Are you still feeling tired after a full night’s rest?
Does your brain feel fuzzy and you can’t seem to concentrate?
Have you gained weight even with consistent exercise and healthy eating?
Do you feel like your body is having trouble regulating temperature?
If so, you’re going to want to have your thyroid tested, or you might have already been tested and aren’t sure what to do next.
An estimated 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease. Women are 5-8 times more prevalent than men to have these diseases. Thyroid diseases include:
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hypothyroidism
- Autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto’s and Graves)
- Goiter
- Thyroid cancer
So, the question is how can you balance your thyroid hormones naturally?
Thyroid and Its Function
First, let’s start with the basic functions of your thyroid.
Your thyroid is a little butterfly-shaped gland in your neck that produces thyroid hormones (TH) which are essential to every cell in your body. These hormones include T3 (triiodothyronine) and T4 (thyroxine).
It also produces calcitonin which helps to regulate calcium and phosphate in the blood—a very significant process—but not one we will focus on here.
T3 and T4 are referred to as your thyroid hormones which increase your body’s basal metabolic rate by regulating:
- Metabolism
- Growth
- Weight
- Mood
- Temperature regulation
- Heart rate
- Digestion
T3 and T4 hormones are dependent on your dietary intake of iodine. Having too little iodine or too much iodine can result in an imbalance of these hormones.
Your thyroid secretes 93% of T4 which is inactive in its raw form and must be converted to T3 to be used by the cells in your body. Any disruption in this conversion can lead to thyroid disease.
Your adrenal glands play a significant role in the T4 to T3 conversion due to stress and cortisol levels. Hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis can directly affect thyroid hormone secretions during repeated exposure to stress and cortisol levels.
Repeated exposure to stress can also affect one’s estrogen levels to skyrocket causing estrogen dominance. This is one of the reasons why thyroid disease is found in more women than men. When estrogen levels are high your liver produces a thyroid-binding globulin that binds to the thyroid hormones and prevents them from being taken up by cells.
5 Natural Remedies for Balancing Your Thyroid Hormones
Your body is a cycle of harmonious systems relying on each other for support. Any break in this cycle creates a domino effect in the other systems creating a major disruption of homeostasis in your body.
So, what can you do to keep the cycle flowing normally?
Cook Your Cruciferous Vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussel sprouts, cabbage and bok choy are abundant in nutritional value for your body— that’s why vegetarians can live off of these simple foods for life. These vegetables can be some of the best foods for thyroid patients but also some of the worst if not cooked properly.
These vegetables contain glucosinolates which are metabolized by the body into isothiocyanates and protect your thyroid against cancer.
The substance goitrogens is found in raw cruciferous vegetables and can suppress thyroid function by inhibiting iodine uptake from the thyroid. This substance is specifically named goitrogens because it tends to cause a goiter which is an enlarged thyroid gland. This can wreak havoc on your thyroid function if your iodine intake is already low or if you eat these raw veggies in excess.
But the good news is if you cook these vegetables by simply steaming or sautéing them it can reduce the goitrogen potency. So, eat your heart out if they aren’t raw— one of the many natural remedies to help treat hyperthyroidism.
Try Thyroid Stimulating Exercises and Stress Reduction
Stress is a broad term to describe something that disturbs the balance of your body. This can be your jam-packed schedule, financial issues, an annoying boss, blood sugar spikes, dysbiosis of gut bacteria, and environmental toxins such as heavy metals. All of these things affect the function of your thyroid hormones.
Stress weakens your adrenal glands which are part of the HPA axis and directly affect your thyroid production. Adrenal fatigue also means a reduction in your thyroid hormones specifically the conversion of T4 to T3. As mentioned before, adrenal fatigue also affects the estrogen hormone in your body.
If you know your body is going through a stressful period due to emotional or environmental stress, try to stabilize the imbalance whatever the cause—it’s important to your thyroid hormones.
Any form of moderate exercise at all has been shown to boost thyroid function.
Cut Out Gluten: The Gluten-Thyroid Connection
The research behind the gluten-thyroid connection is so impacting that it’s strongly suggested that anyone with an autoimmune thyroid disease or gluten intolerance be tested for the other.
What’s the connection? The protein structure in gluten called gliadin closely resembles that of your thyroid. When you eat gluten this protein penetrates your gut barrier, and it enters your bloodstream. When you have a healthy immune system, it will recognize it as toxic and create antibodies to remove it. Every time you eat gluten these antibodies appear since gliadin resembles your thyroid and these antibodies attack your thyroid as well.
It’s definitely difficult to cut out gluten, but it’s crucial for your thyroid. Fortunately, gluten intolerance is recognized as detrimental to your health in so many ways, that there is now a variety of gluten-free options.
Take Care of Your Gut to Boost Thyroid Function
You can see all of these natural remedies start in the gut. Since 70 – 80% of your immune system is in your gut and 90% of all thyroid diseases are autoimmune, we can conclude the imbalance of gut bacteria can affect your thyroid hormones.
Poor gut health can affect your thyroid function by:
- Stressing your adrenal glands
- Inhibiting the conversion of T4 to T3
- Impairing absorption of iodine due to inflammation
Probiotics are a perfect option to balance the dysbiosis happening in your gut. By feeding your gut good bacteria, you are promoting a healthy immune system.
Add Thyroid Health Supplements
Glutathione is referred to as “The Mother of All Antioxidants” for its incredible ability to detox your body of harmful toxins. It’s important to follow a detox program since these toxins found in heavy metals can affect thyroid function.
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy in Fort Worth/Dallas Area
In conjunction with trying natural remedies for balancing your thyroid function, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) can be the icing on the cake for resolving your thyroid issues. BHRT are hormones which are chemically identical to our body’s natural hormone production. With a comprehensive evaluation of your hormones, we can provide a treatment plan catered to your specific needs.
