Thyroid Disorder & Adrenal Fatigue: Natural Tips to Help Improve Function
The thyroid is such an important part of our body. Every cell has thyroid hormone receptors. So when it isn’t functioning well many other systems in the body begin to struggle to operate properly as well. The thyroid also happens to be the key component to how much energy we have and how our metabolism is functioning.
So instead of treating the thyroid symptoms individually it’s really better to treat the thyroid and immune system. Functional medicine physicians, Naturopaths, and Homeopathic doctors do a great job with this. They work to find the root cause of your symptoms and treat that instead of treating the red flags that are being thrown up throughout your body.
The good news is there are things you can do to aid in the function of your thyroid while waiting for a doctors appointment. They happen to be all things that I have implemented over to help me with sub-clinical hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue. Since working with a Naturopath and implementing these natural additions I’ve seen a reduction in my symptoms.
Natural Tips To Help My Thyroid Function Better
- Go Gluten Free – Some of the most common food allergies and sensitivities are to gluten found in grains like wheat, spelt, rye, amaranth, kamut, and barley. Removing these from your nutrition will help to reduce inflammation in your body which will help with your immune system.
- Remove Processed Foods – This will reduce the amount of sugar and refined carbohydrates, which the body digests like sugar. When reducing those foods you will again reduce the amount of inflammation in your body as sugar is a big contributor.
- Improve Gut Health – By doing the 2 tips above you will be on a good start. Then add in probiotic foods like kombucha, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimichi. You can also take a good quality probiotic supplement. Your physician can give you recommendations on strains that would be beneficial.
- Get More Sleep – It’s crucial when your body is working to repair itself to be getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Some studies suggest up to 10 hours being even more beneficial. While we sleep our bodies detox and perform the most repairs compared to any other time of the day.
- Increase Anti-Inflammatory Foods – When the body is working to heal it is constantly working to reduce inflammation. By feeding it foods that naturally reduce inflammation you are helping that process so it can heal quicker. Here’s a link to a list of 20 Anti-Inflammatory Foods.
- More D – Get more Vitamin D. If at all possible get outside for a little while each day, without sunscreen and exposed skin. Now I don’t mean long enough to get burned but enough so your body can soak up the D naturally. If this isn’t a possibility you take a good quality Vitamin D supplement.
- Healthy Fats – Fats are a good thing when you’re dealing with a thyroid disorder. If you’re not getting enough fat it could be making your hormonal imbalance worse. Cholesterol from fats are the precusor to hormonal pathways. So increase foods like unrefined coconut oil, ghee, flaxseeds, avocado, and nuts (but not peanuts).
- Reduce Stress – Mental, emotional, environmental, and physical stress are a big part of how the thyroid is functioning. The thyroid is very sensitive to all types of stress and doesn’t know how to determine between what type of stress it is being put under. It’s just all viewed as a stressor. To reduce stress take time to meditate, journal, do yoga, take a walk in nature, do something that makes you happy, find something that gives you a sense of peace.
- Red Light (or) Near Infared – Red light being shined on the neck where the thyroid is located has been shown to help create energy in the cells. This energy in the area of the thyroid then creates a waterfall effect throughout the body. The most effective lights to use are Infrared LEDs in the 700-910nm range. The light needs to be shined directly on the skin for 5-15 minutes depending on light strength and heat. The neck is sensitive to heat so I had to build up to longer time over multiple days.
Thank you for reading Thyroid Disorder & Adrenal Fatigue: Natural Tips to Help Improve Function blog. If you have any questions please feel free to send me a message here.
To read the rest of the blogs in this series check out the links below:
