Last fall, I started noticing a decline in my energy.  I was exhausted to the point where I started to take naps during the day.  Around the same time, I was gradually packing on pounds that were getting harder and harder to lose. One day I was so fatigued before lunch that I actually googled chronic fatigue syndrome.  Since it was mixed with symptoms of pain that I thankfully wasn’t experiencing, my mind next turned to my thyroid. In googling thyroid symptoms, I found my issue:

• Weight gain
• Fatigue
• Brain Fog
• Dry Skin
• Poor quality hair and nails
• Cold hands and feet
• Joint pain

I immediately scheduled an appointment for blood work, and started taking my morning temperature as that is a good gauge of thyroid activity.  Sure enough, my temperature was in the low 97s (normal morning under arm temperature should be between 97.8 – 98.2) and my blood work revealed high TPO and Thyroglobulin antibodies which is indicative of Hashimotos , an auto immune thyroid condition. Continue reading to learn how to fix the thyroid with Essential Oils.

Fix the Thyroid with Essential Oils

My thyroid research revealed that underlying issues related to stress, the gut and detoxification were almost always involved and needed to return to balance so the thyroid can heal.  Armed with Essential Oils that balance the gut, detoxification organs and stress systems, I set out on the protocol below combined with key dietary changes.

Fixing the Thyroid with Essential Oils for Stress

Stress is often a key trigger in the auto immune cascade.  In my case, chronic and prolonged stress had exhausted my adrenals to the point where the thyroid really started to suffer.  To rebuild, I had to commit myself to dramatic stress reduction.  This included:

• Building In Time for Relaxation – Taking a walk, reading a book or magazine just for fun, watching a movie with my kids.  Oils like Calm™, Lavender™ and Adrenal® were instrumental in helping me calm down and unwind.
• Making Sleep a Priority – I tried to get to bed by 9:00 p.m. every night.  Long hours of sleep at night fuel the healing process, regenerating the body and building vitality.  I had read that the hours of sleep before midnight matter more than the hours after midnight.  To help reset my circadian rhythm for optimal sleep, I used Circadian Rhythm® and Sleep™ blends.
• Releasing Negative Emotions – Stress often stems from our emotions and thoughts, such as reliving a traumatic event from the past or worrying about situations that might arise in the future.   When we don’t move through and release these emotions, they continue to cause stress. Vibrant Blue Oils Emotion Balance™ blends helped me work through and release stress-provoking emotions like anxiety, grief, worry, fear, anger, trauma and depression.  Vibrant Blue Thyroid Support™ and Frankincense™ oil both seem to support the emotional issues of the thyroid.  You can apply diluted over the thyroid, or on the big toe which is the foot reflexology point for the thyroid.
• Resetting the Hypothalamus — The hypothalamus is a small region of the brain located just above the brainstem. It serves as the control center for all signals sent to and received from the endocrine system, including the thyroid. Chronic and prolonged stress had impeded the ability of my hypothalamus to send and receive clear signals which was impacting my thyroid.  Applying the Hypothalamus™ blend helped to reboot my endocrine system for optimal function.

We know that a body in stress cannot heal because it prioritizes stress over all other bodily systems, including the digestive and immune system. In order to really allow my body to heal, I had to make stress reduction a top priority.

Fixing the Thyroid with Essential Oils for Detoxification

A slow thyroid can impede the organs of detoxification, making them sluggish.  This puts an extra burden on the liver which among its many responsibilities in the body converts thyroid hormone into its active form and filters out hormones and toxins.  To break this cycle and return the body and the thyroid to balance, the liver needs support in the form of:

• Clean Diet – the whole point of a detoxification is to give the liver a break from foods that are energy consuming to process, like sugar, grains, dairy, caffeine and even proteins.  This can be accomplished by a primarily liquid diet or even short fasts that free up the energy of the liver to process accumulated toxins.  The dietary factor is hugely important and can be supported by Vibrant Blue Oils blends for the Liver™, Gall Bladder™ and Liver Support™ for stuck emotions related to the liver.
• Healing Baths – The skin is the body’s largest organ and it plays a key role in detoxification, especially if sweating can be induced by a sauna or a healing bath. It is my go-to tool for everything from detox, pain and sleep support to help shifting mood.  To read more about healing bath recipes click here.
• Essential Oil/Castor Oil Packs – Castor oil, known for its pain relieving and anti-inflammatory effects, is also great for supporting your detoxification pathways, including your liver and lymphatic system.  Castor oil packs can be made by applying castor oil either saturating flannel fabric with the oil and laying that over the liver (right side of the body, under the breast) or applying the oil directly on the skin.  You then cover the fabric or skin with plastic wrap and layer a heating pad or hot water bottle on top for about 30 minutes.  I like to layer our Liver™ or Liver Support™ Essential Oils on top for extra support.
• Lymphatic Support– I apply our Lymph™ blend every morning on the sides of the neck, under the arms and along the bikini line before exercise to stimulate lymphatic circulation or healthy flow of the lymph fluid.  This is another channel to keep each cell of the body properly cleansed of waste material.
• Optimal Sleep – The majority of the detoxification work is performed at night while you are asleep. Going to bed early is one of the most important steps you can take to expedite healing and detoxification.  This article talks more about essential oils for supporting optimal sleep.

