The symptoms of fibromyalgia can mimic hypothyroidism closely.  When you are constantly feeling down and out no matter what you do, it may be worth checking into your thyroid.  If your thyroid is the culprit, a few simple steps can make all the difference!

Therefore, it is important to make sure your thyroid is functioning within its proper limits by getting it tested by your medical doctor.  Whether that test comes back within normal limits or it comes back low, you can implement these steps now to prevent any further disruption of your thyroid.

Since iodine is essential in your diet for these hormones to be produced, where do you get iodine in your diet?  The best way is kelp.  Different types have different concentrations of iodine.  Eggs and strawberries are two other foods that supply iodine.  Different fish can be a source of iodine, but it is on a fish by fish basis.  You can catch a fish from iodine rich waters and it still may not have a lot of iodine content and vice versa.  Also be careful of consuming too much fish because of mercury content.

So, how does T4 become T3?  T4 will go to a cell and become T3 through an enzymatic process that involves the mineral selenium.  Thus, it is important to eat foods containing selenium or supplement with selenium.  Be careful not to over-supplement, though.  It can have serious health consequences like loss of hair and nails, upset stomach, and possible nerve damage.

Believe it or not, aside from diet, you can also exercise regularly which will help increase metabolism and stimulate your thyroid.  Of course, with fibromyalgia, you need to exercise according to what you can handle and developing that exercise process is covered in the program, Leaving Fibromyalgia Behind ™.

Going back to foods; there are some foods that can block your iodine uptake affecting your thyroid functioning.  Choose these foods sparingly if you have a condition of too little thyroid hormone. The goitrogenic foods include: soy products, peanuts, strawberries, spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, collard greens, mustard greens and more.

There are other things that block valuable iodine in your system.  These are things you definitely want to stay away from at all costs. They include: arsenic, which is a poison you’d want to stay away from anyway.  Chlorine – mostly found in chlorinated water for drinking and in pools and spas.  Bromine, which is found in multiple places such as some forms of: pesticides, plastics, bakery goods, citrus sodas, hot tub and swimming pool conditioners.  Fluorine, which is found in toothpastes as fluoride. 

Chlorine, Bromine and Fluorine are all in the halogen family.  They are highly reactive, but as you move down the column on the periodic chart of the elements, they get less reactive. Therefore, Fluorine is most reactive, then Chlorine, them Bromine, and finally iodine.  The more reactive chemical is a bully and will “push out” the less reactive chemical.  That is how the other chemicals interfere with iodine uptake in your thyroid.

You can think you are doing everything right for your thyroid, but not realizing that doing your exercises in a chlorinated swimming pool can be making your thyroid worse.  So here the five steps you can take in order to take care of that thyroid and keep it working well.

• Eat iodine rich foods.
• Eat foods that are high in selenium.
• Exercise regularly.
• Use goitrogenic foods sparingly, but don’t avoid them altogether.  These foods will contain other nutrients that will benefit your body’s other organs.  (If you can get organic versions of these foods than that is all the better.)
• Under any circumstances, stay away from the halogens with the exception of iodine.

Making some simple changes in your lifestyle can affect your thyroid in a positive way.  If some of your fibromyalgia symptoms were coming from unbalanced thyroid hormones, and you take the right steps to correct those levels, you can help eliminate some of those symptoms.  Wouldn’t it be ideal if those fibromyalgia symptoms went away with a little TLC to your thyroid?