6 Tips on How to Maintain a Healthy Thyroid for Optimal Health [Episode #778]

This week’s topic is: 6 Tips on How to Maintain a Healthy Thyroid for Optimal Health

Thyroid health is absolutely critical to our overall functioning. It’s really important for many different functionalities in the body to be efficient, including our metabolism. There’s also a connection with our thyroid and healthy cycle for us women. And so it’s really important that we take care of our overall endocrine system. And today we’re going to be focusing on some very tangible research driven tips for you to really start targeting this very important organ in your body.

Have you been wondering about this very topic? If you want to know the answer to this question sent in by a Beauty just like you, listen now to find out!

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[Question Answered]

Brittany – Texas

Kimberly, l have been struggling with an unbalanced thyroid. I have been seeing a doctor but wanted to get any advice for what I can do naturally to help?

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Transcript:

Note: The following is the output of transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate. This is due to inaudible passages or transcription errors. It is posted as an aid, but should not be treated as an authoritative record.

Kimberly: 00:04 Namaste loves, and welcome to our Thursday Q&A show where today we’re gonna be talking about 5 Tips on How to Maintain a Healthy Thyroid for Optimal Health. Thyroid health is absolutely critical to our overall functioning. It’s really important for many different functionalities in the body to be efficient, including our metabolism. There’s also a connection with our thyroid and healthy cycle for us women. And so it’s really important that we take care of our overall endocrine system. And today we’re gonna be focusing on some very tangible research driven tips for you to really start targeting this very important organ in your body. I’ll mention on a personal note that this is of extra interest to me because, um, over the past, while my dad has been dealing with some thyroid conditions, which have gotten under control, but, um, I’ve been doing a lot of reading and research around the thyroid as well.

01:09 So there is definitely personal interest here for me, and which is what I always love to share with you. And also from the auric and the yogic vidic system. Your thyroid is around the throat area, which is correlated with the vada or the throat chakra, which has to do with our natural expression and the ways in which we communicate in the world from the true self. Or if there is a blocks in this ability to really communicate, it means that we can, it can dampen our connection to our true self. We may be coming more from a blocked or an egoic perspective, or have a lot of self-doubt or not fully, uh, be able to express ourselves. So as we work with the energy in these different centers of the body, especially around the chakras, they are all correlated with different endocrine organs. Just know that we are opening up and balancing physically as well as energetically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. We are not just physical beings as I think we all know now, right? We have, that’s why the four cornerstones are here. Food, body, emotional wellbeing, and spiritual growth. I emphasize this so much because it is the quality of our holistic lifestyle and being able to really nurture and care for all different aspects of ourselves that allows us to grow in true health and true wellbeing, and to really live our most fulfilling, incredible creative, joy-filled lives. So I’m very excited to talk about thyroid health today,

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Kimberly: 02:59 But quick reminder before we do to please leave us a review on Apple, Spotify, wherever you listen to our show, as a wonderful way to support. So thank you so much in advance. You can also subscribe to the show, which is a wonderful act of self-care, just to make sure that you stay in the flow without having to make more decisions or take additional action steps. Please also share the show with anyone that you think would benefit to share the love, to share the resources, and it is this intentional act of going beyond ourselves that creates expansion and abundance.

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04:08 When I started, um, going really deep into this yogic path and understanding the teachings from the Vedas and what Yogananda was saying, it really changed my whole life. I went from really struggling and having many different jobs to be able to create what I really wanted to share, the books and the offerings and the courses and the products. And so I’m really passionate about sharing these ways, these ways that allow us to open up our lives right from my heart share with you. So please check it out again, wherever books are sold, it’s called You Are More Than You Think you Are. Okay? So all of that being said, let’s get right into our show today, which falls into our body, cornerstone thyroid health, which is cri.

Question around the topic of: 6 Tips on How to Maintain a Healthy Thyroid for Optimal Health: Kimberly, l have been struggling with an unbalanced thyroid. I have been seeing a doctor but wanted to get any advice for what I can do naturally to help?

04:58 And our question comes from Brit who lives in Texas. Thank you so much, Brittany, for being part of our community. Thank you for reaching out with a question, sending you lots of love wherever you happen to be. And your question is, Kimberly, I have been struggling with an unbalanced thyroid. I’ve been seeing a doctor, but wanted to get any advice for what I can do naturally to help. So, Brittany, I love this. I love your approach, and yes, there is a time and a place for medications and pharmaceuticals, but it is really important that we take this holistic approach to nourish ourselves, to, um, to really see what else there is that we can do. And of course, some medications are temporary, some we are longer term or long term, but still there is a lot we can do for our bodies, for our organs, for our health.

