Optimising Thyroid Function: Naturopathic Strategies for Hormonal Harmony
Three simple steps you can implement to help your general thyroid health. If you have diagnosed thyroid disease or want to get your thyroid properly screened beyond your TSH (Clue: that’s not a great marker for thyroid health) a thyroid-literate naturopath can help.
Reducing exposure to environmental toxins
Swapping your conventional cleaning products for more thyroid friendly options can be a small but significant step in helping you to have a happy thyroid.
Endocrine disrupting chemicals can interfere with thyroid functioning. These
chemicals can be found everywhere! But let’s start with our skin care and cleaning products- which can enter our bodies through transdermal absorption (through the skin) or through inhalation through our respiratory system.
I always suggest staging out the swaps as each of your conventional products finish-
When your surface cleaner is finished, swap that, and the following with your laundry powder when that’s empty- and you moisturiser when that runs out. This way it’s much less overwhelming and going to be lighter on your pocket.
I love Kin Kin, Abode or Koala Eco for home cleaning products and for makeup Ere Perez, or Inka. For skincare Mukti, Dr. Bronners, Edible Beauty or OrganicaSpa
Manage your stress!
This is a big one- Stress is not simple. It includes:
Acute, chronic, emotional, mental and physical stress.
So if you don’t think you’re mentally stressed, ask yourself if you’re physically stressed. Are you waking your body up to do punishing gym workout? Are you suffering with a chronic illness which is impacting your body?
One of the first questions I ask new thyroid clients is “What was happening in your life just prior to noticing the symptoms?”- I often hear there was a major illness of a family member, a huge work demands or a long history of elevated stress levels.
Stress not only has the power to trigger a thyroid problem, but can drive diagnosed thyroid complaints no matter how well controlled they have been previously.
Eat for your thyroid health
Another top reason I see low thyroid function in clinic is because of a lack of consuming the nutrients you need for optimal thyroid hormone function
To make adequate levels of T3 and T4 within the body- we must have the “ingredients”.
Some primary nutrients required for the synthesis of thyroid hormones and for the conversion of T4 to T3 are;
● Vitamin A
● Vitamin E
● B vitamins
● Iodine
● Zinc
● Iron
Before starting on supplements of these, I strongly advise speaking with your naturopath. The thyroid isn’t a simple gland and what looks like one thing, can be something completely different.
Three simple meals your thyroid is going to love are;
● Oily fish (Think SMASH- Sardines, Mackerel, Anchovies, Salmon and
Herring) with quinoa and lightly steamed greens.
● Chia seed puddings with fresh berries and a spoonful of ABC (Almond,
Brazil and Cashew) nut butter.
● Grass fed steak with fresh green salad or root vegetables like
carrots, parsnips, beetroots.
Loading up on self prescribed supplements isn’t going to help your thyroid, and there is so much more that can (and should) be done then stand alone thyroid pharmaceutical medications.
If you have suspicions about your thyroid, or have diagnosed thyroid disease you want better control over, let’s develop a strategy together.
I see clients from my clinic in Mornington, or Australia wide online.