It’s been three years since I started reducing my symptoms and healing my thyroid naturally. To be honest, life can be unpredictable. I had been fighting in many ways to slowly heal my thyroid. If you have a low functioning thyroid, hopefully I can give you ways to reduce your symptoms too.

If you’re not familiar with what hypothyroidism is, it’s when your thyroid ( A butterfly shaped gland in your neck)  is not creating enough hormones. Hypothyroidism is low thyroid, while hyperthyroidism is a high thyroid.

The thyroid is a special gland. I was amazed at how much it does. It’s a superhero for your body. It takes iodine and turns it into a hormone thyroxine ( T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). These two hormones are sent into the blood stream where they  control your metabolism.

Here’s the list of symptoms which I had  it’s kinda scary):
Chronic fatigue

Brain fog

Insomnia

Weakness

Wake up feeling tired

Weight gain

Inability to lose weight

Cold feet

Feeling cold most of the time

Hair loss

Dry itchy scalp

rashes

Soft and brittle, ridged nails

Tingling in legs and hands

Headaches

Muscle and joint pain

Food sensitivity

Irregular periods

Emotional tension

Irritability

Mood swings

Anxiety ( it was really bad)

Adrenal fatigue

Anemia

Fast pulse

 

… I was cringing as I typed that all out. Yes, I experienced all that. Out of all those, I still do struggle with two. The dry itchy scalp and that monthly visitor isn’t as long as it had been. That should speak volumes about the struggle and my victory over all those terrible symptoms.

 

The Journey

It was fall of 2014 and I noticed I had suddenly gained more weight and had hormonal problems with the monthly you know who. When it didn’t go away and I hate to say— I didn’t do anything until the spring— I finally went to the doctor and had a blood test done.  I was anxiously waiting back for the results and what he told me baffled me.
Low thyroid. But only by a little bit and my vitamins were low. My iron was also low. He explained that’s why I felt so weak and tired all the time. Although he did tell me to up my vegetable intake. So that was a plus!

So now if you look back at that list of symptoms, it really is scary. I was told it was just a little low. A little low did a whole lot of damage!

The doctor gave me a prescription for synthetic thyroid medication and sent me on my way.

After figuring out what I even had. I decided not to take the synthetic road and went the natural way.  That was back in 2014. I remember I had my energy back by 2015. Today, I have two symptoms out of the countless I had to endure. Victory!

 

My Plan

I ate more vegetables and fruit. Tried to get more than 7 servings a day

Yup, sometimes the simplest thing can do wonders. I ‘d stick in veggies whichever meals I could.  Breakfast? Omelette with spinach or kale. Lunch? Homemade burger with lettuce, or a smoothie along with rice and curry. Dinner? I baked up carrots, celery, sweet potatoes with chicken and even added herbs.

For days I didn’t eat as much veggies, I’d drink a green powdered drink. Like Macrogreens.

Probiotics for your gut

Many diseases can be traced back to the gut. We end up annihilating friendly colonies of bacteria over there with antibiotics. It’s a bacterium fearing world out there. What we need is to populate and replenish our flora. We have good bacteria that help digest and absorb the nutrients in our food. This was a major cause of why I had so little vitamins in my body. (Despite supplementing with synthetic vitamins)

Eat foods like fermented vegetables, sauerkraut, pickles, yogurt and kefir. You can even take a good probiotic supplement

I replaced my white table salt with Himalayan salt. It’s mineral rich and helps your water intake too.

 

I gave up soy.

Although I might add soy sauce with baked salmon or sushi, sometimes.

 

No processed foods, or at least kept it to a minimum.

I was able to swap out chips, cookies, and chocolate for a better quality. So I don’t restrict myself 100% but I try to eat 80% healthy and leave the remaining 20% guilt-free.

Vitamin B12

In the beginning, I was taking sublingual vitamin B12. ( methylcobolamin, which is absorbed easier) For the energy I needed. Eventually I found B12 by eating more:
Grass fed meat and dairy.

Free-range or pastured eggs

Exercise! But not too much

But, since having a low thyroid can stress your body out if you over work yourself, you have to do it right. You don’t need to hit the gym for hours on end. Go run, play or dance for 30 mins at least if not 45. That’s the sweet spot for time.

Adjust your workout according to how you feel right after it. Feel good and pumped? Then great, keep that timing. If you get sickly, low energy and feel like a hot mess after 30 mins? Then bring it back.

 

Take a breather and de-stress

Pray, meditate. Whatever gives you time to relax, calm your mind and body. Even if it takes five minutes. Try to get that time in and focus on your healing. Positive affirmations are a treat to your brain.

 

I cleaned out my medicine cabinet, cosmetics, cleaning supplies etc.

I got rid off all the toxicity that was getting in contact with our skin. I found natural alternatives for our soap ( like Castile, black African shea butter soap) shampoo, cleaners and toothpaste. Trashed the Crest, antibacterial soap bars and bought clay based toothpaste, natural soaps and body washes, laundry detergent, baking soda and essential oils. They were the most effective for our skin and for staving off bacteria and viruses. These changes were probably the easiest to do. You get rid of a lot of foreign toxic chemicals this way too.

We’d use elderberry syrup, raw honey and the occasional mint, eucalyptus lozenge for colds and flus.

 

 

More healthy fat!

You’ve seen low-fat everything in the stories. Low-fat shoved in our faces and our mouths.  Healthy fats are: avocados, grass fed butter, olive oil, olives, nuts etc. They help our body to perform better. Our brain needs it especially. You get fuller longer. I’ve eaten an egg with half an avocado and I’d be fuller longer. Plus, all the nutrient dense food helps you lose weight as well. I’d eat a lot and continue to eat healthy fats and didn’t gain more weight.

 

Swap out that non-stick for glassware, ceramic and steel

This one can be tough. But if you hop onto sales and store clearances you can benefit from the plastic free containers and cookware.  We still have a few since family can be stubborn. Plastic mimics estrogen and that’s a no no especially when your thyroid is having a breakdown.

Sprouted grains and soaked nuts and seeds

This one goes out to your digestion. When grains, nuts and seeds are soaked or sprouted they burst with vitamins and minerals and it’s easier for you to absorb those precious nutrients.

Don’t give up!

This goes for everything. My hope and determination kept me going. Don’t think you can’t do anything right. I tried and so many others I’ve learned from, who were battling low thyroid. If we can, then you can help improve your thyroid’s function.

Hopefully this helps. I urge you, if you have many of the above symptoms, please get yourself tested. There’s no perfection. All that I did, didn’t change me overnight.  So, take the small steps.

By sharing this, I want to give you support, encouragement and hope. I really do hope this can help you too!

Take care!