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Tag: % saturation

Being in the “normal” range has nothing to do with it, plus three adrenal videos to see

Note: though this page was originally written in 2012, it has been updated to the current date and time. Enjoy!

The famous psychiatrist Carl Jung used to say “To be normal is the ideal aim of the unsuccessful”. 

And nothing is ever so unsuccessful when it comes to thinking that a lab result within the so-called “normal” range is ideal.

It’s not.

And unfortunately, when I do phone coaching sessions with thyroid patients, or watch comments made in discussion groups, I hear or see all too many say “My doctor/Nurse Practitioner/Physician’s Assistant/Naturopath says I’m normal”.

And I have to immediately back the conversation up and say “Can you share that lab result and range with me?”

Because as patients have learned:  “Optimal” and “problem-free” has nothing to do with just being anywhere is a range.  It has to do with “where” in the range one’s result is.  

B12:  This may not be true for all international ranges, but when it definitely came to the US range or those similarly broad, we found out that ‘mid-range’ still produces symptoms of low B12, and we can confuse them with hypothyroidism, including fatigue and pain.  We look for our result to be in the upper quarter, if not near the top.  Because there, we found out, is where our symptoms related to low B12 abated.

Vitamin D:  Several leaders and I had a private discussion about all the conflicting information on the net as what an ideal Vit. D result was. We decided to follow the Vitamin D Council, which states that 60-80 is the goal.  I then add that progressive doctors like to see 80-100, which can especially be cancer-protective.

Cortisol Saliva Results:  When you look at the results of someone with no symptoms of an adrenal problem, here’s what you note: 8 am, at the top of the range; Noon, about a quarter from the top; Afternoon, mid-range; Bedtime, at the very bottom.

Iron: Of the four labs we generally like to see as thyroid patients, we note that a good Serum iron level is closer to 110 (with men being higher and in the upper 130’s or 140’s); a good % Saturation is close to 35% for women and 40-45% for men; a good Ferritin will end up being 70-90 (though this can come last as one improves the others), and a good TIBC, if the range is 250 – 450, ends up being in the low 300’s, we noted, when the others are where they should be.

To read more about what patients have learned about lab results, go to the LAB VALUES page. Learn to understand your own lab results!! 

Three good videos about better adrenal function

I often feel I can’t rave enough about what Paul Robinson of the UK revealed to us about promoting better adrenal function without the use of adrenal meds. It’s a quite unique method of using T3-only (or natural desiccated thyroid) in the early morning hours when the adrenals need it the most. You can see several testimonies—some with more updates coming—on the STTM T3 Circadian page here: //www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/t3-circadian-method.

Has everyone succeeded with the CT3M? No, say some. It wasn’t enough to raise their low afternoon, but definitely helped their low morning!! Others absolutely love it. So it’s up to you.

Granted, if you have Addisons, hypopituitary, or untreated diabetes or blood sugar issues, and saliva reveals quite low cortisol, you may still need HC or adrenal cortex. Chapter 6 in the revised STTM book is your go-to chapter. But for some, this is a very workable solution.

Robinson has created three videos to explain it all, which he also links to from his recent blog:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97SOyEYwh54 

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t2wg9rr6F4

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhkhcLPGCww

If your doctor prescribes synthetic T4 with synthetic T3

Progress appears to be one step at a time. And we are seeing more and more doctors prescribing T3 to their patients on T4. That’s good!! Doctors are FAMILIAR with the synthetics. So that’s what they will prescribe!

But many, many patients who have tried both synthetics, and who have tried natural desiccated thyroid, report even better results with the latter. So THIS IS WHERE YOU COME IN. Teach your doctor!! Why just be on synthetic T4 and synthetic T3 when you might do even better with all five hormones from desiccated thyroid—i.e. the same five your own thyroid would be giving you! Consider sending the Revised STTM book to your doctor: //www.laughinggrapepublishing.com/ Or, there’s a STTM II book totally written by physicians (his colleagues) and one chapter is specifically about NDT: https://laughinggrapepublishing.com/stop-thyroid-madness-ii-book/

JanieSignature SEIZE THE WISDOM

 

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Why iron is so important, milk thistle for RT3, and send the revised STTM book as a Christmas present!

NOTE: though this post was originally written in 2012, it has been updated to the present day and time! Enjoy!

IRON AND ITS IMPORTANCE 

It all too common with hypothyroid patients: finding themselves with low iron levels.   I probably had insufficient iron my entire adult life, remembering that my doctors always told me I was borderline, yet nothing was done about it. So when I finally got on desiccated thyroid, and my iron needs increased due to better health, I finally fell into true anemia, and twice.  Miserable, let me tell you. I was breathless, achy, depressed and had horrific fatigue.

And why is iron so important?

