Did you know that your liver has a huge connection to your thyroid? And that your sluggish metabolism could be from your slow liver and thyroid?

It’s true! The liver is overlooked so much and can sometimes be the missing link for your thyroid symptoms.

So, let’s talk about the thyroid + liver connection. 

How is your liver connected to your thyroid?

Your thyroid gland is responsible for making T4 and T3. T3 is the active hormone that our thyroid uses. Our bodies make about 20% of the T3 that we need. T4 is the inactive thyroid hormone, and our bodies make a lot more of this type of hormone. Our bodies need to convert T4 into T3, so the thyroid can use it.

Can you guess where most of this conversion happens? Yep! The liver.

What this means: if the liver is bogged down, then this T4 to T3 conversion might not be happening at the rate we need it to.

What can slow the liver down?

Mostly chemicals. Any chemical, ingredient, or toxin that isn’t really supposed to be in your body is filtered through the liver. This is its main job: to rid the body of things that shouldn’t be there. 

So, if you end up having a lot of things in your body that shouldn’t be there, then this slows the liver down as it's working away on those things, and takes it’s attention away from other functions. 

What can you do for your liver now?

First, get a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis to find out if heavy metals may be a culprit. This test also shows a number of other minerals that can positively or negatively impact the thyroid.

But along with that, there are some lifestyle changes you can make.

You can start filtering your water. This is a really easy way to start reducing some of the toxins that impact the liver. 

You can do an inventory of your makeup and cleaning products. There are a lot of chemicals and additives in these types of products that can bog down the liver. There are SO many good brands out there today that have removed these problem ingredients. Check out this blog post for a few of my recommendations. 

Finally, watch what you eat. If you’re consuming a lot of alcohol, sugar, or inflammatory foods, this can really clog the liver up. This is a list of some common foods I recommend you avoid eating to support both your liver and thyroid health. 

I hope you learned a thing or two about why the liver needs to be addressed when you are struggling with a slow thyroid. The connection with these is so important and can be a huge reason why your weight loss and health are stalled, especially if you have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism.