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Treating the Thyroid

Messages
78
Hey all,

I have some symptoms of Hypothyroidism, as many PWCs do. I'm cold, lower body temperature, fatigue obviously. I had my TSH, T4 and T3 tested. The TSH and T4 were normal but my T3 wasn't:

T3: 84 (range 76-181)

Now it is in range but to me that's low. The doctor of course brushed it off like a mosquito because it was "in range". After doing research it seems like this should be addressed. I know that mitochondrial dysfunction can cause low body temp as well, and supplementing thyroid can be a complicated and important process so I guess I'm looking for advice.

Do many PWC's use dessicated (T3 and T4) thyroid to help them? I've read that it can help but I've also read that it can be very bad for some of us who have low cortisol. Cheney may have said never to add thyroid like this? It's all so confusing.

Thanks
Vanguard
 
Messages
78
I don't know if this matters but I'm a 25 year old guy. I would think that any test result I have in the very low of the range taken from many many people should be cause of concern.
 

caledonia

Senior Member
You should also have your thyroid antibodies tested. My other readings were normal while my antibodies were sky high, indicating autoimmune (Hashimoto's) thyroiditis. I take Armour thyroid.

I also did some work with my naturopath testing for and chelating out heavy metals which are supposed to affect the thyroid. Also did high dose vitamin C for awhile to "clean off the iodine receptors" which can get clogged with fluoride, chloride and bromide. Also did iodine supplementation. (very low dose, fractions of iosol).

Although my antibody labs are now normal, it hasn't helped with energy. Currently working on my adrenals.
 

rwac

Senior Member
Messages
172
I use T3 and it seems to be working out ok for me so far. Pregnenolone might help to increase cortisol.
 

Dreambirdie

work in progress
Messages
5,569
Location
N. California
I had low T3 at one point. What helped me bring it up was ashwagandha, an herb used in Ayurvedic medicine, for both thyroid and adrenal support.
http://www.naturalnews.com/032025_Ashwagandha_thyroid.html

Also avoiding cruciferous vegetables, peanuts, and especially soy products is important, as they are goitrogenic.

Coconut oil, radishes, sea salt, seaweed and eggs are helpful for the thyroid... according to what I have read.
 
Messages
78
Dreambirdie - how much/how long were you on ashwaganda before you felt improvements? I doubted that a supplement could bring up T3 at first but after some reading it does seem it might help some.
 
Messages
78
I also just read, however, that it can decrease libido and testosterone...it seems like everything has a negative side to it haha
 

Dreambirdie

work in progress
Messages
5,569
Location
N. California
Dreambirdie - how much/how long were you on ashwaganda before you felt improvements? I doubted that a supplement could bring up T3 at first but after some reading it does seem it might help some.

I took two 450 mg capsules 3 times/day for about a year. It took about three months before I starting noticing improvements. I continue to use it on and off, when I feel I need it. Of course, everyone is different, so talk to a health professional, preferably a naturopath, before you start taking large doses of herbs like this.

Maca has also been helpful for some people I know who had hypothyroidism, but it's much too strong for me. It works on the entire endocrine system and will DEFINITELY increase your libido. That's why they call it the "Peruvian Viagra." One woman I know had VERY DRAMATIC results with maca, in that her T3 and T4 went way up, and she had to stop using it.

http://www.natural-remedies-review.com/maca-for-libido.html
 
Messages
78
I've been taking Maca Root pills for two or three weeks now. Do you think it's effective in pill form? I'm not sure if it's sold in liquid form or not. My libido is definitely still not where it was when I was healthy..and my T was tested at 708 this week so I'll work on reducing estrogen to see if that helps. I've read that raising T3 can raise libido, which would make sense since mine was pretty low.
 

mellster

Marco
Messages
805
Location
San Francisco
A T of 708 seems perfectly fine, since it rose so much maybe you are over the initial downturn of the infection that drained you of so much T. Also, for me T is purely related to energy, it does not have much impact on libido. We are all different ;)
 
Messages
78
Now that I think about it though my libido has decreased some since I started taking 5-htp so that could have something to do with it
 
