Which Supplements and Herbs Should You Take For Hypothyroidism

More and more people with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis look to take supplements and herbs to help with their condition. Some take supplements and herbs as a form of natural symptom management, while other people will attempt to use supplements and herbs to restore their health back to normal. Before I discuss some specific supplements which can benefit people with hypothyroidism, it's important to understand that taking supplements and herbs alone isn't enough to restore someone's health back to normal.

In order to fully benefit from any nutritional supplement or herb, changes in your lifestyle are necessary. If you constantly eat junk food and/or drink beverages with sugar, don't obtain sufficient sleep, and don't do a good job of managing your stress, then it's almost a waste to take supplements and herbs. So to receive maximum benefit from any supplements or herbs you take you need to take responsibility for your health. If you're will to do this then you might want to consider taking some of the following supplements and herbs:
  1. Bladderwrack. This is an herb which is specific for people with hypothyroid conditions. Even though it contains iodine, the quantity is small and usually won't cause a problem, even in people with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.

  2. Ashwagandha. This is another multi-tasking herb which when combined with Bladderwrack can do a wonderful job of managing the symptoms of hypothyroidism naturally.

  3. Vitamin D. Vitamin D plays an important role in immunity, which of course is extremely important in any autoimmune condition, such as Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Most people are Vitamin D deficient, and so it's important that everyone get tested to make sure they have sufficient levels of Vitamin D. If they don't have sufficient levels then this is usually easy to correct through proper supplementation.

  4. Selenium. Selenium is important in the enzymatic reaction that converts T4 to T3. So if someone is deficient in selenium, this will affect the conversion of thyroid hormone. Taking a whole food selenium supplement can help correct such a deficiency, or one can also eat a handful of raw brazil nuts daily, which will give you all of the Selenium you need.

  5. Eleuthero. This is an herb which helps people deal better with stress, which can affect the health of the adrenal glands, and an adrenal gland problem can potentially lead to a hypothyroid condition. So this herb can benefit anyone who deals with a lot of stress on a regular basis. This can be taken long-term, although once the adrenal glands are strong the person does need to continue eating well and improve their stress handling skills so they don't need to rely on taking this herb.

  6. Iodine. Many people with thyroid and autoimmune thyroid conditions are deficient in iodine, which of course is very important in the formation of thyroid hormone. This is why people with a hypothyroid condition should be tested for an iodine deficiency. Conventional urine tests aren't too accurate, as I have found the most accurate test to be the iodine loading test, which is a urine test which measures the amount of iodine excreted over a period of 24 hours. It admittedly isn't the most convenient test, as you need to collect your urine over a period of 24 hours, but it is very accurate.

    There of course is a lot of controversy when it comes to iodine supplementation and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Although many people with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis do fine when supplementing with iodine, some people don't do well, which is why I'm still cautious when it comes to giving iodine supplements to people with this condition.

  7. Magnesium. This is yet another mineral people are commonly deficient in, and is also important for the proper absorption of iodine. In order to make sure you get enough Magnesium eat plenty of leafy green vegetables, raw nuts and seeds, and you might even need to take a magnesium supplement depending on how deficient you are.
So these are some of the supplements and herbs which can benefit people with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. This doesn't mean that people with these conditions should take all of these. Plus, there are also other supplements and herbs people with hypothyroidism can benefit from which I didn't list here. In order to see which of these you should take, it is strongly recommended to consult with a competent natural endocrine doctor. Just randomly taking some of these supplements and herbs on your own can be risky, and different people will also require different dosages. So in order to receive optimal results it's always best to consult with an expert.

(Posted by Dr. Eric Osansky at http://ezinearticles.com/?Which-Supplements-and-Herbs-Should-You-Take-For-Hypothyroidism?&id=7097640)

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