Staying hydrated is important for your thyroid function and your whole body for that matter but the KIND of water you drink is just as important.
What do I mean?
Lets start with tap water…
Most tap water contains fluoride which was added in the 1950s to help with tooth decay. What you may not know, however, is that fluoride was used to treat hyperthyroidism (OVER active thyroid disease) up until the 1950’s, prior to the development of other thyroid suppressing medications to DECREASE thyroid function!
A dose of 2-5 mg of fluoride per day was effective for suppressing an overactive thyroid. If you live in the average fluoridated neighborhood and you are drinking 8 cups of water each day, chances are, you are taking in enough fluoride to reduce your thyroid function. Most adults in these communities are ingesting between 1.6 and 6.6 mg of fluoride per day not to mention kids too.
Oh but it gets better. It was added so that people could continue to eat sugar without the cavities. Insert shocked emoji now. 97% of westernized countries have rejected fluoridation without any apparent affects on tooth decay, the United States, Canada, and parts of the UK however continue to fluoridate their water. It’s not surprise then that so many people in the US have thyroid issues is it!
Side note about fluoride… its in lots of things like:
- Bottled beverages (due to fluoride content in water)
- Toothpaste, mouthwash and other dental hygiene products
- Black tea, red tea, and other teas
- Canned food items
- Supplements (always check your labels and get clean brands)
- Medications too
So making sure you aren’t drinking fluoride in your tap water is key to reversing your hypothyroidism and Hashimotos symptoms.
Fluoride can also cause thyroid nodules!
The other issue with tap water is chlorine.
How Does Chlorine Impact Your Thyroid Function Any Way?
Let’s break it all the way down.
Iodine and tyrosine are the primary building blocks of thyroid hormones. Your thyroid takes tyrosine, which is an amino acid, into something called thyroglobulin and then attaches between one and four iodine molecules to create the four types of thyroid hormones, T1, T2, T3, and T4.
Because the highest concentration of iodine in your body is actually found in our thyroid glands and iodine is so important for thyroid to produce hormones, your body is really good at absorbing and then storing iodine in the thyroid. Unfortunately, your thyroid isn’t perfect at telling the difference between iodine and other substances with chemical makeups that are similar.
The Iodine & Chlorine Connection
Iodine is part of the halogen family, which includes chlorine as well as fluorine and bromine. Halogens all fall into the same column of the periodic table, which, if you can remember back to your high school chemistry days, means they have very similar properties. Chlorine looks enough like iodine to your body that your thyroid will actually absorb and store it in place of iodine, which then kicks out the iodine your thyroid needs.
Drinking chlorine found in tap water will cause a lot of issues and symptoms due to this.
Although chlorine looks like iodine that doesn’t mean it can be used to make thyroid hormones. Bad right? So if chlorine is taking the place of iodine, your ability to produce thyroid hormones drops, which can lead to low thyroid hormone levels and hypothyroidism. The higher the concentration of chlorine you have in your body the lower your iodine levels are which is crucial for proper thyroid function and you get more symptoms.
Now that we covered tap water, lets also cover water in plastic bottles.
Plastic contains toxins and when working with my clients we work on removing plastic dishes and food storage containers from their homes to less the toxic load on their thyroids. Drinking from low quality plastic water bottles that often get hot in transit means you’re drinking toxins! Always choose glass to drink from or stainless steel.
My recommendation
I have my clients get a Berkey water filter system for their homes.
Although this is an initial investment up front, you save a lot in the long run because bottled water adds up over time. You also dont have to lug cases of bottled water around the grocery store and into your house which is a pain. Less plastic waste is also a plus.
Berky water filters filter out chlorine and fluoride and many other harmful chemicals. In fact you can take pond water and run it through the Berkey and drink it safely so they are great for emergencies.
I hated water before I got sick with hypothyroidism and Hashimotos. I have since learned that chronic dehydration is stressful for your thyroid, liver and whole body so I drink 2 liters of water a day. Berky water tastes better so it is easier for me to drink it.
We also use our Berkey filtered water to cook with and our dogs drink it too.
I recommend this Berkey system HERE and be sure to grab the fluoride filters HERE.
What if you cant afford a Berkey right now?
Save up and get one but until then they do offer a sport bottle. I don’t love that it is plastic, but it will filter well and is a good option until you can get the filtration system. You can get one HERE. Making getting the system a priority though, even if you save $10 a month to get it!
Now drink up!
Your Thyroid Health Coach,
Melodye
