Natural ways to regulate thyroid

Hello,

In around 2002 when I was 22 years, I was having difficulty waking up even after 8, 9 hours of sleep. Went for a sleep study to see if it was sleep apnea, and results were negative. Had my thyroid checked, and it showed underactivity, hence was prescribed 0.75 mcg Synthroid. Even nowadays, I still have trouble getting up in the morning, especially if I am not used to waking up a particular time. I really don't notice any difference from the time I didn't take Synthroid to now, when I am taking Synthroid. When I asked my doctor about weaning myself off Synthroid, she got defensive and snappy and said it is a naturally occurring hormone. I am currently looking for a new doctor (there were other issues as well)

Is there a way to wean myself off Synthroid. Or, is there a natural way to avoid taking this medication? On the internet, there are claims that coconut oil may help help, but I am unfamiliar with this. Are there any natural, ayurvedic, etc remedies to regulate function of the thyroid? Nearly everyone in my family is morbidly obese and also take Synthroid (but higher doses than 0.75 mcg), except my great grand father who ended up becomming a sanyasi in early 1900s (that's another story), which has convinced me that with sensible life-style changes, one can avoid such mild medications. Below is my health profile, along with a rough sketch of my daily routine:

Height: 5'5"
Weight: 110lbs
Age: 30

When I wake up, 4am

Water, 8.45 fl oz
Synthroid Medication, 0.075 mg

Morning Exercise, 4:15am to 5:15am

30 minutes on stationary bike, medium intensity
15 minutes of weight-bearing and stretching exercises
Water, 8.45 fl oz

Breakfast, 5:45am to 6:30am

Cocktail Orange Juice / Concord Grape Juice, ¼ cup
Centrum tablet
Fish Oil capsule, 1000 mg (includes 300 mg of Omega-3 Fatty Acids)

Fruit salad, 5” diameter plate

Toasted slice of 100% whole wheat bread spread with teaspoon of peanut butter (made from peanuts ONLY)
Coffee includes:
Boiling hot 1% skim milk, 1 cup
Instant coffee, 1 teaspoon
Ground cocoa, ¼ teaspoon
Ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon
Ground mint, ¼ teaspoon
Honey, 1 teaspoon

After breakfast, 8am

Water, 8.45 fl oz

Mid-morning, 9am

Water , 8.45 fl oz
Fish Oil capsule, 1000 mg (includes 300 mg of Omega-3 Fatty Acids)

Lunch, 11:30am

Starbucks tall coffee, 12 oz (mixed with ¼ cup whole milk, three packets of brown sugar)

After Lunch, 1pm

Walnuts, ¼ cup
Water, 8.45 fl oz
Fish Oil capsule, 1000 mg, (includes 300 mg of Omega-3 Fatty Acids)

Early Afternoon, 3pm

Water, 8.45 fl oz

Mid Afternoon, 4:45pm

Peeled almonds, 15 pieces
Milkshake includes:
1% skim milk, 1 cup
Frozen blueberries, ½ cup
Frozen strawberries, ½ cup
Ground cocoa, ¼ teaspoon
Ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon
Ground mint, ¼ teaspoon

Calcium 600 with D, 600mg (with Vitamin D 400 IU)

Dinner, 5:45pm

Salad, ½ of 7” diameter plate (sprinkled with one teaspoon vinegar)

Main course, ½ of 7” diameter plate
Curried Goat Meat, 1 to 2 tablespoons
3-4 different types of vegetable curries, one teaspoon each
Cultured yogurt, 1 tablespoon
Choice of wheat bread, ¼ of 7” diameter pita bread OR
Basmati rice, two teaspoons, OR vegetable basmati briyani, two teaspoons

Dessert, 6:30pm

Cocoa includes:
Boiling hot 1% skim milk, One cup
Ground cocoa, 1 teaspoon
Ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon
Ground mint, ¼ teaspoon
Honey, 1 teaspoon

Sleep, 7:45pm

 

Namaste,

I really appreciate your concern, it seems my post alarmed you quite a bit, so I wil clarify certain things:

My family is from India (also Chennai), and I came to the United States when I was 0 days old

I'm not anemic, but some mornings I find it harder to get up than others after 8 to 8-1/2 hours of sleep, especially if I have to wake up early. However if I sleep 9 to 9-1/2 hours as I do on the weekend, I feel refreshed.

