Tabla de contenidos para The Thyroid Cure en The Thyroid Cure

1 TEST IN THE MORNING  Because hormone levels naturally fluctuate throughout the day, getting a good baseline reading first thing in the morning can provide a more accurate picture. 2 TEST BEFORE TAKING ANY MEDS Thyroid medications can make levels of free thyroid hormones in the blood fluctuate for up to 10 hours, so taking medication too close to testing can skew results. 3 TEST WITH YOUR MENSTRUAL CYCLE During days 10–20 of a woman’s menstrual cycle, levels of thyroid antibodies can fluctuate enough to change test results by as much as 75%. This only applies to women who aren’t in menopause.…

TRY AN ADAPTOGEN “Adaptogens are herbs that have been used all over the world to improve our capacity to manage stress—both physically and mentally,” notes thyroid specialist Sean Zager, MD. “Adaptogens can help to support energy, mental clarity, immune defense, sleep and really an overall sense of sustained wellness.” One adaptogen that he recommends is ashwaganda, which can be taken as a supplement or as a tea. This herb has been shown to regulate the body’s stress response and help improve thyroid hormone levels in hypothyroid patients. FILL UP ON FATTY FISH Enjoying fish, such as cod, halibut, salmon and tuna, two to three times per week supplies the body with two important nutrients: omega-3 fatty acids and iodine. Research shows the omega-3s actually short-circuit the adrenal response in the face of…

We all know women are more likely than men to suffer from depression, osteoporosis and celiac disease, but according to the American Thyroid Association, women are also eight times more likely to have a thyroid problem than men. Why? For starters, women are at least three times more likely to be diagnosed with an autoimmune condition—and the No. 1 cause of hypothyroidism in developed countries is Hashimoto’s (an autoimmune disease). While scientists don’t fully understand why this happens, Raphael Kellman, MD, author of Microbiome Thyroid, points to two possibilities. “A significant reason is that women are more likely than men to go to doctors and speak up about their health concerns during an appointment,” he says. “But there’s a biological basis, as well. Women have more systems throughout the body…

One of the most common causes of hyperthyroidism, Graves’ disease affects 60% to 80% of those dealing with an overactive thyroid in the U.S., and disproportionately affects women versus men. “With Graves’ disease the immune system causes an overproduction of an antibody called thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI),” says endocrinologist Yasmin Akhunji, MD, a thyroid specialist with Paloma Health. “The TSI antibody is the catalyst for kicking the thyroid gland into high gear, cranking out too much of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4.” The thyroid may be so large because of Graves’ disease that when a physician puts a stethoscope to the thyroid on the neck, they’ll be able to hear blood flowing through it. “Not only does TSI trigger the thyroid, but it can physically enlarge the gland in…

If you’ve recently had a thyroid ultrasound and been told you have lots of nodules, there’s no need to panic. “On the whole, thyroid nodules have a 5% chance of turning out to be thyroid cancer,” says Robin Cisco, MD, a thyroid surgeon at Stanford Cancer Center South Bay in California. “Most are benign and we mainly rely on ultrasound to decide which nodules need to be biopsied.” The same goes for an enlarged thyroid gland (aka a goiter), which may run in your family but be totally harmless. “Keep in mind that you can have an enlarged thyroid without nodules or you can have multiple nodules,” says Jennifer Ogilvie, MD, chief of endocrine surgery at Yale School of Medicine. “It’s not that well understood why some patients have nodules…

Inflammation is the common denominator of numerous chronic illnesses, and it is a factor in every facet of thyroid disease. “Many of the symptoms associated with hypothyroidism are associated with inflammation—for example, joint pain, muscle aches and fatigue,” says endocrinologist Sapna Shah, MD. Meanwhile, inflammation of the thyroid gland itself, or thyroiditis, is the most common cause of hypothyroidism. With this in mind, it’s a good idea to look at how you can reduce inflammation in the body in order to alleviate thyroid disease symptoms—or even prevent the disease’s development in the first place. One of the first things to address is diet. The autoimmune protocol (AIP) diet eliminates foods believed to have inflammatory properties in order to decrease inflammation in the body and ease symptoms. These include grains, legumes,…

