How You Can Overcome Hypothyroidism

Found this on the HuffingtonPost.com and thought it was interesting. I have been battling my thyroid since 1997 when I was diagnosed with Graves Disease. After radioactive iodine treatment and radiation I became severly hypothyroid and overweight for the first time in my life. To say this was depressing is putting it mildly,as I had done runway modeling off and on throughout my 20's.


I know some people think it's a cop out when an overweight person says I have a thyroid condition. I know I thought that even after I was diagnosed as being hypothyroid. I figured the key to losing weight was a better diet and exercise. I joined Weight Watchers and counted points religiously. I started walking during my lunch hour and after work. When that did nothing, I surmised that I needed to kick my workout up a notch and joined Curves with some women from work. They recommend going 3 days a week. I went for 4 or sometimes 5 days a week. After 8 months,I had lost inches in the oddest placeslike my wrists. Plus, I had lost and gained the same 8 pounds more than I care to remember. I had my thyroid bloodwork checked every 60 days in addition to taking Levoxyl, finally after a few years of this I just gave up.

I'm gonna give this doctor's suggestions a try; and see if it works for me. Lord knows, at this point it can't hurt.

How You Can Overcome Hypothyroidism

I encourage you to take the following steps to rebalance your thyroid:

1. Make a thorough inventory of any of the symptoms that I mentioned in last week's blog to see if you might suffer from hypothyroidism.
2. Get the right thyroid tests including TSH, free T3, free T4, TPO, and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies.
3. Check for celiac disease with a celiac panel.
4. Consider heavy metal toxicity.
5. Check your vitamin D level.
Once you have confirmed that a sluggish thyroid is contributing to your symptoms, the good news is that there are many, many, many things you can do to help correct thyroid problems.

I have developed a seven-step plan to address hypothyroidism:
1. Treat the Underlying Causes -- Identify and treat the underlying causes of hypothyroidism, like food allergies, gluten, heavy metals, nutritional deficiencies, and stress.
2. Optimize Your Nutrition -- Support your thyroid with optimal nutrition, including foods that contain iodine, zinc, omega-3 fats, selenium, and more.
3. Minimize Stress -- Eliminate adrenal exhaustion and minimize stress by engaging in a comprehensive stress management program.
4. Exercise -- Engage in thyroid stimulating exercise, which boosts thyroid function.
5. Supplement -- Use supplements to help enhance thyroid function, including all the nutrients needed for proper thyroid metabolism and function.
6.Heat Therapy -- Use saunas and heat to eliminate stored toxins, which interfere with thyroid function.
7. Thyroid Hormones -- Use thyroid hormone replacement therapy to help support your thyroid gland.

I believe a comprehensive approach is needed to address chronic thyroid issues and to diagnose them. Unfortunately, most of the options for healing by conventional care are quite limited and only provide a partial solution. But by following my seven-step plan you can achieve lifelong vibrant health.