Boost Metabolism and Heal Your Thyroid

1. Rule out thyroid-impacting dental and/or sinus infection. Find a biological dentist who can do a thorough examination of your mouth with a low-level radiation panoramic X-ray. Since many biological dentists also specialize in mercury-free dentistry, have the dentist check your mouth for mercury and/or high copper amalgam fillings as well as for conflicting metal interference in your mouth. Many offer a bio-compatibility blood test, which assesses the most suitable dental materials, crowns, glues, and cements for your unique system. Check out the International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine online at iabdm.org to find a practitioner in your area. Check with a local Ear, Eyes, Nose and Throat specialist for sinus issues.

2. If you do find mercury or copper in your mouth, then keep in mind that mercury and/or copper can be deadly to the thyroid. They both incapacitate thyroid hormones and impact metabolism. To fix this, go to glutathione. It is the primary chelating agent to detox heavy metals. The best way to accomplish this is with the Detox & Liver Health Reg'Activ product. This product contains Lactobacillus fermentum ME-3, which is a unique strain of probiotic bacteria that produces glutathione in humans.

3. Substitute coconut oil whenever you can to nourish the thyroid. Use the oil and all coconut-derived products like full-fat milk, cream, and unsweetened coconut in cooking, smoothies and desserts. Make macaroons your sweet treat. There are many novel ways to get coconut in your diet. Adding it to your morning cup of coffee or tea will energize you from the get-go.

4. Get your thyroid checked. If you can't get a full thyroid panel with a TSH, T3, T4, and T7, then do consider a hair mineral analysis. The calcium to potassium ratio that is revealed on that test can tell volumes about the functioning of your thyroid and how it might be contributing to your weight loss plateau. Typically those with hypothyroidism have too much calcium in relationship to potassium. And those that need to rev up their thyroid may need more potassium-containing foods and/or supplements. Excessive amounts of calcium from dairy foods or supplements tamp down thyroid activity. In contrast, potassium can speed up thyroid activity. So load up on potassium-rich spinach, squash, salmon and avocados. By balancing the thyroid gland alone and supporting your mineral balance, you can expect to finally jump off that weight loss plateau!

5. Give up gluten. Completely eliminate gluten-containing grains from your diet to naturally reset thyroid hormone production. Wheat, rye, spelt, kamut, couscous, triticale and barley should be avoided. Gluten-free alternatives that I highly recommend are also grain free options as well. These include the grain-like seeds such as quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat and millet. Instead of flour, consider using arrowroot or tapioca for thickening. If you are really serious about weight loss, you should also eliminate all other reactive foods—primarily foods containing sugar and yeast, both of which often accompany gluten.

6. Power up on protein. Consume at least 20 grams (as found in three to four ounces of fish, poultry, or meat, a serving of whey or vegan protein powder equating to 20 grams, about three eggs, and four ounces of fermented soy). Protein boosts metabolism by up to 25 percent for about 12 hours. They are the tissue and muscle builders par excellence.

7. Cook cruciferous. Since raw cruciferous veggies (cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower) contain possible thyroid-interfering goitrogens, your best bet is to cook them. With regards to soy products, only consume fermented GMO-free soy products or GMO-free lecithin, which does not contain the goitrogenic element.

8. Address the adrenals. Well-nourished adrenal glands will help to support a weakened thyroid so do consider adrenal glandulars, which contain the RDA/DNA blueprint for regeneration. In addition, or if you are vegan or vegetarian, try adaptogenic herbs like rhodiola and ashwaganda. Good old fashioned pantothenic acid, which I learned to revere thanks to Adele Davis' books that I voraciously read when I was in college in the '70s, is a long forgotten godsend for worn out adrenals and the inability to cope with stress. It can help to balance the adrenal's output of cortisol, a major fat-promoting hormone. In general, 500 mg up to four times daily, either alone or in conjunction with the other adrenal nutrients—can make a huge difference in energy levels. So can more sea salt.

9. Pop some probiotics. High probiotic-containing foods like yogurt and kefir contain millions of friendly bacteria, but a well-balanced probiotic with a variety of different strains including the gliadin protecting B. lactis BI-04— will contain billions of probiotics. This is just what you want to populate your microbiome. The right strains and numbers of friendly flora will support thyroid function and many other immune-enhancing processes.

10. Avoid fluoride, bromide, and chlorine like the plague. Without sufficient iodine to kick them out, these three chemicals can stockpile in your body and impede thyroid function. So become a diligent label reader. A good water filtration system, which blocks fluoride and chlorine, may be essential for home use. About 2–3 mg of the trace mineral boron can help to neutralize fluoride.

11. Seriously consider supplementation of vitamins, minerals and amino acids that are thyroid friendly. Some of these nutrients help the inactive T4 hormone convert to the more activated T3 while others support overall gland functioning. Typically, integrative practitioners will suggest daily totals of 50 mg of a methylated B complex, 25,000 IU of Vitamin A, 400 IU of Vitamin E, 45 mg of zinc, 18 mg of iron, 200 mcg of selenium, 500 mg or more of tyrosine. There are also a variety of whole food sources that will naturally provide all these nutrients, but most likely not in the high enough therapeutic dosage that a tired thyroid needs to heal.

When it comes to iodine, it is important to keep in mind that iodine is able to restore balance whether the thyroid is high or low, although in the case of Hashimoto's, iodine may not be recommended.

While the recommended daily intake (or RDI) of iodine for adults is 150 mcgs per day there are many benefits to taking more, especially for women. In higher amounts iodine acts as an adaptogen, a substance that increases the body's ability to adapt to stress, and plays a significant role in treating the thyroid as well as preventing such disorders as polycystic ovary disease, fibrocystic breast disease, sleep apnea, diabetes, cardiac arrhythmia, hypertension and hormonal imbalances. Iodine can also increase your stomach acid levels, which will improve your digestion.

I like a supplement called Iodoral, which combines 5 mg of iodine with 7.5 mg of potassium iodine for a total 12.5 mg of iodine. Although this may seem like too much of a good thing, it has done wonders in turning up the metabolic fires of many hypothyroid sufferers. The typical iodine sources that I used to recommend would be sea veggies like hijiki, wakame, Kombu and nori. However, since Fukushima I no longer recommend them because I simply can't be assured that radioactive residues, let alone mercury, is not an issue.

12. Don't be a victim of virus. Coconut comes to the rescue again. The purified lipid extracts derived from coconut oil turns out to be a virile virus killer. Look for products called Monolaurin or Lauricidin. The amino acid l-lysine can stop the virus from replicating along with a diet that is low in lysine's antagonist amino, arginine. That means you will need to limit all nuts, seeds and chocolate for the time being to avoid too much arginine at the expense of anti-viral lysine. Herbal viral remedies include cat's claw (processed without the TOA chemical), lemon balm, lomatium, osha, and/or olive leaf extract. These are all available in either tinctures or capsules. Look for tinctures preserved with non-GMO grape alcohol or grain-free alcohol. Some individuals do very well with colloidal silver—especially the advanced nano- based ones now on the market.

thyroid hormones thyroid problems Hashimoto's disease thyroid health Hashimoto's thyroiditis