Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism are the two most common endocrine disorders that originate as a result of malfunctioning of the thyroid gland.
When this important butterfly-shaped gland in your neck that plays a major role in the metabolism, growth and development of the human body doesn’t work at its peak efficiency, it causes an overall imbalance.
In this article, we are going to know everything about thyroid symptoms and the cure.
Until the end of your reading, you will get a clear roadmap about how you can root out the thyroid problem from its very root cause.
Thyroid symptoms and cure
Thyroid malfunction is a serious disorder but I assure you that it can be permanently cured in 4 steps.
Modern science however says that thyroid problems cannot be cured, they can only be managed. But that’s where Ayurveda comes to the rescue.
Are you up for it?
Keep reading!
Types and symptoms of thyroid
HYPOTHYROIDISM
According to the Mayo Clinic, this disorder means that your thyroid gland is barely active and there is not enough of the thyroid hormone in the blood.
Hypothyroidism is also called underactive thyroid or low thyroid. This results in several acute symptoms from person to person.
Symptoms of hypothyroidism:
- Cold sensitivity
Cold sensitivity is one of the most common symptoms. As mentioned before, thyroid hormones are involved in increasing metabolism. So if we have low thyroid functioning or low thyroid hormone levels, we are going to have lower metabolism and we are going to have a lower core body temperature. Therefore there is going to be an issue with cold sensitivity.
- Decreased appetite
There is a loss of appetite in hypothyroidism and again this is because of the decreased metabolism.
- Constipation
Constipation happens in hypothyroidism due to the decreased bowel functioning. So you can think of it being categorized as decreased metabolism.
- Depression
This is due to decreased or slowing mentation.
Thyroid hormones are involved in regulating and increasing mentation or cognition.
This is actually quite common and this can be related to slowed mentation and slowed metabolism.
It can also be related to being secondary to depression as well.
- Lack of concentration
If you have low thyroid levels you are going to have decreased concentration and cognition.
This can also be due to depression and fatigue which are also caused by low thyroid hormone functioning.
- Paresthesias
Paresthesias are numbness, tingling and pain sensation oftentimes in the extremities of hands and feet. It is usually due to chronic hypothyroidism which can cause fluid build-up, leading to damage/ injury to the nerves, that’s why we get these sensations.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
We can also see carpal tunnel syndrome occurring in hypothyroidism as well. This is due to compression or injury to the median nerve in the wrist and we see numbness and tingling sensation in particular parts of the hands.
- Goitre
Goitre is an enlarged thyroid gland. You must have seen that some individuals have very swollen neck, that’s due to hypothyroidism.
- Hoarse voice
This results due to enlargement of the thyroid gland where it actually compresses the vocal cords.
- Slow heart rate
A normal heart rate is between 60-100 beats per minute, but we can see less than 60 beats per minute in hypothyroidism.
- Menstrual changes
Oligomenorrhea and amenorrhea are some menstrual problems related to hypothyroidism.
Oligomenorrhea is when the cycle increases in length.
Amenorrhea is the absence of periods that you may experience. You may also experience irregular periods.
- Dry or scaly skin
This can be caused due to eccrine gland secretion.
The mechanism for why this occurs is not entirely known but it is known that hypothyroidism can lead to decreased eccrine gland secretion and can lead to dry, scaly skin.
HYPERTHYROIDISM
This thyroid disorder is the total opposite of hypothyroidism. Hyperthyroidism means that there is too much thyroid hormone in the blood, says WebMD. Unlike hypothyroidism, this disorder speeds up metabolism.
Symptoms of hyperthyroidism:
- Excessive sweating
When your thyroid hormone is high, your basal metabolic rate increases.
They make all of the cells in the body work harder so the cells need more energy so you get excessive sweating and heat tolerance.
- Weight loss
Hyperthyroidism can accelerate our body’s metabolism which can result in unintentional and unhealthy weight loss.
- Heart rate is rapid
Thyroid hormones stimulate the sympathetic nervous system which secretes epinephrine, it makes your heart beat faster and you feel palpitations.
- Shaking hands and tremors
Due to a high sympathetic tone, usually, your hands get shaking and tremor. Sometimes it may be even difficult to hold a cup.
- Muscle pain
Too much thyroid hormone can speed up the breakdown of the muscle fibres quicker than they can be replaced.
You may feel weakness all over your body especially in the shoulder, upper arms and thighs.
- Nervousness, irritability and mood swings
Hyperthyroidism can affect your mood.
You feel very agitated and out of control, crying and angry about the things you could ordinarily handle with ease.
- Your bowel movements increase
Food moves quickly through the digestive tract. You may need to go to the toilet more often and you frequently feel hungry.
- Double vision and swollen eyes
The eyes look enlarged because the eye muscles swell and push the eye forward, sometimes one or both eyes may bulge. This may cause double vision.
- Infertility
Fertility is reduced and even if you do conceive, there is an increased risk of miscarriage.
- Insomnia
High thyroid levels can trigger anxiety.
An elevated heart rate can result in problems in falling asleep and waking up frequently during the night.
Cure of thyroid in 4 simple steps
In India alone, more than 42,000 people are suffering from thyroid problems.
Our unhealthy, inactive and stressful life is to be blamed.
Women being hormonally sensitive are more prone to this disorder. However, today even males are developing thyroid problems.
