Low Thyroid? Hashimoto’s?…Not sure? …

Did you know that 90% of the time Low Thyroid is Hashimoto’s?

Did you know Hashimoto’s is considered an Auto-Immune Thyroid Disease?

Before you give up on ever having enough energy again, losing weight, not feeling cold all the time, growing back your now thinning hair, or thinking you are stuck with this “Brain fog” that keeps you from being on top of your game, ask yourself…

 

–What Can I Do?– 

As overwhelming as it seems, there is actually a lot you can do!

With some lifestyle changes and healing modalities like Acupuncture, your body will slowly heal itself.

You may or may not have to take Thyroid medication.

Either way, cleaning up your lifestyle will give your body and brain the correct “soil” to start to heal

–and you will slowly start to feel better.

 

–Signs/ Symptoms …..How can I Feel Better?–

• Energy starts to improve and you start feeling like getting out of bed more easily (Better Motivation)
• Brain fog starts to clear away like parting clouds (Better Mental focus)
• Mood Lifts (Less Anxiety & Depression)!
• Weight Loss/ Maintenance (Balanced Metabolism)
• Libido (healthy sex life)

• Joint pain improves(Pain Relief)
• Cold Intolerance (Improve Circulation)
• Digestion cleans up (Less constipation or diarrhea)
• Skin rashes & Dry skin Improves (Clearer skin/ Dry Skin Relief)
• Hair/scalp become healthier again (No more thinning hair) and eyebrows can start to fill-in again-slowly!

 

–What Can I Work on (Lifestyle)?–

Diet / Acupuncture and other healing modalities/ Movement/ Meditation/ Supplements/ Sleep…

 

ACUPUNCTURE: When Acupuncture is Good for Your Thyroid

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that acupuncture can be used to treat thyroid disease.

 

DIET: How can we choose to eat healthy foods that support a low thyroid when the information out there is always changing and there are so many telling us to eat Paleo! or Eat Vegetarian! or Eat Vegan! or Eat Keto!…

Well, I find it easier to think of foods in terms of…

…LOW INFLAMMATION DIET. 

So, why eat a Low Inflammation Diet?… Well, as you know Disease is caused by Inflammation.

So what is Inflammation, really?…Well, think of it as a fire. The fire does not go away. It continues to burn…

It becomes chronic…

This chronic,burning inflammation or fire can manifest as skin irritations or with joint pain…Especially if you have been diagnosed with Thyroid Disease or really, any disease. Even when the fire is kept low by good lifestyle, it can continue to smolder. It is our job to keep it down and not add fuel to the fire with high inflammation foods or other stressors which can trigger stress responses in the body, and affect the thyroid. 

Low Inflammation Foods include good, quality fats and proteins, green leafy vegetables and non-processed, non-packaged foods. Good Low Inflammation Fat Examples include: Quality fats like Raw nuts, seeds, extra virgin olive oil, unrefined coconut oil, ghee/ clarified butter/ grass-fed butter, rendered fats like rendered duck fat. Be sure to check first with your doctor before starting a new diet.

High Inflammation Foods include things like gluten, refined sugars, simple carbs (think bread products). Even eating a small bite of glutinous food will create inflammation in the body that lasts months. Once we stop eating it and find we can cook and bake other delicious alternatives and avoid all the pain and suffering, avoiding these inflammatory foods becomes easier. I liken it to returning to an abusive relationship and use this example with my patients: we think this time will be different-this time I can handle it-I am stronger somehow this time-last time wasn’t so bad-this time I won’t get burned or hurt-and yet we always do-and it gets worse each time until some of us become very broken and unhealthy. It is our job to look out for our bodies and minds so that we can stay healthy.

Supplements: More than likely You are Low in Magnesium (especially with low thyroid)… 

Read the 7 Signs of Magnesium Deficiency

Often Progesterone is Low with Low Thyroid. (Interestingly enough, Magnesium helps the body with Progesterone balance). So, supplementing with Magnesium is usually a good thing. Read Here Why You Probably Don’t get Enough Magnesium

 

MOVEMENT: Moving the body improves both mind and body, whatever ails you. Specifically for thyroid, good forms of exercise include: Yoga, Qi Gong, Walking and perhaps Jogging or Running. Be sure to check first with your doctor before starting any exercise routine.

 

SLEEP: Sleep is crucial to our health and well-being and can help stave off disease. We now know the effects poor sleep can have on the brain…

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), Sleep deprivation increases Alzheimer’s protein in the brain.

Basically, the protein plaques which are cleaned up during sleep, are not cleaned up due to lack of quality sleep.

 

I think of the little yellow Pac-Man (gobbling up all the bad plaque in my brain at night when I sleep) and this usually gets my butt to bed in time for 8 hours of sleep. What can I say?- I am a very visual learner.

If visual is one of your more dominant learning styles, you may choose to adopt this method of getting yourself to bed earlier, too!

I am all about doing what works for us as individuals to make ourselves compliant on the big stuff.

 

–Hey, sometimes we have to convince the little kid in us that it really is time for bed!

 

Thanks for Reading!

Check back for more.

 

Written by Aleesha D Ackerman, LAc

 

Aleesha Ackerman is a certified and state licensed acupuncturist with a Master’s degree in acupuncture. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree from Hamline University. Aleesha owns and operates Aleesha D Acupuncture clinic for Pain and Women’s Health in Anoka, MN.

She became interested in acupuncture and holistic medicine when acupuncture cured her of debilitating migraine pain after an auto collision with a semi-truck. Aleesha specializes in treating acute and chronic pain and Women’s Health. Women come to her everyday with issues such as hot flashes, mood imbalance and low energy. Read more about Aleesha and what she specializes in Here.

Patients at Aleesha D Acupuncture report feeling cared for, listened to and are happy to get the much-needed pain and stress relief from their treatments!

Why wait? Start Your Relief Today- contact Aleesha D Acupuncture in Anoka today to schedule your acupuncture appointment!

Aleesha D Acupuncture is located in historic downtown Anoka at 229 Jackson Street,  with free parking.

DISCLAIMER

This article is not intended to replace any health care. No information on this site should be relied on to determine medical diagnosis or treatment for a medical condition. As with any health concerns, always be sure to consult your health care provider with any health concerns.

Licensed Acupuncturist in Anoka Serving Andover, Anoka, Big Lake, Champlin, Circle Pines, Columbus, Coon Rapids, Dayton, East Bethel, Elk River, Forest Lake, Fridley, Ham Lake, Isanti, Lino Lakes, Maple Grove, Minneapolis, Now Then, Oak Grove, Osseo, Ostego, Ramsey, Saint Francis, Saint Paul, Shoreview, Spring Lake Park, Vadnais Heights and White Bear Lake.

Zip codes we treat: 55304, 55303, 55309, 55014, 55316, 55433, 55448, 55327, 55330, 55432, 55040, 55401, 55402, 55403, 55404, 55406, 55407, 55408, 55409, 55410, 55411, 55412, 55413, 55416, 55418, 55419, 55421, 55422, 55011, 55311, 55369, 55102, 55103, 55104, 55105, 55106, 55107, 55108, 55101, 55109, 55110, 55111, 55113, 55114, 55116, 55117, 55120, 55124, 55125, 55115, 55118, 55119, 55121, 55122, 55123, 55126, 55129, 55130, 55146, 55127, 55128, 55133, 55144, 55145, 55155, 55164, 55165, 55166, 55166, 55168, 55170, 55175, 55187, 55188, 55171, 55172, 55014, 55025, 55371, 55398, 55308, 55960