Your thyroid regulates a good portion of how your body functions.
If your thyroid is underactive (hypothyroidism), your body slows down, triggering things like weight gain and anxiety. If your thyroid is overactive (hyperthyroidism), your body speeds up, producing insomnia and weight loss.
What is the Thyroid Gland?
The thyroid is an endocrine gland that is positioned in the neck. It generates hormones that impact the metabolism and function of all red blood cells with a nucleus. The thyroid creates hormones responsible for regulating the body’s functions. However, thyroid dysfunctions are one of the most common types of endocrine disorders worldwide. Thyroid dysfunctions can create problems with:
- Fertility
- Temperature regulation
- Mental health
- Blood pressure
- Metabolism
What is a Thyroid Dysfunction?
Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid disease) is a disorder that occurs when your thyroid gland doesn’t make or release a sufficient amount of hormone into your bloodstream. This causes your metabolism to decrease. This produces unwanted excessive weight, making you feel tired all the time.
Even though fatigue and weight gain aren’t specific to hypothyroidism, a standard blood test could help your healthcare provider test for this condition.
The normal treatment for hypothyroidism is taking daily thyroid hormone replacement medication. However, medications usually have side effects, and neglecting to take a pill might lead to more symptoms.
If you are dealing with side effects from your thyroid medication, natural or alternative treatments might be an option. This could include a gluten-free, selenium-rich, or sugar-free diet, as well as taking probiotics and vitamin B supplements. It’s critical to talk to your doctor or schedule an appointment with a thyroid specialist in Denver before trying alternative remedies.
Common Symptoms of Thyroid Dysfunctions
Thyroid hormones help control temperature, metabolize food, and the body produce energy. Additionally, they also keep the muscles, brain, organs, and heart functioning correctly. Common symptoms of thyroid dysfunctions include:
- Thinning hair
- Depression
- Exhaustion
- Weight gain
- Dry skin
Hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid) symptoms typically progress gradually over time. In some instances, it could take years. Some potential symptoms include:
- Hoarseness
- Tingling in the hands or numbness
- High cholesterol
- Droopy eyelids or puffy eyes
- Difficulty concentrating or forgetfulness
- Inability to tolerate the cold
- Excessive dry hair and skin
- Weight gain
- Anxiety or depression
- Tiredness
- Weak or sore muscles
If you experience any of the above signs, let your doctor know. They will perform a few tests to provide you with a diagnosis.
Thyroid Dysfunction Management and Treatment
The current standard medical treatment for thyroid dysfunction, to correct low levels, is daily thyroid hormone supplementation with:
- Natural desiccated thyroid
- Synthetic levothyroxine
- Liothyronine
This treatment can be very helpful for some patients. However, for others, using only thyroid hormone does not completely deal with the underlying reason for dysfunction. The medication could create a seesaw of symptoms while the correct dosage is decided. Some people don’t absorb or tolerate thyroid hormone too well.
Natural Remedies and Alternative Medicines
The aim of natural remedies or alternative medicine is to fix the original cause of the thyroid dysfunction. Thyroid problems sometimes begin due to:
- Stress
- Missing minerals in your food
- Poor diet (i.e eating wheat or any other inflammatory foods)
Taking an herbal supplement and changing your diet are two ways you can prevent your thyroid condition. These choices might have less side effects than taking thyroid medication.
Moreover, taking a natural supplement to help handle a low or underactive thyroid might be useful for people who aren’t responding well to medications.
Selenium
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), selenium, which helps to regulate thyroid hormone metabolism, is a trace element. This means only a small amount of it is present in the body. To get more selenium, you could eat foods that have it, such as:
- Cereals
- Muscle meats
- Tony Place
- Brazil nuts
Vitamin B12
A low amount of thyroid hormones can affect your B-12 levels.
Taking a vitamin B-12 supplement might help you fix some of the damage that a thyroid dysfunction has produced.
Vitamin B-12 can help with the fatigue thyroid disease can create. The disease also impacts your vitamin B-1 levels. You can add extra B vitamins to your diet with foods like:
- Eggs
- Sesame seeds
- Beans and peas
- Milk
- Asparagus
- Tuna
Vitamin B-12 is usually safe for most healthy people at the suggested levels. Talk with your physician about how much vitamin B-12 might be right for you.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D supplementation has been proven to enhance thyroid function in patients suffering from thyroid dysfunction. Taking a sufficient amount of vitamin D also helps your overall health. An excellent idea is to spend more time outdoors. Using sunscreen for protection does not lessen the amount of vitamin D your body produces. Only 25 minutes per day maximizes vitamin D production. If you are still lacking vitamin D, you could take a supplement.
Zinc-Rich Foods
An insufficient amount of zinc in your body could put you at risk for your thyroid underperforming. Zinc helps to control your thyroid and immune system. Research has proven that selenium and zinc supplements help boost thyroid functionality. But for many individuals, zinc supplements aren’t necessary. Zinc can be found in foods such as:
- Oysters
- Poultry and meat
- Nuts and whole grains
- Beans
Iodine-Rich Foods
Your thyroid needs iodine to work properly. Iodine is not produced by the body, so it must be ingested. If you have an underactive thyroid, you need to boost your intake of iodine-rich foods such as:
- Eggs
- Beef liver
- Seaweed
- Chicken
- Fish
- Iodized table salt
However, if you have an overactive thyroid, you should decrease your consumption of iodine-rich foods and pick table salt that is not made with iodine. Assess other fortified foods. You don’t have to eliminate them, just don’t eat too much of them. Always speak with your doctor first.
Ginger
Ginger is a popular spice, but the root is classified as a herb. Ginger has many health benefits, such as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties.
Using ginger supplements might benefit individuals who experience hypothyroidism, where the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormones. The herb might also decrease weight and control hormone and lipid profiles.
Probiotics
Your stomach impacts everything in your body. Moreover, it’s common for some thyroid dysfunctions and some stomach illnesses to coincide; specifically, autoimmune thyroid disease typically coexists with gluten sensitivity. Taking care of your gut can help take care of your thyroid.
One way to do this is with probiotics, which have live microorganisms that are valuable to your body. Active yogurt is an excellent way to get probiotics, but you can also use a supplement. Talk to your medical professional before taking probiotics if you have a compromised immune system. They can be harmful and produce runaway infections if your immune system is not healthy.
Botanical Herbs
Many botanical herbs may benefit thyroid function, including adaptogens like Ashwagandha, which has been proven to enhance thyroid function for patients suffering from thyroid dysfunction.
Adaptogens work on several body functions simultaneously to aid in balancing out dysfunction and controlling metabolic processes. They should be used carefully for those who have autoimmune thyroid disease since some botanicals can initiate an immune response. Any herbal treatment should be consented by a professional trained in herbal medicine to lessen side effects, stop unwanted drug/herb interactions, and optimize treatment effectiveness.
Reduce Stress
Long-lasting stress can weaken how the thyroid works. When stressed, your body generates the hormone cortisol. However, too much cortisol can harmfully affect thyroid hormone production, making it hard for the gland to work correctly. Striving to reduce stress could help heal your thyroid. Techniques such as deep breathing and meditation can make a huge difference.
Gentle Exercise
Frequent movement is critical for people with thyroid dysfunctions since it can help increase energy levels, mood, metabolism, and decrease symptoms such as weight gain and tiredness.
However, severe workouts could sometimes feel overtaxing or even exacerbate exhaustion in people with low thyroid function. Low-impact, gentle activities like yoga, walking, swimming, and stretching might be more appropriate.
These types of exercise enhance circulation and wellness without putting too much stress on the body. The secret is to begin slowly while paying attention to your body, focusing on consistency over power.
The Takeaway
For many people, the advantages of using natural or alternative treatments with their medication in a natural thyroid treatment plan prevail over the disadvantages.
If you want to learn more about implementing natural remedies into your thyroid treatment regimen, book a discovery call with us today. Let’s get you back on the road to wellness.