Besides radiation, there are several other factors that affect thyroid function. They are environmental factors such as heavy metal toxicity; endocrine disruptors such as xenoestrogens; and stress.

Stress is an often overlooked factor in thyroid health. Every time you experience stress, your body produces cortisol. This is a protective mechanism that your body uses to help you deal with a physical threat. It creates the fight or flight response and once the physical threat wears off, cortisol levels return to normal levels.

Elevated cortisol is for short-term stressful events. I have mentioned in the past that your body doesn’t know the difference between a saber-toothed tiger and a traffic jam. It is the amount of stress and not necessarily the type of stress that causes high cortisol levels.

If cortisol levels remain high for prolonged periods, as is often the case if you have stress in your daily life (and who doesn’t?), The result is too much cortisol in your body.

Excess cortisol has an adverse effect on thyroid function. It leads to reduced levels of T3 (the active form of thyroid hormone), inhibits 5-deiodase (the enzyme responsible for the conversion of T4 to T3 in body tissues), and leads to an increased risk of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (autoimmune disease of thyroid).

If you have symptoms of hypothyroidism; some of which are fatigue, depression, headaches, weight gain, dry skin, nails and hair, intolerance to cold; and you are treating your thyroid symptoms with little or no results, it is possible that high cortisol levels are causing your thyroid symptoms.

There are simple tests to measure thyroid and cortisol levels.

To maintain thyroid health, there are 4 minerals that are essential. They are iodine, selenium, zinc, and iron.

Iodine is the most important because thyroid hormones are made from iodine. Iodine is found in seaweed, spirulina, yogurt, milk, whole eggs, and strawberries.

1 cup of yogurt or milk contains 50% of the RDA for iodine. 1 egg or 1 cup of strawberries contains between 15 and 25% of the RDA for iodine.

Selenium is an important nutrient for thyroid health. Selenium can be found in Brazil Nuts, Crimini Mushrooms, Cod, Halibut, Snapper, Tuna, Salmon, Sardines, Blackstrap Molasses, and Garlic. 2 or 3 Brazil nuts contain the RDA for most adults. 4 ounces of fish contains 75% of the RDA. While molasses and garlic contain between 3 and 5% of the recommended daily dose.

Zinc is essential for thyroid health as it is a cofactor in the synthesis of 5-deiodase that converts T4 (the inactive form of thyroid hormone) to T3 (the active form). Zinc can be found in beef liver, beef tenderloin, lamb, venison, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, turkey, spinach, peas, shrimp, asparagus, cabbage, chard, and broccoli. 4 ounces of beef liver contains 75% of the RDA, beef tenderloin contains 40%, lamb contains 30%, and venison contains 20% of the RDA. ¼ cup of pumpkin and sesame seeds contain 17% of the RDA, while 1 cup of spinach, chard, cabbage and broccoli contain 5-10%. Finally, 1 cup of peas contains 12% of the RDA.

Iron can be found in lentils, spinach, beans, pumpkin and sesame seeds, beets, summer squash, shiitake mushrooms, seaweed, mustard greens, chard, kidney beans, quinoa, thyme, dill, cumin, basil, oregano, and cinnamon . 1 cup of spinach or lentils contains 35% of the RDA, 1 cup of beans contains 25% of the RDA, 1 cup of Swiss chard contains 20% of the RDA. Pumpkin and sesame seeds contain 30% of the RDA. 2 teaspoons of thyme contain 20%, while 2 teaspoons of dill, cumin, basil, oregano and cinnamon contain 10% of the RDA. ¼ cup of quinoa contains 20% and 1 cup of beets contains 7% of the RDA for iron.