THYROID GLAND ( HYPO And HYPERTHYROIDISM ) AND HERBAL REMEDIES :
The thyroid gland—what is it? What does it do? What happens when it doesn’t work as it is meant to? What is naturopathic medicine and what does it have to offer over conventional medicine? These are the types of questions you may be asking, and these are the types of questions that will be answered in this article.
# Under-active or over-active thyroid :
Thyroid-related problems—both an under-active or over-active thyroid- can impact your energy levels, fertility, mood, weight, sexual interest and ability to think clearly. Thyroid-related problems can affect ALL your daily activities.
When a wholistic, naturopathic physician is treating an individual with a thyroid disorder, they see a whole person in front of them and not just a thyroid gland! A naturopathic physician will be very interested in prevention and will use primarily natural, holistic methods to treat thyroid disorders and will treat you with vitamins, supplements, diet, lifestyle changes and bio-identical hormone replacements rather than only with prescription drugs. Naturopaths will also use certain drugs in the treatment of some thyroid disorders, but with the goal of minimizing the drugs used and maintaining thyroid function as much as possible. A naturopath will also be interested in maximizing your overall health while working to improve your thyroid function and finding, if possible, the cause of the problem. That cause may be stress, poor nutrition, a tendency towards inflammatory conditions or some other cause.
The thyroid gland plays a central role in maintaining energy levels, temperature, weight, clear thinking, the sensitivity of the body to other hormones and the synthesis of proteins. It is located at the base of the neck and wraps around the front of the neck. The two conditions that affect the thyroid are hypothyroid (an UNDERactive thyroid) and hyperthyroid (an OVERactive thyroid). It sometimes takes years for thyroid problems to develop.
@ The most common form of hypothyroid is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
The most common form of hypothyroid is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis -an autoimmune disorder where the body is producing antibodies to the thyroid and leads to decreased production of thyroid hormones. The most common cause of hyperthyroid is Graves’ disease—this is also an autoimmune disorder, but in Graves’ disease, the antibodies stimulate thyroid hormone production and you get too much. Some thyroid disorders occur after or during pregnancy, after viral or bacterial infections or after long periods of stress . Both hypo- and hyper-thyroid occurs predominantly in women starting at the ages of 30-40. Some cases of Graves’ disease have been associated with heavy metals and prescription drugs.
T4 and T3 are the main thyroid hormones. Iodine is a critical nutrient for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland. (the numbers 4 and 3 represent the number of iodine atoms per molecule of hormone.)
# Thyroid disease is diagnosed by both physical symptoms and lab results.
# General Holistic Approaches to Thyroid (BOTH HYPO- AND HYPER)
# Diet and Lifestyle :
A whole-food (non-processed) organic diet is strongly recommended for maintaining health. If you are iodine deficient, use seaweed in cooking for its iodine content. Avoid alcohol, tobacco and particularly drugs such as lithium, thionamides, alpha interferon, interleukin-2, cholestyramine, perchlorate, expectorants, aluminum hydroxide and raloxifene.
Minimize stress: Techniques used to modify stress include deep breathing exercises, yoga, tai chi, and biofeedback.
A moderate level of exercise is also recommended. A 20-30 minute walk a day can do wonders!
If you are hypothyroid, avoid or limit certain foods that can affect the thyroid (goitrogens) such as cabbage, turnips, Brussels sprouts, rutabagas, broccoli, cauliflower and bok choy. Goitrogens interfere with iodine uptake in the thyroid.
If you are hyperthyroid, increase your intake of these foods (goitrogens).
# Holistic Approaches to HypoThyroid States :
SUPPLEMENTS:
Minerals:
• Iodine: 150-1500 mcg/day (or ~ ½ -3 teaspoons a day of iodized table salt)
• Selenium: 200-400 mcg/day
• Zinc: 20-40 mg/ day. Take Zinc along with Copper (4-5mg/day) to prevent copper deficiency.
Vitamins:
• A good, whole-food vitamin preparation is always recommended. A whole-food vitamin is derived from food (rather than synthesized in a lab) and is produced from the food with minimal processing.
• 2-3 grams of omega-3 fish oils every day. If you have been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, increase this to 3-4 grams every day. Fish oils are anti-inflammatory and help reduce the auto-antibodies.
• To help maintain health and energy levels, take 2-3 times the RDA of B-vitamins.
• Anti-oxidants such as beta-carotene (3-6 mg/day), Vitamin C (1000-3000mg/day) and Vitamin E (400-800IU/day)
• Vitamin D: 1000-2000IU each day
# Herbs:
•Anti-inflammatory botanicals for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. You can use these in cooking and enjoy a more flavorful diet as well!
• Curcuma longa/Turmeric
• Capsicum/Cayenne pepper
• Olive oil
• Zingiber/Gingero
• Boswellia
• Grape seed extract
• Pycnogenol
• Green tea
# Holistic Approaches to HyperThyroid States:
SUPPLEMENTS:
Minerals:
• AVOID table salt and other foods that contain iodine
• Selenium: 200-400 mcg/day
• Zinc: 20-40 mg/ day. Take Zinc along with Copper (4-5mg/day) to prevent copper deficiency.
• Calcium:(Graves’ disease patients are more susceptible to osteoporosis)
# Vitamins and other supplements:
• A good, whole-food vitamin preparation is always recommended. A whole-food vitamin is derived from food (rather than synthesized in a lab) and is produced from the food with minimal processing.
• 2-3 grams of omega-3 fish oils every day. If you have been diagnosed with Graves’ disease, increase this to 3-4 grams every day. Fish oils are anti-inflammatory and help reduce the auto-antibodies.
• To help maintain health and energy levels, take 2-3 times the RDA of B-vitamins.
• Anti-oxidant vitamins:
• Vitamin C: 2000mg/day
• Vitamin E : 400-800 IU/day
• l-carnitine: 2 to 4 g/day. l-carnitine has been shown to inhibit thyroid hormone.
• CoQ10: 50 to 100 mg/day. CoQ10 has been shown to be deficient in hyperthyroidism.
# Herbs :
Only use these botanicals with the advice of a qualified naturopathic physician. Even natural products can cause harm if used incorrectly!
• The anti-thyroid botanicals block the TSH receptors in the cells and inhibit the conversion to T3, minimizing the hyperthyroidism:
• Lycopus spp.
• Lithospermum officinale
• Melissa officinalis
• Iris versicolor
• Emblica officinalis
# Home Remedies For Thyroid Problem :
A fine paste made of the vegetable jalakumbhi (Pistia straticies) applied over the affected part helps in reducing the swelling. The juice obtained from the jalakumbhi should be given in doses of II to 22 gm a day. It increases the amount of iodine, the lack of which, according to Allopathy, is one of the factors responsible for the disease.
Coconut oil offers much promise today to sufferers of hypothyroidism and slow metabolism. It is a known fact that the fatty acid chains in coconut oil, known as medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) or medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), offer wonderful health benefits and are no where found more abundantly in nature outside coconut oil. For the hypothyroid sufferer the MCTs rev up the body's sluggish metabolism
# Yoga :
Sarvangasna (shoulder stand) is the most suitable and effective asana for the thyroid gland.
# Pranayama :
The most effective Pranayama for thyroid problems is Ujjayi.
Ayurvedic medicine has a strong historical background of effective treatment of various diseases, including thyroid disease.
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