If you are joining me for the first time, this post with tips for thyroid health is the third in a three-part series on the thyroid. In previous posts, I discussed the signs and symptoms of underactive thyroid and lab tests to request to get a full picture of your thyroid function. In this post, I want to share some tips for a healthy thyroid and what you can do if you are hypothyroid to help your healing process.

In this article:

First and foremost you must seek to find the root instead of treating symptoms.

Low thyroid function can come with some pretty uncomfortable symptoms like headaches, fatigue, and dry skin. While it may be tempting to try to treat the symptoms with things like caffeine, ibuprofen, and topicals, it won’t solve the problem. When I was at my worst, I would wake up with splitting headaches and feeling like I had a horrible hangover without having a drop to drink the night before. I tried everything to get rid of my headaches like acupuncture, chiropractic, essential oils, and I even resorted to Advil (which is the only thing that gave me relief). I didn’t want to rely on taking medication, but I had no idea how to fix the issue. The problem was that I was treating the headache and not the real problem, which turned out to be low thyroid function due to nutrient deficiencies and stress.

Many of the tips I am offering here aim to address root causes rather than just relieve symptoms and will help improve your thyroid health naturally.

Thyroid Health Tip #1 – Nourish your body

It is so important to eat a diet that is rich in vegetables and fruits and offers a wide variety of nutrients. Some (but certainly not most) people may be able to get what they need from food alone, provided they have a varied diet that includes nutrient-dense, whole foods. It turns out that I am not one of those people. I, personally, have to rely on supplements to feel my best. The only accurate way to determine if you are getting all of the nutrients you need is to have your levels tested. I highly recommend doing this because it takes the guesswork out of it. I spent a lot of money trying out different supplements based on what I thought I needed, and it turns out the nutrients I was deficient in were not even on my radar.

There are some essential nutrients that your thyroid depends on to function optimally, so if you are low on any of these, you may not be at your peak.  Consider taking supplements for your thyroid health. (Disclaimer: these are suggestions only and not intended as medical advice.)

Iodine

Did you know that women require more iodine than men? This is especially true during times of stress. The thyroid cannot function properly without an adequate supply of iodine. While many people believe that the addition of iodized salt to the diet eliminated iodine deficiencies, this isn’t always the case. If you mostly eat at home and have swapped out table salt for sea salt, for example, you may not be getting enough iodine.

Easy self-test for iodine deficiency

There is a really cheap and easy way to test yourself for iodine deficiency at home. All you need is a USP tincture of iodine (you can purchase at your local drugstore or online) and a cotton ball. Dip the cotton ball into the iodine and paint about a 2-inch circle on an area of soft skin such as your inner thigh or the inner upper arm. This will stain your skin a yellowish-orange color. If the stain disappears rapidly, like within an hour, you likely lack enough iodine. If the stain lasts more than four hours, then your iodine levels are likely fine. If you find that your iodine is lacking, consider adding more iodine-rich foods to your diet or possibly incorporating a supplement (be sure to work with a professional for dosing instructions).

Foods that contain iodine:

Seaweeds are nature’s richest source of iodine. Kombu, Wakame, and Nori are a few examples. If eating seaweed is new for you, here is a great article that gives you some preparation ideas. https://www.integrativenutrition.com/blog/2015/11/7-ways-to-eat-more-seaweed-and-why-you-should

Selenium

Selenium is a trace mineral that has a variety of functions. Among them is assisting in the production of thyroid hormone. Selenium is an underrated mineral, and I will talk about all of its benefits in a later post. For now, just know that it is essential for optimal thyroid function. Unfortunately, there’s no easy self-test for low selenium. Micronutrient blood testing must be done to know for sure.

Foods that are high in selenium

Many foods contain selenium in varying quantities. The quality in which your food is grown will impact its overall nutritional profile as well as the selenium content. Some selenium-rich foods to consider adding to your diet are Brazil nuts, fish, grass-fed beef, lentils, oatmeal, cashews, and bananas, to name a few.

Zinc

Zinc is another trace element that plays a role in the synthesis of thyroid hormones. Changes in Zinc levels may correlate with changes in thyroid function, and changes in thyroid function may correlate with changes in levels of Zinc, so it is easy to see that they are interconnected. Zinc also plays a vital role in immune function, and some theories suggest that previous infections may be a trigger for Hashimoto’s. Adequate vitamin D is also necessary for proper immune function.

Foods that are a good source of Zinc

Brewer’s yeast, egg yolks, kelp, legumes, mushrooms, sunflower seeds, seafood, and soybeans are a few foods that are a good source of Zinc. It can also be found in many types of meat and liver.

Thyroid Health Tip #2 – Avoid Gluten 100% of the time

As mentioned previously, the autoimmune condition Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is the most common cause of low thyroid function. Research shows that there is a strong link between autoimmune thyroid disorders and gluten intolerance. You have probably considered cutting back on gluten, but If you have an immune response, it can last for several months. This means that each time you consume gluten, it’s like starting all over again. Your best bet is to eliminate gluten entirely.

Thyroid Health Tip #3 – Love your Liver

When it comes to your thyroid function, you probably don’t give much thought to your liver, am I right?! Well, it turns out that your thyroid and liver are very intricately connected. A healthy thyroid is more than just sufficient thyroid hormone production. It also depends on the delivery and metabolism of those hormones. A healthy liver is essential to this process. For tips on how to give you liver a little more love, check out this post.

Thyroid Health Tip #4 – Stress Less

When faced with chronic stress, your body will produce excess cortisol. Among other troubles that excess cortisol will cause, it also decreases the production of TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) and increases the conversion of T4 into RT3 (reverse T3). Reverse T3 as you might recall, is an inactive form of thyroid hormone. When more T4 is converted to RT3, it means less is being converted to T3, the active form of thyroid hormone. So not only will your thyroid produce fewer hormones in general, your body will convert less of those hormones into their most useful form. The result is a much slower metabolism and all the woes that come with it. Finding a stress management technique that works for you is crucial to your thyroid health and overall health.

Implementing any of these tips can be helpful for maintaining or restoring proper thyroid function, but I always encourage you to consider the bigger picture. Even if you are getting all the nutrients you need, but are stressed to the max, or have a sluggish liver, it may not do you any good. It is a combination of actions that will have the most significant benefit. Modern medicine likes to treat the parts without addressing the whole. My philosophy is always to treat the whole to benefit the parts.

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