Seared, this fish is simple, succulent and crowdpleasing. Pan-Seared Salmon With Smoked Paprika and Spicy Green Beans Serves: 4 Total Time: 30 minutes INGREDIENTS 4 (6- to 8-ounce) skin-on salmon fillets, 1 inch thick1¼ teaspoons smoked paprika, divided1 teaspoon table salt, divided½ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil1 pound green beans, trimmed6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled½ cup jarred hot bananapepper rings DIRECTIONS 1 Pat salmon dry with paper towels and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil until just smoking. Place salmon skin-side up in skillet and cook until well browned and center is translucent when checked with tip of paring knife and registers 125…

Shawarma-Style Chicken and Rice With Herb-Yogurt Sauce Serves: 4 Total Time: 55 minutes INGREDIENTS Herb-Yogurt Sauce ½ cup plain yogurt½ teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon juice2 tablespoons minced fresh mint or cilantro1 small garlic clove, minced Salt and black pepper to taste Chicken and Rice 1 cup long-grain white rice2 teaspoons table salt, divided3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil2 garlic cloves, minced1 teaspoon ground cumin1 teaspoon paprika1 teaspoon ground turmeric Pinch ground cinnamon3 tablespoons lemon juice2 cups chopped cooked chicken6 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved2 Persian cucumbers, quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise3 radishes, trimmed, quartered and sliced thin1 cup torn fresh parsley Delicious as a sauce or as the main event. DIRECTIONS 1 For the sauce: In a bowl, whisk all ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper…

When Ashley Malik was in her late 30s, she started experiencing a host of unexplained ailments. There was extreme exhaustion, hair loss and sore joints that made it hard to get out of bed in the morning, plus such severe brain fog that it impacted her job performance at a fast-paced startup. “I remember saying to myself, ‘I know I’m smart enough for this position; why can’t I keep up?’” says Malik, now 47. She also recalls being at meetings and parties, and not being able to remember the names of people who had just introduced themselves or shared important details with her. “I had no idea what was happening to me. It was so embarrassing.” In addition, she found herself gaining weight—despite the fact she was preparing for a…

When you hear about hormones, it’s most often tied to an emotional state, like being hormonal during PMS, or a life stage, like menopause. But hormones are active all the time, not just at that time of month, explains endocrinologist Jennifer Hone, MD. They’re constantly being produced by the endocrine system, which is a network of organs called glands. “As a whole, the hormones produced by the endocrine system work to ensure the cells in our body communicate with each other effectively,” says Dr. Hone. Without hormones signaling to the cells, they wouldn’t know when to do what, such as to move your muscles or digest your food. The hormones released by the endocrine system include some that you’ve likely heard of—like insulin, epinephrine and estrogen—and some that you probably…

Achieving thyroid health can take some work, since so many factors can be involved. So it’s important to discuss all of your symptoms with a health care practitioner—and seek out additional care if symptoms persist even if basic tests come back within a normal range. “Think of it as an opportunity to get to know when your body is functioning optimally and how to feel your best,” says health coach Andrew Whitelaw. “A standard test might not tell you everything you need to know, so pay attention to how medication, diet and lifestyle affect your well-being. Then keep learning and trying until you find the sweet spot.”…

While websites and even news programs frequently use “hypothyroidism” and “Hashimoto’s” interchangeably, they’re actually not quite the same. In fact, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis—also known as chronic autoimmune thyroiditis—is one possible cause of hypothyroidism, although the two can exist in tandem. “If there was some sort of magic trick that made your thyroid disappear, it would look a lot like Hashimoto’s,” says naturopathic endocrinologist Alan Christianson, ND. While the signs and symptoms of Hashimoto’s are the same as those of hypothyroidism (including fatigue, weight gain, cold intolerance, dry skin and muscle aches), it actually occurs before hypothyroidism and, in some cases, treating Hashimoto’s and bringing the condition into remission early can prevent hypothyroidism from ever developing. “For about a quarter of people, Hashimoto’s will simply go away,” asserts Christianson, noting that most…

If you’ve seen the headlines, then you’ve read that thyroid cancer rates have tripled in the past few decades. While this may sound alarming, data suggests there’s a simple explanation: These upticks in cancer that forms in the thyroid gland, located at the base of the throat, are directly related to increased surveillance and discoveries of slow-growing cancers that would have been unlikely to progress. “We saw a particularly significant increase in thyroid cancer diagnoses between 2010 and 2018, but this was due to the fact that we were doing more imaging,” says Robin Cisco, MD, a thyroid and parathyroid surgeon at Stanford Cancer Center South Bay in San Jose, California. “We were finding things that were there all along.” Thyroid cancer, which affected 44,280 Americans in 2021 according to…

