As a Naturopath with a special interest in thyroid disorders I know there’s no easy strategy to treating hypothyroidism naturally.
I believe it takes a holistic approach. That is, one that includes eating a nutritious diet, supplementing with thyroid specific nutrients, switching to a thyroid supporting lifestyle, and making use of the most appropriate medical intervention such as thyroid hormone replacement.
What Is Hypothyroidism?
HYPOTHYROIDISM refers to low production, or reduced activity of the thyroid hormones produced by the thyroid, the small butterfly-shaped gland located at the front of your neck.
And that’s problematic. The thyroid hormones plays a major role in maintaining optimal physical, and emotional well-being.
Let me explain more…
The thyroid is part of the body’s complex endocrine system which is made up of glands that produce life-sustaining hormones. Every organ and body system relies on the thyroid hormones to function properly.
It’s WHY a thyroid disorder causes a wide variety of seemingly unrelated symptoms.
The 10 Hypothyroid Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore
When left untreated thyroid dysfunction results in a steady decline in health so it’s essential to get the help you need. With this in mind, these are the top 10 symptoms you need to know about.
- Unrelenting fatigue.
- Consistently low body temperature.
- Muscle aches.
- Low blood pressure, and slow pulse rate.
- Dry skin and hair.
- Significant hair loss all over the scalp.
- Difficulty losing weight.
- Brain fog, and poor concentration.
- Feelings of depression, or anxiety.
- Ongoing constipation.
Do you identity with most of these symptoms? If so, it’s a red flag to signal you are experiencing low thyroid function.
> > You can learn more about hypothyroid symptoms here: Hypothyroid Symptoms Checklist {Including Lesser Known Symptoms}
What To Do If you Suspect Your Thyroid is Low
The thyroid is one of the most influential glands in the body so if you suspect you’re suffering with thyroid dysfunction it’s vital to trust your instinct and take the necessary steps to get treatment.
I strongly recommend you get comprehensive testing as this provides deeper insights into overall thyroid function. In fact, a thyroid problem is easily missed when you don’t get proper testing.
Here’s three things I would like you to know about testing;
- Comprehensive testing eliminates guesswork, and provides invaluable insights into what’s really going on with your thyroid. It may even identify the root cause of thyroid dysfunction.
- It’s important to know most doctors think the single thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) blood test is adequate to assess thyroid function. But the truth is, it simply doesn’t provide enough information. When you have concerns you need more than TSH tested, especially if your doctor only ran the TSH test and said ‘everything’s NORMAL’!
- The standard of care for hypothyroidism is a thyroid hormone preparation that supplies a synthetic form of thyroxine (T4). At the core of this treatment approach is the belief that hypothyroidism is easily treated with a daily dose of levothyroxine (LT4). It is prescribed at doses required to bring TSH back down within the normal reference range.
Here’s FIVE Steps to Treating Hypothyroidism Naturally
Imagine feeling better, and getting back to being the energetic and fun loving person you once were? Here’s five easy tips to help you get started with treating hypothyroidism naturally.
+ Make REAL food your medicine. There’s an epidemic of thyroid-related disorders and I believe that for the most part this is attributed to the radical shift in the way we eat due to industrialization of our food supply. For this reason, it’s more important than ever to get properly educated on the best foods to eat for thyroid health.
+ Take nutritional supplements to support optimal thyroid function. A thyroid multivitamin is a great way to go but it’s important to choose a good quality product. It’s why I’ve specially formulated ThyroSynergy® with 10 essential vitamins and minerals to assist healthy thyroid function.*
+ Manage your stress levels to help maintain an optimistic mindset. If you are struggling with mood swings, poor concentration, memory loss, sleep difficulties, anxiety, even depression you will want to read The Surprising Ways Thyroid Hormones Affect Your Mood.
+ Minimize exposure to toxic thyroid disrupting chemicals. I list the worst offenders here and ways to avoid them here: Environmental Alert: How To Protect Your Thyroid From Toxins.
+ Keep your body moving with regular physical activity. But be aware overtraining can be detrimental to your thyroid health.
It’s true. Getting your health back on track is no easy task.
What treatment strategies do you think will help YOU?
It’s an important question. And once you have your test results I highly recommend you seek out a skilled healthcare practitioner who will take the time to listen to you. That is, they will consider your results along with your medical history, and most importantly how you feel so you can get on the path to health and vitality.
