Last night and today started a new cold snap for us.  It's not freezing, but it went down into the High 40's last night.  I've been cold all morning.  I just took my temperature and it was LOW.  Like 96.4.  It hasn't done that in a while.

Anyone got any food ideas to help a sluggish thyroid.  Yeah, I know soups will help, but something to target the thyroid especially.  I can't remember what foods would be good for that.  

Watercress?  

I know that Dr. D specifically says that he doesn't recommend supplementing with iodine, but it really helps me.  I'm not happy unless the temp is at least in the 80s; I'm always freezing, but the iodine has helped a lot.  I still get cold, but it's more of a "normal" cold, not a painful cold.

I'd rather start with some food.  But I do have some iodine.

You can buy sea sealt with sea veg that helps thyroid.  Just bought some recently and I think it has helped me.  Also it is recommended you cook the goitrogen foods (broccoli etc.).

Goitrogen foods.  I'll google them!  Thanks.

wiki says it suppresses the thyroid.  I need non suppressors!

Lin means that if you eat goitrogenic foods they should be cooked.  They are only thyroid-suppressing if raw.

AAAAAAH.  OK, got it.  

Look for dulse or other sea vegetables on your SWAMI.

Brinyskysail,
Yes you clarified what I meant thanks.

JJR,
Foods for thyroid health:
Iodine: in addition to sea veg, are seafood, clams, shrimp, haddock, oysters, salmon, sardines.  A secondary source eggs, asparagus, lima beans, mushrooms, spinach, sesame seeds, swiss chard, and garlic.
Selenium: (brazil nuts, tuna, organ meats, mushrooms, halibut, beef, soybeans, sunflower seeds.
Zinc: oysters, sardines, beef, lamb, turkey, soybeans, split peas, whole grains, sunflower seeds, pecans, brazil nuts, almonds, walnuts, ginger root, maple syrup.
Copper: Beef, oysters, lobster, shiitake mushrooms, dark chocolate, crabmeat, tomato paste, pearled barley, nuts, beans (soy beans, white beans,chickpeas, sunflower seeds.
Iron: Clams, oysters, organ meats, soybeans, pumpkin seeds, white beans, blackstrap molasses, lentils, spinach.
Vitamin A (beta carotene form) Kale, sweet potatoes, carrots, winter squash/pumpkin, spinach, cantaloupe, broccoli, asparagus, liver, lettuce
Vitamin C: Guava, peppers (chili, Bell, Sweet), kiwi, citrus, strawberries, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels, sprouts, papaya, parsley, greens (kale, turnip, collard, mustard)
Vit E: Whole grains, almonds, soybeans and other beans, sunflower seeds, peanuts, liver, leafy green vegetables, asparagus
Vit B2: Brewer's yeast, organ meats, almonds, wheat germ, whild rice, mushrooms, egg yolks.
Vit B3: Brewer's yeast, rice bran, wheat bran, peanuts (with skin) liver, poultry white meat.
Vit B6: Brewer's yeast, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, fish (tuna, salmon, trout) liver, beans(soy, lentils, lima, navy, garbanzos, pinto), walnuts, brown rice, bananas.
I've read when the thyroid isn't working well it can be due to exhausted adrenals, and for them, avocado, almonds, rice bran, salmon, sardines, rosemary, cumin, sage, fennel and oregano are supposed to be good.
Lin

Nice Lin.

Quoted from Lin

Brinyskysail,
Yes you clarified what I meant thanks.

JJR,
Foods for thyroid health:
Iodine: in addition to sea veg, are seafood, clams, shrimp, haddock, oysters, salmon, sardines.  A secondary source eggs, asparagus, lima beans, mushrooms, spinach, sesame seeds, swiss chard, and garlic.
Selenium: (brazil nuts, tuna, organ meats, mushrooms, halibut, beef, soybeans, sunflower seeds.
Zinc: oysters, sardines, beef, lamb, turkey, soybeans, split peas, whole grains, sunflower seeds, pecans, brazil nuts, almonds, walnuts, ginger root, maple syrup.
Copper: Beef, oysters, lobster, shiitake mushrooms, dark chocolate, crabmeat, tomato paste, pearled barley, nuts, beans (soy beans, white beans,chickpeas, sunflower seeds.
Iron: Clams, oysters, organ meats, soybeans, pumpkin seeds, white beans, blackstrap molasses, lentils, spinach.
Vitamin A (beta carotene form) Kale, sweet potatoes, carrots, winter squash/pumpkin, spinach, cantaloupe, broccoli, asparagus, liver, lettuce
Vitamin C: Guava, peppers (chili, Bell, Sweet), kiwi, citrus, strawberries, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels, sprouts, papaya, parsley, greens (kale, turnip, collard, mustard)
Vit E: Whole grains, almonds, soybeans and other beans, sunflower seeds, peanuts, liver, leafy green vegetables, asparagus
Vit B2: Brewer's yeast, organ meats, almonds, wheat germ, whild rice, mushrooms, egg yolks.
Vit B3: Brewer's yeast, rice bran, wheat bran, peanuts (with skin) liver, poultry white meat.
Vit B6: Brewer's yeast, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, fish (tuna, salmon, trout) liver, beans(soy, lentils, lima, navy, garbanzos, pinto), walnuts, brown rice, bananas.
I've read when the thyroid isn't working well it can be due to exhausted adrenals, and for them, avocado, almonds, rice bran, salmon, sardines, rosemary, cumin, sage, fennel and oregano are supposed to be good.
Lin

