How Can I Take Control Of My Thyroid Health?

Your thyroid controls metabolism, energy production, body temperature, and hormone regulation. When it's not working properly, everything else suffers.

Most thyroid patients are told their only options are medication or surgery. That's not true.

Here's what you need to understand about thyroid dysfunction, why it happens, and what you can actually do about it.

How The Thyroid Works

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck that produces two main hormones: T4 (thyroxine) and T3 (triiodothyronine).

T4 is the storage form. T3 is the active form that actually does the work in your cells.

Your body converts T4 to T3 primarily in the liver. This conversion is critical. You can have plenty of T4 and still be functionally hypothyroid if you're not converting it to T3 properly.

What blocks conversion? Stress, inflammation, nutrient deficiencies (selenium, zinc), liver dysfunction, and chronic cortisol elevation.

Your adrenal glands and thyroid work together. When your adrenals are exhausted from chronic stress, thyroid function declines even if your thyroid hormone levels appear normal on labs.

Hypothyroidism: Underactive Thyroid

When your thyroid isn't producing enough hormone, you experience hypothyroidism.

Common causes:

• Autoimmune disease (Hashimoto's thyroiditis)
• Pituitary dysfunction (not signaling the thyroid to produce)
• Iodine deficiency
• Chronic stress and adrenal exhaustion
• Poor T4→T3 conversion
• Thyroid surgery or radiation

Symptoms:

Standard medical treatment: synthetic thyroid hormone (usually T4 only).

The problem? If you're not converting T4 to T3 properly, adding more T4 doesn't fix the underlying issue.

Hyperthyroidism: Overactive Thyroid

When your thyroid produces too much hormone, you experience hyperthyroidism.

Common causes:

• Autoimmune disease (Graves' disease)
• Toxic adenomas (nodules producing excess hormone)
• Goiter (enlarged thyroid)
• Thyroiditis (inflammation releasing stored hormone)

Symptoms:

Standard medical treatment: radioactive iodine (destroys thyroid tissue) or surgical removal.

After either treatment, you're typically on thyroid medication for life.

The Autoimmune Connection

Here's what most patients don't understand: most thyroid dysfunction is autoimmune in origin.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis (hypothyroid) and Graves' disease (hyperthyroid) are both autoimmune conditions where your immune system attacks your thyroid tissue.

Many patients present with both hypo and hyper symptoms simultaneously. This happens because:

1. Immune system attacks thyroid cells
2. Attacked cells release their stored hormone (creating hyperthyroid symptoms)
3. Remaining healthy cells shut down to prevent more hormone release (creating hypothyroid symptoms)
4. This cycle repeats, creating fluctuating symptoms

When your immune system turns on your own tissues and sees them as foreign invaders, that's autoimmune disease.

Since 80% of your immune system lives in your gut, what you eat directly affects your immune response.

The most common dietary trigger? Grains and gluten.

Molecular mimicry is the mechanism: proteins in grains look similar to thyroid tissue proteins. When your immune system develops antibodies against grain proteins (especially in a leaky gut scenario), those antibodies cross-react with your thyroid.

Your immune system starts attacking both the grain proteins AND your thyroid.

How To Take Back Control

You can't reverse autoimmune thyroid disease, but you can stop fueling the attack and support optimal function.

Step 1: Remove Grains (Especially Gluten)

The protein in grains—particularly gliadin in wheat—triggers immune responses that attack thyroid tissue through molecular mimicry.

Wheat, corn, and other grains create inflammation in the gut, increase intestinal permeability (leaky gut), and perpetuate autoimmune reactions.

Remove ALL grains: wheat, corn, rice, oats, barley, rye.

This includes "gluten-free" products made from rice flour or corn starch. These still spike blood sugar and create inflammatory responses.

Even conservative grain removal will lessen the burden on your already taxed immune system, allowing it to potentially repair the gut and reduce autoimmune reactions.

Step 2: Balance Your Blood Sugar

Blood sugar dysregulation directly impacts thyroid function through multiple mechanisms:

Cortisol elevation: Repeated blood sugar crashes trigger cortisol release. Chronic cortisol elevation blocks T4→T3 conversion and suppresses thyroid function.

Insulin resistance: High insulin reduces thyroid hormone receptor sensitivity, meaning even adequate thyroid hormone can't work properly.

Inflammation: Blood sugar spikes create oxidative stress and inflammation, worsening autoimmune responses.

How to stabilize blood sugar:

• Eat 3-5 times per day
• Include 3-7 ounces of protein at every meal (meat, fish, poultry, eggs)
• Unlimited non-starchy vegetables
• Healthy fats at every meal (avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, grass-fed butter)
• Limit fruit to 1-2 servings daily (or eliminate if not local/seasonal)
• Avoid all grains, starches, and refined carbohydrates

For comprehensive nutrition strategies that support thyroid function and reduce inflammation, visit the Fuel Your Body pillar page.

Step 3: Light to Moderate Exercise

Most thyroid patients are over-exercising, which makes things worse.

High-intensity exercise without adequate recovery elevates cortisol, depletes thyroid hormones, and blocks T4→T3 conversion.

What works:

• 5-6 days of low to moderate intensity cardiovascular exercise (30-45 minutes)
• Keep heart rate at 180 minus your age (this is the aerobic threshold)
• 1-2 days maximum of high-intensity interval training (under 30 minutes total)
• Prioritize rest and recovery

Low to moderate intensity exercise actually increases T3 production. High-intensity interval training done correctly increases growth hormone.

But more is not better. Chronic high-intensity training with inadequate recovery worsens thyroid function.

Step 4: Support Your Adrenal Glands

Your thyroid and adrenal glands work together. When one fails, the other compensates until it can't anymore.

Chronic stress depletes cortisol reserves. Low cortisol means your thyroid can't function properly even with adequate hormone levels.

Support your adrenals by:

• Managing all three types of stress (chemical, structural, emotional)
• Prioritizing sleep (7-9 hours in a dark room, no electronics)
• Staying hydrated (2/3 body weight in ounces daily)
• Reducing blood sugar swings
• Eliminating inflammatory foods

For comprehensive strategies to support adrenal function and reduce stress load, visit the Regulate Your System pillar page.

The Bottom Line

Thyroid dysfunction—whether hypo or hyper—usually has autoimmune roots driven by diet, stress, and inflammation.

You're not powerless. You have control over the inputs that drive the dysfunction.

Remove grains. Balance blood sugar. Exercise appropriately. Support your adrenals.

These aren't easy changes. But if you implement them consistently, you'll be amazed at how much better you feel.

Your thyroid health affects everything: energy, metabolism, mood, hormones, immune function, and overall wellness.

Take control of what you can control. Your body will respond.

Struggling with thyroid symptoms despite medication? Looking for answers beyond "your labs are normal"? Dr. JJ Gregor uses Applied Kinesiology and comprehensive functional testing to identify the root causes of thyroid dysfunction at his Frisco, Texas practice. Schedule a consultation to develop a personalized strategy for thyroid and metabolic health.