How to Support Your Thyroid Naturally

Did you know that the health of the small, butterfly shaped gland in your lower front neck plays a very vital part to maintain optimal wellness? This gland is called the thyroid. It drapes across your windpipe. The thyroid is part of the body’s endocrine system which is made up of several glands that produce and release hormones in order for your body to fully function properly. More than 12% of the U.S population will develop a thyroid condition in their lifetime.

The good news, you can support your thyroid naturally through food and supplements.

What Does The Thyroid Do?

Your thyroid is responsible for producing, storing and releasing hormones into the bloodstream. It is responsible for your energy levels, regulating your metabolism and can even impact your heart beat, weight management, and breathing.

A healthy thyroid produces three hormones. T3 (Triiodothyronine), T4 ( thyroxine) and Calcitonin. T3 and T4 hormones are responsible for regulating your body temperature, metabolism and heart rate. Calcitonin helps regulate the calcium and phosphate in the blood. The TSH, or thyroid stimulating hormone, controls the amount of hormones the thyroid releases into the bloodstream.  The pituitary gland, located in the brain and part of the endocrine system, tells the thyroid when and how many hormones should be released into the bloodstream.

Once the thyroid releases these hormones, they are carried in the bloodstream to all organs and tissues in the body. If there is any disruption or dysfunction of the thyroid gland it can cause many problems in the bodies overall health. About 20 million Americans suffer from some sort of thyroid disease and about sixty percent are unaware that there is a problem according to the American Thyroid Association.(ADD Source)

Women are eight times more likely to develop thyroid disease than men. Thyroid problems usually increase with age and may affect children differently than adults.  The most common thyroid diseases are hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism.

What Are the Symptoms of Thyroid Disease?

Nervousness, irritability, increased sweating, heart racing, hand tremors, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, thinning of your skin, fine brittle hair and weakness in your muscles—especially in the upper arms and thighs are all symptoms of thyroid disease.

One may lose weight despite a good appetite and, for women, menstrual flow may lighten and menstrual periods may occur less often. These symptoms usually are a product of the thyroid gland releasing too much of the thyroid hormone, which is called hyperthyroidism. Since hyperthyroidism increases your metabolism, many individuals initially have a lot of energy. However, as hyperthyroidism is left untreated, the body tends to break down, so being tired is very common.

Increased sensitivity to cold, fatigue, weight gain, puffy face, elevated blood cholesterol, slowed heart rate, depression, impaired memory, muscle weakness, pain stiffness and or swelling in the joints, are all symptoms that may be caused by the thyroid not producing enough of the vital hormones your body needs. This is commonly called hypothyroidism. If left untreated hypothyroidism can lead to multiple health issues including obesity, infertility and heart disease.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms it is imperative to go to your doctor and get a thyroid panel of blood work done. This panel will check the levels of the T3 and T4 hormones as well as testing the TSH levels. If the blood work shows that your thyroid levels are irregular the doctor may suggest medication. Synthetic hormone medication is common for doctors to prescribe, however it only replaces one of the two hormones that the thyroid produces. A natural medication that is made from cow or pig thyroid will provide both the T3 and T4 hormones. Replenishing the body with both thyroid hormones is important in maintaining optimal health.

How To Support the Thyroid Naturally

Although thyroid disease is quite common there are ways to naturally support your thyroid naturally by making healthy choices in what foods you eat as well as taking supplements that can help support the thyroid to function properly.

Natural Thyroid Diet

Eating a well balanced diet is beneficial for a healthy thyroid. To begin the first step is to eliminate all processed foods from the diet. Eliminating any artificial sweeteners, trans fat and anything that has high sodium. Fluoride and chlorine which are often added to most tap water sources can be very detrimental to the thyroid function as it tends to slow down the productivity of the thyroid. So it is best to avoid tap water and drink filtered water when possible.

While it is important to eliminate certain things in your diet to help maintain healthy thyroid function, it is also very important to make sure a few nutrients are in your daily diet.

Consuming foods that are rich in iodine, zinc, selenium and magnesium will help the thyroid function normally. Since the thyroid needs iodine to work properly and to release the right amount of thyroid hormones to the body, eating foods with high iodine content will help the thyroid maintain optimal health. Foods such as seaweed, dairy products, like plain yogurt or greek yogurt, cod and shrimp are all foods that are high in iodine content. Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds and brown rice are all good foods to eat to bring selenium into the diet. As it is often difficult to get all the nutrients we need in our diet through food every day, using quality supplementation to fill in the gaps can be helpful. 

Natural Supplementation For Thyroid Health

A healthy well balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals that support your thyroid will help you build better health.

Being proactive and choosing foods that support your thyroid health is very important to maintain that the thyroid functions properly. Having thyroid issues is very common ailment but it does not mean that those issues are not able to be reversed with proper care. Some lifestyle changes and watching what you put into your body can be the difference in living a healthy long life.

