Hypothyroidism is on the rise, especially among women. Oftentimes women come in for other issues related to low thyroid issues and their doctor runs a few tests and they get a diagnosis of having low thyroid levels or worse, an autoimmune diagnosis of Hashimoto’s.
Many will want to try out natural alternatives first before medications are prescribed.
Sometimes medications are already prescribed and women would like to taper off the meds because they feel confident that natural remedies are helping.
Whichever camp you are in when it comes to dealing with your low thyroid issues, I wanted to take this time and address common areas of concern with low thyroid issues and give you the top herbs to look into and maybe even discuss with your doctor in order to balance your thyroid levels out.
Leaky Gut
There is a lot of evidence now about the connection of gut health and thyroid issues. Researchers now state “there is accumulating data that a strong thyroid–gut axis exists.” (1) One reason for this is that issues such as leaky gut trigger the immune system to go into overdrive so if you have Hashimoto’s or even Graves’ disease, issues within the gut will worsen the autoimmune symptoms.
For women with Hashimoto’s oftentimes a diet that is recommended by doctors is an anti inflammatory diet or a Mediterranean diet.
Often that means staying away from foods that cause your system to get inflamed and focusing on foods that really help repair your gut lining and restore balance in the gut.
Leaky gut is it’s own article which I do plan on covering since it is so common among women but for the sake of simplicity, focusing on foods that nourish the thyroid rather than harm is key.
Dr. Axe has some wonderful supplements for leaky gut support which my own family members used with great success along with other remedies for supporting gut lining.
Leaky gut in a nutshell causes the intestinal barrier to be compromised allowing some particles from the gut to pass into the bloodstream causing the body to detect these changes and rush to fight them off. This causes a lot of inflammation and digestive upset and when your immune system is busy fighting antigens that went into the body, this triggers an autoimmune response for people that have an autoimmune issues.
Here is a good video to explain how it works.
Even if you have medications that you are taking this cycle will cause constant issues with the thyroid function and should be addressed to fully support the thyroid.
When looking at herbs to help the leaky gut if you are not planning on taking the supplements from say Dr. Axe, look at medicinal mushrooms such as:
- lion’s mane
- turkey tail
- reishi
These mushrooms help repair the stomach lining and restore a healthy gut function. They are used traditionally in Chinese Medicine and have many health benefits.
Along with the medicinal mushrooms herbs such as:
- slippery elm
- marshmallow root
These are others that can be used alongside the medicinal mushrooms to help restore the gut. I usually make this blend for people that work with me when they need support with either leaky gut or thyroid issues because they are very effective. If you are buying the herbs, make sure they are from a reputable source as the quality matters when supporting your gut and also the medicinal mushrooms have to be dual extracted so you get the most medicinal properties out of them.
Probiotics and prebiotics are also important to look into when it comes to your gut health. Probiotics promote gut health and the more probiotics you have the less bad bacteria you will have in your gut lining. Prebiotics are the starchy fibers that feed probiotics which help keep the gut balanced to prevent any bacterial overgrowth.
Probiotics are easy to implement in your diet with items such as:
- miso
- yogurt (homemade preferably or all organic no sugar added)
- sauerkraut
- kombucha
- kimchi
- kefir
Prebiotic foods are fiber rich as stated earlier such as:
- seaweed
- chia seeds
- coconut meat
- lentils
- radishes
- spinach
- tomatoes
- carrots
- yamms
- chickpeas
I like to keep my own gut healthy with these foods daily, even when there is a fast I am dealing with (since I am an Orthodox Christian) with things like hummus dips and carrots and also making my own sauerkraut or kimchi and eating them as a snack as a vegan option.
Seaweed is something I hear a lot about when it comes to thyroid issues and its important to know that seaweed is NOT for people that have an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism or Graves’ disease) as it can make it worse.
If you need a FREE printout of an anti inflammatory diet sample plan and make your own plan get it here.
