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10 Signs Your Thyroid Isn’t Working Properly

February 17, 2016 by Power of Positivity

Your thyroid might be trying to send you a sign that it isn’t working properly. Unfortunately, this problem can affect many areas of your health and can even be fatal. Thyroid cancer, Hashimoto’s disease, hypothyroid, hyperthryroid, thyrotoxic crisis, and thyroid storm are all possible problems that a malfunctioning thyroid can signal. Let’s look at 10 signs.

10 Signs Your Thyroid Isn’t Working Properly

Thyrotoxic crisis often occurs in the presence of its triggers.

Triggers include:

infection
surgeries on thyroid or organs other than the thyroid
trauma
pregnancy and delivery
diabetic ketoacidosis
tests by a doctor that use iodinated contrast medium
cerebrovascular disorders
pulmonary thromboembolism
ischemic heart diseases
extraction of teeth
severe emotional stress
strenuous exercise

1. High fever

A fever over 100 degrees is considered high.

2. Jaundice

Yellowing of the skin, eyes and nails is a sign that everyone else can see, and it’s a troubling one as well. Your thyroid might be causing you serious problems if you are looking jaundiced. Seek help from a medical professional quickly.

3. Diarrhea

Gastrointestinal problems seem to be the one symptom that too many diseases have in common. If you find that your diarrhea is combined with other symptoms of this problem, you could have a malfunctioning thyroid.

4. Restlessness/hyperactivity

Being very active, to the point of being hyperactive could be a sign that it isn’t working properly. Excess thyroid hormones can lead to restlessness in both men and women. Being healthy and active is one thing, but if you finish your run and still want to go again while your running partner is done, check for other signs of thyroid disease.

5. Temperature sensitivity

If you are either too hot or too cold often, especially when others around you don’t seem to be, it could be a sign that your thyroid isn’t working properly.

6. Dry skin and hair

Too little thyroid could be the cause of your dry, itchy skin and brittle hair.

7. Hair loss

Unexplained hair loss can be a sign of low thyroid in both men and women.

8. Shaking/trembling hand

Hold out your hand and place a regular sheet of paper on it. If the paper is dancing around versus being still, it could be a sign that your thyroid isn’t working properly. Shakiness can be attributed to an overactive (high) thyroid.

9. Lighter or heavier menstrual periods

For women, you may see the first signs that your thyroid isn’t working properly when you get your cycle. If you notice that your bleeding seems different, either heavier or lighter than usual, check for any of these other symptoms. It usually means heavier periods and high thyroid means lighter or even missed periods.

10. Trouble sleeping

Insomnia might be more than just the day’s troubles keeping you awake. Having trouble falling asleep can be a sign of low thyroid.

There are natural herbal remedy options to treat these health problems. In a study of brown seaweed (Sargassum) and its affects on thyroid health, researchers found that it had anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiviral properties.

The scientists say that ‘although the mechanism of actions is still not clear, the pharmacological activities [of brown seaweed] could be mainly attributed to the major biologically active metabolites.’ Brown seaweed has been used for 2000 years in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Other things that can improve function include:

Michael Friedman of the Association for the Advancement of Restorative Medicine says herbs that can help your thyroid work properly include:

Rosemary, Bugleweed and Lemon balm – Rosmarinic acid is found in several members of the Lamiaceae family plants such as rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), bugleweed (Lycopus virginicus), and lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) and has medicinal uses in several cultures.
Blue flag – Blue flag was traditionally used by American natives for its medicinal effects and is an adaptogenic herb. Adding adaptogenic herbs is often helpful in the treatment of Hashimoto’s disease because they act as endocrine tonics that help mitigate autoimmune diseases.
Guggul – Guggul is an extract of the oleo-resin of the Commiphora mukul tree, native to India. Guggul is used as a thyroid stimulant in traditional Indian Ayurvedic medicine.
Iodine – Iodine is a crucial constituent of thyroid function and is a component of thyroxine.
Vitamin D3 – vitamin D3 supplementation has been shown to prevent the development of autoimmune conditions including autoimmune thyroiditis.