But the good news is that it can be permanently cured provided that you are really serious about making a few changes in your lifestyle, else you will have no choice but to depend on a lifelong prescription of pills.
This brings me to my first point.
- Pills are not the solution
T3 and T4 are two primary hormones produced by the thyroid gland.
When the thyroid gland is not able to produce enough of it or produces an excess of it, thyroid diseases develop. That’s when this hormone is prescribed in the form of a pill.
Generally, it’s T4 but it hardly solves any problem.
Even your doctor will tell you that this would not cure your thyroid disease but it will only manage it as long as you keep supplying T4 in the form of a pill.
That is why you can see women around you taking thyroid medicines forever and ever and still having a thyroid problem.
That’s not all, trying to bring about an ideal hormonal balance through pills may have many side effects and hoping to get cured through these pills you are simply wasting your time and money.
If your thyroid problem is acute, you should just throw your pills in the dustbin without giving a second thought. If it is very serious, quickly taper down the medicine within a few weeks.
Now that you are not dependent on pills the next step is to heal the thyroid in such a way that it again starts functioning efficiently.
Ayurvedic texts clearly list down the most effective remedies which bring me to point no 2.
- Akhrot tailam (walnut oil)
This oil has been given a lot of importance in ayurvedic scriptures to treat thyroid.
It is 100% pure cold-pressed walnut oil. Every night before going to sleep, all you need to do is take 4-5 drops of walnut oil and massage the thyroid area to heal it. It is important to understand that your thyroid gland is controlled by the pituitary gland which is located at the base of the brain.
So massaging the neck with walnut oil which is best for the brain taps the root cause.
Cold-pressed walnut oil is easily available online.
Until you get your walnut oil, you can massage the neck with onion juice, that too is effective. Just like walnut oil, coriander seed water is highly effective for the thyroid.
For this, you will have to take one teaspoon of coriander seeds and crush them coarsely. Do not use a mixer grinder for this as it will heat the coriander seeds killing the vital nutrients required to heal the thyroid disease.
Now simply put these seeds in the glass of water and keep it overnight. In the morning boil this water on a low flame until it reduces to half the quantity.
This will ensure that all the vital nutrients have seeped into the water.
Finally, strain off the seeds and slowly sip this medicinal coriander water.
Consume it in the morning at least 30 minutes before breakfast.
Do not eat anything in between, let it work.
If you are taking any other juice at this point. Please skip it for the next three months.
If you really want to throw away this disease from your body, practice these remedies daily for three months without fail. This will solve half of the problems.
For the next half, let’s jump on to point number 3
- Practice yoga
The amazing thing about yoga is that there are some very specific breathing exercises and asanas for the thyroid that are easy and super effective.
Start with,
- Tank vidya
Simply hmm the sound of om without opening the mouth and simultaneously keep moving your head up and down.
While doing it you can notice your thyroid gland vibrating.
It is an amazing exercise for the thyroid. Do it 5 times.
- Ujjai pranayama
Probably the most effective for thyroid.
Close the mouth and constrict the throat. Start inhaling slowly and rhythmically in one long and unbroken inspiration.
Allow the air to pass through the constricted throat creating a friction sound. Retain the inhaled air for as long as possible and exhale through the left nostril.
You might experience a little coughing in the beginning but thats completely normal.
Do it for 5 minutes.
- Singhasana (lion pose)
In this asana, the body and the face are manipulated at once to invoke the force and intensity of a lion’s roar.
This posture is one of the best to get rid of thyroid problems.
Do it 10 times.
This basic yoga routine is a must for fast recovery.
- Food and lifestyle
First, iodine is the most important mineral for ideal thyroid function but avoids iodized free-flowing refined common salt where iodine is synthetically added.
Instead switch to rock salt which naturally contains iodine.
There are some big NOs when suffering from thyroid disease, these are
- Soy products
- Stored refrigerated food
- Coldwater
Use earthen pot for cold water
Cabbage, cauliflower and peanuts are three foods that can be consumed but only if they are well roasted or cooked. Avoid eating them raw.
Caffeinated and tannin based things like tea and coffee do hinder thyroid healing.
Keep them to a minimum.
You must stop eating preservative-laden packaged food for a while and switch to fresh home-cooked food.
Simply follow the healthy plate method.
Next time when you sit to eat, fill half your plate with fresh seasonal vegetables. ¼ of the plate with protein-rich curry-like pulses, paneer etc and the remaining ¼ part with complex carbohydrates like chapati, rice or millets.
First, eat the salad and then hop on to the cooked food.
It’s that easy.
Eat raw onion as salad, it helps to cure the thyroid.
Consume coconut because it’s rich in lauric acid.
Fresh seasonal fruits must be a part of your daily diet.
Then there are some underrated lifestyle changes.
Firstly, avoid using plastics as much as possible as they hinder hormone function and switch to stainless steel and glass containers.
Secondly, maintain proper sleep timings and try to remain away from unnecessary stress.
It will also greatly help you stop using non-stick or aluminium cooking utensils and switch to clay, brass, or iron pots.
Conclusion
That was your 4 step road map to cure thyroid permanently.
Now the ball is in your court. I assure you that if you follow these practices depending on how long you have been suffering from it, you will successfully be able to heal your thyroid in 2-3 months.
If you start to follow these steps remember to come back and share your feedback on your experience.