If you have any of the risk factors or symptoms of thyroid disease, see your doctor and let her know your concerns. Thyroid disease can be treated and the outcomes are generally very good. You will need to get a blood test as well as a physical exam and review of your symptoms.  Don’t put off seeing your physician. Knowing is always better than not knowing. Certain medications can interfere with your thyroid function. When you visit your doctor, you should let her know  about any medications you take, including supplements or natural, herbal remedies. If you have been prescribed drugs such as lithium, thioamides, alpha interferon, interleukin-2, cholestyramine, perchlorate, expectorants, aluminum hydroxide and raloxifene, talk to your physician about the risk of thyroid disease. Thyroid replacement therapy is a medically prescribed treatment for hypothyroidism. It helps replace normal thyroid function. The most common is synthetic T4 that works the same way as the T4 your body makes. The synthetic T4 is taken once a day by mouth, usually in the morning thirty minutes before breakfast. You can help boost your thyroid function by taking nutritional and vitamin supplements that provide the body with the nutrients needed to support a healthy supplement. Do not start taking supplements without speaking to a practitioner who is well versed in this area of expertise. Taking supplements to specifically affect thyroid function should be guided approach.  You can take supplements for vitamin D, vitamin A, zinc, selenium, B12, and omega-3 fats. Make sure when you take a selenium supplement that you don’t take over 200 mg a day.
++++++++++
One-sentence summary -- See your doctor. Undergo thyroid replacement therapy. Take a supplement.


Caffeinated beverages, such as coffee and tea, are natural diuretics—they stimulate your colonic muscles, causing them to contract. These contractions help your body flush water and waste products out of your system. In addition to regulating your system, drinking 1 to 2 cups of coffee or tea in the morning or over the course of the day will also help you to feel less bloated. While some people grab a sugary or fatty pick-me-up snack in between meals, others opt not to snack. Neither option, however, is conducive to losing weight. If you are a snacker, swap that tempting sugary, salty, or fatty snack, with a healthy snack that will sustain you until lunch. If you prefer not to eat between meals, you are more likely to binge at mealtime. To prevent overeating at lunch, consider adding a healthy mid-morning snack that will curve your appetite. Healthy snack options include a piece of whole fruit, a cup of yogurt, or a small bowl of oatmeal. Cardio exercise benefits your body in a number of ways. First, when we exercise, we sweat. Sweating is an easy and efficient way of ridding your body of excess water weight. Second, exercise boosts your metabolism. When your metabolic rate is increased, you burn more fat and rid your body toxins that cause you to retain water. Lastly, physical activity is an excellent way to reduce stress. When you feel stressed, you may overeat, retain water, or store more fat than is needed.  Aim to workout for approximately a half hour each day. You can walk, bike, run, swim, or take an exercise class. Consider working out 2 to 3 hours before bed. Since your metabolic rate will be higher, you will burn fat throughout the night. When you are stressed, your body releases the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is released when your body is physically stressed and or emotionally stressed. This hormone causes your body to store additional fat and water. By reducing your stress level, you can reduce the presence of cortisol in your system, and in turn begin to lose weight. The following activities may help you to unwind:  Exercise. Take a brisk walk. Yoga and or meditation. Listen to your favorite music. Take a bath. Get a massage. After consuming a meal, your body has to digest the food. The digestion process can cause you to become bloated. As a result, if you force your body to digest food while you sleep, you may struggle to lose weight overnight. To avoid going to bed bloated, consume your dinner several hours before you go to sleep.
++++++++++
One-sentence summary -- Begin each day by drinking a natural diuretic. Have a healthy mid-morning snack. Do a 30 minute cardio workout. Take 30 minutes to de-stress each day. Eat dinner early.


Libraries are free to the public and can provide you with a warm place to sit and communicate with friends and family. They also provide free internet access and public washrooms. If you need an address to use the internet, provide your old family address or the address of the shelter or hostel that you are staying at. Some libraries may have programs to help with temporary employment, counseling, or transportation. They may also have a list or a map to help you find hostels and shelters. Give yourself a break from cold or unhealthy food by visiting a soup kitchen. Usually run by charitable organizations, community groups, or church groups, soup kitchens offer a hot meal for free or minimal charge. They may also offer a bagged lunch if you have found temporary employment. Soup kitchens may be located close to shelters or run in conjunction with other shelter programs. For example, you may be able to get new clothing or repair electronics at your local soup kitchen. Cut out junk food, cook your own meals, stick to a list, and cook meals that provide large portions. Buy non-perishable food that packs light like beef jerky or trail mix. Make a weekly meal plan so you know how many meals your food should last you.  Shop at the end of the night as grocery stores will place discounts on food that will be going bad in the next few days. Avoid name brands and buy in bulk as these are often much cheaper than their counterparts.  Shop at discount stores, farmer markets, and ethnic markets as they will be cheaper than big name grocery chains.  Purchase less expensive cuts of meat, find alternative sources of protein in beans and lentils, and look for canned fish and chicken.
++++++++++
One-sentence summary -- Utilize the library. Eat at a soup kitchen. Shop with purpose.


Books should be lined up vertically on a shelf, rather than stacked or set horizontally. Improper storage such as stacking can cause the binding to break down, resulting in the dissolution of the book’s structure. Books should be placed alongside similarly-sized books to prevent bowing. Placing large books alongside smaller books could, over time, encourage the top of the cover to sag outward, resulting in a curved, irregular appearance. If you have a wide array of sizes and shapes, group them according to size as much as possible, using thin metal bookends to corral each size. Spacing books loosely will allow them to lean, resulting in weak binding and warped covers. Books should fit snugly against each other, but should not be packed in tightly, as this, too, could damage the binding. Ideally, books should be spaced in such a way that they all stand upright, with enough wiggle room to allow a small finger to wedge between them.
++++++++++
One-sentence summary --
Place books upright. Group according to size. Space books carefully.