The Hindu Business Line : Balance it right

A pinkish, butterfly-shaped gland, the thyroid is perched on the windpipe below the Adam's apple, and weighs only 20 g. It receives iodine from our food and produces two metabolic hormones — T4 and T3. The two Ts regulate all chemical processes including the rate at which our body burns food into energy.

In short, the thyroid governs our metabolism. If it overproduces hormones, we feel ravenous, consume more food and yet lose weight. This is called hyperthyroidism. Everything is speeded up including our metabolism. Our heart beats rapidly, hands tremble with nervous energy, and skin sweats more than usual. We also rush to the bathroom frequently.

If the thyroid under-produces hormones, our face swells up, we put on weight, feel sluggish, dull, fatigued, and become constipated. This is called hypothyroidism.

To perform with precision, the thyroid requires just 0.0002 gram of iodine daily, and emotional equilibrium. A continuously anxious and anguished brain sets off a chain reaction that stimulates the thyroid gland to produce more hormone energy. If our diet is iodine-deficient, the under-nourished, over-stimulated thyroid gets imbalanced. Fatigue, hair-loss and a raspy voice are the triplet-symptoms of poor thyroid performance.

The best self-test is to check your temperature early morning before you rise. If it's more than a degree below the normal 98.6 degrees, then consult your doctor. A blood test, normally, clearly indicates a malfunctioning thyroid.

In hyperthyroidism, the rapid heartbeats can be treated by beta-blocker drugs. Then, a year's course of anti-thyroid drugs to suppress the overproduction of thyroid hormones restores normal functioning.

Hypothyroidism may be treated with synthetic thyroid hormones. Usually, the symptoms clear after three weeks' treatment. However, a wise doctor normally suggests an initial non-drug approach.

First, increase dietary iodine. Chances are, the next blood test will indicate the right level of thyroid hormones. Foods rich in iodine are iodised salt, kelp, seaweed, lettuce, pineapple juice and garlic. Simultaneously, strike off cabbage, cauliflower, leaves of rape, radish, mustard, and turnip, as also soya bean, bajra, and peanut from the diet. They block the uptake of iodine, say nutritionists. Apparently, excessive intake of these foods in the face of marginal intake of iodine from other foods and water can lead to thyroid disorders.

Dr Rudolph Ballentine, author of Radical Healing, points out that sometimes, the thyroid produces just enough hormones to maintain blood levels. So, your blood test will show no indication of thyroid. Yet, you continue to feel fatigued, lose hair and hear a rasp in your voice. This is due to "chemical disrupters in the body interfering with the proper usage of the iodine," says Dr Ballentine. He recommends clearing the pathway to iodine-usage:

Avoid artificial flavourings, processed foods that contain preservatives.

Don't drink beverages or eat food from plastic containers.

Avoid animal fats.

Let go old mental issues.

Exercise regularly to balance metabolism.

Apparently, most of us lead two kinds of inactive lives. One, the sedentary mental life — we do loads of mental work, follow a train of thought as required in our jobs, but rarely or never express our spontaneous, true views. Two, the sedentary physical life. Here, we sit at our desks almost all day and do not give way to our natural impulse to move. The mind could also be choked with issues of the past — hurt, anger, a feeling of being thwarted or deprived.

Overall, the thyroid reflects the dull helplessness or fast fury of our feelings. Interestingly, western psychology and our eastern ayurveda concur on dealing with thyroid at the emotional level and letting spontaneous loving feelings flow.

The steps are:

Make `I love to live' your simple, eloquent mantra. It opens the udana vayu — the energy of self-expression in the throat.

Clear the throat off old angry residues by forgiving those who you feel have hurt you. Imagine the frozen mucous of anger softening and dissolving, making way for the clear, flowing, healing music of peace.

Do something for others. This simple act of giving thought or giving something to another brings you out of your constricted world. This provides a more creative, constructive expression than merely complaining or `talking out' your problems.

Body-mind therapists also believe that the head-to-neck area is an important `self-esteem control locus'. Low self-esteem makes us unconsciously tense our neck and throat muscles and pull our head downward into our neck. This suppresses the thyroid.

Rotation exercises are helpful here. Sit or stand comfortably; lift your head, and lengthen your neck. Now, imagine that you are trying to reach the ceiling to trace a circle on it with each rotation — five in each direction. This takes the weight off the thyroid. Do the anti-anxiety breathing exercise as well. Diaphragmatic breathing, as it is called, is about extending your exhalation until your body spontaneously initiates an inhalation.

A few minutes of such breathing leaves you calm, serene, and even radiant. In time, you won't need your thyroid medication.

The writer is co-author of the book `Fitness for Life'.

Picture by K.R. Deepak

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