  • Iron carries oxygen from your tissues to your lungs (so if iron is low, you can be breathless and your heartrate has to go up in response to less oxygen. Link here.)
  • Iron helps raise dopamine and serotonin in your brain (so if iron is low, you can feel depression or hyperactive i.e. attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Link here.)
  • Iron assists with the cortisol secretion after ACTH stimulation (so if your iron is low, the cortisol secretion is decreased, lowering glucose in your cells, and that might cause the pooling of T3 in your blood. Link here.)
  • Iron promotes good conversion of thyroid hormones T4 to T3 (so if iron is low, your storage iron T4 will build too high. Link here.)
  • Iron balances your autonomic nervous sytem (so if your iron is low, you can end up in a frequent state of fight-or-flight with accompanying adrenaline surges and nervousness due to heightened sympathic activity. Link here.)
  • Iron protects women from breast tumor growth (so if your iron is low, a benign tumor can become a malignant cancer tumor. Link here.) 
  • Iron improves your immune system (so if your iron is low, you are most susceptible to infections and illness. Link here.)
  • Iron supports brain cell health (so if your iron is low, you can have brain cell death contributing to dementia and possibly Alzheimers. Link here.)

How to discern if your iron is too low

We used to think testing one’s storage iron, ferritin, was enough. But it’s not. Your storage iron can look normal because of an ongoing inflammation, which tends to thrust iron into storage. So we learned that we need four labs at the minimum : ferritin, % saturation, serum iron, and TIBC.  Even low ferritin along with optimal results in the other labs have caused problems with T3 pooling in the blood.  Go here to read what we look for in our iron results.

Raising poor iron levels

Hypothyroid patients tend to “dry up” and that also causes lowered levels of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, which lowers absorption. For better absorption, try adding 1 tsp to 1 tbsp of Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar to each large glass of water or juice you use to swallow your iron pills, or use Betaine, which is an OTC hydrochloric acid supplement.

To learn more, go to the following page. And for even more details, read the Odds and Ends chapter in the revised STTM book.

CAN LIVER CLEANSES/SUPPORTS HELP IMPROVE YOUR RT3 RATIO??

Because of low iron or adrenal dysfunction, many thyroid patients have found themselves with high levels of Reverse T3…or more common, a poor RT3 ratio. And too much RT3 can mean the thyroid hormone T3 won’t adequately work in your cells, and you can feel miserable. The solution for most has been to switch to T3-only, but that can have a host of difficulties.  It’s not easy to dose with T3 alone.

Recently, though, patients are discovering an alternative way to lower one’s excess RT3: the use of a good liver cleanse/support product, and most especially those with the herb called Milk Thistle. It’s an herb which, for hundreds of years, has been used as a liver tonic.  In supplements, it’s the milk thistle seeds which are used because they contain silymarin–the powerful part of the herb which does the trick.  And doses in the 400 mg’s of milk thistle extract supplements seem to be doing the trick, say patients who are reporting on it, taking it twice a day at 200 and 200 minimum. Some studies state you can go higher, if needed. Be careful with its use, as it can lower ferritin levels to some degree. But as long as you keep your serum iron levels up, you can get by with the lowering of ferritin for the short while you may be on Milk Thistle to lower RT3.

HO! HO! HO! SEND THE REVISED STTM BOOK TO A FRIEND OR LOVED ONE FOR CHRISTMAS OR THE NEW YEAR!  It can be the BEST gift they will ever receive!  Go to the following page, and put in the name and address of the recipient, YOUR email, and the publishing company will get the book out to your special someone:  //www.laughinggrapepublishing.com/

 LISTEN TO ONE OF SEVERAL INTERVIEWS I’VE DONE LATELY…AND BOSTON IS NEXT! My next interview will be aired on WBZ-AM 1030 (Boston & New England) on the program called “Women’s Watch” with host Ellen Sherman. You can also listen live here: http://boston.cbslocal.com/station/wbz-news-radio/ No specific time as I am posting this, but it may happen next week. Watch the NTH Yahoo group, STTM Twitter and STTM Facebook groups for an announcement. And there are more to come thanks to a great publicist representing Stop the Thyroid Madness. Want to donate so she can continue helping us spread the word? Go here.  Janie can’t do it without you…and this is specifically to reach millions still on T4-only meds!

 STTM NOW HAS MANY FACEBOOK GROUPS!  See what Facebook has to offer you on top of already great Yahoo groups, here.

 

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Thyroid Tidbits: Men with low iron, Reverse T4 (yes, I said it correctly), Inflammation in thyroid patients, plus more

(No, the tatoo isn’t mine. It belongs to a gal who says STTM helped changed her life. Amazing and brave! 🙂 )

MEN CAN HAVE LOW IRON, TOO:

I’ve seen a few hypothyroid men who have found themselves with low iron. In fact, either iron anemia is growing in men, or we’re just hearing from them more thanks to the internet.

