The role of Selenium in Thyroid function

While thyroid disease commonly involves thyroid hormone levels, hormone replacement therapy, and thyroid disease medications, another significant player in thyroid disease is not very often addressed: selenium. A powerhouse antioxidant, this mineral is significant to thyroid health as well as to the treatment for many thyroid disorders. Today we're examining how your thyroid is impacted by selenium as to why this mineral is something you ought to look into as part of your thyroid disease plan.

What is Selenium? Why is Selenium Crucial to Thyroid Health?

Selenium is a naturally occurring trace mineral found in foods containing Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, and sea foods. Selenium is a vitamin that plays the important role of enabling the thyroid to effectively function. The mineral is also responsible for the production of thyroid hormone secretion either directly or indirectly due to the fact that the mineral serves as a stimulator in changing the inactive thyroid hormone (T4) to the active thyroid hormone (T3). Without selenium, your thyroid is unable to produce the hormones that will regulate your health, energy, and metabolic rates.

In fact, deficiency in selenium has been implicated in the development of entire cross-sections of thyroid disease, from underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) and goiter to autoimmune thyroid disease as in Hashimoto's disease. Since it is so critical to thyroid health, it is really significant to be in sufficient amounts of selenium.

Selenium and Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases

If you have an autoimmune thyroid gland disease like Hashimoto's thyroiditis or Graves' disease, you know all too well how hard it is to achieve balance for thyroid function. Selenium supported the autoimmune thyroid disease by establishing an anti-inflammatory state as well as raising antioxidant protection.

For instance, we find that we can lower thyroid antibodies in Hashimoto's disease by taking selenium supplements. Since inflammation is reduced and thyroid function is improved when taking selenium, we can decrease many of the symptoms of thyroid disease such as fatigue, weight gain, and confusion. Selenium is therefore an excellent vitamin to add to your program to help thyroid health.

How Castor Oil for Thyroid Functioning Can Potentially Complement Selenium

Most people have used holistic remedies on their thyroid gland, and one of the most popular is the most commonly used: castor oil on thyroids. Castor oil is anti-inflammatory and will soothe the thyroid region, which becomes a stimulus to improved function. Placing castor oil with selenium places it on a general overall remedy for thyroid function.

Since selenium is an internal growth stimulant and hormonal conversion, topical application of the castor oil over the area would also benefit the area in case you have inflammation and pain on the thyroid area. Reduced inflammation and improved circulation by casting the massage area of the throat using castor oil would also accelerate healing. Again, as always, first discuss with your doctor in an attempt to use any treatment drug in order not to have contraindications with your health. Zinc and Selenium Supplements to Maximize Thyroid Function

It is usually optimal to concomitantly use other supplements with the use of supplements that contain selenium, including zinc. Zinc supplements as well as supplements that contain selenium are themselves complementary in that they complement each other in being helpful to thyroid function. Zinc helps in thyroid hormone biosynthesis promotion as well as hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis modulation to regulate thyroid hormone release.

Zinc and selenium, if consumed together, will not just activate the thyroid hormone in the body but also predispose one towards thyroid imbalance. Nevertheless, a caution will be used in the form that balance will have to be created in the form that both excess zinc and selenium will result in toxicity. Always consult the same with your practicing doctor before consuming supplements in order to know proper dosage according to your condition.

Can Selenium Be Treated for Thyroid Eye Disease?

Thyroid eye disease (TED) is a disease that defines a minority of thyroid disease individuals from the rest, who are mainly suffering from Graves' disease. TED generates inflammation and puffiness in the back of the eyes as well as bulging eyes, dry eyes, and pain in the eyes. While thyroid eye disease in itself cannot be treated, selenium has been tried as a drug to reverse most of the signs.

The Selenium supplements also decrease eye inflammation and can likely be palliative in the case of TED sufferers. You will not quite so much be "cured" by it, but selenium assists anyway in lessening the severity of your disease as well as your thyroid performance in general. For thyroid eye disease sufferers, consumption of food items or supplements with selenium can be a very good complement to your treatment.

Here are Some Practical Recommendations to Boost Selenium in Your Diet

Eat Selenium-Rich Foods: 

Add foods containing selenium to your diet. A few examples are Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, and tuna. There are more than one day's worth of selenium in one serving size of Brazil nuts.

Supplement: 

If food and selenium do not complement, then supplements are not that difficult. Just be sure that you consult your physician so that you are taking the appropriate level to complement your body.

Combine with Other Nutrients:

 Zinc and selenium are taken in combination in thyroid supplements as we have discussed already. Take a diet in which these are part of it so that their impact is maximized.

Check Thyroid Function: 

Regularly have thyroid function assessed by having thyroid tests run. If you find yourself gaining weight, feeling lethargic, or having difficulty concentrating, then it is worth taking a few minutes to talk to your physician about sitting down and discussing whether or not selenium supplements are something that would benefit you.

Conclusion: Preservation of Thyroid Health with Selenium

The administration of selenium in your thyroid program can provide a very good adjunct to thyroid hormone in the case of thyroid imbalance or autoimmune thyroid disease, along with cabbage.From good sources of selenium in foods or as supplements, the trace mineral has an important job to do in thyroid hormone metabolism as well as in fighting inflammation. If you're also looking into other natural cures, such as castor oil for thyroid, then that can supplement your approach towards whole thyroid health. And don't forget that though selenium can aid in your thyroid health, you should still collaborate with a medical practitioner to observe as well as manage any thyroid disease effectively. Take your first step towards making thyroid health your priority today-seriously considering eating foods or taking supplements that are abundant in selenium and start feeling the difference!