WorkingMaa

Your Doctor may have diagnosed you with Hypothyroidism . But don’t start that hormone supplement as of yet . Not so fast ! You might just have what is called ” Secondary Hypothyroidism ” which can be cured with just a few lifestyle changes .

Last year , my thyroid was diagnosed to be underactive [TSH 8.5] – again . I had been ignoring my test results for a few years  . But my doctor said a few words – “ You have a young child to take care of and you need to be fit enough to do that for several years now . You will not be able to do that if you let you thyroid stay this way ” .This  alarmed me enough to do a deep research on “Hypothyroidism” . And well , my doctor wanted to put me on a Thyroid hormone supplement . But I decided to try the natural way first.

My thyroid hormones kept fluctuating through the years . But last year  I saw its effects piling up.  So I looked over the internet, talked to friends and relatives and came up with a plan to boost  my thyroid in a natural way. It has been a year now since I have been following  this plan . And my thyroid came back just about normal [TSH 5.1 and T3  , T4 in normal range]  a few months back. Also , I feel much better now in every way!

How Thyroid Works ?

1. Hypothalamus produces TRH {TSH Releasing Hormone}
2. TRH stimulates Pitutary to produce TSH { Thyroid Stimulating Hormone}
3. TSH stimulates Thyroid gland to produce Thyroid Hormones T4 and T3
4. Thyroid cells combine iodine {from our food} with protein/amino acid  Tyrosine {from our food}  to produce T4 (80%) and T3 (20%)
5. T4 produces more T3 in Liver
6. T3 self regulates its production . If produced more, sends negetive signals to Hypothalamus thus reducing amount of TRH , thus TSH and T3, T4 in turn. If T3 is produced less than normal, it signals Hypothalamus to produce more TRH, so Pitutary produces more TSH and so more T4,T3 will be produced by thyroid.

Well known symptoms of Hypothyroidism: You may have few or all .

– Morning headaches that wear off during the day.
– Low morning underarm temperature. (Adrenal, pituitary or other issues such as elevated estrogen can also cause this.)
– Depression.

– Constipation.
– Dry or brittle hair, or hair that falls out.
– Dry or itching skin.
– Sensitivity to cold. Thyroid is the heater.
– Slow wound healing.
– Joint stiffness.
– Poor circulation.
– Cold or numbness of the hands or feet.
– Loss of the outside portion of the eyebrows.
– Increase in weight even on a low calorie or low carbohydrate diet.
– Reduced initiative.
– Mental confusion.
– Poor memory.
– Ringing in the ears along with decreased blood pressure and/or slow pulse. (This can also be an adrenal problem.)
– Muscle cramps while at rest.
– Catching colds or other infections easily. Difficulty recovering from infections.
– Requiring excessive sleep (more than 8 hours).
– Chronic digestive problems. This is often low stomach acid.
– Edema, especially in the face.

YOUR THYROID MIGHT BE HEALTHY BUT WILL STILL GET DIAGNOSED WITH HYPOTHYROIDISM IF :

Note : {Out of diagnosed hypothyroid , only 20 % have primary hypothyroidism }

1. YOU HAVE A PROTEIN DEFFICIENCY :Because thyroid cells need protein for synthesis of thyroid hormone.
2. YOU STRESS A LOT   :   Excessive stress make adrenal glands produce more CORTISOL , which interferes with conversion of T4 to T3. Also be aware that high Cortisol levels can make reverse T3. Reverse T3 is not a functional hormone but it looks like normal T3 on a blood test.
3. YOU EAT A HIGH CARB DIET:   High amount of Carbs in diet make stimulate adrenal glands to produce  more CORTISOL as well  which interferes with conversion of T4 to T3
4. EXPOSURE TO HIGH LEVEL OF ESTROGEN LIKE SUBSTANCES : Excess estrogen interferes with the conversion of T4 to the active T3 . Estrogen like substances are SOY based foods  ,  BPA and Pthalates from plastic food containers , some medicines among various other air and water pollutants.
5. IODINE DEFFICIENCY :  Either you may actually be iodine defficient or your iodine absorption may have interfered by high Chlorine or Fluoride in your water etc.

The most numbers of people diagnosed with Hypothyroidism are Married Women or Working Mothers . The “after marriage weight gain “  can very well be attributed to sluggish metabolism or underactive thyroid. Why does that happen?? Because a large percentage of women stop taking care of themselves after marriage. They stop eating the way they were eating before . At least I did. I just about stopped eating any protein !! And don’t forget about the life uphavel and all the stress that comes with getting married. And so Cortisol comes into picture interfering with the T4 to T3 conversion. Add a baby or two to the mix and you’ll get a good amount of Hypothyroidism symptoms .

A  FEW THINGS WE CAN DO TO BOOST OUR THYROID :

1. EAT MORE TYROSINE RICH FOODS: Eat more Dairy , Oats ,Sesame Seeds, Banana, Avocados , Almonds and more protein in general.
2. STRESS LESS ! Its absolutely up to you to take it easy for your health’s sake .  If you are not healthy , nothing will work out anyways !
3. EAT A BALANCED DIET :  Avoid a high carb diet. Eat them in a balanced matter with Good protein and Good fats .
4. AVOID GOITROGENIC FOOD : Avoid food which interferes with normal thyroid functioning . These includes mainly SOY , Broccoli, Cauliflowers, Cabbage , Mustard, Peanuts , Spinach . Cooking these foods can reduce the goitrogenic tendencies of these foods so cook them thoroughly if you want to eat them.
5. AVOID EATING IN PLASTIC CONTAINERS
6. EAT IODINE RICH FOOD : Sea vegetables, Yogurt , Milk, Eggs , Strawberries, Cheese
7. USE A GOOD WATER FILTER : Use a good water filter for drinking water . Use shower  filter as well if possible.
8. INCLUDE SELENIUM IN DIET : Selenium boosts T4 to T3 conversion. Nuts, Sunflower seeds, Eggs, Mushrooms , Wheat Germ , Barley, Oats, Brown Rice, Onions are rich in Selenium
9. AVOID CAFFIENE : Coffee interferes with T4 production
10. EXERCISE : Exercise will improve blood flow to your Thyroid gland thus making it healthier and more productive.
11. YOGA : Sarvangasan and Uchhai Pranayam are a very good complement to a good diet for a healthy thyroid.

At the end , I will suggest that don’t consider yourself a Hypothyroid as soon as your TSH comes up High !  If you have a high TSH level , get a deeper check on the T3 , T4 and Cortisol levels. You may very well find like me that your Thyroid is troubled and needs your help in a natural way by changing your lifestyle to a healthier one !

Reference :

http://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/thyroid/how-your-thyroid-works

http://www.royalrife.com/hypothyroid.html

http://www.virginiahopkinstestkits.com/cortisolzava.html

http://thyroid.about.com/b/2008/09/03/coffee-thyroid-drugs.htm

Image : Doctor Writing by Suat Iman @ Freedigitalphotos.net