes seed clementine, blood orange, all of those citrus things in that family are really beneficial. I like to tell my clients to pair that with some nuts or something along those lines. Or even just a little bit of lemon water in your drink and sipping on it throughout the day can help. Number two is cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, especially lightly cooked or sprouted broccoli contains high levels of vitamin A, vitamin C and E as well as a sulfur rich compound that is shown to have numerous immune boosting benefits.
(10:58):
Mushrooms. So mushrooms give us the mineral selenium as well as those B vitamins to help boost the immune system and help fight off. They promote the pro the body's production of pathogen fighting proteins. Okay? So super important, if you can hide them in food for yourself or your family, you're gonna be doing everybody a huge service. One of the things that I have done in the past and and like to do is I like to grade up the mushrooms and I cook it in the spaghetti sauce cuz my kids don't necessarily like mushrooms. So if I use like a cheese grater, kind of grade them down and cook them into the sauce, then nobody knows <laugh>. All right, the next one is garlic. So garlic is used in a ton of different cri cuisines, different plates around the world, and garlic is rich in sulfur.
(12:01):
And sulfur helps contain an immune boosting substance called Allan. I think I said that right. So use up that garlic and make everything taste super yummy. Oysters. I'm not a fan of oysters, but I will still share with you oysters are an excellent source of zinc and iron and also contain vitamin A. So zinc can help create and activate the white blood cells as well as helping to heal wounds and is a really great way to support a good healthy skin. Turmeric. So turmeric is a root and it is a widely known anti-inflammatory. So you can sprinkle turmeric on vegetables that you're roasting to help support that immune system. Watermelon, watermelon is really, really great as an antioxidant. It has a lot of glutathione when it's ripe and it helps fight off infections and things like that. However, this isn't really in season right now, at least in the us maybe other parts of the world, <laugh> maybe.
(13:12):
But it's bright red color helps fight off the, the inflammatory responses and respiratory issues. Spinach, it is known as a super food because of its full late and in that it helps our bodies make new cells and repair the dna. So spinach is also has fiber antioxidants like vitamin C in it. Ginger, one of my favorite things to make currently is a Thai coconut ginger curry thing. And oh, it's delicious anyways, so find ways to incorporate some ginger, some ginger tea. When I make elderberry, I elderberry syrup for my family. I use fresh ginger in there as well, but it is highly concentrated with antioxidants and it's also known for its anti-inflammatory properties. Okay, now let's get into a supplementation for our immune system. So one of the different vitamins and supplements can help boost our bodies natural immune support.
(14:31):
So we're providing the body with the new nutrients that it needs to build a strong immune system. So vitamin C that we talked about is an antioxidant and it works to protect cells from damage that are caused by free radicals. Vitamin C also helps our body produce collagen, which in turn helps improve the absorption of iron. So some foods rich and vitamin C are oranges, strawberries, broccoli, kiwi, cauliflower, red bell peppers and cantaloupe, Vitamin A, this is a strong system regulator. Vitamin A helps protect against infections. So eating things like carrots sweet potatoes, red bell peppers and broccoli vitamin D. This is also known as the gift from the sun as it is absorbed into our body through the sun's raise. Vitamin D is a hormone but it doesn't alway, but it also helps with muscle movement and maintaining strong bones. So there it is in two forms, vitamin D two and vitamin D three, which both increase levels in the blood so you can find natural vitamin D in the sun as well as in foods like fatty fish, egg yolks and cheese b6.
(16:00):
You guys, I think for a long time I underestimated the power and the benefit of b6. But B6 is amazing. It helps it pro, it plays a big role in protein metabolism and you can find B6 and a ton of multivitamins, but you can also find it in food like beef and eggs, fish, poultry. So it comes in a lot of like purine. So purine is the like animal protein, okay, vitamin E. This is also a vitamin that I underestimated <laugh> for a long period of time. But vitamin E is really important for our immune system and is considered a powerful antioxidant. You guys, it has amazing benefits at also helping to balance out women's hormones and making that just nice and wonderful. So you can find vitamin E rich foods with dark leafy greens, avocados, broccoli, hazel nuts p peanuts, almonds and sunflower seeds.