Detoxification is our body’s natural process to rest, repair and heal.  It felt important to support that process to help support the body’s vitality to heal.

Fixing the Thyroid with Essential Oils for the Gut

Chronic and prolonged gut inflammation can be a stressor on the body, allowing toxins into the system, further increasing the stress on the liver and throwing the body out of balance.  Hashimotos in particular almost always has a food allergy component of gluten and dairy which are best avoided completely for optimal healing.

• Remove Inflammatory Foods – In addition to removing the obvious culprits like gluten, dairy, corn and soy, I got tested for additional food sensitivities and removed all foods that were triggering an inflammatory response.  I also layered in our Anti Inflammatory™ blend around the belly button after meals and on the bottom of the feet before bed
• Eat in a Parasympathetic State – It is not just what you eat, but your ability to digest, absorb and assimilate the nutrients from the food you are eating. For optimal digestion, the body needs to be in the “rest and digest” parasympathetic state in order for the stomach to release HCL, the pancreas to release digestive enzymes, the gall bladder to release bile that breaks down fats, the small intestine to assimilate and absorb nutrients and the large intestine to eliminate waste.  You can achieve this by applying Parasympathetic® blend on the vagal nerve (behind ear on mastoid bone) before meals.  Also, be sure to chew well, eat slowly and stop eating before you feel full. Eating beyond your digestive capacity will produce indigestion.
• Add Healing Foods – I am a huge fan of Terry Wahls and her diet.  In short, she figured out what foods power the mitochondria of the cell to heal and repair.  Integrating her protocol in whatever form possible will fuel your healing.  Layering in Vibrant Blue Oils Intestinal Mucosa™ will also help to heal the intestinal lining for optimal absorption and assimilation of these nutrients.
• Give the Digestive Track a Break – Skipping a meal or two or taking liquids (vegetable broth or protein powder) only along with rest for a period of 24-36 hours gives the body a brief period of digestive rest that can help to clear out inflammation and bloating and reset the digestive tract. A calming oil, like Calm™ or Small Intestine Support™, can help support this period of rest.

Fixing the Thyroid with Essential Oil Results

I am waiting to retake my blood work as I was advised to give myself 6 months before re-checking, but all of my physical symptoms from my morning temperature, my energy levels, my weight, brain focus and even the strength and vitality of my nails have returned to normal or improved from the old normal. Another positive side effect is that my core strength and balance seems to have improved. There is apparently a connection between auto immune thyroid issues and the cerebellum, the part of the brain that supports balance and the core of the body. In my case, when I started fixing my thyroid, it seemed to help to fix my cerebellum.  This is of course purely anecdotal, but I have been doing yoga daily for over 6 years.  I probably had an undiagnosed thyroid issue for a good portion of that.  In the last 6 months, I have seen a huge improvement in my core strength, suddenly being able to do poses with ease that I could never do before.  It could be a fluke that my strength suddenly improved so dramatically in this short period of time.  But I suspect that addressing the thyroid issue and putting it into remission played a bigger role in the outcome.

I want to hear from you.  What have you done to support your thyroid?  Which of these suggestions feel most challenging or manageable?

Please leave a comment below or share your thoughts in our Facebook Discussion Group. As always, please feel free to share this article with anyone who might benefit from a little thyroid support!

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Ready to get started? Click the links below to order today:

• Adrenal® available here
• Anti Inflammatory™ available here
• Calm™ available here
• Circadian Rhythm® available here
• Emotion Balance™ available here
• Frankincense™ available here
• Gall Bladder™ available here
• Hypothalamus™ available here
• Intestinal Mucosa™ available here
• Lavender™ available here
• Liver™ available here
• Liver Support™ available here
• Lymph™ available here
• Parasympathetic® available here
• Sleep™ available here
• Small Intestine Support™ available here
• Thyroid Support™ available here