Thank you for this!!!! That's a great list.  

You are welcome I had found an article and saved it for myself. Hope it helps.
Lin

zinc and pumpkin seed content is worth looking into

Quoted from brinyskysail

I'm always freezing, but the iodine has helped a lot.  I still get cold, but it's more of a "normal" cold, not a painful cold.

That may explain why I am not so cold anymore - been taking iodine.. Both of the women I work with complain of the cold at times when I feel as warm as...& they are the ones who are perimenopausal (not me)
Great list Lin!! Thanks!!

Yeah, I have iodine, but my muscle testing is telling me know.  I think in the past it has done the opposite for me and ramped me up too much.  I think you have to be careful with iodine.

Isn't painting some iodine on the inside of your arm or thigh, to see how long it lasts, the best way to check if your iodine levels are low?

Quoted from JJR

Yeah, I have iodine, but my muscle testing is telling me know.

Have heard you guys talking about muscle testing, how do you do it??

I seem to recall reading somewhere that it is better to get iodine from foods than take iodine as supplement.  But that might just be one opinion.

One of the forum members shared a muscle testing technique with me a while ago:
Muscle testing by the "body swaying" method is the first and easiest way to teach people to muscle test. Muscle testing is totally all about energy. You need to have conviction in your bodies innate wisdom to give you yes or no answers. When you go to test something... be peaceful and see how it feels. I still use the body swaying method sometimes when I'm checking myself for supplements. Something I just "know" before testing what I need without testing now. But that has taken a lifetime to get the feel of.
Center yourself. Stand with both feet firmly planted on the floor. Take a couple deep breaths. Pick up the supplement and hold it to your sternum/upper chest. As soon as you do this you should feel an instant pull forward or backward. If you don't your body does not need it.
Sadly there really are no books I would recommend on muscle testing as it comes down to just getting a "feel" for it. You just need to also start believing that you can do it.
I hope this helps

Quoted from honeybee

Have heard you guys talking about muscle testing, how do you do it??

There are sites on the internet that do a reasonable job explaining the procedure.  These are a few from a search I just did.
http://www.formulaformiracles.net/muscle-testing.html
This site speaks about a bit of the theory and describes/shows two methods.

http://www.goodhealthinfo.net/herbalists/muscle_testing.htm
Another site - discusses some of the shortcomings/difficulties as well as benefits of Muscle testing.

One of these difficulties is that most people don't know how to do this, so with anything new, it is important to not rely on the results until you know they are reasonably accurate.  You need to practice, but you also need to test yourself to know you are getting accurate responses before you utilize them for critical decisions.

Another caution: you need to be balanced within certain parameters to be effective.  The articles mention hydration, but needing rest, having incorrect spinal alignment, or having major nerve pain can also be detrimental to accuracy.

Muscle testing works best with Yes/No questions.  Most people can only as this type versus contrast or multiple choice...  Most of the time, multiple choice type inquiries need to be broken down to Yes/No...  Wording the questions to be very specific is important as well.

My favorite method is to use two fingers on the same (usually the right for me) hand - the index(pointer) finger and the longer finger next to it.  I curve the long finger and place the tip on the nail of the index finger and ask the question.  Apply a bit of pressure to the long finger which the index finger will(Yes) or not(No) be able hold.  In other words, if the index finger remains straight the answer is Yes, if the index finger bends, the answer is No.

The same hand test is not as accurate as a two handed test, as the muscle group being used is much smaller, but it is much more convenient - as long as it is providing accurate responses.

My favorite two-handed test is to make a ring using the thumb and pinkie finger of the left hand, and use the index finger of the right hand.  If the response is a yes, the ring will remain intact.  If the answer is No, the ring breaks.  Again, the force applied by the index finger does not have to be great.