Concerned that you might have some of these symptoms and want to get checked? Make an appointment with your health professional for a simple blood test to see how your thyroid hormone levels check out.

Also read our article 5 Things That Improve Your Thyroid Health to see how else you can make sure that your thyroid is working properly.

5 Reasons You’re Richer Than You Think

February 17, 2016 by Power of Positivity

Having a few extra bucks in the bank would make life easier, but would it make us truly happy? Are we richer than we realize?

Science says “not really,” according to this study from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School. Researchers found that for every dollar above $75,000 that a person made annually, they reported no greater degree of happiness. However, lower-income people reported feeling sadness or stress at one point.

But, when you think about all the beautiful blessings you have in life that don’t come with a price tag, money doesn’t seem to matter as much. The richest people don’t have all the money in the world; they have very little in the way of material objects and financial wealth, actually. Their wealth comes from relationships with others, how they see themselves and the world, and the little things that money could never buy.

“If you want to feel rich, just count the things you have that money can’t buy.” – Proverb

Here are five reasons you’re richer than you think:

1. You have a family that stands by you no matter what.

At the end of the day, when we’ve been tossed around and a bit battered by our work or school day, our family can lift our spirits and put a smile back on our faces. They support us during the tough times and congratulate us during the great times. They never turn their backs on us, especially when we need them the most. We might fight or disagree with our families from time to time, but the important thing is that they shower us with love and comfort when we need it the most. If you have a family that will stand by you no matter what happens to you or where life takes you, you’re much richer than you think.

2. You have a few close friends that always have your back.

Aside from family, good friends will be there for us during times of struggle and times of triumph. Even if you have one tried and true friend in your life, you’re doing pretty good. Friends can easily turn into family, which means you have an even bigger support system when the going gets rough. Not to mention, friends and family can make many wonderful memories with us, and life wouldn’t be the same if we couldn’t share it with others. So, if you have one or two amazing friends that you consider family, you’re definitely richer than you think.

3. You have enough food to stay healthy.

Of course, healthy food comes at a high price, but if you have some food to put on the table each day that nourishes you and gives you energy, that’s all that counts. Even if you don’t have the money to buy all the organic fruits and vegetables and expensive raw snacks for every meal, having any food on the table is better than nothing. We tend to take our food for granted in our fast-paced world, so next time you have a meal, remember to express gratitude for the nourishment your body will receive. Food gives us life, so if you have enough food to eat three times a day, you’re richer than you think.

4. You have a place to return to at the end of the day.

We also take our housing for granted most of the time, because many of us haven’t had to live without a roof over our heads at any point in our lives. However, if you have a house or apartment with a nice, warm bed to lay down in at night, you have much more wealth than many people worldwide.

5. You’re developing a positive relationship with yourself.

Above all else, loving and caring for yourself provides more wealth than any money. If you see yourself in a positive light and recognize your strengths rather than focusing on your flaws, you’re richer than you think. Your relationship with yourself determines everything else that will happen in your life, down to relationships, job offers, and everything in between, so loving yourself is essential. If you’ve learned to cultivate a positive relationship with the person in the mirror, you have much more than money could ever buy.

Here’s How Lucid Dreaming Can Help You Understand Consciousness

February 17, 2016 by Power of Positivity

If you have never heard of lucid dreaming before, you’re about to be in for a wild ride. A lucid dream is one in which the dreamer is actually aware that he or she is dreaming, and can exert some control over the situations and people in the dream. In other words, they can manipulate their dream to meet their desires. While most people won’t have lucid dreams naturally, you can learn how to control your dreams with dedication and practice.

According to a study, about half of us will experience a lucid dream at some point in our lives. This doesn’t mean that you can’t learn techniques to help you access and control your dreams, however; it just means that it comes more naturally to some of us. Lucid dreaming can be very exciting, because reality and dreams become blurred, and experiences that the dreamer has such as flying or meeting someone famous can seem very real.

So, let’s go over some tips on how you can start to lucid dream, and what this means in relation to consciousness.

