This May Help Cure Your Thyroid Gland And Balance Its Hormones
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Your body needs its fuel to go on, and it can only get this fuel when your thyroid kick-starts the process of metabolism. However, if your thyroid gland is not functioning the right way, your body will tire out easily and you may even find yourself unable to fit into that skinny pair of jeans.
What’s sad though is that thyroid is prevalent all over the world, and according to the Canadian Thyroid Association, 200 million people across the globe suffer from one or the other type of thyroid disease (1). The numbers for India are no good either. According to a survey carried out by the Indian Thyroid Society, 1 in every 10 Indians has a thyroid problem (2).
Despite the bleak statistics, there’s still hope. You can cure yourself of thyroid disease and lead a healthy life by following the cure we are about to present in this article. However, before we get to that, you need to get a fair idea of thyroid disease so that you can make a well-informed decision concerning your health.
What Is The Thyroid?
The thyroid is a gland that is located in your neck. It is a part of your endocrine system, i.e. the system that is responsible for the secretion of different hormones into your circulatory system, which, in turn, carries these hormones to their target organs (3).
What Is The Function Of The Thyroid?
The main function of this butterfly-shaped gland is to regulate your metabolism as well as other vital functions of your body such as your breathing, body weight, heart rate, cholesterol levels, menstrual cycle and much more (4). The thyroid gland releases two hormones, which enter into your bloodstream and carry out all of its vital functions.
However, sometimes your thyroid gland is unable to function properly, which can lead to either one of two conditions – hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. In this article, our focus will be on hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism is characterized by an underactive thyroid gland, which is unable to produce the required hormones in the right amount (5).
What Are The Causes Of An Underactive Thyroid Gland?
The causes behind a sluggish thyroid function are many. One of the primary causes of hypothyroidism is an autoimmune response that works against your thyroid (6). In this case, due to the attack by the immune system, your thyroid fails to produce enough hormones and becomes slow.
Another reason why you may have hypothyroidism is high levels of mercury in your body (7). Possible sources of exposure to mercury include dental fillings as well as ocean fishes – both of these contain high levels of mercury, which can impair thyroid function.
Chronic stress is one more cause of thyroid disease (8). When you are stressed out, the hormone ‘cortisol’ is produced in excess, which interferes with the thyroid’s process of hormone production.
Having too much of soy and soy-based products can also have an adverse impact on your thyroid function, leading to or worsening the symptoms of hypothyroidism (9), (10).
What Are The Symptoms Of Hypothyroidism?
One of the ways you can know whether you are suffering from hypothyroidism is by checking if you display the disease’s signs and symptoms. The common symptoms of hypothyroidism are listed below (11):
- Feeling cold even in warmer temperatures or exceptionally cold when the temperature drops.
- Dry skin that looks flaky and cracked.
- Hair that is prone to breakage and consequently leads to hair fall.
- Hair with split ends.
- Fatigue that you have no possible explanation for or loss of energy.
- Forgetfulness or weak memory.
- Depression.
- Constipation.
- Slow heart rate.
- Goiter or inflammation of your thyroid gland.
- Difficulty in losing weight or recent weight gain that you cannot explain.
The Cure That Can Help Your Thyroid Gland Balance Its Hormones
Finally, we come to the section of the cure for your thyroid gland problem! The treatment we’ll present to you is very simple.
The first thing you have to do to power your thyroid gland is indulge in a diet which is free of all thyroid disruptors for a period of 14 days. This means you’ll have to stop eating foods such as fish with high mercury content, flaxseed oil, corn, peanuts, alcohol, caffeine, and peanut butter (12). This helps your thyroid in regaining its strength.
Next, you will have to replace the foods you eliminated from your diet with foods that are loaded with anti-inflammatory properties. Foods that you can add to your diet include fresh fruits and vegetables, beans, seeds, nuts, lean meats, cold water fish, olive oil, and more.
As you can see you, you will have to follow a strict diet if you want to improve your thyroid function. However, experts suggest one cheat meal per week is acceptable as it can help boost your underactive thyroid. Cheat meals prevent you from starvation when you’re on a diet and increase metabolism.
Even if you feel the odds are stacked against you, you can still fight hypothyroidism by following this diet. Just make sure you’re persistent in your efforts.
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