People with Hashimoto’s often find themselves despairing that they are both exhausted and can’t sleep. This is because the disease increasingly causes the body to produce fewer energy-giving thyroid hormones (making you feel tired), followed by an excess of adrenaline to make up for it (making you wired).
Worse, Hashimoto’s can actually flip between hypo- and hyper- states, so that someone’s system can be running too fast for a while (rapid heartbeat, palpitations, sweating, diarrhoea, anxiety, hand tremors, etc.), and then suddenly too slowly (tired, cold, croaky voice, depression, weight gain, constipation, slow heart rate).
Using Food to Rebalance the Body's Metabolism
Certain foods have been found to slow down or speed up the thyroid, and people with hyper- or hypothyroid conditions are told to avoid them in order to avoid making their condition worse. This is not because the foods or herbs are intrinsically bad for the thyroid (except goitrogens, see below), but because they act to increase or decrease its activity. What’s bad for someone with hyperthyroidism may be good for someone with hypothyroidism, because these are two sides of the same coin. You are, effectively, speeding up or slowing down the thyroid whenever you ingest certain foods or drinks.
Speeding Up the System
The following foods are known to stimulate the thyroid, so may help “speed up” the system when it is especially sluggish:
- Seaweeds, especially kelp (but avoid if you have Hashimoto’s)
- whole grains
- raw seeds
- prunes
- apricots
- potatoes
- dates
- egg yolks
- molasses
- parsley
- extra-virgin coconut oil
- herbs: motherwort, gentian, oregon grape root, and guggul (Guggulu mukul is thought to have a direct action on the thyroid, helping with the conversion of T4 to T3)
- Homeopathic remedy: Iodum
Protein and fat are also essential to thyroid function, and a low-protein, low-fat diet will slow down the system – try increasing protein and fats to help the system back into gear. Extra virgin coconut oil is a great way to obtain saturated fats – it is known to support and stimulate the functioning of the thyroid gland (its lauric acid possesses thyroid stimulating properties).
Slowing Down the Thyroid
Many of the foods that depress thyroid function (and “slow down” the system) should not be eaten in large quantities by anyone with Hashimoto’s disease because they are also goitrogenic (e.g. broccoli, cabbage, peaches). It’s worth noting that these foods are so effective at slowing down the thyroid that half a head of cabbage (or the equivalent amount of broccoli) binds iodine – making it unavailable to the thyroid gland – as effectively as the medical drug thiouracil, which is used to treat hyperthyroidism. (2)
Alcohol, Sulphur drugs and antihistamines all depresses the thyroid, but similarly cannot be recommended as a treatment.
However, tea (black and green) is very high in fluoride – and fluoride used to be used as a treatment for hyperthyroidism. This simple drink may act to slow down a thyroid that is tending towards hyperthyroidism. (Thyroid expert Dr. Barry Peatfield (2) recommends avoiding tea altogether if you’re hypothyroid.)
These foods/drinks all dampen thyroid activity:
- Raw brassica vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, turnips, sweet potatoes, mustard greens, kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts, radishes, cauliflower, cassava, millet, almonds, peanuts, peaches, pears and strawberries)
- Tea – green, black, white, redbush
- Certain herbs: Bugleweed (Lycopus virginicus), Gypsywort (Lycopus europaeus), Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) and Common Gromwell (Lithospermum officinale)(1)
Homeopathic preparations that have successfully been used for treating hyperthyroidism include: Kelpsan, Coffea, Pulsatilla, Thyroidinum, and Natrum Muriaticum.
It makes sense, too, to avoid all stimulants (such as coffee, cola, nicotine, and soft, sugared drinks).
Rebalancing plants
Certain plants have also been found to rebalance the thyroid, whether from a hyper- or hypo- state, while others can play an important part in stabilizing blood sugar levels, to provide essential background balance. Read more about rebalancing plants here.
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Notes
- These herbs have been shown to exert antithyrotropic activity (LINK: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2985357).
- Dr Barry Peatfield, author of "The Great Thyroid Scandal and How to Survive It" is singularly respected among thyroid patients and patient advocates as a genuine thyroid expert.
References
- “In vitro assay of thyroid disruptors affecting TSH-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity”; Santini F, Vitti P, Ceccarini G, Mammoli C, Rosellini V, Pelosini C, Marsili A, Tonacchera M, Agretti P, Santoni T, Chiovato L, Pinchera A. J Endocrinol Invest. 2003 Oct;26(10):950-5.L
- Joseph Pizzorno, ND, quoted in “Alternative Medicine”, Burton Goldberg, Larry Trivieri, John W Anderson, 2002, Celestial Arts, 2nd Edition, p.1032
