HyperT

[Guest guest]

Dear Bonner,

When I spoke of Dr. Atkins, I was not referring to his diet, which I don't

believe in. He wrote a book about treatment of various illnesses, which

speaks about the complementary approach to medicine. His diet is not the

usual one recommended by complentary physicians, and is certainly very

controversial.

AntJoan

[Guest guest]

Bonner, it will take time for your thyroid levels to even out. When it

does, you'll notice an appetite change. I used to eat everything in sight

and one night, halfway through dinner it hit me! I wasn't that hungry

anymore. When is your next Endo appointment?

HyperT

I try not to smoke, eat or drink anything when I get up during the night. I

" pound the keys " for a while and then take a nap. I'm taking 50 mg. of PTU

twice a day for my hyper symptoms, but still have a voracious appetite. It

seems as though I'm always hungry. Before HyperT, I skipped many meals,

particularly breakfast. I think oatmeal is a good source of fiber, but I

worry about carbohydrates with the cereal and infusing myself with fruit

juices. HELP!

=====

Bonner

[Guest guest]

Hi Bonner,

You can find good nutritional advice at the iThyroid site. Overall, in GD you

want to eat high nutrient food with adequate protein. Avoid sugar, caffeine,

dairy products and saturated fats. You're right about food cravings but it's

usually something in the food, not the food, that your body needs. For

instance, people crave chocolate when their bodies need magnesium and copper.

I think if you read all the articles on the iThyroid site, you'll put things

in perspective and figure out a good eating plan that works for you. Just

remember (I wish I could) that everything you put in your mouth has the

potential to hinder or help the healing process. Elaine

[Guest guest]

Hi Bonner,

It's been shown that the amount of copper in copper bracelets does decrease

over time so it's assumed that the body does absorb this copper. I'm not sure

how, without lots of blood tests, you'd know how much you're absorbing

though. If you're looking for a natural approach though, you might start

eating more high copper foods like sunflower seeds. I think C was

working on a list of high coppr foods but I'm not sure if it's on iThyroid

yet.

As for dairy products, the main reason we're told to avoid them is because of

their high iodine content, and also because they cause mucus production which

decreases our nutrient absorption, etc. It's recommended that we don't exceed

150 mcg of iodine daily as it aggravates hyperT so if you've cut out all

other sources, like iodized salt, vitamins with iodine, etc, and don't eat

any prepackaged food with salt, you could probably slip in some dairy. People

with Graves' are particularly sensitive to salt even after we go into

remission or become hypothyroid. Then, more than 1000mcg of iodine

contributes to hypothyroidism. Some researchers consider iodine a trigger for

autoimmune thyroid disease.

I read your eye post and seem to recall reading somewhere that Visine wasn't

recommended for TED. Probably it has phenyepherine which could have adverse

effects. Maybe someone else knows about this. However, since TED is easier to

deal with the earlier it's diagnosed, you might want to get checked out by

your ophthalmologist. Sometimes eye swelling is sporadic and sort of comes

and goes but it can also be a sign of TED.

For the iThyroid site, just click onto any topic that has a line under it and

it will link you to the article. There are lots of great features and links

there.

[Guest guest]

Hi Bonner.

Just take care of yourself and don't worry what others say. You've done all

you can by sharing info and as you say the rest is up to you. And it sounds

like you're on the right path.

As for the hyper, hypo thing, patients with autoimmune disease can experience

all different forms of the disease, including GD, Hashimoto's thyroiditis,

Hashitoxicosis, and primary myxedema or atrophic thyroiditis at different

times in one lifetime. Actually it's not all that unusual. One place you

might want to check for more of this kind of info is

www.thyroidmanager.org/thyroidbook.htm It's a thyroid medical textbook

geared toward physicians so it might be a little complex in parts, but

overall you should get something out of several of the chapters. Take care,

and keep up the good work, Elaine

[Guest guest]

Bonner,

You're right about remission. I haven't heard of a set time as they use in

cancer. And when people in remission have a setback with hyperT they usually

say they know exactly what caused it, and they go on ATD's for a while and go

back in remisssion. As you'll see from my other post, it's not unusual to

move around from one autoimmune thyroid disease to another. Don't worry too

much right now about the possibility of going hypo since you're doing all you

can to prevent it as it is.