I'm 5'5", 110bls, roughly 50 kg.

This Wednesday I have a doctors appointment and will request blood work to check the Thyroid, iron, among others. The following is a list of blood test (with explanations) that I will be requesting. Please suggest if anything to be added.

<meta http-equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <title></title> <meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 3.0 (Linux)"> <style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> [FONT=Courier New, monospace]Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)[/FONT][FONT=Courier New, monospace] blood test is used to check for thyroid gland problems.[/FONT]


[FONT=Courier New, monospace]Hemoglobin A1c Test (the HbA1c or Glycated Hemoglobin Test)[/FONT][FONT=Courier New, monospace] gives a long-range blood sugar picture, showing how well blood glucose has been controlled over a period of up to 3 months.[/FONT]


[FONT=Courier New, monospace]Serum Ferritin Levels[/FONT][FONT=Courier New, monospace] (check [/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New, monospace]for even moderate level of iron deficiency)[/FONT]


[FONT=Courier New, monospace]Homocysteine[/FONT][FONT=Courier New, monospace] (Amino acid that increases risk of vascular disease and amplifies bad effects of other risk factors. High risk result > 10mg/dl.)[/FONT]


[FONT=Courier New, monospace]Lipoprotein (a)[/FONT][FONT=Courier New, monospace] (Independent risk factor for plaque build-up. High risk result > 30 mg/dl.). A cholesterol chunk wrapped in a protein coat. Several studies, including one at Oxford University in England, have established an association between a high LP(a) level and an elevated heart disease risk.[/FONT]


[FONT=Courier New, monospace]Apolipoprotein A-1 (apo A-1) and apolipoprotein B (apo B).[/FONT][FONT=Courier New, monospace] These two substances speed through the bloodstream carrying chunks of cholesterol. Apo A-1 rounds up potentially heart-harming fats and delivers them to the liver, while apo B carries cholesterol to artery walls and leaves it behind. The riskiest situation is having a low level of apo A-1 and a high level of apo B.[/FONT]


<meta http-equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <title></title> <meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 3.0 (Linux)"> <style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> [FONT=Courier New, monospace]High Sensitivity C - reactive protein (hs-CRP)[/FONT][FONT=Courier New, monospace] ([/FONT][FONT=Courier New, monospace]High levels of C-reactive protein raises risk for heart disease, even if cholesterol levels are normal. This blood test determines this risk; result should be < 1.0mg/dl.[/FONT][FONT=Courier New, monospace])[/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New, monospace]Fasting Lipid Profile (Measures Total cholesterol, LDL "bad" cholesterol, HDL "good" cholesterol, and Triglycerides)[/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New, monospace][FONT=Courier New, monospace]Folic Acid and Vitamin B-12[/FONT][FONT=Courier New, monospace] (These two tests can be done at the same time because lack of either vitamin may cause anemia)[/FONT][/FONT]


[FONT=Courier New, monospace]Calcium levels (Checks the calcium level in the body that is not stored in the bones.)[/FONT]


[FONT=Courier New, monospace]Mercury levels (We plan to eat a lot of salmon, catfish, shrimp, which may contain harmful levels of mercury)[/FONT]

 

Hope you are having a Merry Chistmas and Happy Holidays!

I will make yoga a top priority as I always have always been tense and anxious when faced with difficult situations for as long as I can remember.

SInce my first post, I have increased the number of times I do 1/2-hour bike to twice a day, once in the morning, and again after I come home from work. Also, I am eating slightly more carbs during the day, and at dinner, as I always felt hungry afterwards.

The doctor I went to on Wednesday was a doctor my dad goes to (given certain time-constraints on my end) and even though he prescribed the Synthroid and the blood tests, he hinted that I should go to a female doctor (he probably sensed that I was too tense and anxious - anyway, I will discuss this in another post shortly)

I'll work on your advise and find a doctor/nutritionist to work with decrease my dependency on medications such as Synthroid.