Rejuvenate your thyroid
Spring is in full swing, and we want to embrace the season feeling as renewed as the world around us. The key: treating your thyroid to a tune-up. The gland helps optimize energy, mood and metabolism. When it’s operating at its peak, so are we. And in a welcome bonus, recent findings in Frontiers in Immunology suggest keeping your thyroid welltuned reduces arthritis risk by 68%. To rejuvenate the gland and enjoy spring fun to its fullest, just…
enriched pasta, whole-wheat bread and mushrooms.
Sprinkle this spice over meals
Powdered ginger does more than add spicy zing to fruit salads, smoothies and your favorite tea. Research in the journal Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine suggests that enjoying
2⁄ tsp. of ginger daily revs the
3 thyroid so effectively, energy soars by 200% in just t wo weeks. Experts explain that compounds in the spice, such as gingerols and shogaols, defend against inf lammation that can cause thyroid function to falter.
Stroll around a spring fair
Good news for women who dread the ver y idea of intense workouts: While strenuous exercise can deplete the thyroid, moderate exercise boosts it. In fact, a study in the Medical Laboratory Journal suggests engaging in 30 minutes of walking, cycling or
Tuna in this zippy dish is full of selenium, which normalizes thyroid function
gardening three times a week strengthens the gland to substantia l ly enhance its f unction within eight weeks. Bonus: The sunshine you get while enjoying outdoor activities stimulates your skin’s production of vitamin D. That’s key, since experts reporting in the journal Cureus note that vitamin D is crucial for optimal thyroid f unction.
Try an ancient stress remedy
The herb ashwagandha (also known as winter cherry or Indian ginseng) has been used to tame tension for thousands of years. And in a study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, taking 600 mg. daily reversed thyroid slowdowns in eight weeks. It turns out the herb keeps a lid on levels of cortisol, a pesky stress hormone that can impede production of thyroid hormones. Try: Natural Factors Stress-relax Ashwagandha ( Vitacost.com).