Stronger Beautiful Hair Through Thyroid Management

Have you noticed excessive hair loss, thinning of eyebrows and a general lack of luster to your mane? It could be due to sweet little thyroid gland.
 
The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland located at the base of the throat that produces hormones that regulate a myriad of processes and bodily functions.
 
Because the endocrine system is intimately interconnected, when you have a thyroid imbalance it will affect all other hormones in the body.
 
With the number of man-made chemicals in the environment it is really no wonder why so many people are suffering from hypothyroidism. The thyroid being the sensitive organ it is has the incredible task of keeping-up with the toxic-overload we are being exposed to daily.
 
Estrogenic chemicals are present pretty much everywhere. And we are all exposed to them to some degree or other: sunscreens, make-up, creams and household cleaning products have properties that breakdown into xeno-estrogens. We even find men running excessive estrogen through their bodies simply from environmental exposure.
 
Why are xeno-estrogens bad? Because they fit perfectly into receptor sites where your natural estrogen would normally go causing the body to send wrong messages and over-making or under-making of certain hormones and leaving you feeling… well, weird.
 
Other elements that are causing imbalances to the endocrine system come from chlorinated and fluorinated water, birth control pills, pesticides, and exposure to mercury in dental fillings and contaminated fish.

So what can we do?

It is important to balance the thyroid properly but before jumping the gun and taking hormone replacement therapy there are changes in lifestyle that can naturally correct this gland to function properly.
 
In fact, synthetic hormone replacement therapy can tend to make the thyroid lazy making you dependent for life.
 
The first thing to know is that for the thyroid to function properly it needs a few specific “signals”. The first one of these comes from a healthy pituitary gland. Often when people have a thyroid imbalance it is actually due to a pituitary problem.
 
The pituitary, also known as the master gland, is a pea-sized structure located at the base of the brain. It dictates to the thyroid how much T4 + T3 (hormones) it needs to produce. When your pituitary is weak it isn’t able to send proper messages to the thyroid.
 
So the first thing you want to do is look at the causes of hypothyroidism and ways in which you can facilitate your body to boost thyroid function naturally.
 
Boosting function though proper supplementation and a clean lifestyle is key.

1. Be sure to have a diet rich in green vegetables and superfoods as to maintain optimally nourished cells. So many of us absorb heavy metals because we are deficient in the minerals and nutrients that would normally protect us from environmental pollutants.
 
2. Consume foods that are have naturally chelating properties (detoxifiers) such as chlorella and spirulina.
 
3. Be sure to have enough selenium because mercury and selenium compete for the same binding sites in the body (meaning that from a cells perspective they look almost identical). If you don’t have enough selenium in the body when you become exposed to mercury by consuming mercury contaminated fish for example, your cells will mistakenly think it is selenium and like a perfect puzzle piece, grab onto it.
 
Adequate selenium amounts are easily achieved by eating 3-4 brazil nuts a day or by consuming mushrooms on a regular basis.
 
4. Another key component that supports thyroid function is of course iodine. If you live close to the ocean you are getting the benefits of this element though the air but if not you can supplement this mineral by consuming sea vegetables such as nori, arame, dulse, and any other form of kelp you enjoy.
 

Other Iodine-rich foods are:

• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Brussel Sprouts
• Mustard Greens
• Cauliflower
• Kale
• Lima Beans
• Rutabaga
• Turnips
• Sweet Potatoes
• Radishes

5. Fulvic acid is also effective in regulating abnormal thyroid hormone secretion and immune system function as a result of its ability to regulate RNA and DNA at the cellular level.
 
6. And finally, often overlooked, and maybe one of the most important thyroid balancers is vitamin sunshine (D3). Get enough sun! It doesn’t need to be excessive but you do need adequate amounts to stimulate the pituitary and overall functions of the body.