You are here: Q&A->
Page 63->Underactive thyroid gland
Underactive thyroid gland
For the last two years, I have been suffering with an underactive thyroid gland. I feel very low, have little energy and do not seem to be able to return to normal health. I am a 43-years-old and female. What foods or vitamins can help me? I am already taking 25mcg of Thyroxine daily and I also have a hormonal imbalance which causes facial growth. I was prescribed the contraceptive pill to stop this but have stopped taking it since it made me depressed.
The Thyroid controls energy production, the metabolism of sugars and fats, your growth rate, the conversion of vitamin A into betacarotene, your heartrate, your blood pressure, your rate of breathing, mental alertness and libido. So no wonder, when it malfunctions, you feel so very low.
You need to go back to your own doctor and check you are taking enough thyroxine. It may be that it was sufficient when first prescribed, but that you now have more stress - which is having an adverse effect on the thyroid hormones now.
And while you may be eating a diet that should provide enough iodine, which is crucial to thyroid functioning, you may inadvertently also be eating too many foods that work in the body to block the use of iodine. These foods are called goitrogens. They include broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, sauerkraut, turnips, soya beans, peanuts, pine nuts, and millet - so reduce your intake of these.
To boost your dietary intake of iodine, eat more sea vegetables, especially kelp and dulse, and switch to iodised salt. Again, make sure your intake remains moderate though - since in excess, these foods will also have the opposite effect.
To be effective in the body, iodine needs the presence of an amino acid called tyrosine and this, in turn, needs enough vitamin E, A, B2, B3, B6, and C, as well as copper, zinc, and selenium. Organic foods contain up to four times more selenium than non-organic so it would be worth making the changeover if you haven’t done so already.
The hormonal imbalance you complain of is called Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). It is very common and usually made worse, in the long term, by the contraceptive pill - which is the conventional treatment. For more information on more natural ways to control the symptoms, which can include unexplained and rapid weight gain, bloating and adult acne, check out my factsheet on the subject.