Here’s how lucid dreaming can help you understand consciousness:

You might wonder about the differences in brain activity between regular and lucid dreamers. Lucid dreamers use what’s called the conscious control center in the prefrontal cortex while the rest of the brain remains in a dream state. So, only the prefrontal cortex stays “awake” while the rest of the brain sleeps. However, for regular dreamers, the prefrontal cortex stays in a dream-like state, also.

As you lucid dream, you can learn how to manipulate your surroundings and train your brain to reach a higher state of consciousness. This can help you to maintain control of your mind in real life situations also, and teach you how to master your world.

According to a researcher from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, “In a normal dream, we have a very basal consciousness, we experience perceptions and emotions but we are not aware that we are only dreaming,” study researcher Martin Dresler, of Max Planck, said. “It’s only in a lucid dream that the dreamer gets a meta-insight into his or her state.”

Another researcher from Max Planck, Michael Czish, said that activity in certain areas of the cerebral cortex increases when the dreamer transitions into a lucid state. The parts of the brain associated with lucid dreaming include the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which has been linked to self-assessment, and the frontopolar regions, where we examine our own thoughts and feelings. “The precuneus is also especially active, a part of the brain that has long been linked with self-perception,” Czish said.

So, now that you know a little bit about lucid dreaming, how can you experience it for yourself? Below you’ll find some helpful tips to get you started.

How to start lucid dreaming:

Go to bed at a consistent time each night. If you have an erratic sleep schedule, this will affect melatonin levels in your brain, which control sleep patterns. So, keeping a regular sleep schedule will ensure that you fall into REM sleep faster, therefore increasing your chances of lucid dreaming.
Shut off all the lights in your room when you sleep. Having lights on signals to the brain that it’s time for you to wake up, which will disrupt sleep. Shut off all electronics and small lights before bed, and buy blackout curtains if you need to in order to keep out unwanted light.
Don’t get on electronics before bed. Turn them off at least two hours before you go to sleep, as the bright lights from phone and computer screens signals to your brain to stay awake, no matter what time of day it is.
Before going to sleep, try to recall events, people, and places from your day. Try to remember tiny details, like the cashier’s shirt color or name, or the color of the car that was in front of you on the way to the grocery store. The more you get in the habit of remembering the details, the easier it will be to fall into a state of lucidity, as your brain will have a greater capacity to create new scenarios based off this information.
Also, before going to sleep, think about something that you truly enjoy. Do you like driving fast cars, flying on planes, traveling, etc? Whatever you love, put that into your stream of consciousness before bed. This way, when you fall asleep, you will likely dream about whatever you thought about before bed, increasing your chances of having a lucid dream.

10 Things You Need To Know About Loving A Pisces

February 16, 2016 by Power of Positivity

Dating a Pisces won’t be a walk in the park, but it will certainly be worth it. Pisces have an imaginative, emotional nature, and sometimes don’t say exactly what’s on their minds. They tend to live in the dream world more than in reality. But this makes them child-like and playful. They can let their sensitivity and emotions get the best of them sometimes, so if you want to love a Pisces, you’ll have to come prepared to handle these gentle creatures with the biggest hearts on the planet. If you need a few more tips about loving a Pisces, keep reading below.

Here are 10 things you need to know about loving a Pisces:

Here are some traits you should know…

1. They need a lot of love and affection.

Pisces won’t always explicitly state it or ask for it, but they crave tons of affection and care. A Pisces usually gives more than they take, so in a relationship, they crave a lot of attention, and rightfully so. If you date a Pisces man or woman, prepare to pull out all the stops when it comes to wooing them and winning them over. They’re also hopeless romantics, so if you can exceed their expectations, loving your Pisces partner will be a lot easier in the long run.

2. They have a knack for creativity.

Pisces men and women get bored and uninterested in the modern world – they’d rather create from the worlds they visit inside their own minds. They don’t like mundane and regimented tasks, and prefer activities like drawing, writing, painting, and quiet, imaginative hobbies like these. They probably don’t have a normal job, instead opting for one that allows them to express themselves creatively. Loving a Pisces means accepting and understanding that they need creativity and innovation in their lives, so remember this if you happen to date a Pisces.

