The Iodine charge

My Whole Foods Guru talked about the benefits of using Iodine liquid supplement. It has a lot to do with thyroid function, something I have been concerned with for as long as I can remember.

Over the years as my health has progressively declined, I have become more and more interested in this thyroid thingy. Doctors have always wanted to test my thyroid function as they think my swollen neck is a Goitre. I made sure I got the detailed results of my last few blood tests so I could research them. They have been marginally within the range that is considered normal. It is such a silly game as different countries have different margins. If I lived in USA for example, my results would have been considered abnormal and I would’ve been treated for an underactive thyroid a good while ago. Knowing how this treatment has helped a friend who has the same conditions as me, I feel like there is a good chance I would be feeling better!!

So, onto this Iodine stuff! I had a look online and ordered Nascent Iodine liquid supplement. Rather pricey for the wee bottle you get but as I heard great things about it I was happy to give it a go!!

When it arrived I was so excited. It comes in a lovely wee glass bottle with a dropper so you can measure out your 1-3 drops precisely! 

I believe there were noticeable changes in my energy levels within 1 to 2 days! Just to explain, I am a person who doesn't understand what it feels like to have energy. I cannot remember ever having any. I know I was once an energetic teenager who had two jobs, one of which was a Lifeguard and Swimming teacher, I played Percussion in Orchestras and Wind Bands and was always on the go. However, as the years have passed and my health has deteriorated, I have gradually become stripped of all energy supplies. Maybe this is why I don’t leave the house, because I have to be permanently plugged into the power supply due to battery failure! (This is sadly what happened to my MacBook, but unlike my life,  I was able to get a new battery from Apple.) Maybe this Iodine will be the charge to kick start my energy and get me one step closer to being a mobile unit again!!

So it has definitely made a difference. I still have periods of exhaustion but there have also been periods of what must be this thing they call energy!!! Now I just need to learn how to use it up without destroying myself.

The First Snow

I am like a small child when I see those first magical snowflakes falling from the skies. It signals the real start of the Christmas season to me. I know that as an adult we are programmed to hate snow, I mean it’s cold, makes the roads dangerous and causes all sorts of havoc so why wouldn’t it be hated? But I really do love being all wrapped up and cosy inside the house, watching the beautiful flakes falling and creating a gorjus winter scene.

Growing up in the Highlands of Scotland, we always had lots of snow in the winter. I remember many power cuts, snowball fights, sledging and snowdrifts. There were times when the snowplough would block the opening to our street in order to keep the main roads clear. More than once our cul-de-sac suddenly had a mountain of snow following a visit from the plough. These things were all amazing to a child!! A power cut means schools are shut and you are free to play in the snow! What’s not to love?
The mountain of snow turned into a snow fort and all sorts of fun.

We nearly always had a White Christmas which just made it so magical and complete. So as the years pass and the sparkle slowly seeps aways from the festive season, the gradual lack of snow at Christmas just makes it glaringly obvious that I have aged. But even though we rarely get the White Christmas these days, we still get winter snow which can be just amazing!

So today as I pulled open the curtains and was greeted with giant snowflakes floating past my eyes, the excitement was there in an instant! Just like the child I once was, I was giddy and squealing. Up until that point I wasn’t really feeling Christmassy but in that split second, everything changed. The first snow of the Christmas season has arrived and I couldn’t be happier.