Factors that can affect thyroid health

Factors that can affect thyroid health

The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in the lower front of your neck and is involved in so many complex processes that occur in your body. It affects your health in many ways.

• It plays a crucial role in controlling your metabolism, regulating your body temperature and energy production.

• It also has a huge impact on your mood and emotions.

• It is also involved in your body's fat and bone metabolism.

• Your cholesterol and triglycerides, gallbladder and liver function, and your body's fat-burning ability are also affected by how well your thyroid works.

If you want to ensure that your thyroid is functioning optimally, the following important health aspects must be taken into account:

blood sugar

Blood sugar levels that are too high or too low can negatively impact your thyroid health. Individuals who have difficulty keeping their blood sugar levels at normal or healthy levels will most likely suffer from dysglycemia.

Poor nutrition is one of the main reasons why a person has blood sugar levels that are too low, too high, or fluctuating throughout the day. If left unchecked, a person puts themselves at high risk of insulin resistance or diabetes.

Unfortunately, when a person has difficulty controlling their own blood sugar levels, their adrenal glands are also affected. Poor blood sugar control not only harms your adrenal and thyroid health, but can also cause inflammation in the digestive tract. When this occurs, leaky gut can occur, weakening the immune system, which also leads to further excessive stress on the thyroid.

Consequently, the thyroid stops functioning properly, leading to hypothyroidism – all of these health problems due to poor blood sugar control.

Adrenal health

Night shifts at work, competition, workplace pressures, and relationship tensions are just a few of the many factors that lead to too much stress, which can definitely put pressure on the adrenal glands. In addition to emotional stress, there are other things that can affect your adrenal health, including environmental toxins, chronic viral and bacterial infections, and food intolerances.

Adrenal stress can lead to thyroid dysfunction, especially if cortisol levels become too high. The adrenal gland and thyroid are highly dependent on each other. A faulty function in one will affect the proper operation of the other.

Gut health

Most of our diseases usually start in the intestines. This is because our intestinal lining makes up almost 70% of our immune system. So if a person has an intestinal problem, it also means that they have an immune system problem. If a person suffers from a food intolerance, intestinal infection, or leaky gut, they are also at risk of developing autoimmune diseases such as hypothyroidism.

Bioidentical hormones

These bioidentical hormones are often used primarily by women such as hormone creams, pills and lotions, estrogen patches and birth control pills. If a woman's body has accumulated too many of these bioidentical hormones, her thyroid hormone will have a difficult time entering the cells to carry out its function. Therefore, even if the woman takes thyroid medication, there is still a risk of hypothyroidism as the thyroid hormones lose their function as they are no longer given access to the cells.

Hormone creams can build up in the body and put additional strain on the liver as it tries to detoxify these unwanted hormones. These products can also affect the adrenal glands and thyroid.

Inspired by J Russell Hart