By Bob Livingston
The connection between
headaches and thyroid health
The pounding, stabbing, piercing pain of migraines has been part of my friend’s life for decades. She never knew when one would start, how bad it’d be or how long it would last.
Her migraines were trying to warn her about another health problem.
There is a link between headaches and thyroid problems.
People living with pre-existing headache disorders had a 21 percent increased risk of developing hypothyroidism (a sluggish thyroid). Migraine sufferers showed an increased risk of 41 percent!
Some other factors that increase your risk of thyroid disorders:
• Being a woman
• Getting older
• Taking medications that cause a low thyroid, like lithium (used to treat bipolar disorder) as well as prescriptions for irregular heartbeat and cancer drugs.
Why is there an association between headache disorders and hypothyroidism?
Headache disorders activate your immune system, which could predispose you to future development of hypothyroidism.
And once you add in the additional daily stress from your job, your finances or other health problems, your likelihood of ending up with those tear-inducing headaches increases even further.
It’s clear from the research that if you’re a headache or migraine sufferer, your risk of ending up with thyroid problems is much higher, which makes protecting the vital little gland a priority.
Your thyroid gland is a hormone factory. It makes the hormones that regulate your heart rate and digestion, muscle control, brain development, bone maintenance and your metabolism. This means that your thyroid controls how well you utilize the calories you take in every day and therefore your weight.
To protect your thyroid and optimize its function you should:
#1 – Supplement
The first way to ensure your thyroid is functioning optimally is to feed it the nutrients it needs to do its job. These are:
• Iodine — Many people with thyroid disorders are deficient in iodine. That’s because your thyroid uses iodine and converts it into thyroid hormones.
• L-Tyrosine — This amino acid partners with iodine to create T3 and T4 hormones needed to help you efficiently metabolize your calories for weight maintenance.
• Zinc — Zinc is necessary to convert the T4 hormone to the more active version, T3, which helps support a healthy metabolism.
• Copper — Copper is a trace mineral your body needs to stimulate thyroid function.
• Selenium — Like zinc, you need selenium to convert T4 (the inactive version) to T3 (the active version) thyroid hormone. I recommend Peak Thyroid Support™.
#2 – Control Your Stress
As we talked about earlier, stress can put a strain on your thyroid, leaving you with problems for a lifetime.
Find ways to manage and control your stress levels, like exercise, meditation and deep breathing techniques. Also, don’t forget to get enough sleep each night to allow your body to recharge.
#3 – Exercise
Regular exercise boosts thyroid function because it causes your tissues to be more sensitive to thyroid hormone so be sure to plan for some daily activity.