I hope this answers some basic questions for you.

Quoted from Lin

I seem to recall reading somewhere that it is better to get iodine from foods than take iodine as supplement.  But that might just be one opinion.

One of the forum members shared a muscle testing technique with me a while ago:
Muscle testing by the "body swaying" method is the first and easiest way to teach people to muscle test. Muscle testing is totally all about energy. You need to have conviction in your bodies innate wisdom to give you yes or no answers. When you go to test something... be peaceful and see how it feels. I still use the body swaying method sometimes when I'm checking myself for supplements. Something I just "know" before testing what I need without testing now. But that has taken a lifetime to get the feel of.
Center yourself. Stand with both feet firmly planted on the floor. Take a couple deep breaths. Pick up the supplement and hold it to your sternum/upper chest. As soon as you do this you should feel an instant pull forward or backward. If you don't your body does not need it.
Sadly there really are no books I would recommend on muscle testing as it comes down to just getting a "feel" for it. You just need to also start believing that you can do it.
I hope this helps

This is what I do.  I also face North.  But yeah, I'm trying to get to the point that I can just feel it when I'm thinking about it.  Heck, even my grandma was telling me the other day, and she's not into any of this stuff.  She just got out of the hospital and has been recovering and her system is a little more sensitive.  She said she was just picturing in her mind a food and she knew if she wanted it or not.  Because she was getting sick in the mornings with certain foods.  Along with all the medicines they have her on.  But she seemed to know intuitively what her body was craving.  I was pretty much like, cool.  I think her body was in super healing mode and letting her know in a larger degree what she needs.  Because she is not one to worry about what kind of food she eats.  

Quoted from Lin

I seem to recall reading somewhere that it is better to get iodine from foods than take iodine as supplement.  But that might just be one opinion.

I believe this is probably true for most people.  However, at least two reasons to use iodine patches are:
Since most of the foods high in iodine are seafood, therefore also having a high sea salt content, the chloride in the salt can work to displace iodine in the body.  If there is a history of excessive salt intake, the added salt may cause a much longer recovery period.
If the iodine deficiency is large, obtaining adequate iodine to show noticeable improvement may take much longer, whereas with the painted patch, it is easy to see if the patch has disappeared within a very short time period that you may need more immediately and even increase the size of the patches some to achieve more rapid gains.

JJR, you have a cool Grandmother. Perhaps we should practice asking ourselves what our body needs.  I did that today and really felt I need a little meat, and had some and feel warmer for eating it.  I've been feeling cold last few days with change in weather.

ABJoe, that's interesting about high sea salt content, the chloride in the salt can work to displace iodine in the body. I didn't know that.
Do you think kelp and dulse would have a lot of sea salt in it?

Lin

Quoted from Lin

ABJoe, that's interesting about high sea salt content, the chloride in the salt can work to displace iodine in the body. I didn't know that.
Do you think kelp and dulse would have a lot of sea salt in it?

Iodine and Chlorine are halogen elements, along with Bromine and Flourine, with iodine being the lowest order.  All of the higher order halogen elements will displace the lower if there is an excess...  If you drink chloridated or flouridated water, or have any source of bromine intake, you run the risk of displacing the iodine...  Since the body needs so little of these higher order elements, it is very easy to displace needed iodine.

The sea vegetables are generally very good as they have a more complete mineral mix.  I was talking about them having a high salt content compared to other vegetables.  I don't want to dissuade anyone from eating sea vegetables, but understand that the salt can cause iodine deficiency to reduce slower than they may think it should...

Quoted from ABJoe

Iodine and Chlorine are halogen elements, along with Bromine and Flourine, with iodine being the lowest order.  All of the higher order halogen elements will displace the lower if there is an excess...  If you drink chloridated or flouridated water, or have any source of bromine intake, you run the risk of displacing the iodine...  Since the body needs so little of these higher order elements, it is very easy to displace needed iodine.

The sea vegetables are generally very good as they have a more complete mineral mix.  I was talking about them having a high salt content compared to other vegetables.  I don't want to dissuade anyone from eating sea vegetables, but understand that the salt can cause iodine deficiency to reduce slower than they may think it should...

This is very educational, thanks for explaining.
many thanks, Lin

I copied the list and printed it out. Will hang it on my refrigirator with my swami list.

I still have this very faint hope that the other half of my thyroid is still working, allbeit just a little bit, and I can maybe help it recuperate. Doktor told me, when he took out one half, that the other half was infected, meaning I probably had an autoimmune disease and that the other half would be gone in a few years. I started btd almost immediately after my surgery, so I am hoping I stopped the infection.

No idea if it did, but it can never hurt, can it?