(17:13):
Okay, the last two supplements that we are gonna talk about, probiotics, <laugh> probiotics, you guys head over to our Facebook group or Instagram. You can find both of us at Thriving Thyroid and send me a message. I'm currently working on a new document about probiotics and how to find the right probiotics for like how to distinguish which, which strands you need and how to distinguish what you should be taking at certain periods in your life. So whether you are menopausal or perimenopause or if you're pregnant or all of those different things. And I can send that guide over to you eventually, it will probably be like a link you could visit to download, but it's not yet <laugh> cuz I'm still working on it. But I think probiotics, or I'm gonna say one of those underrated things we hear a lot of people talk about, Oh yeah, probiotics, but we underestimate the power of finding the right strand.
(18:23):
And I'm gonna give you an example. So I have a sister-in-law and she has terrible allergies and she's like, What can I do for these allergies that are natural? I've tried this, I've tried this, I've tried this, you know, she's listing all the things. And I was like, Well, have you tried this probiotic? And I'll be honest, I don't remember what it is. It's gonna be, it is in the notes already. For the probiotic thing document that I'm making, but she just told me a couple weeks ago, she's like, I did not need to take any allergy medication this entire summer. Normally when her allergies are crazy, she didn't need to take anything because she was taking that probiotic. And so she swears up and down that it was a winner. And since then I've continued to tell people, Hey, if you're struggling, why not get on this probiotic?
(19:24):
And I can't wait to hear what other people have to say about it, <laugh>. But it was really finding allergies are are inflammation in the gut, It's what it is. And so if we can balance out the gut with, you know, good proper probiotics, I don't see why it wouldn't work. Okay. So they are also known for sub, so pro probiotics are also known for supporting digestive health. But some strands are good for our immune system as well. And so we want to be making sure that we are getting the right probiotics for our immune system. And there are probiotics that are available in different supplements and also formulated with vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin and zinc, vitamin zinc <laugh>, mineral, zinc. You can find these probiotics also naturally in fermented foods like yogurt and keer and miso. There's like a ton you guys kimchi, <laugh> and also fiber.
(20:35):
You guys, I think we also underestimate the importance of fiber in terms of how that plays a role in feeding the good bacteria in our gut as it is. So increase those fiber, that fiber intake. And then last but not least when it comes to supplementation is zinc. Zinc is really important in the metabolic processes for the human body and plays a critical role in carbohydrate metabolism, glucose utilization and insulin production. It also helps the body's natural resistance to germs and bacteria. And you can find a zinc in nuts and seeds and legos. All right, you guys, the last thing that I wanted to touch on is essential oils and the power of essential oils. I am a huge fan. I've been using them for almost 12 years now. It's like 11 and a half years <laugh>. And I only know that because of my daughter's age and I started using them anyways because really I wanted to use natural products.
(21:53):
Like here I had this brand new precious little baby and I would clean my bathroom and I didn't understand all the chemicals, but I'm like, if I, I don't think this is right, I don't think this is good. And it never dawned on me until I was pregnant. And I remember telling my husband, I'm like, I'm in this tiny bathroom with all these chemicals and it smells and I probably shouldn't be cleaning the bathroom cuz women while they're pregnant shouldn't even be cleaning kitty litter boxes. And here I am just like huffing in these chemicals, right? And my husband's like, Yeah, I'll, you know, I'll take over cleaning the bathroom. Well, you know, me staying at home <laugh>, that didn't last very long because he's working 40 hours and you know, adding one more thing to his plate just didn't seem fair. And so little by little I started finding more and more natural options and solutions and one of those being essential oils.
(22:50):
And I could tell you story after story after story and benefit after benefit of benefit that I have personally experienced when it comes to essential oils. But there are three main ways to use them topically, aromatically, and internally. You want to make sure that if you are ingesting them, that you are finding a brand that does recommend internal consumption. It needs to have a nutrition fact on the side of it and you need to know what you're doing. <Laugh>, we're not gonna go into all of that, but you know, please be very, very, very, very, very careful if you decide to do that. But typically topically, so topically meaning means like on top of this skin. And then aromatically means smelling. Okay? So those are the two main ways that I recommend people use them. And yeah, anyways, if you want more education on essential oils and things like that, send me a DM on Instagram and I will, we can get you plugged into more specific training on essential oils.
