Vitamins and Minerals That Can Treat Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is a fancy term for under-active thyroid. The thyroid glands produce hormones which are largely responsible for regulating our metabolism. This includes how we burn calories or fat, how our body's temperature is regulated and how much energy we have on tap every day.

People with hypothyroidism experience a wide range of symptoms including weight gain, inability to lose weight, fatigue, inability to concentrate, poor memory, hair loss, dry skin, increase in menstrual flow and pain and depression. Needless to say, this disorder can have a huge negative impact on your life.

The standard treatment for hypothyroidism is a daily dose of either natural or synthetic thyroid supplements and possibly an anti-depressant until the medication improves the situation. The major problem with drug treatment is that most doctors treat with enough medication to bring your body's blood levels of TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) into the range considered normal. That ranges from as little as .2 mcg to 4 mcg. As you can see, that is a very wide range for what is considered normal.

There is no baseline test given to people at this time so the doctors have no way of knowing what is normal for you except to see if you experience relief from your symptoms. Each doctor has a different level of relief that they consider acceptable (yes, I said they, not you) and they often will settle for a dose that doesn't give you complete relief from all symptoms or make you feel like your old self.

For those who are not feeling 100% better, there are some supplements that are known to support thyroid function and can give you that extra edge needed to be back in top form again. The vitamins, minerals or other micro-nutrients mentioned here will not cure your hypothyroidism nor are they to be considered as a replacement for drug therapy.

Rather, they have been shown to be helpful in increasing the relief from the medication so should be taken in addition to traditional drug therapy.

Vitamin B-complex vitamins are crucial to proper thyroid function and are normally prescribed to those who have had to have a thyroid removed. There has been much evidence that taking a quality supplement in addition to your thyroid medicine can increase the effectiveness of treatment.

B vitamins increase homocysteine in the body and while there is yet to be an exact cause and effect shown, studies have shown that those deficient in homocysteine will have a greater likelihood of also having hypothyroidism.

Iodine and selenium are two minerals that are vital to proper thyroid function and are, in fact, stored in the thyroid gland. Iodine deficiency is almost unheard of in the western world so supplementation is not recommended.

Selenium, however, may be supplemented if a person's diet is deficient. The richest sources of selenium are nuts, fish, whole grains and meats. If these are foods you rarely consume, a supplement may prove beneficial.

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