Kristin Merizalde, Contributor
Thyroid Nation

The Most Important Nutrients For The Thyroid

When most people get diagnosed with a thyroid disorder, doctors will give them a script for either a pharmaceutical or a natural desiccated thyroid supplement and then send them on their merry way. However, there are many other things that factor in thyroid health. Let’s go over the most important nutrients needed for the thyroid!

Iodine

1. Iodine is probably the most popular nutrient associated with the thyroid. Iodine is critical but we want to make sure we are getting good amounts. Too much iodine at once can create heavy detox and this can be harsh for many people since we’ve been exposed to too many chemicals like fluoride, bromide and chlorine. These chemicals displace iodine in the body and can wreak havoc, especially if too much iodine is introduced too quickly in a body that is not prepped for detox. Read more here!
2. We need iodine for 2 thyroid hormones. T4 (thyroxine) is one thyroid hormone- named so because it has 4 iodine atoms. T3 has 3 iodine atoms. For whatever backward reason, doctors focus on the individual hormones instead of the nutrients and processes that MAKE those hormones.

Copper and the thyroid

There are several ways that copper dysregulation plays into thyroid health:

1. Bioavailable copper has a relationship with tyrosine, which is needed for the creation of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4. Tyrosinase is the copper-containing enzyme at the core of whole food vitamin C, which is why we do NOT want isolated ascorbic acid.  Tyrosine also is needed for melanin (skin pigmentation), dopamine and epinephrine- all things that have a relationship with copper!
2. Bioavailable copper is crucial to keeping iron-regulated, and iron is essential for the thyroid
3. Copper dysregulation happens when the adrenals and liver are stressed- both of which are crucial for the functioning of the thyroid.
4. Those that are hypothyroid tend to have true copper dysregulation, whereas those that are hyperthyroid tend to be deficient in copper.
5. Those with copper dysregulation tend to be deficient in zinc, selenium, manganese, and vitamin A because excess copper can interfere with their absorption. These are some crucial nutrients for the thyroid.
6. Copper raises calcium and lowers potassium- the balance between calcium and potassium is very important for thyroid health. Calcium is needed for a few thyroid hormones, but it is easy to accumulate too much calcium. Potassium helps to keep calcium under control so these hormones can be properly balanced.

Boron

1. Boron is an essential trace mineral that has a huge role in the parathyroid glands.
2. Boron helps with the proper utilization of both calcium and vitamin D, which is crucial for the thyroid because we do not want too much of either of those nutrients.
3. Boron is a major co-factor of magnesium, another nutrient that is important for calcium regulation.
4. Boron is anti-fungal, anti-viral, and it has anti-parasitic properties.
5. You’ll find boron in apples, pears, grapes, prunes, apricots, dates, nettle infusions, honey, borax, and many trace mineral supplements.

Potassium

1. Many hypothyroid symptoms overlap with potassium deficiency: fatigue, insomnia, constipation, anxiety, sugar cravings, etc.
2. We need about 4700mg a day! Most people get maybe around 1000mg. Most HTML that I see have a potassium of 1- the absolute lowest you can have! Ideal level on the HTMA is 10.
3. If you have low potassium, you likely have low vitamin A because it is needed to help retain potassium. If you have low vitamin A, you likely have a sluggish liver because we need bile to utilize it. If you have a sluggish liver, you likely have stressed out adrenals and thyroid. It is ALL important!
4. Best sources of potassium include: coconut water, blackstrap molasses, nettle infusions, cooked leafy greens, dates, bananas. Most potassium supplements only have about 99mg so they are essentially not worth it- you can get coconut water that has 700mg per serving. Much better value!

About the Author

Kristin Merizalde was always sick growing up and by the time she was 17 she was diagnosed with a chronic illness. She had chronic pain, migraines, digestive issues, depression, anxiety and gained a lot of weight. She saw about a dozen doctors who just kept giving her more medications but they usually made things worse. She learned to just deal with the illness but was majorly depressed for several years. Her life started changing a few years ago when her health was severely declining and she had to make a major change both physically and mentally. She lost over 100 pounds and started cleaning her life of negativity. She finally started to learn the way to live holistically and one by one, all of her health issues started disappearing. It was the push she needed to realize that she could help others break free of their illnesses and regain their health and happiness. Please check out her website at SassyHolistics.com and join her Facebook group, Mineral Mavens, to learn more about how minerals can heal the body.

PLEASE take a moment to ‘Like’ us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Pinterest. You can also listen to Tiffany and me on Thyroid Nation RADIO.

Questions or anything to add about copper and other nutrients? We want your thoughts, please. You might just help someone else in need.