"Drugs are not always necessary, but belief in recovery always is." Norman Cousins
There's no one magic pill that ensures that one can live well with thyroid disease. Rather, the secret lies in finding the right doctor, the right treatments, the right attitude and support groups!
Some of the best tips we've found are described below and we know these worked for many thyroid patients.
Find The Right Doctor For You
The medical community and thyroid patients are starting to recognize that in practice, hypothyroidism may actually require a hormone specialist.
The "specialists" for hormone balance and chronic hypothyroidism tend to be found in a variety of disciplines and specialties, and include: integrative physicians; functional medicine doctors; holistic MDs; osteopaths; anti-aging practitioners; gynecologists; menopause and hormone experts; internists; and primary care physicians who have taken an interest in thyroid and hormone balance in their patients.
Find The Right Thyroid Treatment
Finding the right treatment or drug — at the right dosage — is not an automatic process for everyone, and may require some experimenting and patience. The overwhelming majority of doctors and endocrinologists use Synthroid, which is the inactive thyroid hormone T4, and hope your body converts it to the active thyroid hormone T3. The problem is that the conversion of T4 (the storage hormone) to T3 (the active hormone) can be reduced in anyone with significant stress, depression, history of dieting, insulin resistance, obesity, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, autoimmune disease, chronic inflammation, chronic infections, PMS, iron deficiency, and many more conditions. Thus, T3-containing preparations and straight time-released T3 is much more effective for the majority of people.
Educate Yourself About Your Thyroid Health
Find reliable sources on the internet and educate yourself about the thyroid conditions. There are a few doctors who write important and easy-to-read articles on the matter, so take some time to learn about your body, symptoms and available treatments.
It is critical to understand what's going on in your body, so you can ask the right questions, discuss options with your doctor, and find another thyroid doctor if yours doesn't make sense.
Surround Yourself With Personal Support
Close family members, friends, as well as many people you come into contact with daily, can all play a part in helping to encourage your return to good health. Thyroid support forums can offer useful advice, whatever the health situation you might encounter. Be careful though how you choose your groups: you don't want a group that has a particular agenda, like purchasing certain supplements, or a group that focuses only on certain solutions, discouraging alternative methods of treatment.
Reduce Stress In Your Life
Stress over works the adrenal glands, which specifically deal with all survival responses in relation to any form of stress. The adrenal-hypothalamus-pituitary feedback loop regulates the secretion of cortisol. All of your organs and your immunity are impacted negatively by the resulting constant assault of cortisol. Low adrenal function can actually cause someone's thyroid problem to be much worse than it would be otherwise.
Look at the various stressors in your life and focus on eliminating these. Get organized and have a realistic plan for each day so you don't get overloaded with too much work on a single day.
Learn to say "no" to extra obligations and requests from other people, especially when you deal with a high volume of work yourself.
Exercise, mind-body practices like yoga and T'ai Chi, deep-breathing techniques, meditation, and relaxation tapes can all be extremely effective. Some people find that alternative therapies like aromatherapy or listening to relaxation tapes help work to reduce stress. It's important to find methods that work for you and to actively practice them, while at the same time removing or reducing those stress factors that you can control. Also focus on having regular bedtime hours and getting the eight hours of sleep you need. The sleep between 10 PM - 2 AM is the most beneficial for your adrenal glands.
Maintain A Positive Outlook And Attitude
A positive emotional state can actually help ward off disease and even prolong life, according to research. The theory is that the more optimistic a person is, the less stress put on the body over time. When there is little stress, the body thrives, is able to better ward off infection, and has more resources to devote to healing.
Reduce Soy
The soybean contains large quantities of potentially harmful substances. First among them are potent enzyme inhibitors, goitrogens which suppress thyroid function and phytates which block the uptake of essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron and especially zinc. It makes sense to avoid this food from your diet when you are dealing with thyroid problems, and consume in moderation, if you wish, only the healthier, fermented forms of soy (miso, tempeh, etc) when you have your symptoms under control.
Reduce Fluoride
Based on fluoride's anti-thyroid effects in hyperthyroid patients, concerns have arisen about whether current fluoride exposure could be contributing to the increased prevalence of under-active thyroid. A number of studies from China, India, Russia have found alterations in thyroid hormones, including reduced T3 and increased TSH, in populations exposed to elevated levels of fluoride in the workplace or in the water.
Research shows that fluoride exposure worsens the impact of an iodine deficiency. Iodine is the basic building block of the T3 and T4 hormones and thus an adequate iodine intake is essential for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland.
Checking the quality of your water and avoiding fluoride toothpaste are some of the most important things you can do to minimize exposure, as well as avoiding processed drinks and foods, pesticides and Teflon pans.
The Good Life
By implementing these strategies you can improve your thyroid health and be on the road to a happier, healthier you in no time!
Resources:
Living Well With Thyroid Disease