05:55 There have been so many documented cases of incredible turnarounds and ways in which, you know, the body heals, the body regenerates. So we want to align ourselves into this healing, rejuvenative nurturing energy and direct that into our bodies and as our focus is today into your beautiful thyroid. So let’s start with research. There’s actually gonna be quite a bit of research in this show because this topic really does warrant it, and you can, um, check out the studies and the research. If you wanna read some of the papers yourself or go a bit deeper, we will link to them over on the show notes@myluna.com. So first of all, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that 20 million Americans have some sort of, thy some form of thyroid disease. Now, here’s the kicker. 60% of those with a thyroid disease do not know of their own condition.

06:59 60%. A study published in the Journal of Thyroid Research found that the prevalence of thyroid disorders has increased over the past few decades, but particularly in women. So if you’re feeling like something is off, if you are noticing that you’re eating less and yet you’re gaining a lot of weight, or there’s something up with your metabolism or just, you know, something feels a bit off, you might wanna get blood work done, which can also check. Um, there’s different biomarkers in ways that we can, uh, the tests can check for your thyroid health. So that’s something I recommend doing. If you are, you just have some sort of intuitive inkling or you can’t figure out what’s going on, get some blood work done and check and see. So that was how they were able to identify my father’s condition was through the blood work because my, he didn’t, he wasn’t eating a lot and then he was continuing to gain weight.

08:05 We knew that there was something wrong and lo and behold, there was a bit of, of a thyroid issue that he has had to deal with and manage. So, you know, back to 60% of people don’t really, they’re not really aware of it. So it’s really important that we, um, take our own wellbeing into our hands and do something about it if we can tell that something is off in our bodies. But there are no matter what six great action steps that you can take to nourish your thyroid, even if it feels like it’s in great shape or it’s pretty healthy already, there are things that we can do.

Tip #1 – 6 Tips on How to Maintain a Healthy Thyroid for Optimal Health: Eating a balanced diet

So the first thing that we’re going to talk about is eating a balanced diet. Food is a really important way to nourish earth thyroid, and this is well documented in research. There is a study from the Journal of Thyroid Research, found that a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in processed foods and sugar, no surprise, there was associated with better thyroid function in women with hypothyroidism.

09:15 Another study in the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism found that a diet high in protein and low and carbs improved thyroid function and reduced inflammation. And there’s so much research out there. And last one, I’ll say in this way, in this a section, is a study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that a diet consuming, um, uh, consuming a diet rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients such as vitamins a, c and e and selenium, help to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the thyroid gland. So when it comes to our diet, know that you hold a big missing, uh, piece of the puzzle. We can choose what to eat, we can choose nourishing foods. So be sure to center your diet around whole colorful plant foods. Lots of colors. Now we’re in spring, there’s gonna be a bounty at your farmer’s market. That’s gonna be start, it’s gonna start expanding and exploding.

10:16 So be sure to check that out and support your local farmers and also whole grains and healthy fats and easily digestible sources of protein are important as well, like Tempe and, um, seeds and nuts and, uh, beans and legumes ideally sprouted. So just make sure that your diet is in check. And if you need a reset, remember that we just launched our three day waterfall cleanse. You can also get information about that over on the website to really reset your whole system. I did it with my husband and his blood work was amazing before and after the cleanse, and in particular, his inflammation biomarkers went way down. So it’s really powerful what a reset can do. So check that out if you’re interested as well. And any case, make sure that your diet, once again is centered in whole plant foods.

Tip #2 – 6 Tips on How to Maintain a Healthy Thyroid for Optimal Health: Get enough iodine

11:20 Number two, get enough iodine. Iodine is essential for the production of thyroid hormones. So foods rich in iodine. This goes back to why we wanna get a balance, a wide variety of veggies, including veggies from the sea and veggies from the land, because a lot of the iodine containing veggies come from seaweed. So nori wrappers are really great. If you’re a sushi lover, you know what I’m talking about. Or you can, I make little wraps with a full nori sheet. I just slice up, um, avocado sprouts or cilantro, which I love. Um, a little bit of the liquid brags a little bit of soy sauce and you can just eat it like that or <foreign> rma, uh, there’s many different types of seaweed. So you know, a lot of health markets have an Asian section. You can see what calls to you experiment, but work it in because it really is wonderful for your thyroid study.

12:20 Published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that iodine supplementation improved thyroid function and reduced the risk of developing hypothyroidism in pregnant women with an iodine deficiency. Another study published in the Journal of Thyroid Research found that iodine supplementation improved thyroid function in women with subclinical hypothyroidism. So we can get, um, iodine of course from iodized salt, but remember that we don’t wanna do overdo it with the salt, which can lead to its own set of conditions. So yes, I salt, but I am a big fan of seaweed and sea vegetables, which you can incorporate as well. Make sure to check out some of our recipes as well over@mysaluna.com where there are recipes that definitely include sea vegetables.

