Food For Your Thyroid Is Food For Thought

Hippocrates, the father of modernmedicine said Let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food.This was of course spoken in an era where drugs were not prolific andlifestyle played a gr...

Hippocrates, the father of modernmedicine said Let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food.This was of course spoken in an era where drugs were not prolific andlifestyle played a greater part in maintaining good health. His wordsdo of course ring true today illness is after all, not due to adeficiency of drugs, so why treat it with a drug unless youabsolutely have to?

Most illnesses can be put down to animbalance or a loss of vitamins and minerals. But I eat a gooddiet, I hear you say. Unfortunately in our modern world, this isnot enough. Why are our bodies deficient of these essentialnutrients? There are numerous reasons, such as the way we grow, pickand process foods as well as eating foods that decrease our bodysability to absorb nutrients and can actually suppress thyroidfunction.

Before we proceed, what is thyroid?

It is one of the largest endocrineglands in the body. This gland controls how quickly our body will useup energy and make protein. It also controls the sensitivity of ourbody to other hormones. The thyroid is found in the neck underneaththe thyroid cartilage and at almost the same level as the cricoidcartilage.

Thyroid Disorder

The thyroid hormone, the hormonesecreted by the thyroid, is important at a certain level. Itfunctions as a stimulus for metabolism. It is also critical to acell's normal function.

Excess in production of the thyroidhormone results to hyperthyroidism. It causes our body systemto speed up thus resembling the symptoms of epinephrineoverdose. Symptoms include fast heart beat, palpitations, anxiety,diarrhea and weight loss.

In contrast, insufficient production ofthyroid hormone in the body results to hypothyroidism. One ofthe factors that cause hypothyroidism is iodine deficiency. Some ofthe early symptoms of hypothyroidism include:

- Fatigue

- Cold intolerance, increasedsensitivity to cold

- Depression

- Muscle cramps and joint pain

- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

- Goiter

Essentials for a good thyroidfunction

There are essential nutrients neededfor a healthy thyroid. One of which is tyrosine which is contained infoods such as avocado, banana and pumpkin seeds. Another is zincfound in foods such as seafood, nuts and a variety of meats. Otherfood contains one or more these essential nutrients. For example,peas are high in both iodine and zinc, turkey is rich in selenium,tyrosine and zinc. Trying to work out a healthy and balanced dietthat contains all of these nutrients could be tricky.

Vivienne Savill is also the author of The Complete Guide to FixingHypothyroidism. This book goes one step further to ensure your foodreally is your medicine. It contains around 150 recipes that aredelicious and easy to cook for a good thyroid health. Also containedin this great book is information about herbs and supplements thatwill treat your symptoms and have you feeling better real soon. Youwill also find a really useful acupressure program to balance yourthyroid function.

So if you are sick of being told that you need a drug for the rest ofyour life, check this book out. This alternative treatment for yourthyroid is well worth a look.