The fact that apple cider vinegar can aid your thyroid function is less known health wisdom. While apple cider vinegar gained its popularity mainly for weight loss, it is also thought to aid the thyroid glands.
The thyroid glands are responsible for a lot of big things that happen in the body: breathing, heart rate, body weight, menstrual cycle, cholesterol levels, and much more. Unfortunately, some 27 million Americans suffer from thyroid dysfunctions. Worse, only half of this number gets diagnosed.
For some who want to forego medications and find a natural remedy, nature has provided us with substances such as coconut oil, shellfish, and selenium-rich foods such as nuts. This article focuses and explores on the benefits of apple cider vinegar and how it can aid the overall functions of the thyroid glands.
Apple cider vinegar can help regulate body fats.
The study conducted by a group of researchers and scientists supports its popularity against obesity. Groups of mice which were given vinegar for 12 weeks were found to have lower triglycerides, body weight, and waistlines than those which only had the placebo.
Two other types of research also echoed apple cider vinegar’s fat-regulating effects. The first study concluded that it retains its lowering effect on fats. Likewise, it also proved beneficial for mice given with a high-fat diet developed in another experiment. It lowered fat levels in the blood while increasing antioxidant enzymes and vitamins. In addition, apple cider vinegar also served as protection against problems regarding the red blood cells, the kidneys, and the liver.
Underactive thyroids or hypothyroidism causes obesity because it decreases the body’s metabolism rate. Instead of burning calories, the body becomes sluggish and stores them. But according to Dr. Cari Kitahara who works at the National Cancer Institute, it may also be vice versa. Obesity, in fact, can lead to thyroid problems by slowing the organs down.
By taking apple cider vinegar a day in addition to exercise and a healthy diet, obesity can be managed or prevented. This takes off some stress from your thyroid glands.
It can wash away toxins from the body.
Dr. Simon Yu, a board-certified internist who also practices alternative medicine, preaches about the gospel of apple cider vinegar. Instead of using medications, he wrote prescriptions of apple cider vinegar to his patients much like what Hippocrates (the Father of Modern Medicine) did.
Yu believes apple cider vinegar can help release toxins from the body. Organic acids (like the acetic acid in apple cider vinegar) can balance the acid/alkaline levels of the body, dissolve fats, and kill pathogens like viruses and bacteria. In addition, the vinegar’s potassium content keeps the arteries resilient and the skin youthful.
Moreover, 1912 Nobel Laureate Dr. Alexis Carrel kept a chicken embryo alive by monitoring its nutrition and elimination every day. Chickens live for about seven to eight years, but Carrel’s embryo was kept alive for 30 years. One of the substances given was apple cider vinegar. The doctor proved that cells could and will continue to regenerate and survive if factors such as nutrition and environment are suitable.
As in the case of thyroid diseases, some develop due to unknown causes. It could be genetics. It could be environmental. Some develop problems while in the womb, while others in their adulthood. But disorders like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, the primary cause of hypothyroidism, are autoimmune. This means the body sees itself (particularly the thyroid glands in this case) as a foreign body – an enemy. Thus, it goes on a full self-destruction mode. Autoimmune diseases remain mysterious, but some believe they are caused by free radicals and other toxins in the body.
If Dr. Yu and Dr. Carrel are right, we can help guard our thyroid glands and keep them healthy by taking apple cider vinegar in conjunction with other healthy foods and activities.
It helps in the absorption of nutrients.
Do you have to take medications for your thyroid? It’s best to have it first thing in the morning. Another way to improve absorption is to increase your stomach’s acidity. And yes, apple cider vinegar can help us with that according to Dr. Stefanski of the Scottsdale and Phoenix Arizona Thyroid Treatment. Simply mix one teaspoon of the vinegar in 4 ounces (120 ml) of water and drink the solution with your medication.
Even if you aren’t on medication, it might be a good habit to drink this apple cider vinegar and water mixture (you can add honey or stevia!) daily. Maintaining the acidity of the stomach at 1-2 pH improves digestion and absorption of nutrients for the body. It helps organs like the thyroid function at their optimum.
Much research needs to be done to establish apple cider vinegar’s benefits on the thyroid conclusively. Still, it is undeniable that it works on some people and deserves a shot. However, it should be understood that its effects as a natural remedy are not directly for the thyroid glands themselves. It seems to work better as a protective and a supplementary substance, rather than a curative one. Nonetheless, perhaps we should say, an apple cider vinegar a day can keep the doctor away.
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