Taking a daily thyroid hormone replacement medication is the standard treatment for hypothyroidism that you will generally be prescribed by a doctor. However, medications will often come with side effects, and your symptoms might worsen if you forget to take a pill. Many people look for natural remedies to conditions such as hypothyroidism, as a complementary treatment to prescribed replacement hormone medication. The main aim of natural remedies is to treat the root cause of the thyroid condition, which can sometimes start due to stress, a poor diet, or your body lacking the nutrients that it needs.
Selenium
Selenium is a trace element that has a role in the metabolism of the thyroid hormone. There are several foods that you can add to your diet that contain selenium, including Brazil nuts, turkey, grass-fed beef, and tuna. Immune system attacks on the thyroid, known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, will often reduce the supply of selenium in the body. Taking supplements or eating foods that contain this trace element has shown to be effective in balancing thyroxine, the thyroid hormone, levels in some patients, making it an ideal natural treatment for hypothyroidism. Speak to your doctor about how much selenium you need for hypothyroidism as everybody is different.
Vitamin B
Taking specific vitamin supplements can have a positive effect on thyroid health and function. When your thyroid hormone levels are low, this can have an impact on the levels of vitamin B-12 in your body. Taking vitamin B-12 supplements can help your body repair some of the damage that has been caused by hypothyroidism. When it comes to vitamin B-12 as one of the best natural treatments for hypothyroidism, you can either take it as a pill each day or fill your diet with more foods that contain B vitamins such as sesame seeds, beans, peas, asparagus, milk, eggs, cheese, and tuna.
Sugar-Free Diet
If you are looking for the best natural treatment for hypothyroidism, then following a sugar-free diet is a good place to start. Processed and sugary foods can cause inflammation in the body, which in turn can slow down the conversion of T4 to T3. As a result, this can worsen symptoms of hypothyroidism. Eliminating sugar from your diet is not always easy, but it can help with boosting your energy levels and reducing stress levels in the long term, too.
Gluten-Free Diet
For people with hypothyroidism, sticking to a gluten-free diet is often worth it. Celiac disease and thyroid conditions are often co-morbid. Celiac disease is a digestive condition where gluten triggers an immune response in the small intestine. While a gluten-free diet is not yet supported by research for people with hypothyroidism, many people with this condition find that removing wheat and other foods containing gluten from their diet leads to them feeling better and reducing inflammation symptoms.
Hypothyroidism is treated with replacement hormone, but if you are looking for natural remedies you can use to supplement this treatment for better results, these are just a few to try.