3. They are faithful partners.

Pisces won’t just run off with the first man or woman they see outside of their relationship – they are devoted, loyal partners. They enjoy having serious relationships, anyway, so if you have won a Pisces’ heart, expect that they will stick by your side and not have wandering eyes for other potential mates.

4. They love romance and passion in relationships.

If you date a Pisces man or woman, you’d better be prepared to totally sweep them off their feet. Pisces won’t tell you that they crave more passion in your relationship, so you’ll have to read between the lines. However, it doesn’t take much to keep a Pisces happy. A simple candlelit dinner at home, a dozen roses waiting for them on their desk at work, or even just a back massage after a long day will send a Pisces into a state of pure bliss. Just take the time to show your Pisces how much you care, and they will reciprocate.

5. They also love deep conversations.

You can’t get by with just talking about sports and your mom’s amazing spaghetti recipe when it comes to a Pisces – you’ll have to dig a little deeper to keep them stimulated and interested. A natural dreamer, Pisces love delving into topics such as aliens, space, strange ocean creatures, how the universe came into existence, why we came here, and intellectual topics like these. Of course, they don’t mind talking about simple things every once in a while, but make sure to keep them on their toes and offer them a real conversation, too.

6. They are generous.

Pisces will give you everything they have, even the shirt off their back, if it meant keeping you happy. They tend to make sacrifices and great compromises in relationships in order to keep their partner satisfied, so make sure to give back to them to show your appreciation and love for your Pisces partner.

7. They live inside their minds more than in the “real” world.

You might have to grab their attention a few times when you catch them staring off into space. They don’t mean to daydream so often, but they can’t really help it – it’s just in their nature. Loving a Pisces means accepting that they live inside their minds a lot, so you’ll have to make some effort to bring them back down to Earth when you want to chat.

8. They like a quiet evening in more than a noisy night out.

Pisces love to Netflix and chill probably more than any other sign. They’d rather make a delicious dinner at home and cuddle up with you on the couch than get all dressed up and deal with the crowds. Pisces love one-on-one interactions much better, anyway, so a quiet evening on the couch with you and a good documentary or movie seems much more enjoyable to them.

9. They enjoy alone time often.

Even if they love attention and affection, they also need their alone time to recharge. The fast-paced modern world can take its toll on a gentle Pisces, so they need their solitude in order to keep balanced and expel any bad energy they picked up from others. Give them their space, but don’t let them get away. Remind them how much you care, and that you’ll be waiting for them whenever they’re ready to emerge from their sanctuary.

10. They wear their heart on their sleeve.

Pisces have big hearts, and can get hurt easily. If they like you, they will shyly and subtly let you know and will drop everything in order to be with you. A Pisces doesn’t let just anyone in, so take this as a sign of trust and proceed carefully. A Pisces man or woman needs reassurance that you won’t just steamroll their heart, so make sure they know your true intentions and feelings.

5 Things You Never Knew About The Power Of Touch

February 15, 2016 by Power of Positivity

Do any of us sit around and contemplate our sense of touch? Well, that’s probably a “no”. But when we think about it, our sense of touch truly is a gift. Those of us with families and close friends understand the satisfaction that comes from our ability to hug, kiss, and embrace our loved ones.

Indeed, that gift comes from our ability to touch.

There are also some very interesting factoids about this sense that stimulate newfound appreciation for a powerful human trait we think little about. An underlying commonality that these items share is that touch is an intricate and inseparable part of who we are as human beings.

Here are 5 little-known facts about our sense of touch:

“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen to rather share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.” – Henri Nouwen

1. Touch is literally affected by emotion

It’s quite clear that our perception of touch can be affected by the social context of the interaction. We’re much more likely to interpret the interaction positively if it is initiated under positive pretenses. For example, a loving mother’s arm around one’s shoulders creates different emotions than that of a boss we don’t particularly care for. This much is obvious.

What’s not so obvious is that it actually feels different from a purely physical aspect. Dr. David Linden, author of Touch: The Science of Hand, Heart, and Mind, puts it this way:

“It’s not just that the context is different – it will actually feel different. The reason is that these emotional touch brain areas are getting information about the social context from other parts of the brain.”

