Women, You Can Heal Your Thyroid Naturally!

Warning: A Little Clinical At First, But Very Educational.

The thyroid gland produces three important hormones. Triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) both require iodine and the essential amino acid tyrosine for their production. These hormones are involved in the regulation of the metabolic rate of our cells. When they are released into our blood, most of these molecules bind to blood proteins. Only a small percentage of these hormones circulate in an unbound state. It is believed that only these free T3 and T4 molecules influence cellular function. The third hormone produced by the thyroid is calcitonin. It is involved in calcium metabolism.

The master gland of the endocrine is the pituitary. It produces hormones that control the release of hormones by the other endocrine glands. The pituitary controls the release of thyroid hormones by releasing thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH).

Disturbances of the functioning of endocrine glands often develop over many years. Medical diagnostic methods usually can not detect a problem until these conditions are very advanced. As a result, they often go undiagnosed. These are what we call sub-clinical conditions as the symptoms are often too subtle to be easily diagnosed. Nevertheless, these conditions are very real and can have a profound impact on our health and well-being. Those who suffer from them are usually very aware that something is wrong even if their doctor can’t find anything.

In the case of the thyroid, disturbances of function are primarily diagnosed on the basis of blood tests for free T3, free T4 and TSH. In order to understand how the thyroid is functioning, it is not sufficient to simply measure T3 and T4 levels. It is also important to measure TSH so that we can determine how hard the pituitary has to work to get the thyroid to produce whatever levels of free thyroid hormones are present in the blood. Even then the results are difficult to interpret because there are many other factors that can influence the levels of these hormones.

Hyperthyroidism occurs when thyroid hormones are being produced in excess. This tends to speed up many of the processes that occur in our body. Symptoms include hyperactivity, elevated heart rate, intolerance to heat, weight loss, mild diarrhea and insomnia. In more serious cases goiter (enlarged thyroid) usually develops. Most of these symptoms can also be associated with hyper adrenal function and other conditions. Hyper adrenal function often occurs concurrently with hyperthyroid.

Hypothyroidism occurs when thyroid hormones are deficient. This tends to slow down many of the processes that occur in our body. Symptoms include fatigue, depression, reduced libido, intolerance to cold, weight gain, elevated cholesterol levels, constipation, hair loss and irregularities of the menstrual cycle in women. In advanced cases goiter develops here as well, especially when the condition is partially related to dietary iodine deficiency. Most of these symptoms can also be associated with hypo adrenal function and other conditions. Hypo adrenal function often occurs concurrently with hypothyroid.

So...What does all this mean? It is said that most women will experience some sort of thyroid issue during her lifetime. Some women can actually balance out their thyroid levels theme selves without even really knowing it, yet other's seem to experience worsening conditions over time. Because women are constantly dealing with a delicate balance between all the different hormones, they are more susceptible to fluctuations within their thyroid gland. I can't believe how many women I've personally known who have either had their thyroid gland removed or who are on medication to regulate the thyroid gland. Either way, you don't have to let things get this bad before you can start to heal your thyroid gland yourself.

Changing your diet and adding exercise into the mix, as simple as it sounds, can actually totally balance out your hormone levels naturally, very often resulting in the ability to get off all medication. The problem with thyroid medications is they often take months or even years to get the combinations and dosages correct before you feel somewhat "normal" again, and even then "normal" is sometimes hard to achieve.

There are 3 main causes of thyroid imbalance and they 2 of them originate in the diet.

1. Gluten in your diet
2. Hydrogenated oils in your diet
3. Imbalance of estrogen and progesterone in the body

Many foods and outside elements contribute to making women what they refer to now as 'estrogen dominant'. The key is to keep the delicate balance between estrogen and progesterone. There are actually many tests now that you can take at home which will help you keep track of your own hormone levels during a one month cycle. Once you do these at home tests, you mail them in to the company and they analyze your results. You can then work with your own Dr., preferably a holistically based Dr., and he can help get you a natural progesterone cream which can help jump start the balance. This, along with changing your diet and adding exercise will make a huge change in how you feel.

If you want more detailed information, there are many websites devoted to this subject. Be cautious though and always deal with someone you trust and know before starting any regimen.

http://www.beinghealthynaturally.com/naturalcures/thyroidproblems.htm

http://www.progressivehealth.com/underactive_thyroid.asp

Also, a very popular holistic treatment for thyroid issues is a product called, Thyroid Assist from Native Remedies, a very reputable holistic company. I've heard great things about this product. You can read more about when you click on the link below