CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — In the first three parts of this series, I introduced the ways in which Hashimoto’s low thyroid can cause symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, depression, memory loss and sleep issues. 

They included a thyroid hormone deficiency from an unmanaged autoimmune attack on the thyroid or the wrong thyroid hormone medication. Inflammation from unmanaged Hashimoto’s can lead to inflammation in the brain, causing symptoms.

Third, poor balance can indicate accelerated cerebellum degeneration, and Hashimoto’s can trigger autoimmune reactions to brain tissue. Exercising the vagus nerve is a way to support brain health.

In this article, I’m going to introduce some lesser-known strategies that we believe at RedRiver Health and Wellness Center are great for supporting brain health when you have Hashimoto’s low thyroid.

High-intensity interval training

Exercise is a great way to oxygenate the brain, which dampens brain inflammation. High-intensity interval training in particular dilates blood vessels, lowers inflammation and improves blood flow to the brain.

High-intensity interval training involves reaching your maximum heart rate with a short but vigorous burst of exercise, resting and repeating. This can be done on a spin bike, running, walking up a hill, doing calisthenics or whatever works for you.

Even just a few minutes of high-intensity exercise can improve blood flow in the brain. However, it’s important to work within your ability and avoid overdoing it – overexercising has the opposite effect and increases inflammation.

Cold showers or ice baths

Although they sound horrible, most people come to love morning cold showers or ice baths for how much better they make you feel. I try to get as many of my patients as possible on board with them.

I also have my patients do breathing exercises along with their cold water therapy. In the beginning, this will help you better tolerate the water. Then you can use the experience to lengthen and deepen your breathing exercises, which will improve vagus nerve function, better oxygenate your body and improve your lung capacity.

You will also find the cold showers give you a sense of accomplishment and pride, which boosts dopamine. Dopamine is a brain chemical that relieves depression, improves motivation and boosts energy.

Stay at least one minute in a cold shower on the coldest setting – you can do it after your hot shower. Or fill a tub of cold water with ice and submerge yourself. Start with two minutes and work up to five to 10 minutes. See the link in my Instagram bio for my free guide, ”The 30-Day Cold Shower Challenge.”

Alpha-Stim training

Your brain has electrical currents. The Alpha-Stim cranial electrotherapy stimulation device delivers a natural level of microcurrent via small clips worn on your earlobes that goes through the brain to stimulate and modulate specific groups of nerve cells.

The microcurrent is very tiny and completely safe, and it is effective for anxiety relief, mood normalization and better sleep, both in quality and duration. Treatments take only 20 minutes, and you can use Alpha-Stim in the privacy of your own home or carry it with you.

Not only does the Alpha-Stim improve brain function, it also has been shown to relieve post-traumatic stress and acute and chronic pain.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy 

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves lying comfortably in a pressurized oxygen-rich environment. This increased pressure in oxygen-rich air allows the oxygen to dissolve and saturate your blood plasma, independent of your red blood cells.

This exponentially increases the delivery of oxygen throughout your body, allowing it to reach inflamed tissues and infuse the body’s cells for improved function. We are seeing great results using hyperbaric oxygen therapy with our Hashimoto’s and autoimmune patients.

See the free download guide in my Instagram bio, “Feel and Function Better with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.”

Fasting and intermittent fasting

In our clinics, many of our Hashimoto’s patients undergo different types of fasts because we have found it’s one of the surest ways to swiftly relieve their symptoms. Fasting and intermittent fasting can dramatically improve brain function. One way it does this is by boosting a brain chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which protects your brain from neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Fasting also supports autophagy, or the removal of dead and dying cells in the brain. This is essentially like “cleaning house” and helps your brain function more efficiently. Fasting also reduces brain inflammation and supports brain repair.

However, fasting is not appropriate for everyone, such as in the cases of low blood sugar, adrenal fatigue, certain brain disorders, pregnancy or eating disorders/disordered eating. If fasting makes you feel better, then you know it’s OK for you.

To learn more about fasting, check out my free downloadable guide, ”5 Ways Fasting Improves Hashimoto’s and Autoimmunity,” in my Instagram bio.

Reduce your exposure to blue light after dark

Are you staring into a computer, phone, tablet or TV screen right before bed? If so, you’re confusing your body’s sleep hormone production. The body recognizes blue light as daylight, which suppresses the production of melatonin, our main sleep hormone.

Limiting your exposure to blue light at night can help boost your body’s production of sleep hormones, saving wear and tear on your brain. Wear orange glasses when it gets dark outside, use orange bulbs in your evening lamps and limit your evening screen time to boost melatonin and improve brain function.

I hope by now you feel motivated to investigate your brain health, what may be causing any issues you have and to take action to improve your brain function. The brain is an area that does not magically get better on its own; you have to take action to set it on the right course.

Unfortunately, the average health care professional is not going to help you spot early warning signs of declining brain function or help you improve your brain health. Brain health isn’t usually addressed in the standard health care model until you’re in advanced stages of dementia. But there’s no reason you have to wait that long.

If you would like support on your brain-healing journey, please contact our clinic. 

I address more ways to improve brain health when you have Hashimoto’s in the first three parts of this series, included in the “Related Stories” at the end of this article.

If you’d like all the information right away, download my free guide, “12 Ways to Improve Brain Function When You Have Hashimoto’s or Autoimmunity,” available online here.

We work with your prescribing physician for optimal results. Do not discontinue medication or hormone replacement therapy without consulting your prescribing physician. Visit our website to learn more about our services and schedule a free consultation.

Written by JOSH REDD, chiropractic physician at RedRiver Health and Wellness Center.

• S P O N S O R E D   C O N T E N T •

About Josh Redd

Josh Redd, MS, DABFM, DAAIM, is a chiropractic physician and author of the Amazon bestselling book “The Truth About Low Thyroid.” Redd owns seven functional medicine clinics in the western United States and sees patients from across the country and around the world who are suffering from challenging autoimmune, endocrine and neurological disorders. He studied immunology, virology and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins where he is a MaPHB candidate. He also teaches thousands of health care practitioners about functional medicine and immunology, thyroid health, neurology, lab testing and more.

Resources

• RedRiver Health and Wellness Center | Address: 1490 E. Foremaster Drive #130, St. George | Telephone: 435-767-9355 | Email: [email protected] | Website.

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