The Thyroid – natural view point
Sonia Jones ND from The Haven Spa and Health Clinic
Research shows that many diets can reduce the activity of the thyroid gland by about 28% in only 6 weeks! Similar reductions have been noted in animals on diets. Most people I see have been on several restrictive diets. So for some people, dieting can cause an already sluggish thyroid gland to become even more sluggish.
Dieting and/or nutritional deficiencies can affect the functioning of the thyroid. Within days of starting many diets the thyroid can be affected. This does not mean this will show up on a conventional thyroid test. It means that it has become a little sluggish, and doesn’t mean medication. However there are supplements that can help the health of the thyroid gland.
It is also thought that too many stimulants have an effect on the thyroid – by slowing things down a little to maintain some sort of balance. It’s the thyroid’s job along with the adrenal glands to maintain equilibrium.
Conventional blood tests are controversial as there is some debate as to how sensitive and accurate they are in detecting an under-active thyroid (hypothyroidism).
What can affect the thyroid negatively?
a) Pregnancy
b) Puberty and dieting at the same time (more common these days as more and more children are dieting earlier, some as young as 8 years old).
c) Miscarriage
d) Removal of the ovaries
e) Menopause
f) Being short of iron
g) Eating too many soy products, as they can inhibit the production of the primary hormone T4. In the Orient some soy is eaten in the form of tofu and tempeh etc, in the West the popular press jumped on the bandwagon, declaring soy good and suddenly soy was found in 1000s of different products. Soy is extremely hard to digest, hence why in the Orient it is most often eaten after it has been fermented for easier digestion, and was eaten in moderation.
h) Physical injury such as whiplash
i) Severe illness could slow down the thyroid
j) The chemicals in water, such as chlorine or fluoride can suppress the thyroid function.
k) Some pharmaceutical drugs.
l) Nutritional deficiencies
m) Repeated dieting
n) Fever
o) Too many stimulants (found in many sodas, sports drinks, coffee, diet pills, pain-killer etc)
Pharmaceutical medication is used only as a last resort, serious changes in nutrition, after lifestyle changes, supplements etc.
The body needs to convert T4 (thyroxine) to T3 (tri-iodothyronine). T3 is more active and four times more potent than T4 and the conversion happens mainly in the liver. The two hormones are also under the control of the pituitary gland. The conversion of T4 to T3 (the more active form) can be hampered, due to free-radial damage and/or if your liver is over worked and toxic laden. The blood may contain plenty of T4, so a conventional test may well show up as normal.