By Lindsey Mueller, Clinical Nutritionist
Did you know that 27 million Americans suffer from thyroid dysfunction? Even worse, half of these people are undiagnosed! My motto is TO TEST, NEVER GUESS. Your Renew Youth consultants will check your thyroid levels via lab testing, and your Renew Youth doctor will prescribe the right amount of thyroid medication to alleviate symptoms.
Here are some other things you can do to support your thyroid in conjunction with treatment:
Blood Sugar Control
Surges of insulin (by eating sugar, starches, and processed foods) can trigger TH-17 cells. These cells promote inflammation, and potentially autoimmune flare-ups that can affect the thyroid (either by increasing your blood sugar above 110, or by decreasing your blood sugar below 80). Removing or reducing gluten, dairy, legumes, high glycemic load foods, sugar, alcohol, and caffeine can go a long way toward supporting and protecting your thyroid. If you have autoimmune thyroiditis, removing nuts, seeds, and eggs, may also be helpful.
Gut Health
We often find that the root cause of a thyroid issue is in the gut. By conducting an in-home stool test, we can see whether parasites, yeast overgrowth, dysbiosis, gut inflammation, or other issues may be provoking thyroid dysfunction. From there, we might recommend the 4 “R” program (Remove, Re-inoculate, Repair, and Restore) to support your GI tract. A high emphasis is placed on restoring the immune barriers with nutrients like bone broth, fermented foods, DGL, aloe, L-glutamine, etc.
Adrenal Support
In today’s fast-paced world, it is rare to see an individual WITHOUT an adrenal issue. The adrenal glands secrete a hormone called cortisol (one of our stress hormones) that can block the conversion of T4 to T3 (critical thyroid hormones). T3 is the thyroid hormone your body actually uses, which means that if T4 isn’t being sufficiently converted to T3, the result will be hypothyroidism. Whether the stressor is food allergies or intolerances, a chronic virus, mold, or toxic metals, identifying the stressor and taking dietary and lifestyle measures to combat it is paramount.
These three systems can have powerful results if managed properly, and nutrition counseling can help. Contact Renew Youth today at 800-859-7511 to learn more about your treatment options!