The standard treatment for hypothyroidism is taking daily thyroid hormone replacement medication. Of course, medicines often come with side effects, and forgetting to take a pill might lead to more symptoms. In some cases, natural remedies may cause fewer side effects and fit into your overall lifestyle better.
Natural Remedies
- The goal of natural remedies or alternative medicine is to fix the root cause of the thyroid problem.
- Thyroid problems sometimes start as the result of poor diet, stress, or missing nutrients in your body.
- Changing your diet and taking an herbal supplement are two ways you can help your thyroid condition.
- These options may have fewer side effects than taking thyroid medicine.
- Also, using an herbal supplement for the treatment of a low or underactive thyroid may be helpful for people who aren't responding well to medicines.
- Consider the following five natural remedies as additions or alternatives to your treatment plan.
Selenium
- According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), selenium is a trace element that plays a part in thyroid hormone metabolism.
- Many foods on the market today contain selenium, including grass-fed beef, tuna, turkey, and Brazil nuts.
- Hashimoto's thyroiditis, an immune system attack on the thyroid, often diminishes the body's selenium supply.
- Supplementing this trace element has shown to help balance thyroxine, or T4, levels in some people.
- It's important to talk with your doctor about how much selenium may be right for you since every person is different.
Sugar-Free Diet
- Sugar and processed foods can lead to increased inflammation in the body.
- Inflammation can slow down the conversion of T4 to triiodothyronine, or T3, another thyroid hormone.
- This can make your symptoms and thyroid disease worsen.
- Also, sugar only boosts your energy level in the short term, eliminating it from your diet may help regulate your energy levels.
- Additionally, removing sugar from your diet may help your skin and stress levels.
- It's not easy to adopt a sugar-free diet, but the benefit to your thyroid health may be worth it.
Vitamin B
- Taking certain vitamin supplements can have an impact on your thyroid health.
- Low thyroid hormones can affect your body's vitamin B-12 levels.
- Taking a vitamin B-12 supplement may help you repair some of the damage your hypothyroidism caused.
- Vitamin B-12 can help with the tiredness caused by thyroid disease.
- Thyroid disease also impacts your vitamin B-1 levels.
You can add more B vitamins to your diet with the following foods:
- peas
- asparagus
- sesame seeds
- tuna
- cheese
- milk
- eggs
Vitamin B-12 is generally safe for most healthy individuals at recommended levels.
The vitamin should be used with caution if you have any of the following conditions:
- heart disorder
- high blood pressure
- history of cancer
- skin disorders
- discolored urine
- stomach issues
- anemia, due to abnormal potassium levels
- blood clotting disorders
- increased uric acid or gout
- It's important to talk with your doctor about how much vitamin B-12 may be right for you.
Probiotics
- The NIH studied the link between hypothyroidism and small intestine problems.
- These problems included an overgrowth of bacteria, such as yeast.
- Probiotic supplements contain live bacteria that can help keep your stomach and intestines healthy.
- Besides supplement forms, fermented food and drink, such as kefir, kombucha, raw cheese, and yogurt contain useful probiotics.
- However, the Food and Drug Administration has not approved the use of probiotics for the prevention or treatment of any condition.
- Talk with your doctor to see if these supplements might help you.
Gluten-Free Diet
- Adopting a gluten-free diet is more than a fad for many people with hypothyroidism.
- According to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, a significant number of people with thyroid disease also have celiac disease, which is a digestive disorder in which people cannot handle consuming gluten.
- While research doesn't currently support a gluten-free diet for the treatment of thyroid disease, many people with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and hypothyroidism do feel better after cutting wheat and other gluten-containing foods from their diet.
- But there are some drawbacks to going gluten-free.
- For one, the cost of buying gluten-free foods is often much higher than foods containing wheat.
- And some prepackaged, gluten-free foods aren't healthy.
- That's because these foods often have higher fat content and less fiber than wheat-containing products.
The Takeaway
- For many, the advantages of adopting a natural thyroid treatment plan outweigh the disadvantages.
- However, if you've had surgery to remove your thyroid, a natural thyroid treatment plan isn't for you.
- As always, you should discuss any treatment plans with your doctor before starting them.
Source: https://healthyhomestead.com
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