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higher levels of cortisol, higher inflammation levels, re-
duced testosterone, higher TSH, and very low T3. Treating
the thyroid without dealing with chronic stress can precipi-
tate more problems. A common form of chronic stress––ad-
renal gland exhaustion or burnout––particularly becomes
dangerous for hypothyroidism. Adrenal gland exhaustion
occurs when your adrenal glands are unable to keep up
with the physiological needs created by stress. To remedy
this chronic stress, incorporate what I call active relaxation.
You might also consider Calm nutritional (a form of pharma-
ceutical grade magnesium) to melt away stress and anxiety.
Strategy 2: Regular Exercise and Saunas
Exercise stimulates thyroid gland secretion and increases
tissue sensitivity to thyroid hormones throughout the body.
Ideally, you will want to sweat, and the exercise
should be vigorous. Regardless of your current fit-
ness level, you will find a helpful, easy-to-implement
workout plan here. Besides being an excellent way
to relax your muscles and your mind, saunas or
steam baths are a good way to flush your system of
pesticides that could be contributing to your thyroid
problem.
omega-3 fats, and vitamin D. Dandelion, mustard, and oth-
er dark leafy greens contain vitamin A. Smelt, herring, scal-
lops, and Brazil nuts contain selenium. You want to avoid
foods that can interfere with thyroid function. These include
the aforementioned gluten. Also, choose clean sources of
protein and avoid processed soy products.
Strategy 4:
Use Supplements That Support Your Thyroid
Key nutrients for healthy thyroid function are necessary ba-
sic supplement recommendations, including a multivitamin
and mineral supplement that contains selenium, iodine,
zinc, vitamins A and D, and omega 3 fats (fish oil). You will
find all these nutrients at my store, as well as a thyroid sup-
port nutritional. One warning is that if your adrenal glands
are burned out from long-term stress, treating the thyroid
Saunas are an important aid to weight loss and thy-
roid repair because as you lose weight, fat tissue
releases stored toxins such as PCBs and pesticides
(organochlorines). These toxins lower your T3 levels,
consequently slowing your resting metabolic rate
and inhibiting your fat-burning ability. Detoxifying
becomes an important part of improving your thy-
roid function. If you don’t detoxify, your ability to
lose weight decreases as you lose weight because
of the released toxins’ detrimental impact on thyroid
function.
Strategy 3: Eat Foods That Provide
Nutritional Support for Your Thyroid,
and Avoid Those That Don’t
Every step on your road to healing and weight loss de-
pends on proper nutrition and using food to communicate
the right information to your genes. Treating your thyroid is
no exception.
Choose foods that offer nutritional support for your thyroid.
The production of thyroid hormones requires iodine and
omega-3 fatty acids; converting the inactive T4 to the ac-
tive T3 requires selenium; and both the binding of T3 to the
receptor on the nucleus and switching it on require vitamins
A and D, as well as zinc. You will find these nutrients in a
whole-food, clean, organic diet. To get therapeutic levels of
these nutrients, please use the supplement protocol in Strat-
egy 4. Thyroid-boosting foods include seaweed and sea
vegetables, which contain iodine or there are supplements
that have the potassium iodide that you need for conver-
sion. Fish (especially sardines and salmon) contains iodine,
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DENTON COUNTY Living Well Magazine | JULY/AUGUST 2017
without supporting the adrenal glands through relaxation
and adaptogenic herbs (such as ginseng, rhodiola, or Sibe-
rian ginseng) can actually make you feel worse.
I also recommend working with our experienced Clinical
Nutritionist who can address individual nutrient needs for
your thyroid and, if necessary, also your adrenal glands.
Strategy 5: Have Your Thyroid Tested
There is no one perfect way, no one symptom nor test result,
that will properly diagnose low thyroid function or hypo-
thyroidism. The key is to look at the whole picture––your
symptoms and your blood tests––and then decide.
Doctors typically diagnose thyroid problems by testing
your TSH levels and sometimes your free T4 level. But some
doctors and clinicians have brought the “normal” levels of
those tests into question. The diagnosis of “subclinical” hy-
pothyroidism that most physicians use depends on having a
TSH level higher than 5 m IU/ml and lower than 10 m IU/