Denton County Living Well Magazine July/August 2017 | Page 41

Strategy 1 Eliminate the causes of thyroid problems Carefully consider things that may interfere with your thy- roid function and eliminate them. As you will see, there are a good many things that can impede optimal thyroid function. Diet is a good place to begin. Certain foods have devel- oped a reputation for playing a role in thyroid dysfunction, but this reputation isn’t necessarily connected to the latest scientific evidence. For instance, the broccoli family (broc- coli, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, and collard greens) have all been said to cause thyroid dysfunction, but they also have many other health benefits. Research on these foods to date has been less than conclusive. But in one study, rats fed high concentrations of soy had problems with their thyroid, and soy can also cause insulin resistance. The take-home message: If you are a rat, stay away from tofu. Human studies have shown no significant effect when broccoli family is consumed in normal quantities. On the other hand, there are food groups where substantive ev- idence supports a link to an autoimmune disease of the thyroid that slows down your metabolism. Gluten is one of them. If you think you are having a thyroid problem, you need to do a blood test to identify any hidden reac- tion to gluten found in wheat, barley, rye, oats, kamut, and spelt. Gluten sensitivity or allergy can cause many differ- ent types of symptoms, from migraines to fatigue to weight gain. Besides doing the blood test, you can simply eliminate glu- ten from your diet for three weeks. If your symptoms go away, you have a clue that your system might not like this food. If you want to take this self-test a step further, reintro- duce gluten into your diet and see if your symptoms recur. If they do, that is another major clue. There are other food allergies besides gluten that can stall thyroid function. You might want to work with a medical practitioner to pinpoint and eliminate these food allergies. Besides certain foods and food allergies, toxins can slow down your thyroid. Testing yourself for m ercury and getting it out of your system and your environment becomes cru- cial. You also want to avoid fluoride, which has been linked to thyroid problems, and chlorinated water. Checking for pesticides is more difficult, but supporting your body’s de- toxification system by eating organic foods, filtering your water, and eating detoxifying foods can be very helpful to heal your thyroid. Stress also affects your thyroid function negatively. Military cadets in training who were subjected to intense stress had Continued, page 40 TexasStaradforlivingwell.pdf 1 April 8, 2017 C M FREE 30 MINUTE NUTRITIONAL CONSULTATION WHEN YOU MENTION LIVING WELL! Y CM (By Appointment) MY CY CMY K Donna S. Barsky, Pharm.D. (Doctor of Pharmacy)/Owner 3033 W. Parker Rd., #100 • Plano, Texas 75023 (Corner of Parker and Independence) [phone] • [email protected] DENTON COUNTY Living Well Magazine | JULY/AUGUST 2017 39