Thyroid supplements
The thyroid performs many important functions in the body. It secretes hormones that stimulate and regulate growth and metabolism. It also helps with many daily body functions such as stimulate the pituitary gland. The pituitary is responsible for regulating hormones from the adrenal glands, ovaries and testicles. So you can see how important the thyroid gland is to our health. Slow or sluggish thyroid function can lead to many side effects that can be seen such as weight gain, fatigue, hair loss, dry skin, intolerance to cold, constipation and depression.
There are natural supplements that can be taken to stimulate the thyroid gland. These will help to alleviate the symptoms above if they are related to a slow or sluggish thyroid gland. The first two supplements that we will discuss today will be selenium and zinc. Zinc needs to be present in the body for the thyroid to be able to produce both T-4 and then convert T-4 into T-3 which is the active form of the thyroid hormone thyronine. Zinc also must be present for hormones to stimulate the pituitary gland, which in turn helps the thyroid produce the thyroid hormones. Selenium is necessary for both T-3 and T-4 production and the conversion of T-4 into the active thyroid hormone thyronine. The recommended dosage of selenium is 200 micrograms a day. The recommended dosage of zinc is 10 mg per day.
Iodine is a necessary nutrient for the thyroid to function correctly. There is a lot of controversy over iodine especially in the naturopathic community. Many alternative practitioners routinely offer iodine for any type of thyroid problem they encounter. However recent research has shown that restraint may be in order when using iodine supplements. A Chinese study showed that excessive iodine caused autoimmune thyroiditis and hypothyroidism. Therefore iodine should be considered very carefully when used as a supplement.
A deficiency in iodine can be devastating to pregnant women, infants and young children. It can cause mental retardation and brain damage in the fetus and in infants and young children. This led the United States to add iodine to salt many years ago to help rid the country of this health issue. Now, however due to several factors such as people eating much less salt, or using salt that is not iodized we are seeing some issues with this come back into the forefront. Several factors need to be considered before taking an iodine supplement. First do you eat iodized salt on a regular basis as well as meat and dairy? If so you are probably getting enough iodine in your diet and do not need a supplement. Second are you pregnant, lactating or is this a young child? If so then you would need to consult a medical practitioner to seek their counsel on whether an iodine supplement may be beneficial for you.
Several of the daily vitamins are also key for thyroid function. Vitamin D is necessary for thyroid hormone production in the pituitary gland. It is also linked to the thyroid hormone T-3 functioning properly. Vitamins A, C and E are recommended for their antioxidant properties as well as their ability to help improve cell function in the body. The recommended daily dosages are as follows: Vitamin E 400 IU, Vitamin C 1000 mg, Vitamin A 3,500 IU, Vitamin D 800 IU. These amounts should be consumed daily. You should also take in the recommended daily amounts of amino acids as they improve brain and hormone function as well as regulate and improve muscle formation and growth.
These supplements compose the necessary ingredients for optimum thyroid health. Since the thyroid is such an important factor in our daily function it stands to reason that we should take care to make sure that it is functioning as well as it can!
Comments are closed
Related Information