(24:10):
I have a whole other team that, that handles that portion of it. And there's just tons of education and information and probably more than you will ever want to know about essential oils. <Laugh> if you are interested in that. Okay. So while there are dozens of essential oils that benefit our health, some of my top favorite ones are for immunity are tea tree, peppermint, regno, lemon and cinnamon bark. And I'm gonna add in, I didn't put this on my list, Eucalyptus on there as well, and I'll tell you a little bit about each one of them. So tea tree is very versatile. It has antimicrobial properties such as a decongestion, decongestant, <laugh>. And you can also use this for cold and flu season for coughs on the chest, on, you know, and helping to, to do that. Tea tree is amazing.
(25:10):
It smells disgusting. I absolutely detest the smell, but it works really good. <Laugh>, okay? Peppermint is also very common. It's gonna help with headaches, it's gonna help relieve any digestive, not any, a lot of digestive discomfort and it helps, it has some detoxing properties, so it, if you're feeling gassy or bloated or like your stomach is turning, peppermint is going to be an in an incredible benefit for you if you're experiencing those, those symptoms. And it's also believed to help reduce sugar cravings as well. So peppermint tea peppermint tea or you know, if you wanted to use the oil, that's totally fine as well. A reno oil of a REO is rich in antioxidants and super effective when fighting bacteria, viruses and other microbial things that can cause disease. It's also very beneficial in treating various health concerns. Now I'm gonna give you a cautionary thing on a regno.
(26:23):
It is a hot oil. So mix it. All of these oils you should really mix with a carrier oil like coconut oil or something like that. You're actually going to get more benefit. They call it diluting. But what actually happens is when you dilute the essential oil, you're magnifying the benefit of that said oil, that oil is gonna go much further. You're covering more of a surface area, but you're also using that coconut oil and that fat to help drive the benefits of properties of that oil further into the skin and into the cells of the body. So I always recommend diluting your essential oils especially, especially especially with <laugh>, a reg because it is a hot oil and it can be very, very uncomfortable. Which brings me to the next one, which we're gonna talk about. Cinnamon bark. A cinnamon bark is also the same as a reno.
(27:25):
It is very hot. But it, it works incredibly well at boosting our natural defense mechanisms against those seasonal germs. It's also antibacterial antiseptic properties and supports the immune system. So this is another reason why people use a lot of cinnamon this time of year. Yes, it tastes like fall and Christmas and stuff, but it, it, it's also meant to help support our immune system. Okay, and the, not the last, cuz I added one extra one that I forgot to put on my list. Lemon oil. Lemon oil is an anti-inflammatory antibacterial and aids and detoxification. Now lemon essential oil is made with the peel or the RH of the lemon. And if you do use that one internally, that one helps with stage two liver detoxification. So it's gonna really help break down that fat that is around your liver, making it kind of congested and not working super well. So I love using a little bit of lemon in my water. You can also use lemon you know, when you're cooking and baking this time of year, make sure you're using just a little bit of that lemon zest as well.
(28:46):
It's natural.
(28:47):
Perfect. And
(28:49):
Describe if you've found value into episode.
(28:51):
One of my,
(28:53):
That I forgot put on
(28:54):
This
(28:55):
List is eucalyptus. I
(29:00):
Love eucalyptus. I've had so many wonderful benefits from using it along my spine, along the kids' spines in terms of overcoming viruses and yucky nasty germs. So I hope you guys learned something from today's episode. I hope you are now more aware of what is going on with your immune system and how you can take these small measures to better support your immune system and your family's immune system. I am going to be continuing this conversation and giving you some more I don't know what the right word is, protocols on Instagram. So head over to Instagram at Thriving Thyroid and I will see you guys on the next.
