Thyroid dysfunction is the second most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age (Australian Govt Dept Health, 2021).
Disorders of the thyroid gland affects your metabolic rate and as a consequence, energy, metabolism (including digestion) and weight. Based on what I see in clinic, problems with the thyroid are most commonly due to a lack of nutrients for thyroid hormone synthesis, genetic predisposition and/or autoimmunity attacking thyroid tissue.
When women come to me with thyroid test results, even if they have been put on medication already, I take a step back and ask a lot of questions. Why has this happened?
Is there a dietary insufficiency affecting your thyroid’s capacity to make thyroid hormone? Iron, iodine and protein are all key nutrients to consider.
The presence of other autoimmune diseases can also influence immune regulation in other parts of the body, including thyroid.
Exposure to toxins, endocrine disrupters and sources of inflammation in the body can impact the integrity of the thyroid tissue.
In the case of an under-functioning thyroid gland, being on thyroxine will help to substitute for the thyroid hormone that your thyroid isn’t producing anymore, but it won’t do anything to slow the damage to the gland! It will also have no impact on the autoimmune processes that may have started up in your body! It’s likely that antibodies will keep going up, and more and more medication will be needed to keep your metabolism within normal range in order to maintain your body functions.
In some cases, levels of thyroid dysfunction may not be considered serious enough to warrant medications. From a naturopathic perspective, this is still an indicator that thyroid care is needed. From your perspective, it will be nice to know that you can still do something to support your body in coping better with early symptoms you may be experiencing.
From a naturopathic point of view, I aim to support my thyroid patients in the following ways:
- Boost stamina:
Usually thyroid dysfunction is associated with fatigue. My aim is to get you feeling better by looking for ‘holes’ in the energy chain - which nutrients are being over-utilised and under-fuelled?
- Reduce stress on the thyroid
I help you identify sources of toxic load and inflammation that create a hostile environment for your thyroid and use nutrients and lifestyle changes to reduce that impact.
- Support immune regulation
I recommend nutrients and plant-based therapeutics which assist the body in regulating immune activity in a healthy way.
- Protect and preserve thyroid tissue
I recommend key nutrients to preserve the longevity of the thyroid.
By taking a holistic approach tailored to the individual, I help address the reasons why your thyroid function has been compromised and minimize the impact to improve your quality of life. This naturopathic approach can be complimentary to conventional medication.
If you feel you could do with some support in dealing with the effects of a thyroid problem, contact cyena@highervibration.com.au.
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