Feeling exhausted, even after a decent night’s sleep? Are you jittery and anxious, even when there’s no apparent stress in your life? Do you constantly suffer from fuzzy brain syndrome, unable to concentrate and stay on task? Chances are that your thyroid – a small gland in your neck that regulates metabolism, heartbeat, and other vital functions – is the root cause of your distress. Fixing it could be as simple as removing wheat from your diet.

Symptoms of a Sick Thyroid

Of the 30 million Americans who suffer from thyroid dysfunction, more than half of them remain undiagnosed as they desperately search in all the wrong directions for a cure to their ailments. Women are ten times more likely than men to have a thyroid disorder, while blaming their symptoms on other things. Here are a dozen signs that your thyroid may be out of synch:

• You are always tired
• You are prone to weight gain
• You are often depressed
• You are constantly anxious
• You are always hungry
• You have problems concentrating
• You have lost your sex drive
• You have heart palpitations
• You have dry skin
• You have unpredictable bowel movements
• You have unexplained muscle pain
• You have high blood pressure

Meet Your Thyroid

Your thyroid gland is located at the bottom front of your neck, in your throat. It produces thyroid hormone. As with all other cells in the body, the thyroid contains receptor sites which take in iodine in order to facilitate the production of thyroid hormone. Iodine is the main element that creates thyroid hormone. It reacts with tyrosine to create the thyroid hormones which travel throughout the body and regulate the following functions:

• Metabolism
• Heart rate
• Breathing
• Body temperature
• Menstruation
• Muscular strength
• Central nervous system
• Cholesterol levels

Bromine: The Imposter

Another element that is right above iodine on the periodic table, and that acts very similarly to iodine, is bromine. In fact, it is so similar, that it can occupy the receptor sites that belong to iodine. If and when they do, they will block the production of thyroid hormone. Bromine, then, is like a squatter who takes over your house when you’re out and about. When you get home, you find the door locked and the shutters closed. Not only can you not get in, but you are unable to maintain your home. When bromine occupies the iodine receptor sites, a whole host of problems can occur. Thyroid hormones are one of very few hormones that contain receptor sites on every single cell in your body. These T3 and T4 receptor sites need to be normalized by containing iodine, and not bromine, in order for the thyroid hormone to perform optimally. Clearly, bromine is an unwanted compound in your body. So, where does it come from? Well, here are the most common sources of taking bromine into the human body:  

• Bread
• Pastries
• Sodas
• Energy Drinks
• Pesticides

  When you consume the above foods, your bloodstream is going to have an abundance of bromine floating around in it, which will likely overpower the levels of iodine. Because their molecular structure is so similar, the bromine has a higher likelihood of occupying the thyroid receptor sites in your cells. The problem is that bromine is unable to react with tyrosine to create thyroid hormone. The result is low thyroid hormone or hypothyroidism. To make the situation even worse, in 2008 the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that one third of the world’s population was suffering from iodine deficiency. So, on top of having invasive bromine flooding their systems, many people already have a pitifully low amount of iodine in their system to start with. This is a recipe for thyroid dysfunction.  

Get More Iodine

In order to have a healthy thyroid you need to enhance your iodine intake while minimizing your bromine intake. To get more iodine in your diet eat more:  

• Fish
• Seafood
• Kelp
• Seaweed, especially Dulse
• Sea Vegetables

  Check out 10 more iodine rich foods to help balance out your thyroid.

The Take Home

 

• Your thyroid is the master regulator of your most vital bodily functions. When it is malfunctioning, you will feel lousy.
• The key to a healthy thyroid is to eliminate bromine and increase your intake of iodine.
• The biggest source of bromine in our diet is gluten, as found in bread and pastries.
• Going gluten free is the smartest thing you can do to get your thyroid back into proper working order. The pay off in terms of overall well-being will make the pleasures of that cream donut pale in comparison!

  Discover how a thyroid support complex can fast-track you back to thyroid health.