Outofstress.com

Natural Ways to Improve Thyroid Function

The thyroid gland, situated in the throat, may be small but its healthy functioning plays an enormous part in our general well-being. It is what is known as an endocrine gland which means it is responsible for the secretion of certain essential hormones. Dysfunction of the thyroid gland will affect the secretions of these hormones whose job it is to regulate the workings of many of our bodily systems. In this article, we are going to look at some natural ways of improving the thyroid function.

The thyroid can be under-active or over-active and both of these will affect our overall health and general well-being.

Under-active Thyroid – Hypothyroidism

Some of the symptoms associated with an under-active thyroid are:

• Weight gain – due to the slowing of the metabolism
• Tiredness and fatigue
• Sensitivity to cold temperatures
• Depression
• Poor memory and concentration
• Muscle fatigue and soreness
• Poor hair and skin appearance/health
• Constipation
• Fertility and menstrual problems

Over-active Thyroid – Hyperthyroidism

Some of the symptoms associated with an over-active thyroid are:

• Weight loss – due to increased metabolism
• Fatigue
• Diarrhoea
• Temperature intolerance – at both ends of the scale
• Disturbed sleep
• Mood imbalances – include increased irritability and nervousness
• Menstruation irregularities
• Anxiety
• Thinning hair

Natural Ways to Improve Thyroid Functions

Here are some natural remedies to improve the function of the thyroid gland.

Diet to Improve Thyroid function: The most common cause for an under-active thyroid is an insufficiency of iodine in the diet and therefore a natural way to improve thyroid function is to increase iodine intake.

Many sea foods are rich in iodine particularly seaweeds and sea vegetables, notably kelp. Kelp extract can be bought as a supplement.

The thyroid also needs certain minerals to function at a healthy level, notably copper and iron. Foods that contain copper are clams, oysters (also iodine rich), cashews, almonds and sunflower seeds. Iron can be found in green leaf vegetables such as watercress and spinach. Vitamin C will aid the body to absorb the iron so supplement your diet with foods such as tomatoes and citrus fruit that contain Vitamin C.

Other foods that will be beneficial are goat’s cheese, green peppers, avocado and raw asparagus.

There are several completely natural supplements on the market that are specially produced to address problems with thyroid functioning. They contain mixtures of extracts and dietary supplements that can help to regulate the thyroid.

Herbal remedies to Improve Thyroid Function: Many herbal remedies will be helpful for the relief of some of the symptoms of thyroid dysfunction but will not address the cause, and therefore the root, of the problem.

It is thought that certain foods block the healthy functioning of the thyroid and these include kale, cauliflower, broccoli and peanuts.

Thyroid dysfunctions are more likely to affect females than males and under-active thyroid problems are far more common than over-active thyroid problems. High numbers of people will experience some level of thyroid dysfunction at some point in their lives and the problem can be temporary and therefore natural ways to improve thyroid functions can be employed.

However, continuing and prolonged thyroid dysfunction can have serious health implications. Medical intervention will be necessary in these cases.

Article by expert author ‘Deneice Arthurton’