Do you frequently feel tired or even exhausted? Is weight gain or loss becoming a significant problem in your daily life? While many factors can play into these symptoms, chances are, if you have experienced prolonged feelings like these, you may have thyroid problems.

Your thyroid, a small butterfly-shaped gland in your neck, is chiefly in charge of your energy and metabolism and produces many hormones; this little powerhouse also influences glucose absorption, protein synthesis, cardiac activity, and circulation. In short, the thyroid has a great deal of control over the body’s overall functioning condition. When its levels are off, it can throw your world into a tailspin.

Thyroid disease is a common problem, one that more frequently affects women than men. When it secretes too many hormones, hyperthyroidism is the result. Too little hormone secretion results in hypothyroidism. Experts agree that the disease can be triggered by a number of issues from poor nutritional intake to chronic anxiety or stress or significant exertion over long periods of time, and it can often times be influenced by heredity.

It should be noted that while thyroid disease can often times be naturally cured over time, for those who are already experiencing symptoms, medical attention and correction should be sought. The disease can be damaging, and the longer it is left unchecked, the more harm it can do to your system and overall health. Once the thyroid is rebalanced and you desire to maintain its stability through natural measures, speak to your doctor about slowly removing yourself from medication and moving to natural controls under your physician’s monitoring.

Combating Thyroid Disease With Your Diet

Most health experts agree that the first step in controlling your thyroid naturally is to take charge of your diet and nutrition consumption. If you live a homesteading life and are concerned about what you can do should things hit the fan, there are actually many things you can try.

To regulate your thyroid, you will want to consider doing the following:

• Increase your intake of iodine-rich foods. Great sources of iodine can be found in cranberries, sea vegetables (including kelp), organic yogurt, organic navy beans, organic strawberries, potatoes, and dairy.
• Add foods into your diet that are high in zinc, an essential mineral for a healthy thyroid (not to mention great for your immune system). You can try some tasty additions like pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate, garlic, sesame seeds, watermelon seeds, wheat germ, squash seeds, and chickpeas.
• Increase your selenium intake. This is not only a powerful antioxidant that keeps your immune system strong, but some studies have shown that selenium consumption can reduce the risk of cancer and stress, repair DNA, and even improve asthma. You can find selenium in Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, asparagus, fish, shellfish, poultry, eggs, mushrooms, wheat germ, barley, brown rice, oats, and onions. Be aware of the levels of selenium you consume, however. The daily recommended allowance for adults is 55 mcg. Anything above 400 mcg can lead to selenium toxicity; selenium supplements are controversial because of this, and many experts argue that they are not necessary and could be potentially harmful.
• Avoid soy products. Soybeans contain goitrogens that can block thyroid iodine absorption. Soy products are found in multitude of shelf products in the forms of oil, processed beans, flour, and more. Be sure to read the labels on the packages you’re purchasing and reduce or completely eliminate soy from your diet.
• Avoid trans fats. While the damaging affects of trans fats are becoming more observed by consumers and retailers alike, this type of fat is still hidden in several foods. It not only damages the heart, but it breaks down thyroid membranes. This not only alters the function of the gland, but also damages the gland itself. Trans fats are still commonly found in bakery foods, most margarines, processed freezer dinners, commercial snack foods (such as snack cakes and chips), most types of cooking oils, shortening and fast foods.

Combating Thyroid Disease With Your Activity

Stress can be one of the leading factors in thyroid disease. For whatever reason, the gland does not hold up well when the body and mind are stressed, anxious, or tense. For this reason, health professionals recommend plenty of rest and finding natural activities that allow for releasing stress and tension. There are a variety of ways in which this can be achieved, and some top recommendations from natural health care providers include:

• Exercise. Make sure that you arrange for enough time in your day to get between thirty and sixty minutes of low-impact cardio exercise four to five times a week. This is a natural stress release, one that your body was created with a predisposition for. This will not only help you relieve stress and help your thyroid, it will also strengthen muscles, improve your pulmonary and circulatory systems, and also stimulate endorphin production, improving your mood and overall emotions.
• Take up yoga or deep-breathing meditations. The very core of these is relaxation and releasing stress. Many health benefits, from a higher lung capacity to lower blood pressure, have been attributed to yoga. Joining a class or venturing into this practice on your own can be helpful to your overall health and that of your thyroid.
• Find other releases. While some find journaling helpful for reducing stress, others may take up hobbies such as painting, gardening, reading, or any other number of things that allow for the abandonment of worries, stress, and responsibility, if even just for a short time, to enable the mind and the body to relax.

Testing has shown that natural solutions for thyroid disease can often completely restore the thyroid to regulate and function on its own without the use of medicine. However, it is important to understand first of all, where your thyroid count is exactly. Once you are fully aware of precisely how your thyroid is functioning, if you desire a natural, holistic approach to regulating and maintaining its activity, find a doctor who will support and assist you. It is important to monitor your thyroidal activity and maintain doctor supervision, even through completely natural methods, to ensure that you don’t harm your thyroid, and therefore your body, to a greater extent.