The thyroid gland plays an important role in regulating bodily functions, especially the metabolism. It is essential to maintain an optimal function of the thyroid because a dysfunction can cause problems like thyroiditis and hypothyroidism. While many cases stay undiagnosed as these problems do not show symptoms in earlier stages, as time passes symptoms worsen and affect your health in adverse ways.
While there are many medications that will help in thyroid rebalancing, these are only bandaid type approaches to health and here are a few lifestyle changes that you can make in order to start the process naturally.
Lifestyle Changes for Thyroid Rebalancing
The problem with thyroid imbalances is that at first you might not even notice it. On top of that, in some cases, patients receive blood work reports that do not reflect a thyroid or hormonal imbalance according to established cutoff values. This causes people to believe that the symptoms are due to another problem. This is why it is best to get several tests before coming to conclusions. Once you have detected the problem, it is best to visit a functional medicine practitioner like Stephen Cabral who will guide you towards lifestyle changes, as following:
Balance Your Blood Sugar
In order to balance your hormones, it is essential to balance your blood sugar since it can have a massive impact on both your hormones and thyroid. Fortunately, blood sugar can easily be controlled by managing diet. Essentially you have to avoid foods/beverages that are high in sugar and carbohydrates. This also includes limiting or even avoiding most fruits for a period of time until levels are balanced.
Manage Your Stress
Stress causes various health related challenges so it does not come as a surprise that it also adversely affects the thyroid. Stress may be a contributing factor to the onset of thyroid autoimmune disorders, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Grave’s disease. It is recommended to take a step back from your stressful life once in a while because it can really contribute to poor health when you are chronically stressed.
Exercise Regularly
Exercise helps in thyroid rebalancing in two ways: it helps to release stress and it also stimulates the secretion of thyroid hormones and increases tissue sensitivity to the hormones. For people looking to benefit from exercising, it is recommended to work with a practitioner who can gauge your personal level of exercise that is appropriate for your body. Everybody is unique and what works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another.
Avoid Toxic Food
Thyroid imbalance can also be caused by toxic food and food sensitivities that ultimately worsen the symptoms. These can include alcohol, dairy, gluten, artificial sweeteners, refined seed and vegetable oils, added sugar and foods containing artificial dyes. The best way to know which foods are negatively affecting your health would be to run an at-home Food Sensitivity Test.
Increase Specific Nutrients
Intake of vital nutrients can also help in thyroid rebalancing. These nutrients include:
- Vitamin A from leafy greens, cantaloupe, nectarines, peaches, cod liver oil etc.
- Iodine from seaweed, shrimp, salmon, sardines, oysters, eggs
- Zinc from oysters, ginger root, brazil nuts, almonds, walnuts, sardines
- Vitamin C from citrus fruits, strawberries, leafy greens, red chili pepper
- Vitamin E peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, olive oil, wheat-germ
Incorporating the above lifestyle changes can help in thyroid rebalancing and ultimately save you from bigger problems in the future.