Hi Friends,
Our thyroid gland is the butterfly 🦋 shaped gland in our neck. It’s like the thermostat of our bodies and works to control our metabolism, weight, mood, temperature, hormones, and fertility. I like to think of the thyroid hormones as the “goldilocks” 🐻 hormones of the body because too much or too little can cause symptoms.
Hypothyroidism, or low thyroid, is extremely common, affecting 5% of adults. If your thyroid is sluggish, you may notice symptoms like fatigue, constipation, dry skin, joint pain, brain fog, cold intolerance and hair loss. The most common cause of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s thyroid disease. Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune condition where the body produces an antibody called the Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) Antibody that attacks the thyroid gland. If you suffer from Hashimoto’s, please watch my video where I describe my natural protocol for reducing inflammation in the thyroid gland. I have seen great success in lowering the TPO antibody levels, preventing the progression to hypothyroidism, and improving symptoms! 🙌
The thyroid needs key nutrients to function optimally. Iodine is an essential trace mineral that is required for your thyroid to make thyroid hormones. If you’re using the fancier salts like Himalayan salt or sea salt, you might not be getting any iodine. This is why it can be helpful to take a high potency multivitamin daily to make sure you are getting the RDA of iodine. Food sources of iodine include seafood 🦞 and seaweed. It’s also important to be aware that too much iodine can be harmful to the thyroid.
Selenium is an antioxidant trace mineral that helps your thyroid convert T4 to T3, which is the active form of thyroid hormone. Research also shows that it helps to lower the TPO antibody levels in Hashimoto’s. It’s also a cofactor that helps your body produce glutathione, the master antioxidant and detoxifier. Food sources of selenium include Brazil nuts. However, they can be inconsistent in their selenium content, so taking a supplement can be more reliable.
Other vitamins that help support the thyroid include:
Iron (goal ferritin > 50)
Vitamin D (goal 60-80 ng/mL)
Zinc (goal > 90 mcg/dL),
B vitamins (goal homocysteine 6)
Magnesium
How can you make sure your thyroid labs are accurate? Please watch my short video to find out!
Are cruciferous vegetables like broccoli 🥦 and kale goitrogens? In other words, do they cause thyroid enlargement and goiter? This is a thyroid myth! In the past, these vegetables were thought to interfere with iodine uptake by the thyroid. However, now that iodine deficiency is rare, these vegetables are fine to consume and have no goitrogenic effects, especially when cooked! Plus, they are superfoods full of sulforaphane with anti-cancer properties.
Hope you are all staying warm and healthy. Please try my recipe for chicken soup, which is perfect this time of year! 🍲 With all the colds and flus 🦠 going around, Viramune is my favorite natural supplement to help keep you healthy and speed recovery from common upper respiratory viruses.
Dr. Rajsree’s Chicken Soup
Ingredients:
16 oz organic ground chicken
Two 32 oz containers of organic chicken broth (regular sodium)
1 large yellow onion, diced
Optional: 1 teaspoon freshly minced ginger
Optional: 1 clove of garlic minced
1 bunch of organic celery, chopped
1 bunch of organic red chard, chopped (include the stems!)
1 bunch of organic carrots – about 5 carrots (chopped)
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 ¾ teaspoons Himalayan salt
3/4 teaspoon of curry powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Optional: 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Bay leaves
Olive oil
Fresh organic Italian parsley
Optional: Organic basmati rice for serving
Instructions:
Cook the basmati rice in a pot according to the package instructions so it is ready to serve alongside the soup!
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium high heat in a large soup pot.
Sauté the diced onion along with 2 bay leaves for 5 minutes until translucent while stirring.
If you wish, add the optional minced clove of garlic and minced teaspoon of ginger and sauté for 2 additional minutes until fragrant.
Add the organic ground chicken and sauté for 5 minutes, breaking up the chicken with a wooden spoon.
When the chicken has browned and appears cooked, add 1 teaspoon of Himalayan salt, ½ teaspoon of black pepper, ¾ teaspoon of curry powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and the optional 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon.
Add just approximately ¼ of the amount of the chopped carrots and celery and sauté for 2-3 minutes to add aromatic flavor (the remainder we will add later so the veggies won’t get soggy).
Add the chicken broth (both containers) and increase the heat to high. Cover with lid. When it reaches a boil, turn off the heat briefly so that you can
safely add the remaining carrots, celery, and chopped chard. Add the additional ¾ teaspoon of salt. Drizzle a little more olive oil over the veggies.
Increase the heat, cover, and bring to a boil again. Then reduce heat and let simmer for 7 minutes.
Ladle the soup into a bowl and top with a scoop of fresh basmati rice. Sprinkle a little freshly chopped Italian parsley. Feel free to add extra fresh pepper if you like it spicy. Stir and enjoy! Feel your body heal from the inside out!
Thank YOU, my amazing community, for all your support!
Warmest regards,
Rajsree Nambudripad, MD
Dr. Rajsree is a caring and compassionate physician, who is board-certified in both Internal Medicine and Integrative/Holistic medicine. She is passionate about helping patients optimize their health through a preventative approach involving healthy lifestyle, dietary changes, targeted nutritional supplementation, and optimizing hormones. Her practice is unique in the personalized attention she devotes to each and every patient.