The Thyroid is responsible for the passage of nutrients into every cell in the body; it also controls all products including waste out of the cell. This is why it is considered one of the four most important endocrine glands to focus on when trying to balance body chemistry with nutrition. Many have illustrated the Thyroid’s function as a thermostat for the body, speeding up or slowing down metabolism as is needed to properly accomplish body functions. The thyroid gland thrives on supply of minerals, especially iodine properly bound to proteins and good dietary fats. The good aspect of the thyroid is that it responds very well to whole food nutrition supplementation and dietary modification, the bad aspect is that it is very sensitive to malnutrition and radiation.
The Thyroid gland, like all endocrine glands of the body, will slow down eventually if it is not receiving proper nutrition or if it’s trying balance body function, and will be affected by speeding up or slowing down of other endocrine organs as well. When an organ is in the “hypo” state, or under functioning state of the thyroid can negatively influence body weight, temperature, tissue repair from injury, resistance to infection and the condition of the skin and hair. The body may swing between Hyper and Hypo states in an attempt to regain balance within the endocrine system, especially in concert with sugar handling difficulties.
Primary indicators of Endocrine – Hypothyroid symptoms:
| Increase in weight | Decrease in appetite |
| Fatigue easily | Ringing in ears |
| Sleepy during day | Sensitive to cold |
| Dry or scaly skin | Constipation |
| Mental Sluggishness | Hair coarse, upon arising, wear off during day |
| Slow pulse, below 65 | Frequency of urination |
| Impaired hearing | Reduced initiative |
| Hair coarse, falls out |
Nutrition is essential to overall health! Feeding the body properly keeps our systems working well and working together. A deficiency within one system may cause an array of issues throughout the body.