Alternative Thyroid Treatments

Here's how you can treat thyroid problems naturally...

Alternative thyroid treatments are a safe and effective way to naturally overcome most thyroid problems. Rather than simply medicating people, which tends to be the conventional approach these days, there are various aspects of your life you should consider changing, or at least modifying, if you want to improve your thyroid functioning as well as overcome any low thyroid symptoms you may be experiencing.

Improve Your Nutritional Habits

Your nutritional habits should be the first place you consider making some changes if you are considering alternative thyroid treatments. What you eat on a regular basis has a direct impact on the amount of essential nutrients your body receives in order to produce thyroid hormones.

In particular, the minerals, iodine and selenium, in addition to the amino acid, tyrosine, are nutrients you must make sure are present in the foods you eat on a regular basis in order to ensure optimum thyroid functioning or for improving thyroid function. If you can't be certain that the foods you eat every day contain these nutrients then you are better off using a thyroid-support supplement like, BCN's Thyron.

If you regularly consume nutrient-sparse foods (junk foods) or drink (alcohol) excessively, then it is highly likely that you body is, or will become, deficient in the various nutrients it requires in order to ensure optimum thyroid function. This can then result in a range of thyroid problems.

By including the following foods in your diet on a regular basis you will be able to ensure you provide your body with adequate levels of the essential nutrients required for optimum thyroid functioning. They are: fish, meat, seafood, sea salt, kelp, seaweed, iodised salt, legumes, brazil nuts, shellfish, sunflower seeds, whole grains and dairy foods. Eating these foods regularly is one of the simplest alternative thyroid treatments.

Reduce Your Stress Levels

High stress levels induce the release of a hormone called, cortisol from the adrenal glands. These glands sit on top of the kidneys. High levels of cortisol impairs the conversion of T4 into T3. T4 (thyroxine) is considered to be the 'inactive' thyroid hormone, whilst T3 (tri-iodothyronine) is the 'active' form.

As a result, low T3 levels in your body means a depressed metabolism. To make matter worse, T4 may get converted into rT3 (reverse T3), which blocks the T3 receptors on cell membranes. This slows your metabolism even further! Furthermore, rT3 also inhibits the conversion of T4 into T3 again, reducing your metabolism.

In order to reduce stress levels in your body and the impact cortisol has, it is essential that you incorporate stress management techniques like, meditation, yoga and perhaps even psychological counselling in a group format or individually. Each of these techniques are effective at lowering the level of cortisol in your body and therefore improving thyroid function.

You may also like to consider using a herbal supplement to help your body deal with stress more effectively. The herb is called 'Rhodiola' and is classed as an 'Adaptogen', which means it helps your body adapt to stress making it more resistant to its effects. Rhodiola has also been shown to nourish and support the adrenal glands. If stress is a major issue for you then I strongly recommend using a standardised supplement containing the herb. BCN's Rhodiola Advanced is one of the very best on the market.

Reducing your stress levels is one of the simplest yet most effective alternative thyroid treaments available.

Make Some Lifestyle Changes

If you are seriously considering alternative thyroid treatments in order to overcome thyroid problems, then you must be willing to make some substantial lifestyle changes.

Not only do these lifestyle changes include improving nutritional habits and reducing stress levels, as mentioned earlier, but also you need to consider ways to improve your body's overall functioning. For example, ensuring you get an adequate amount of sleep each night, allocating time to activities you enjoy, spending time with family and friends and generally having a balanced lifestyle.

All of these strategies can help to lower stress (cortisol) levels in your body and therefore reduce the impact cortisol has on your thyroid gland. Again, these are very simple alternative thyroid treatments.

Support Optimal Adrenal Function

High cortisol levels not only inhibit the conversion of T4 into T3 and increase the production of rT3 but chronically high cortisol levels lead to a condition known as, 'adrenal fatigue'.

If this occurs, cortisol levels in the body may drop substantially. Whilst this may seem like a good thing, in actual fact it is bad because it causes thyroid problems of a different nature. Low cortisol reduces the number of T3 receptors in addition to reducing the transport of T3 within the cell.

Therefore, it is essential that cortisol levels are kept within a safe range. If you have experienced chronic (long term) stress, then it is highly likely that you may have some degree of adrenal fatigue and using a product like, Rhodiola Advanced will be beneficial because it will help to nourish and support your adrenal glands.

Consider Chelation Therapy

If you're suffering with any of the low thyroid symptoms, then it is worthwhile getting a hair mineral analysis done to see if you have a problem with the presence of heavy metals in your body. Even though it's not the most accurate way to measure levels of heavy metals in your body, it can give you an indication.

High levels of heavy metals such as mercury and lead cause a whole range of problems in your body including thyroid problems. Therefore, chelation therapy becomes necessary. This involves chelating or 'clawing' the heavy metals out of your body through the use of specific supplements, which are considered alternative thyroid treatments. Depending on the amount present in your body, the process may take several months or years to get the levels down to within the 'acceptable' range.

Use Appropriate Supplements

If you suffer with low thyroid symptoms or any other thyroid problems, using alternative thyroid treatments, like supplements becomes essential. One of the very best thyroid support supplements available is a product called, Thyron. It contains all the essential nutrients required for optimum thyroid hormone production and conversion into the active form. It also contains a range of adaptogens including, rhodiola.

Here's a list of all the nutrients required for optimum thyroid hormone production and conversion: iodine, selenium, tyrosine, zinc, vitamin C, vitamin E and various B vitamins.

Also, antioxidants are beneficial because they help to reduce the production and impact of free radicals in the body. A great source of antioxidants is BCN's Super 7 Blend. It contains a range of 7 powerful 'Superfoods' that will provide your body with a range of antioxidants.

Consider the Correct Use of Thyroid Medication

Even though the use of thyroid medication is not considered one of the alternative thyroid treatments, it may be used in an alternative way from the convention approach used by most doctors.

The major problem with using thyroid medication long term is that it simply shuts down your body's natural production of thyroid hormones. This is certainly not the best way to deal with thyroid problems but tends to be the approach used by the vast majority of medical practitioners.

The way to make thyroid medication one of the alternative thyroid treatments is to simply use it for a short period of time in order to 'normalise' your thyroid hormone levels.

Here's how it works: If you suffer from hypothyroidism (low thyroid level) which has resulted from high levels of rT3, taking T3 thyroid medication will help to balance the T3/rT3 ratio. It does this by initially reducing your body's production of T4.

If T4 production is reduced, the conversion of T4 into both T3 and rT3 will also be reduced. Eventually, whatever rT3 is left in the body will also be eliminated. The lower rT3 levels will no longer inhibit the conversion of T4 into T3.

Therefore, after a few weeks of T3 use (in conjunction with regular testing), once the rT3 levels have normalised, the T3 medication can cease.

It is amazing that more doctors aren't aware of these alternative thyroid treatments and unfortunately go straight for the medication, which almost always results in the person requiring use of the medication for the rest of their life!

There are so many benefits to ensuring your thyroid gland functions normally and your thyroid hormones remain within normal ranges. Not only will they ensure good overall health and body functioning but they will also ensure that your weight-loss efforts become much easier!

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