Messages
78
I read that Iodine can help with T3 but if one has Hashimoto's or an autoimmune cause not to take it. I don't know if I do or not I only know that my TSH and T4 were normal with low T3.
 

mellster

Marco
Messages
805
Location
San Francisco
Hashimoto's can be ruled out with the Thyroid antibody test, right? So if it's negative and you Iodine is low (should be tested as well) then you should be good to go.
 

aprilk1869

Senior Member
Messages
294
Location
Scotland, UK
It seems that bacteria can cause a reduction in thyroid hormones. Dr Klinghardt has said that nasal bacteria can interfere with the hypothalamus therefore causing a reduction in hormones generally. You need to get rid of the bacteria and that taking hormones could probably make things worse as the microbes feed on the hormones.

http://www.betterhealthguy.com/joomla/blog/242-a-deep-look-beyond-lyme
http://www.arupconsult.com/Topics/Thyroiditis.html

Effect of Thyroid Hormone Supplementation on Survival after Bacterial Infection

During nonthyroidal illness in man and a number of experimental animals, serum total thyroid hormone levels are decreased. To determine whether the reduction in thyroid hormones that occurs during nonthyroidal illness is beneficial or harmful to the host, an experimental animal model was developed. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were infected with Streptococcus pneumoniae type I, a known human pathogen. By 40 h after inoculation, serum total and free T4 and total T3 decreased significantly. Serum free T3 also decreased slightly but not significantly. When infected animals were injected daily with T4, there was a decrease in the time to death and significant increase in the total number of deaths compared to controls receiving vehicle alone. Control experiments showed that T4 did not affect the growth of S. pneumoniae on blood agar plates, and the injected T4 did not cause hyperthyroidism. These results suggest that the decrease in serum thyroid hormone that occurs during nonthyroidal illness is beneficial and may serve a role in maintaining homeostasis by conserving metabolic energy during infection as an important adaptation that prolongs survival. (Endocrinology 117: 14311435, 1985)
http://endo.endojournals.org/content/117/4/1431.short
 

rwac

Senior Member
Messages
172
When infected animals were injected daily with T4

The authors don't seem to realize that T4 is the storage hormone which can block T3 which is the active hormone.
 

Cindi

Senior Member
Messages
229
Hi all

What would you think about below thyroid results? They look normal to me. Am i missing anything? Thanks.

FT3
4.73 pmol/L 3.10 6.80

FT4 16.39 pmol/L 12.00 22.00
s-TSH

0.70 μUnit/ml 0.30 4.20
 

Ema

Senior Member
Messages
4,729
Location
Midwest USA
Hi all

What would you think about below thyroid results? They look normal to me. Am i missing anything? Thanks.

FT3
4.73 pmol/L 3.10 6.80

FT4 16.39 pmol/L 12.00 22.00
s-TSH

0.70 μUnit/ml 0.30 4.20

Are you taking thyroid meds?
 

Lotus97

Senior Member
Messages
2,041
Location
United States
My TSH and T4 have been normal every time I've been tested, but my doctor doesn't seem to think testing T3 is necessary. When I talked to her during my last appointment it sounded like she would get T3 tested too, but my results only had TSH and T4. There was a problem drawing blood so only 3 of 6 vials were filled, but it seems like the same batch of blood would have been for all my thyroid tests. I'm hoping it was just a mix-up and my doctor will have my T3 tested during my next visit. If not, my question is how important is it to get my T3 tested? I'm sort of confused about thyroid symptoms, but it seems like something I should rule out. Especially since I have Lyme. My doctor and tests are covered by my insurance so I don't feel like going to another doctor unless absolutely necessary. Overall, my doctor is the best doctor I've ever had, but I am concerned that she doesn't understand a lot of what's going on with chronic illness. My vitamin D 25 hydroxy was low even though I take 6000 iu of vitamin D. I really hope she tests my 1,25 dihydroxy too, but based on her response to my thyroid testing I'm not sure about that either. One last thing about T3. It seems there's free T3, total T3, and reverse T3. Do I need all 3 tests?