Wondering how to heal your thyroid? Stress and diet play key roles in thyroid function, so it’s smart to make lifestyle and dietary changes part of your treatment plan for healing your thyroid.
The thyroid is a small gland with a big impact. When working correctly, it regulates essential hormones in the body. If usual thyroid operations are disrupted, the thyroid may cause weight changes, low energy, and other disruptive symptoms. For anyone experiencing a thyroid disorder, it's normal (and healthy) to research how to heal your thyroid.
While medication is the traditional solution, it's not the only one. And it's not always the most effective. Your diet, stress levels, and lifestyle choices play a huge role in thyroid health too.
What are thyroid problems?
Affecting an estimated 20 million Americans, thyroid disease is a common health issue. "We see thyroid problems very frequently in our practice,” says Gabriella Safdieh, MD, a pediatrician and rheumatologist formerly at Parsley Health New York. Hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid, is the most common among her patients, she says, while hyperthyroidism, or an overactive thyroid, is less prevalent.
The thyroid is a small gland at the front of the neck. It’s part of the endocrine system and produces hormones T3 and T4 which help regulate many processes and organs in the body. “Many people don’t realize the thyroid is one of the master glands in our body,” Safdieh explains. “Not only does it control energy levels and metabolism, but it also helps to control mood and can play a role in depression and anxiety.” So when the thyroid isn’t working properly, it can affect everything from body temperature and metabolism to mood and digestion.
“We see a lot of something called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, which is an autoimmune disease,” Safdieh notes. In fact, autoimmune thyroid disorders are the most common autoimmune diseases. Hyperthyroidism can be caused by an autoimmune disease called Graves’ disease, and Hashimoto’s is the most prevalent cause of hypothyroidism. “With Hashimoto’s, your body starts producing antibodies against your own thyroid,” Safdieh says. The result is an inflamed thyroid that’s not able to do its job.
To discover if someone has a thyroid problem, doctors will commonly order a few blood tests to look at thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels. For the most comprehensive blood test, work with a functional medicine provider. They will order a panel that tests for more, including TSH, free T3, free T4, reverse T3, and thyroid antibodies (TPO and TgAb). This often results in a more complete picture of thyroid function.