And remarkably, it has become personal for me. Turns out my own husband is very low, which explains the fatigue he had been experiencing lately. Sadly, taking iron pills gives him a headache, so he will eat high-iron foods daily, and will be exploring Floradix, a liquid herb-based iron. Men, get all the needed iron labs!

REVERSE T4 (yes, I said it correctly)

I’ve been having an email chat with a scientifically-minded guy named Brian who also has a sister with a major in bio-chemistry. And something dawned on both of them concerning “levothyroxine” which is the synthetic term for T4.  The prefix LEVO means the “left-hand” version of a molecule, and thyroxine is the biological term for the real T4.  Says Brian: “Levo-thyroxine means it has exactly the same atoms in exactly the same order, but not the same shape (handedness), so if enzymes or proteins have to chemically “fit” it to work, they may not be able to. He concludes this can be one reason being on synthetic T4-only does not work, and knew it was alluded to by Dr. Mark Starr.

But Brian continues: In just the same way that levothyroxine is the mirror-image or “left-handed” version of regular thyroxin, RT3, or Reverse T3, is the mirror-image or “left-handed” version of T3.  If we were consistent with our terminology, in other words, levothyroxine would be known as “Reverse T4”. Says Brian, just as Reverse T3 is biologically inactive , so is Levothyroxine, thus “Reverse T4”. I love it!

CHECK OUT WHAT THIS MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONIST SAID:

In a facebook discussion,  a female medical transcriptionist has had a realization. Namely, in almost every report she is transcribing into text or digital format,  a patient with the diagnosis of hypothyroidism also has a medical history of depression and/or anxiety. You can read about depression & anxiety here. Of course, no patient who is informed is surprised! They are HYPOTHYROID symptoms.  And she then notes the prescription ordered by the doc: Synthroid.  WAKE UP DOCTORS. You are only dooming your patients to a lifetime of depression, anxiety and far more.

WHY MANY OF YOU HAVE INFLAMMATION (and don’t even know it), WHAT IT DOES, AND HOW TO TREAT IT

One thing I see a lot when doing phone consultations, as well as on thyroid patient groups, is evidence that someone has low-grade inflammation. In fact,  research has already shown that a large body of folks with hypothyroidism have higher levels of CRP (C-Reactive Protein) which is a lab test marker of inflammation.  That inflammation, in turn, puts you at a higher risk of heart disease.

Another clue that you have an inflammation problem is having higher ferritin levels (i.e. ferritin looks great, or is too high) along with poor iron serum/% saturation lab results.  In other words, in the presence of chronic inflammation, your iron will be diverted to your ferritin iron storage, and less will be in your serum and saturation.  You can also find yourself with very low TIBC (Total iron-binding capacity). The TIBC is measuring the protein “transferrin”, made in your liver, and which transports your iron through your body. If this is the case, you can’t take high levels of iron supplementation, as explained on the above ferrritin page and more in the book.

What do you do? 1) Treat your hypothyroidism properly–a huge step in lowering that inflammation–with desiccated thyroid, NOT Synthroid. (Read the Things We Have Learned page on STTM, or even more details in Chapter 3 in the new Revised STTM book). 2) Treat proven low cortisol with HC or hydrocortisone. Don’t guess! Do a saliva test!) If saliva testing reveals you have adrenal dysfunction, cortisol supplementation will help counter inflammation.   (Read the Adrenal Info and How to Treat page on STTM, or more details in Chapter 6 in the new Revised STTM book.) 3) Use Krill Oil as a supplement. Krill Oil is an even better marine fish oil with rich amounts of Omega 3 fatty oils,  and research with even a low dose of 300 mg proves that it does a bang-up job in reducing inflammation as well as pain in joints associated with rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.  My own husband is on 1000 mg a day.

HAVE THE REVISED SECOND EDITION OF THE STTM BOOK YET? IT’S WORTH IT.

I am frankly extremely proud of the Revised Second Edition of the STTM book.  In spite of being a lot of hard work, it is good to see all the additions, details and corrections throughout the entire book.  There is much more on labs and how to read them, ferritin and iron, adrenal dysfunction and how to treat it, reverse T3 and how to treat it, plus a completely new chapter on good supplements and foods.  I added a little more hidden humor, which was fun.  There are now 36 more pages, too, and at the same price.  You can see more about the book here.  The book is ideal since you can bring that right into the doctor’s office with the information highlighted and bookmarked. As far as Kindle or other readers, yes, I’m already aware that some of you have requested it. But right now, it’s the book only.  But I’ll make announcements in the future as to what might be coming up.

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