One of the most important components of maintaining good thyroid health is protein. Protein is responsible for creating and repairing the body at the cellular level. There are many ways to get protein outside of eating meat such as with leafy greens, legumes, exc. Options also include taking a high quality protein supplement such as a shake to make sure you are getting the protein you need each day. 

For both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism,  b vitamins should be included in the diet either through natural supplementation or foods that are rich in b vitamins. A vegetarian or vegan diet needs to be supplemented in b vitamins since the food consumed in those diets are not often rich in b vitamins.

Taking probiotics is also essential to ensure that your gut is healthy and able fully absorb all the vitamins and minerals that you put into your body.

 

Creating Your Personal Wellness Plan

Designed to make it simple for you a to create a personalized regimen to meet your individual health and wellness needs is our 1+2+3 Personal Health Plan.

Creating a Personal Health Plan for thyroid health is as simple as 1 +2 + 3:

1. Choose your Multi+ and Protein. The Building Blocks for Life. Essential for complete nutrition.
2. Add Targeted Solutions. Ultra-pure, clinically-proven products and ingredients designed to address your unique health concerns.
3. Choose a Boost. A Powerful boost of the key vitamins, minerals and nutrients when you need them most.

Natural Thyroid Supplement Plan For Hyperthyroidism

It is recommended for those with hyperthyroidism that you should particularly avoid dairy products and stimulants such as coffee, tea, soda pop, alcohol, nicotine, etc.

An ideal supplement program hyperthyroidism would include:

Your Foundations

• Protein
• VitaLea multivitamin (Particularly important) The spirulina on the VitaLea tablet contains essential nutrients to feed & support the thyroid.

Targeted Solution

• GLA is gamma-linolenic acid, linoleic acid and vitamin e. The body uses these to create prostagladins which are hormone-like substances that help to regulate many normal bodily functions and protect the arterial walls of the heart. It is used to support inflammatory issues, allergies, skin issues, heart disease, blood pressure, auto-immune issues, weight control.

Boost

• B-Complex is vital for proper bodily function if helps to convert food into energy for our cells. Unfortunately our Standard American diets do not provide enough whole grains, leafy green vegetables, and fish needed to provide 100% of the Daily Value. Dietary folate, a critical B vitamin, isn’t easily absorbed, so Shaklee developed a unique folic acid coating that makes the nutrient more accessible to promote absorption.
• Garlic Those with hyperthyroid conditions are more susceptible to cardiovascular complications such as arrhythmias, and so garlic might be able to offer a protective effect, although many people with hyperthyroidism and Graves’ Disease will need to take antithyroid medication or herbs to manage the cardiac symptoms. Autoimmune thyroid conditions such as Graves’ Disease and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis involve pro-inflammatory cytokines and garlic can help to inhibit these pro-inflammatory cytokines. Many people with these conditions have infections, and perhaps this is the biggest area garlic can help with. Garlic has been proven to have anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, and even anti-parasitic activity.
• Vitamin C  is a powerful antioxidant that helps support the immune system and protect against damaging free radicals. Helps maintain natural antioxidant defenses, cell integrity, and the health of eyes, teeth, gums, bones, muscles and blood vessels.

Natural Thyroid Supplement Plan for Hypothyroidism

If you are suffering from hypothyroidism, it is recommended that you avoid sugar, simple carbs, processed & refined foods, white flour products, etc.

Your Foundations

• Protein
• VitaLea multivitamin

Targeted Solution

• GLA is gamma-linolenic acid, linoleic acid and vitamin e. The body uses these to create prostagladins which are hormone-like substances that help to regulate many normal bodily functions and protect the arterial walls of the heart. It is used to support inflammatory issues, allergies, skin issues, heart disease, blood pressure, auto-immune issues, weight control.

Boost

• B-Complex is vital for proper bodily function if helps to convert food into energy for our cells. Unfortunately our Standard American diets do not provide enough whole grains, leafy green vegetables, and fish needed to provide 100% of the Daily Value. Dietary folate, a critical B vitamin, isn’t easily absorbed, so Shaklee developed a unique folic acid coating that makes the nutrient more accessible to promote absorption.
• Alfalfa ultra-pure alfalfa provides a wide variety of nutrients including calcium, phosphorus, vitamins, chlorophyll, and bioflavonoids. It helps to normalize the bodies chemistry and removal of toxins from the body.
• Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps support the immune system and protect against damaging free radicals. Humans are also unable to produce vitamin c naturally in our bodies. It is a fragile and water-soluble vitamin and needs to be regularly replenished through diet or supplementation.
• Vitamin D plays a major role in protecting your health and is vital for overall well-being. Vita-D3® from Shaklee contains 1,000 IU of vitamin D₃, the most potent form of vitamin D.

Consult your medical practitioner for any concerns. Information is educational only & merely offers nutritional support based on ingredients. It is not intended to replace medical advice or treatment. Supplemental plan created by Christine Gaber, RHN and Charlene Day RDC as provided in Why Do I Feel This Way? Understanding Your Body. Discover Your Solutions.