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.
