Being diagnosed with anything can be rather scary at first. What does it mean? What does treatment look like? What types of medicines are necessary? You are thrown into a bunch of medical terms and a lot of it doesn’t make sense. Finding natural ways to deal with a diagnosis can be very soothing for many reasons.
First of all, I am in no way a doctor, nor do I have any experience in the medical field. My credentials are nothing but personal experience. I think it is important I share how I am naturally dealing with my low TSH levels. I have not been diagnosed with hypothyroidism yet. Basically, I wouldn’t let my doctor do that until I felt I had adequately done my due diligence on treating myself naturally first. My doctor was very understanding of that because the next treatment option would be a pill that I have to take EVERY day for the rest of my life. Please do not subscribe me to that.
Anyways, my TSH levels are not in range and are currently reading 5.41. In the initial test, my TSH levels were reading 5.91, so something I am doing is working. The power of the internet, man.
These methods below have been major symptom minimizers.
My symptoms ranged from swollen ankles, fatigue, brittle hair and nails and constantly feeling cold, but the worst was my dry, flakey skin. I hated it and it happened all over visible parts of my body like my arms, calves and eyelids.
Since I started paying attention to what my thyroid controls I have been able to put control over it. Does that make sense? I now know what my body was lacking which is helping me heal the parts that needed a little boost.
Here are 5 ways I am treating my low thyroid levels naturally:
Natural Oils
I heavily invested in Doterra upon getting my first round of results. Oils are a beautiful way to start if you’re looking into natural remedies. They have so many benefits and uses. Did you know you can cook with oils?
I spent a pretty penny, $200 to be exact, on getting all of the oils I needed to activate and stimulate my thyroid. I got this concoction from Healing Our Homes. This blog is awesome for natural remedies and pretty much anything you need. Oil education is something I had to spend a lot of time on. The right brands make a world of difference.
My little thyroid recipe is made in a 10mL roller bottle where I combined:
3 drops Frankincense
3 drops Myrrh
2 drops Lemongrass
2 drops Clove
Top with fractionated coconut oil for dilution
And then I use this for the bottoms of my feet, once again in a 10mL roller bottle:
5 drops Lemongrass
8 drops Frankincense
5 drops Clove
8 drops Myrrh
5 drops Basil
Top with fractionated coconut oil
It is a lot of oils, and a lot of the expensive ones too, but the good news is that they last a long time and have multiple uses. It has really kick-started my oil collection.
Bikram Yoga
Specifically, Bikram yoga targets your thyroid in multiple postures. Bikram yoga is a great way to stretch, detoxify, relieve stress, tone and heal. I saw results on my body within 30 days of starting. I felt reenergized and revitalized within the first four classes. You work every inch of your body from head to bone to skin. Even if this didn’t help me heal naturally it has helped me heal mentally. And there is no price on mental health.
Ashwagandha
Essentially, this is a capsule full of herbs. At first, I was a little hesitant about taking this because I have so many allergies I thought there was a high chance this could make matters worse, but I’m doing just fine with it! Ashwagandha “was shown to improve thyroid function for subclinical hypothyroid patients. Adaptogens are herbs that work on several body functions at once to help balance our dysfunction and regulate metabolic processes,” according to Naturemed.org.
This is an immune system booster. Even if you are not at risk for hypothyroidism, you can still consume this and help increase your body’s defense team.
Gluten-Free Diet
Life Works Wellness Center says, “Gluten has an almost identical molecular composition to thyroid tissue and consuming gluten can increase an autoimmune attack on your thyroid.” Yikes! So attack your body with good stuff instead, so it doesn’t attack you back!
This is the method I struggle with the most, but I am adapting. When I am strict about this, I feel phenomenal, but holiday cookies make it VERY hard to be gluten-free by choice. And sugar is also something that can reduce progress. If I had some sort of intolerance, this would be so much easier, but because I don’t feel any worse, I find myself constantly asking what the point of it is. I must look at the bigger picture.
Iodine Heavy Foods
This one was trickier to balance. I found myself eating a lot of junk because the salt content was high, but ultimately set me back because there were so many hydrogenated oils in those foods. I love salmon, which is iodine heavy, but my body doesn’t digest meat very well, so it is a pescatarian life for me! Tuna, cod and shrimp are all high in iodine and you can make them in so many dishes (even dishes that are gluten-free. Yay!). Iodine is an important mineral. Getting creative in this category was taxing but allowed me to step out of my cooking box.
I’m currently in the process of repairing and healing my thyroid naturally. Until symptoms become unbearable, I don’t really see why taking these steps wouldn’t work. Instead of just taking a pill to increase my TSH levels I can heal my body in multiple ways, see multiple benefits and ultimately keep my body on its natural course.
