Thyroid - Issues and Solutions

Do you feel sluggish, have brain fog, frequently cold (even when the room is warm) fatigue, weakened immunity, metabolic disorders, weight gain and even anxiety or depression? These are all symptoms of an underactive thyroid. There are times when you can have any and all of these symptoms even when your doctor says your thyroid numbers are ‘fine’. Is it your imagination? Your thyroid manages metabolism, detoxification, growth and development. When it isn’t working properly it is understandable that you would feel it. No, there are some of us that have underactive thyroids even when the numbers look good.

When the thyroid is stagnant, it leads to: Malabsorption and elimination issues, Weight gain and fatigue, Cognitive decline, Poor glucose utilization, Depression and mood disorders, Malfunction of the liver and gall bladder, Diminished absorption of vitamin B12, folic acid and iron, Decreased T-cell activity, and increased inflammation.

Things that can cause the thyroid to be sluggish include: Gluten, Low levels of vitamin D, Gastrointestinal infections, Surges of estrogen and insulin, Heavy metal toxicity, and Stress. Foods that interfere with thyroid function are called goitrogens and include broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, millet, spinach, strawberries, soybeans and peanuts. Cooking helps to partially inactivate troublesome goitrogens.

Most of us think of iodine when we think thyroid supplementation. This is because our Standard American Diet (SAD) is severely lacking in natural iodine. We don’t often eat sea vegetables such as arame, kombu or wakame. Even if we eat organic produce, unless the farmer has fed the soil with seaweed the iodine in the soil was long ago depleted. Some people swear by iodized salt, but that isn’t the best source either. The modern salt is 97.5 sodium chloride, other chemicals plus sugar. The human body can NOT properly digest commercially-produced table salt which leads to cellular inflammation; water retention and cardiovascular disease. A good Himalayan or Celtic Sea salt makes all the difference. Its natural minerals are readily absorbed by the body.

Other tissues that absorb and use large amounts of iodine include: Breasts, Salivary glands, Pancreas, Cerebral spinal fluid, Skin, Stomach, Brain, and Thymus. You can see that a lot of illnesses could be an iodine deficiency in disguise such as thyroid disease, fibromyalgia, and cancer.

You can get too much iodine. When you do you get what they call subclinical hypothyroidism. Basically, your thyroid becomes lazy. It quits doing all the critical functions it is supposed to do. Because of this you need to monitor and insure that you really need to supplement. You can have your doctor do a blood test, or you can do a simple test at home. With old fashioned iodine paint a postage stamp sized area on the inside of your wrist. Watch to see how long it takes to disappear. If it takes more than sixteen hours supplementation isn’t going to do you any good. Pay attention to your body while you are doing the test. Do you feel better or worse than you usually do? If you feel better that is an indicator that your body likes the extra iodine.

Another supplement you might consider is zinc. Zinc can have dramatic benefits for those suffering from abnormal levels of thyroid hormones. Zinc is the second most important trace mineral in the body, surpassed only by iron. It plays an important role in immune function; wound healing, blood clotting, reproduction, growth and smell - many of the same functions as the thyroid gland. Too much zinc can interfere with iron absorption and utilization, so be cautious when it comes to supplementation.

Our thyroids are one of the crucial hormone regulators of the body. It is imperative that we keep them as healthy as possible.