Stress
Your thyroid glands and your adrenal glands work together. (2) Your adrenal glands release the stress hormone, cortisol, into the body but when you are under constant stress the adrenals can produce too much of this hormone and cause a lot of damage to your overall health.
Many women deal with really high levels of stress.
Managing stress is key but is easier said than done.
When I work with women on this area, we always try to make it a habit for them to regularly de-stress during the day. What that looks like is very different for each woman as their lives are so different depending on the season she is in.
There is a direct link between stress and interference with thyroid function because it can trigger autoimmune thyroid diseases like Hashimoto’s and Graves. It is also linked to a poor metabolism since it affects thyroid function. (3)
For your own life, techniques like going out in nature, doing gardening outside or reading a book can all be examples of things you can do to lower your stress levels.
Herbs that are particularly good for stress and your thyroid are:
- Ashwagandha
- Ginseng root
- Licorice root
Fatigue
Many times you hear that fatigue is common with low thyroid symptoms and Hashimoto’s. This is one reason why some women see their doctor in the first place.
Not your average fatigue that comes when you do not get enough sleep because of kids either, this is ongoing fatigue that keeps you down and feeling drained for a long period of time.
Research now confirms that chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is linked to leaky gut which is the same findings as with patients that have Hashimoto’s stating “the results support the view that a weakened tight junction barrier with subsequent gut-derived inflammation is a novel pathway in CFS.” (4)
As you work with repairing your gut lining there are many things you can do to get some well needed rest and thankfully there are many natural remedies to help.
You might have heard of sleep routines and how they are helpful in getting adequate amounts of sleep and this is where adding certain herbs can prove useful. Think of calming herbs like chamomile or lavender as a tea after dinner to help prep your body for sleep. And then using a combination of sleep herbs which will help to get you to sleep and then keep you asleep also such as valerian and hops.
There are many combinations of sleep tinctures to try if you are allergic to any or have a bad reaction to some so this might take some playing around with on your part if you are doing the mixes yourself.
Once I had a hard time going to sleep and remember my mom always using valerian as a way for her to get to sleep during difficult times, so I decided to give it a try.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work out well for me and that’s because valerian is a warming herb, and my body did not tolerate it well. Then back to the drawing board I went and ran into California Poppy which is also a sedative herb and have since been using only that for sleep.
You want to make sure you are using tinctures for right before sleep as you do not want to be drinking tea right before bed and then getting up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. If waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to go back to sleep then you can keep the tincture by your bedside and take it as needed.
Also, this is where glycerin based tinctures come in handy as you probably don’t want to have the alcohol taste in your mouth in the middle of the night if you’re using alcohol based tinctures.
Studies do show a change in thyroid functions and the amount of sleep you get stating that 7 hours is optimal. (5) Looking at your own habits for sleep, where can you cut off the screen time? Or give your digestive system a rest? Maybe incorporate self care and time to wind down from the day?
All worth investigating for your thyroid’s sake.
Final thoughts
We talked about the importance of helping your gut as it relates to many issues that trigger the thyroid. Digestive issues require long term healing and setting up different habits in your life to help restore the digestive tract.
If it’s something you need accountability with do not hesitate to reach out.
Then we discussed the importance of keeping stress levels down in your life and adding in some habits that lower your stress response such as being out in nature, slower living and herbs for long term stress support like ashwaghanda.
Finally, there is the common fatigue factor that you might be dealing with and looking into herbs that help you sleep deep and well.
Whichever symptom you are dealing with the most when it comes to Hashimoto’s I think it’s wise to deal with the most debilitating one first.
Are you extremely tiered that you can’t function?
Are you stressed out and burning out?
Is your weight the main issue causing you to question which foods are best?
Work with one thing at a time.
If you need further support, consider booking a free 20 min consultation to see if we are a good fit.
Grab the FREE anti inflammatory diet plant here.
God bless you and yours
Krystina