Tip #3 – 6 Tips on How to Maintain a Healthy Thyroid for Optimal Health: Manage Stress

Number three is to manage stress. It’s so funny because there’s so many different conditions and issues that are, you know, stress is implicated, whether it’s having really painful menstrual cycles or autoimmune conditions.

13:35 I mean, there’s just so much that’s correlated with stress. Why? Because stress completely disregulates your body. So it’s not the events that happen, it’s not the traffic which we can’t control. It’s not your mean boss. I can feel that way. It is not your, you know, um, just, you know, careless friends that, um, you know, forgot to replace what they borrowed or the work assignments which are pouring in 10 times faster than you thought. It is our reaction to them. It is the stories we tell ourselves, which is, I gotta do it. I gotta do everything. I gotta say yes to everything. I gotta run around. And that healthy boundary relationship does protect our health. So boundaries is something that’s a different conversation. Will link to our show notes in our show notes with our podcast with Judith, um, Dr. Judith Orloff, who is an empath expert, and also Joel Provost, who wrote a book on boundaries. But just know that we need to care for ourselves. Breathing

Kimberly: 14:51 Techniques, breath work, some of the practices I share in the new book, so we’re not the victim of our minds and the stress doesn’t completely wreck our bodies day by day. So we need to find ways to really manage our stress. And one of the most powerful ways, I believe hands down, if there’s one tool that I recommend for stress, it’s starting the day with morning meditation. Our practical enlightenment, free guided meditations, which are about seven minutes long, are for that purpose so that you can listen to this meditation and start the day from a more anchored place with a, from a place of resilience and understanding that we are the energy inside. We are not, we do not need to over-identify with a limited body, limited beliefs, but we are anchored into something deeper. And so it helps to hel it, it it helps to, um, smooth out the challenges of daily life, all the ups and downs, and it just gives us a broader perspective.

16:04 And so this is also gonna be really wonderful for your thyroid. A study published in the Journal of Women’s Health found that stress reduction techniques such as meditation and yoga improved thyroid function and reduced anxiety in women with subclinical hyperthyroidism. Another study published in the Journal of Endocrinology Metabolism found that stress can impair thyroid function in healthy individuals by reducing the production of thyroid hormones. So it’s so important, again, for many different reasons that we really, um, balance this reactivity, this attempt to deal with busy life by push, push, push, go, react, you know, versus calmness and equanimity, which is, which is the medicine of yoga and meditation. Otherwise, we fall into these, um, you know, we’re susceptible, we’re vulnerable to these issues like the hypothyroid thyroidism, which by the way means there’s a deficiency of thyroid hormones. And this disrupts, as I mentioned, our metabolism. It can even mesh with your heart rate and your body temperature. Okay? So it’s very important that we take a look at this.

Tip #4 – 6 Tips on How to Maintain a Healthy Thyroid for Optimal Health: Exercise regularly

Number four exercise regularly. And this is what I’m seeing regularly. It’s at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity. Exercise four for many days of the week, okay, let’s say at least five days. We know that exercise is really important for bone health, joint health, cardiovascular function, respiratory health, many different things.

Kimberly: 17:48 It great, it’s great for our neurocognitive functioning and energy. It’s great for digestion. It’s, you know, Ayurveda recommends walking for 15 minutes after meals even. And it’s also great for your thyroid. Here we go. <laugh>, A study published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness found that exercise improves thyroid function and reduces the risk of developing thyroid disorders in overweight and obese individuals. Overall, studies suggest that regular exercise can improve thyroid function and reduce the risk of developing thyroid disorders. Exercise can also help to reduce stress, which can have a negative impact on thyroid function as mentioned earlier. So we wanna get into this regular movement flow, which in a sense aligns us to our truth because we are meant to be dynamic beings instead of stagnant beings. Like the stagnant pond analogy that I’ve always referred to over the years, the sludge, we can feel what that is energetically.

18:56 It’s slothfulness, it’s degradation, it’s nah, yucky, <laugh> heavy, right? And so the movement is helping to inspire this fresh prana coming in. Full, deep breaths down into your belly are also part of this just to make sure we’re constantly renewing the prana, the life force energy in your body and your system.

