Energize your thyroid naturally

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http://www.alternativemedicine.com/digest/issue17/17012R00.shtml

Energize Your Thyroid

The thyroid is a small endocrine gland in the neck that plays a major role in the metabolic actions that take place in each cell. The hormones associated with it affect the operation of every body system.

Functioning as a central command post, the thyroid sends hormonal messages to every cell in the body, directing the maintenance of body temperature, heart rate, muscle contractions, and the rate at which food is turned into energy. But for many, the thyroid is underactive (called hypothyroidism), an imbalance usually overlooked by conventional physicians and which can manifest as fatigue, subnormal body temperature, and unexplainable weight gain.

To get the thyroid back to full activity, physicians will usually prescribe either a synthethic thyroid hormone or a natural thyroid extract, but there are also steps you can take to support your thyroid. For example, a 2-4 week diet of only raw foods, with heavy emphasis on raw greens, seaweed, nuts, seeds, sprouted beans and seeds, and freshly extracted vegetable juices, can also improve thyroid function. Foods that contain iodine (necessary for thyroid activity) such as cod-liver oil and cod, lobster, shrimp, crab, haddock, halibut, and herring should be introduced into the diet.

50% OF AMERICANS CONSIDERED OVERWEIGHTOther foods such as seaweed, kelp, dulse, garlic, radishes, watercress, seafood, egg yolks, wheat germ, brewer’s yeast, mushrooms, watermelon, tropical fruits, and coconut oil are thyroid stimulating. Certain foods should be temporarily avoided as they diminish the release of thyroid hormone and interfere with thyroid function. These include mustard greens, kale, cabbage, peanuts, soy flour, millet, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, turnips, kohlrabi, spinach, and unsaturated oils such as flax, soybean, safflower, corn, and canola. Regarding supplementation, vitamin E deficiency reduces the absorption of iodine by the thyroid by 95% so 800-1200 IU daily of vitamin E is recommended. In addition, you may wish to take daily dosages of zinc (25 mcg), copper (3 mcg), vitamin A (up to 50,000 IU), vitamin C (3-5 g), vitamin B complex (100-150 mg), and the amino acid tyrosine (250-750 mg, taken between meals.)