Natural Remedies for Hypothyroidism

Natural remedies for hypothyroidism can help get rid of the fatigue, dry skin, and hair loss associated with hypothyroidism.

The thyroid controls your metabolism and when it is not working properly it throws your entire system out of whack. These natural remedies can be used to help with your thyroid treatment. Sometimes thyroid dysfunction is caused by an autoimmune disorder that causes the immunes system to attack the thyroid. In this instances these natural remedies only will not be enough to correct the problem.

Thyroid problems are serious because it affects some many aspects of you health. If you feel like you have a problem with your thyroid, you should seek the advice of a medical professional.

Diet

As with most illnesses diet can play a large part. It is important that you eat a healthy balanced diet. Here are some guidelines to help you adjust your diet for thyroid health.

Avoid soy. Soy is commonly thought of as a health food and is included in many processed and premade foods. Soy suppresses the function of the thyroid. Consumption of it will cause your thyroid to slow down.

In processed foods soy is not always listed as such on the ingredients label. It's sometimes called hydrolyzed vegetable protein, textured vegetable protein, mono- and diglycerides, isolated vegetable protein, isolates, methylcellulose, vegetable fat, and vegetable starch.

Avoid foods that are goitigens. When eaten raw these foods suppress thyroid function. If cooked these foods are fine. I'm not telling you to avoid these foods all together. You just need to make sure you cook them.

• cabbage
• bok choy
• broccoli
• turnips
• collard greens
• kale
• brussel sprouts
• spinach
• kohlrabi
• cauliflower
• rutabaga
• mustard greens
• radishes
• peaches
• pears
• strawberries
• pine nuts
• peanuts
• millet

You should also avoid caffiene and alcohol. They both suppress the thyroid.

Iodine is essential for thyroid function. You should eat foods high in iodine to help your thyroid function normally. These foods include:

• sea vegetables (kelp, seaweed)
• eggs
• fish
• shellfish

Coconut is believed to boost thyroid function. You should take a tablespoon of extra virgin coconut oil daily. You can take this straight or mix it into a smoothie.

Herbs

These herbs help boost thyroid function and can be used in natural remedies for hypothyroidism.

• black cohosh
• spirulina
• agnus castus (vitex, chaste tree berry)
• Siberian ginseng
• black walnut
• nettle
• bladderwrack
• Irish moss
• maca root

Take all herbal supplement as directed on the bottle.

Vitamins and Minerals

Taking these vitamins and minerals will help your natural remedies for hypothyroidism work better.

• B complex
• calcium
• magnesium
• vitamin E
• vitamin A
• zinc
• selenium
• fish oil or cod liver oil

Vitamin D deficiency can also contribute. It's important to make sure you get out daily and get sun exposure to make sure you get enough vitamin D in your system.

Take all vitamins as directed on the bottle.

Exercise

Light exercise on a regular basis will help natural remedies for hypothyroidism work better. Exercise will help the blood and lymph flow through the body. It will help improve your health and nourish your thyroid. Light exercise includes activities like swimming, walking and yoga.

More Information

One of the best books I've seen about healing your thyroid is The Natural Thyroid Diet. It contains the information I've included on this page plus much more. If you're interested you should check it out here.

If you found this information useful, check out my complete listing of herbs at my Herb Index. You can find a listing of ailments and their natural treatments on my Free Home Remedies page.

Do you have a favorite home remedy that works great? Let us know about it. Share your favorite natural remedies here.