My CRP - C reactive protein is 7 - very high. I have constant headaches and have high cholesterol which I take medication for.
I don't think this is very high
http://www.labtestsonline.org.uk/understanding/analytes/crp/tab/test
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My CRP - C reactive protein is 7 - very high. I have constant headaches and have high cholesterol which I take medication for.
Nielk, have you had your thyroid tested? I've been reading about that, and it seems that there is quite a lot of overlap with low thyroid and low cortisol symptoms. Perhaps another thing to read up on?
Hiya Madie
The biggest thing for me has been realising that having an allergic reaction hits the adrenals as hard as having an infection like a cold, (though there's a whole chapter about that in the book, duh!) and therefore accepting that when I'm sniffing, I need some very restful days to avoid another setback.
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Hi Rydra and others,
Thanks for the extra info you shared.
Rydra, what is your diet like? are you avoiding carbs or some types of carbs? Or eating them freely?
I have read that the best way to avoid these low blood suger dips is to eat a low carb, high protein diet, I was wondering if you've had experience of trying this?
I've just got the results of my latest cortisol blood test. It was a fasting early morning blood test, it came in at 28.56 (normal range 8 to 25). This means I am just OVER the normal level, which, considering I have active infections, IS normal. So there's definite proof that this method (i.e. nutrients only) of raising cortisol production to normal levels really has worked.
Apparently once the cortisol channel is working OK, the adrenals then resume putting resources into the channels producing sex hormones and increasing sex drive. I haven't had blood tests for these, but you can take my word for it that this is working just fine!
Now I want to look into getting my thyroid working better. It is in the supposedly normal range but with values that suggest not all is well (TSH and both TH3 and TH4 at bottom of the range). If TSH is low-range then the others should be at the top of the range, not in the bottom third of range. I need to find out more about that...
Nielk, I think if you have high cholesterol then you a priori have low thyroid. The thyrodi range is a joke. It is as wide as a barn door and has many, many sick people in it. The labs only take the top and bottom 5% out of the readings that they get in (readings of SICK people because well people don't get that tested so much). Look here at Life Extension...you want your TSH to be about 1.9 - if it is over 2 there are a lot of health problems atendant with that including elevated cholesterol:
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2004/may2004_report_blood_02.htm
A review of published findings about TSH levels reveals that readings over 2.0 may be indicative of adverse health problems relating to insufficient thyroid hormone output. One study showed that individuals with TSH values over 2.0 have an increased risk of developing overt hypothyroid disease over the next 20 years.16 Other studies show that TSH values over 1.9 indicate abnormal pathologies of the thyroid, specifically autoimmune attacks on the thyroid gland itself that can result in significant impairment.17
A more startling study showed that TSH values over 4.0 increase the prevalence of heart disease, after correcting other known risk factors.17 Another study showed that administration of thyroid hormone lowered cholesterol in patients with TSH ranges of 2.0-4.0 but had no effect in lowering cholesterol in patients whose TSH range was 0.2-1.9.18 It also showed that in people with elevated cholesterol, TSH values over 1.9 could indicate that a thyroid deficiency is the culprit, causing excess production of cholesterol, whereas TSH levels below 2.0 would indicate a normal thyroid hormone status.
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There are 9 or more pages in that report - you can look up what CRP should be etc. I believe the main thing that lowers CRP is antioxidants. I take high dose antioxidants and my CRP is perfect. It can be done even with a ton of broken genes.
So here is the range for CRP from Life Extension:
0-3.0 mg/L standard ref range (the meaningless range)
OPTIMAL RANGE
Men: under 0.55 mg/L Women: under 1.5 mg/L
Rydra
P.S. I keep getting low thyroid (and I feel like crap at 2.35 but I would have never suspected thyroid until I took Iodoral and got a reading of 6.0 so I had to read up on thyroid). I am now finding that I don't eat enough tyrosine (and I have some problem with it anyway because of not enough BH4). I am taking the following 2 products and they work instantly to banish the shakes I was getting from low thyroid:
http://www.iherb.com/Thorne-Research-Coleus-Forskohlii-60-Veggie-Caps/18578?at=0
http://www.iherb.com/Absolute-Nutrition-Thyroid-T-3-Original-Formula-180-Capsules/27664?at=0
The first helps thyroid hormone get into the cells, the second helps you make it to begin with. There is tyrosine in it (which may be all you need) but the formula I picked is for dieting and they find when you diet you also need phosphates to suport the thyroid and guggul lowers insulin. All told it stops the shakes for me in minutes flat.
I want to add that BiancaS seems to think that coleus (the first product listed above) helps the adrenal gland.
You have a powerhouse of knowledge.
I appreciate it,
Nielk
Me too. Thank you Rydra.
Athene,
A piece of the low cortisol puzzle. It turns out low iron causes low cortisol. http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Doi=177633. For me, correcting iron status corrects this. And now I read that tyrosine may prevent stress-related rises in cortisol: http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/reviews/tyrosine.htm
And this site says something interesting - that if you measure your temp for thyroid status and find that the temp itself is unstable - that indicates an adrenal problem: an unstable average temperature between successive days indicates low adrenals which will need supporting http://thyroid-rt3.com/adrenals.htm Rhodiola has helped my adrenals out in the past.
But iron is the most important one for me. Apparently it does not matter if you have a normal hemoglobin, it is the ferritin reading that counts and should be about 70.
And this site says something interesting - that if you measure your temp for thyroid status and find that the temp itself is unstable - that indicates an adrenal problem: an unstable average temperature between successive days indicates low adrenals which will need supporting http://thyroid-rt3.com/adrenals.htm Rhodiola has helped my adrenals out in the past.
Rhodiola does so many things that its benefit cannot be attributed to adrenal effects, particular when this is much less pronounced than its effects on neurotransmission, MAO and particular cholinesterase.
Rhodiola does so many things that its benefit cannot be attributed to adrenal effects, particular when this is much less pronounced than its effects on neurotransmission, MAO and particular cholinesterase.
Yes, interesting. I have been calling tyrosine my "happy pill" and also saying that Rhodiola has the same effect. I come to find out there is tyrosol, a form of tyrosine, in rhodiola, and both substances help you make dopamine, the happy neurotransmitter. Tyrosine also cuts appetite. )
Triffid. (P.S. Apparently this is well known - but why the heck no one ever tells you this is beyond me).
Interesting observation that you get the same effect. However tyrosol is quite different to tyrosine.
Tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol are potent antioxidants and as far as I was aware are actual metabolites of dopamine rather than precursors. Both are MAO inhibitors as are many constituents of Rhodiola. In Rhodiola these substances would have a greater effect on MAO inhibition and through capillory action and stimulation of endothelial nitric oxide than anything else. It also containts reasonable potent acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.
Perhaps the MAO effects increase the action of dopamine for you? i wonder about dopamine a lot since I crave caffeine every day for that 20 minute boost of dopamine before it wears off and im left with the adrenalin aftermath...