The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland that sits on the front of your neck, just below the Adam's apple (if you have an Adam's apple).

The thyroid is a master gland of the endocrine system - it plays a HUGE role with regards to our hormonal, and overall health. Ensuring you have a properly functioning thyroid should be at the top of your list of priorities as if it is under performing, many other hormones and aspects of your health will suffer. 

Unfortunately, thyroid issues seem to be becoming the norm rather than the exception. A poorly functioning thyroid and hormonal imbalance in general has been linked to:

-cardiovascular disease and increased cholesterol levels

-anxiety, depression, and sleep issues

-low energy, brain fog

-muscle weakness

-difficulty losing weight

-dry hair, thinning hair and hair loss

-low libido

-rough, dry skin

-irregular menstrual cycles & more

Regarding our endocrine system, a poorly functioning thyroid is linked to insulin resistance, and low output of “youthful” hormones such as: DHEA, pregnenolone, progesterone and testosterone.

You can easily get an idea of how your thyroid is functioning without blood tests. Simply check your temperature in the morning, before you get out of bed or eat or drink anything. Take your temp three times and use the average temperature. A temperature reading first thing in the morning should give you a reading of 98 to 98.6 degrees. Anything below this is indicative of hypothyroidism. 

How can we get our thyroid back on track?

First off, correct any vitamin or mineral deficiencies now! Any nutritional deficiency will register as a stress on the body which can contribute to a sluggish thyroid, among many other issues. When discussing the thyroid, the vitamins A, the B’s, C, D and E seem especially important while iodine and selenium are minerals REQUIRED for proper functioning.

Balance the amino acids in your diet by adding in more bone broth and or gelatin/collagen protein powders. The modern approach to consuming protein is basically that of consuming lean meats and shakes. This approach often leads to receiving  too much of the amino acids tryptophan and cysteine (which can be inflammatory in excess) while not receiving enough glycine and proline amino acids (which are anti-inflammatory).

Our ancestors typically consumed the entire animal (bones, joints, organs and skin) and thus consumed plenty of collagen and the glycine and proline amino acids. In addition to bone broth and gelatin/collagen supplements being supportive to our digestive system, skin, hair, nail and joints, they are also very supportive to proper thyroid functioning and health. We utilize the following collagen powder and bone broth:

https://amzn.to/39Im76X

https://amzn.to/38Dd2e8

While we are on the topic of diet and nutrition: avoid concentrated sources of “PUFA’S” (polyunsaturated fats) as much as possible. For fats, go for items like grass fed butter, coconut oil, organic/free range/grass fed meats, and eggs along with olive oil and avocados. Check out this article for more info on PUFA’s:

https://oilsguy.com/oilyevanstribe/the-1-food-to-avoid?p=3038

Be cautious of consuming goitrogen rich foods in excess. This would be foods such as: soy, beans, as well as raw cruciferous veggies. Goitrogens are compounds that block thyroid uptake of iodine.

Avoid fluoride! The debate about fluoride seems like it will never end. Some make it out to be the most evil substance on this planet while others scream that our teeth will rot and fall out of our heads without it. However, the science is clear that fluoride displaces iodine from human cells throughout the body – including cells in our reproductive organs and the thyroid. Because of this, it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that fluoride is linked to thyroid problems such as hypothyroidism along with other hormonal, and overall health issues. Fluoride does appear to harden tooth enamel, but there is much more to oral health than just hardening your tooth enamel. Read more here:

https://oilsguy.com/oilyevanstribe/how-oral-health-effects-your-overall-health?p=2936

Switch all of your personal care products to natural versions NOW! The majority of personal care products (toothpaste, shampoo, lotion, soap, deodorant, makeup, etc.) contain man made chemicals and toxins that can both directly disrupt our hormones as well as damage the glands (such as the thyroid) responsible for manufacturing our hormones. Be on the look out for and avoid the following:

-parabens

-phalates

-fluoride

-S.L.S.

-triclosan

-fragrance

Avoiding these toxins will allow your body to stop having to play “defense” all the time, and will go a long way in helping to support your hormonal and overall health.

Several essential oils are supportive to the thyroid; our favorite is Myrtle. Frankincense and Myrrh are also supportive here. Young Living’s nutritional supplement Thyromin is an amazing supplement that contains the essential oils of myrtle and myrrh, along with several amino acids, minerals and even desicatted thyroid tissue making it a unique, and truly powerful supplement with regards to your thyroid.  We would also highly recommend the supplement Super B. Read more here:

https://oilsguy.com/oilyevanstribe/b-vitamins-stress-and-cyanide?p=3012

We have just started to scratch the surface in regards to thyroid health. Stay tuned for future articles and thank you for reading! 

#Oilyevanstribe

Written by Will Evans

*This information includes ideas and suggestions that is educational in nature, and is provided only as general information. We are not medical professionals; and our advice should not be looked upon as medical treatment plans. This information does not represent the views or opinions of Young Living.*

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3890436/

https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/fairfresheners.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=19619626

http://www.fluoridealert.org/wp-content/uploads/chen-1997.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5805681/