Tip #5 – 6 Tips on How to Maintain a Healthy Thyroid for Optimal Health: Avoid exposure to toxins

And number five, avoid exposure to toxins. I just did a wonderful podcast with Darin Olian, which you can check out on this topic. He’s written a new book, which is coming out shortly called Fatal Conveniences. And just how much is these forces, these assailant on our body day in and day out? Toxins like pesticides, heavy metals, pollutants, there’s a lot going on. And so it’s really important, um, that we take the, the steps that we can because we can’t control everything and we are going to be in public spaces sometimes, but whatever we can do to really upgrade up level, the quality of our home environment is going to be wonderful for our thyroid health.

20:15 In fact, a study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that environmental toxins such as polychlorinated by phenols PCBs can disrupt thyroid hormone metabolism and lead to hypothyroidism. So these toxins are messing with us, they mess with our, um, and you know, in fact all the endocrine disruptors, you know, we know that there’s an impact on these toxins with fatigue, with autoimmune, with fertility, and yes, with your thyroid. There’s another study published in the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism that found an exposure to heavy metals such as lead cadmium can impair thyroid function and lead to hypothyroidism. And there’s other research that, um, shows that eating contaminated foods and beverages, especially all the plastics, all these, you know, just processed things, the non-toxic cleaning products, I mean, there’s just so much toxicity in our home. So a couple things here I recommend.

21:24 We had our water tested, um, last year and found that there was a lot of heavy metals in our water supply arsenic even. So we got a whole house water filter, which has made a really big difference so that when you’re showering and you’re pores are open and you’re having hot water pour in your body, your body isn’t absorbing that toxicity, right? So that was a really powerful step our family took. We also eat organic food and um, we use clean home products. We don’t use air fresheners or anything like that. We use as clean the products as possible. And simple things like vinegar for the floors and baking soda, lemon to clean. Um, of course we have our Sal Luna non-toxic skincare products. Really powerful vitamin C serum that I use every day and so on. So just make sure as much as possible, these are some steps and there’s far more you can take. Um, but really clean up, see what you’re buying, see what’s in your home space. And a great air filter is also something I recommend.

Tip #6 – 6 Tips on How to Maintain a Healthy Thyroid for Optimal Health: Get enough sleep

22:23  Finally, number six, get enough sleep. So sleep is another important component of lifestyle, another lifestyle component of healthy thyroid. Now you can see that many of these action steps you may be working on to varying degrees, but we’re taking this angle of, wow, this is really great for your thyroid, which is something that maybe an angle you hadn’t thought of before. So sleep for instance, we know is important so we just don’t have to, um, feel like crap the next day. But it’s amazing that the journal sleep medicine found that chronic sleep deprivation could actually reduce thyroid function in healthy individuals. So our endocrine organs are sensitive, they need ideal conditions in order to function at their best. And so we wanna make sure, and there’s another study I wanna mention the journal Sleep Research found that irregular sleep patterns and sleep disturbances were associated with an increased risk of thyroid disorders. So we need to get that seven, eight hours a night. It’s really

Kimberly: 23:44 Important we create some sort of sleep evening routine, just like we do for our children to prepare for the phenomenon of sleep instead of going from a busy active day and checking our phones and watching stuff and getting all riled up, being on the news and then thinking we’re gonna fall right asleep. I’m a huge fan of getting off screens in the evening. And you may think, well, what am I supposed to do to relax? Well, <laugh>, there’s lots of things you can watch the screens a little earlier. And then I like to, you know, I really just like simple things. I like to talk to my hubby. We stretch together at night, meditation, of course, journaling, fun books, you know, games that we play with our kids. So it’s not that you can’t watch screens, but in that period right before sleep, it is better to get off if possible.

24:42 And again, back to the guided meditations, back to these practices to help us reset and calm down before we go into slumber. So remember overall, if you’re listening to this and you’re like, yes, I’m excited, I wanna try some of these practices, or really commit to them. If you’re feeling like something might be off with your thyroid for any reason, be sure to consult with your healthcare professional. It’s really important. Um, take some tests, assess your thyroid function and see how you can also optimize your thyroid function. It can work holistically and in conjunction with your medical team, of course. So this is really important, that’s why I wanted to highlight it today. Your thyroid is an absolutely precious, important piece of your wellness puzzle. And so we wanna nourish your thyroid and make sure your thyroid is in peak health and functioning well, right?

25:40 So I love you. I am here to support. I am listening to you. You can submit your questions over at mysolluna.com and you can also find me on social and also on the website. You can leave comments on our blogs, the blogs and articles that I write. Otherwise, we will be back here Monday for our next show, our next interview. Till then, take great care, sending you so much love. Have a wonderful day, a wonderful weekend. Reminder to check out the waterfall cleanse if you haven’t yet already, as a wonderful way to propel yourself into spring. And I will see you soon. Lots of love and so much gratitude. Namaste.