When she first got pregnant at age 45, Lisa Overing wasn’t concerned about her age. “I ran nine halfmarathons in my 40s,” she shares. “I was very healthy and very athletic.” But after losing the baby, Overing began to experience a number of strange, seemingly unrelated health woes: Intense heat intolerance. Extreme brain fog that made it difficult for her to concentrate at work. Shaking hands and crippling anxiety. A raspy voice and lumpy, swollen throat that caused choking when she tried to swallow pills. And then there was the fatigue. “It was unbelievable,” recalls the Aventura, Florida, native. “I used to run 2 to 6 miles four or five days a week and suddenly I couldn’t get off the sofa. I felt so lazy and lost all motivation.” Between…

Back in the days of our hunter-gatherer ancestors, the jobs of the thyroid and the adrenal glands (the small, triangular glands located on top of both kidneys), were a little different than they are now. “These two systems evolved to coordinate with each other to help your body handle stress,” explains Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, author of several books, including From Fatigued to Fantastic: A Clinically Proven Program to Regain Vibrant Health and Overcome Chronic Fatigue. “During acute stress, they both increase in activity with the goal of helping you survive.” It used to be that stress was short-lived: You might run into a lion while you’re out picking berries and have to run away, or a cold front might sweep in and you need to generate extra body heat to…

Once you’ve had part or all of your thyroid removed, you’ll go on to live a very healthy life—provided you start a daily regimen of thyroid hormone within a day of your surgery, as assessed by your doctor. “The goal is to replace your thyroid hormone as quickly as possible,” says Jennifer Ogilvie, MD, chief of endocrine surgery at Yale School of Medicine. Time is of the essence because your thyroid controls all of your body’s metabolic processes and you want those to remain stable. Also, your calcium levels can drop due to a disturbance of the parathyroid glands, which can be dangerous. Your endocrinologist will likely recommend Synthroid, a brand name for levothyroxine, a human-made form of the thyroid hormone thyroxine (or T4). You may also be prescribed Armour…

Many people, especially women, are dismissed when they approach their doctor with complaints about hypothyroidism symptoms like tiredness, weight gain or brain fog, or hyperthyroidism symptoms like feeling shaky and nervous, having trouble sleeping, or excessive sweating, admits Elizabeth McAninch, MD, clinical associate professor in endocrinology at Stanford University School of Medicine. That’s because these symptoms overlap with those of other common conditions such as depression, anxiety and menopause. What’s more, thyroid issues can also be overlooked if a doctor has gender biases that cause them to chalk up the symptoms to female moodiness or the normal stresses of being a woman. What that means: If you know that something is off, it’s important to advocate for yourself, encourages Dr. McAninch. To do so, start with asking for a thyroid-stimulating…

The best way to shop the grocery aisles to maximize your thyroid’s health is to focus on filling your basket with a wide variety of veggies and such healthy fat- and fiber-rich foods as grains, greens, nuts/seeds and beans, says functional dietitian Isabel Smith, RD, CDN. “It’s always a good idea to limit sugary foods as well as foods with trans fats and refined carbs, since these are considered inflammatory.” What’s more, there are foods you should avoid, depending on if your thyroid is producing too much (hyper) or too little (hypo) thyroid hormone. IF YOU HAVE HYPERTHYROIDISM, DO YOUR BEST TO LIMIT Gluten, dairy, soy, corn, high-glycemic carbohydrates, alcohol and caffeine IF YOU HAVE HYPOTHYROIDISM, DO YOUR BEST TO LIMIT Sugar, fish like tuna and swordfish, hot dogs and…

Shichimi Togarashi Soba Noodles With Asparagus Serves: 4 Total Time: 35 minutes INGREDIENTS ¼ cup white miso1 teaspoon shichimi togarashi, divided3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil2 sheets toasted nori1 tablespoon table salt1 pound asparagus, trimmed and sliced 1 inch thick on bias12 ounces soba noodles or spaghetti DIRECTIONS 1 In a large bowl, whisk miso, ½ teaspoon shichimi togarashi, oil and 6 tablespoons hot water together until smooth; set aside. Using scissors, cut nori sheets into four 2-inch strips. Stack strips and cut crosswise into thin strips; set aside. 2 Fill large bowl halfway with ice and water; set aside. In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water to boil. Add salt and asparagus and cook until bright green and crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon transfer to ice…

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