2. Touch involves the processing of two different brain pathways

The human brain uses two different pathways to process the sense of touch, one is sensory and the other is emotional. The sensory pathway provides the physical interpretation of touch – texture, location, pressure, vibration, etc. The emotional pathway processes the psychological components of touch for our interpretation.

Aside from interpersonal encounters, the majority of sensations created through touch are emotionally-neutral. Thus, we utilize the sensory pathway – the somatosensory cortex – disproportionately in relation to the emotional pathway.

3. Touch is the first sense we develop

Incredibly, human beings begin to develop a sense of touch just three weeks after conception. At eight weeks, the embryo begins to interpret touch and react to its stimulation.

Skin sensitivity quickly extends to other areas of the body, as well. The genital areas sensitize by 10 weeks, the palms by 11 weeks, soles of the feet by 12 weeks, abdomen and buttocks by 17 weeks, and the entire body, with the exception of the head, by 32 weeks.

In a study done at Durham University, 4-D images reveal that the ability to anticipate touch begins in the womb. For the first time, scientists understand that fetuses can predict their own hand movements in the later stages of pregnancy. This breakthrough was discovered in images that displayed the fetus opening its mouth before bringing up its hand.

4. Touch impacts our lives in unexpected ways

The impact that touch has on our personal lives and the world around us are various, and certainly unexpected. Consider some of these now-known facts about the effects of touch:

– Scratching is “contagious” because of our disease-fighting instincts.

– “Fist-bumping” between athletes can directly affect the outcome of a competition.

– Our brains prefer the subtle pain of scratching over an itching sensation.

– The nature of physical interaction during an interview can increase the odds of being hired.

5. Touch is essential to our development and health

Touch is an important part of our emotional and mental health. This is especially true in the newborn to early childhood stages of life (0 to 8 years old), as this period is when the brain is undergoing its most rapid development. Dr. Linden explains:

“If you don’t get touch right after you’re born, all kinds of terrible things happen, and not just cognitive and emotional. Your immune system doesn’t develop properly, you digestive system tends to have a problem – there’s a whole rack of health problems that can develop if you don’t receive touch in early life.”

After early childhood, touch remains a vital part of our well-being. This is partly because touch plays a key role in human communication, and human beings are social creatures. Touch also has a multitude of physical and psychological effects – from reducing anxiety and lowering blood pressure, to enhancing physical intimacy and forging new bonds.

The takeaway: remember to accept and generously share the power of touch.

5 Things You Can Learn When You Let A Relationship Go

February 15, 2016 by Power of Positivity

If you’re not sure about whether or not to let your relationship go, read our guide 6 Signs You Shouldn’t End Your Relationship to learn if this really the right time. Once you’ve decided to part ways though, here are 5 things you can learn while you’re letting go of a relationship.

5 Things You Can Learn When You Let A Relationship Go

1. When you let a relationship go you can learn gratitude for the love that you have experienced.

It can be the most difficult lesson to find gratitude in the worst of experiences. Expressing gratitude is a good way to heal your heart. By letting go of the pain, you are able to embrace the healing energy of forgiveness.

Even if the love is long gone now, you can look back at the times that your partner expressed their love for you with happy memories. Love is expressed in many ways; physical, conversational, and actions being just a few of these. Tell yourself about a time that your partner showed healthy, happy love to you and bask in the warm emotions that the memory creates.

2. When you let a relationship go you can learn what role you played in the success or downfall of the partnership.

Did your own actions lead to the end of the relationship or do you really believe that it was all your partner’s fault? Don’t beat yourself up, but this is a good time to be honest about what actions you could take in a future relationship to help make things work.

Behaviors that may have played a role in the ending of your relationship:

Nagging
Refusing sexual advances too often
Holding grudges
Not sharing in household work
Having high expectations
Breaking your partner’s boundaries
Poor communication

3. When you let a relationship go you can learn about yourself.

When you end a relationship, you leave with more information about what you like and don’t like in a partner than you had before. Your preferences for your partner’s actions, physical appearance, sexual style and tastes will determine the future choices that you make.

In our article 9 Signs It’s Time for You to Let Go of a Relationship, we discussed how differences between the two of you can become so extreme that you feel the need to let go of your partner because they no longer serve your best interests. When one of you has grown and the other has not or you’ve grown in different ways that move you away from each other, it’s time to either change toward your partner or let go.

4. When you let a relationship go you can learn how to exit gracefully.

Even if the ending of your relationship was like the explosion scene of an action movie, you can learn from that for next time. How would you prefer to have ended things? The end doesn’t have to be painful. Try a different perspective and look at it as another opportunity for growth.

Expressing your favorite parts of the partnership as well as what did not work for you is an honest way to communicate with your partner. When you express your feelings about what did not work, make it about you, not your partner’s actions. For example, you might say ‘I tend to prefer a very clean living space’ rather than ‘Your inability to pick up your laundry off the floor is making me crazy.’

5. When you let a relationship go you can learn to let go of negative emotional baggage.

A breakup is an important life event in the sense that it is usually an event that you will vividly remember for a long period of time. Emotional pain from a bad relationship can leave a scar on your heart. Learning to grieve the hurt and then move on to a hopeful outlook is a skill that people with a positive outlook have already mastered.

In a study on relationship breakups, people were able to decrease the amount of emotional suffering that they experienced by focusing on redeeming things that came out of the relationship. An example of a redeeming statement used by those in the study is ‘Maybe it’s for the best. I am better off without somebody who doesn’t treat me right.’

By looking for the positives, people were able to have less symptoms of depression than those who did not keep a positive mindset. Depression after a breakup can be as simple as being bothered by things that don’t normally bother you, like seeing a happy couple kissing.

In another study of emotional distress after a breakup, researchers developed a scale to measure positive and negative emotions associated with thoughts about the breakup. The scale asked study participants who had been through a recent breakup about how often they thought about the relationship, depression, loss of self-concept, rediscovery of self-concept, negative emotional adjustment, and positive emotional adjustments.

Researchers found that emotional recovery after a breakup was helped by thoughts that had a positive emotion associated with them, for example being happy, satisfied or relieved. This means that positive thinkers were less likely to be preoccupied with the relationship, less likely to have anxiety abut being single and less likely to have regrets.

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10 Signs Your Thyroid Isn’t Working Properly

1. High fever

2. Jaundice

3. Diarrhea

4. Restlessness/hyperactivity

5. Temperature sensitivity

6. Dry skin and hair

7. Hair loss

8. Shaking/trembling hand

9. Lighter or heavier menstrual periods

10. Trouble sleeping

Also read our article 5 Things That Improve Your Thyroid Health to see how else you can make sure that your thyroid is working properly.

Here are five reasons you’re richer than you think:

1. You have a family that stands by you no matter what.

2. You have a few close friends that always have your back.

3. You have enough food to stay healthy.

4. You have a place to return to at the end of the day.

5. You’re developing a positive relationship with yourself.

Here’s how lucid dreaming can help you understand consciousness:

How to start lucid dreaming:

Here are 10 things you need to know about loving a Pisces:

1. They need a lot of love and affection.

2. They have a knack for creativity.

3. They are faithful partners.

4. They love romance and passion in relationships.

5. They also love deep conversations.

6. They are generous.

7. They live inside their minds more than in the “real” world.

8. They like a quiet evening in more than a noisy night out.

9. They enjoy alone time often.

10. They wear their heart on their sleeve.

Here are 5 little-known facts about our sense of touch:

1. Touch is literally affected by emotion

2. Touch involves the processing of two different brain pathways

3. Touch is the first sense we develop

4. Touch impacts our lives in unexpected ways

5. Touch is essential to our development and health

5 Things You Can Learn When You Let A Relationship Go

1. When you let a relationship go you can learn gratitude for the love that you have experienced.

2. When you let a relationship go you can learn what role you played in the success or downfall of the partnership.

3. When you let a relationship go you can learn about yourself.

4. When you let a relationship go you can learn how to exit gracefully.

5. When you let a relationship go you can learn to let go of negative emotional baggage.

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