As for the vitamin drip, the vitamins which circulate in the blood act on

specific cell receptors so they are used by the body. But so are the

nutrients you take orally, at least for the most part. I used to run my own

vitamin B12 levels and they were super high just from taking B complex and a

multi-vite. Another place that might help you is the archives at

graves_support@ e groups from about a year ago. B discusses her

alternative healing routine which worked for her. You'll be surprised by the

number of nutrients she needed to heal. I'm heard of similar successful

protocols using lots of nutrients. I take tons and think that's why my GD was

never that bad.

Let me know if you have trouble finding the archive. E

[Guest guest]

Hi Elaine. You've got such useful information and are so generous to share

it with the neophytes of this group! No one has yet answered the question

as to whether a copper bracelet could help with autoimmune aspects of the

disease. I understand some arthritics swear by them, but I wonder. I keep

reading that copper and magnesium are critical to balancing our systems, so

I need to do an all-out search for increasing these nutrients.

I don't have a problem giving up sweets or saturated fats, but a couple of

cups of coffee in the A.M. seem critical to my being able to face the world

and I do love cheeses and yogurt dearly. Are these lifetime changes, or

just until the GD goes inot remission? I wish someone would give a tutorial

for iThyroid.com, it's difficult for me to understand how it works and how

to find the information I'm looking for. I'm still new and am sure I'll get

better with practice!

=====

Bonner

Re: HyperT

> Hi Bonner,

> You can find good nutritional advice at the iThyroid site. Overall, in GD

you

> want to eat high nutrient food with adequate protein. Avoid sugar,

caffeine,

> dairy products and saturated fats. You're right about food cravings but

it's

> usually something in the food, not the food, that your body needs. For

> instance, people crave chocolate when their bodies need magnesium and

copper.

> I think if you read all the articles on the iThyroid site, you'll put

things

> in perspective and figure out a good eating plan that works for you. Just

> remember (I wish I could) that everything you put in your mouth has the

> potential to hinder or help the healing process. Elaine

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Sunflower seeds sound good and I'll look forward to Chris' report. All my

life, I thought iodine was crucial to thyroid health and that's the reason

for iodized salt. I'm not a " salt person, " so reducing table salt won't be

a problem, but seafood is, right? I adore shrimp, orange roughy, red

snapper, oysters, etc. Are salmon, tuna and shark filets included in the

forbidden list? How about fresh water fish such as trout and catfish (a

Southern girl asking a question)? I eat very few pre-packaged foods,

tending towards fresh veggies, pasta and fruit. I've gotten conflicting

reports on carbohydrates/high protein. In years past, the Atkins' diet

provided for cheese and cottage cheese as sources of protein. I've never

noticed the high level of iodine in dairy products. Perhaps it was because

I thought it was a GOOD thing and I was doing what was right for my body. As

I said, ignorance is a SCARY thing, isn't it?

I'm worried about Visine and the possibilty of TED. I need to get an

appointment. I keep feeling as though it's seasonal allergy problems, but

I've become so sensititve about thyroid problems that I won't be able to

rest until I get a definitive answer.

I think my brower is the problem with 's website. I just see black

spaces until I hover over them. I'll try to call MicroSoft to get a

resolution, but you KNOW how that can be!

=====

Bonner

Re: HyperT

> Hi Bonner,

> It's been shown that the amount of copper in copper bracelets does

decrease

> over time so it's assumed that the body does absorb this copper. I'm not

sure

> how, without lots of blood tests, you'd know how much you're absorbing

> though. If you're looking for a natural approach though, you might start

> eating more high copper foods like sunflower seeds. I think C was

> working on a list of high coppr foods but I'm not sure if it's on iThyroid

> yet.

> As for dairy products, the main reason we're told to avoid them is because

of

> their high iodine content, and also because they cause mucus production

which

> decreases our nutrient absorption, etc. It's recommended that we don't

exceed

> 150 mcg of iodine daily as it aggravates hyperT so if you've cut out all

> other sources, like iodized salt, vitamins with iodine, etc, and don't eat

> any prepackaged food with salt, you could probably slip in some dairy.

People

> with Graves' are particularly sensitive to salt even after we go into

> remission or become hypothyroid. Then, more than 1000mcg of iodine

> contributes to hypothyroidism. Some researchers consider iodine a trigger

for

> autoimmune thyroid disease.

>

> I read your eye post and seem to recall reading somewhere that Visine

wasn't

> recommended for TED. Probably it has phenyepherine which could have

adverse

> effects. Maybe someone else knows about this. However, since TED is easier

to

> deal with the earlier it's diagnosed, you might want to get checked out by

> your ophthalmologist. Sometimes eye swelling is sporadic and sort of comes

> and goes but it can also be a sign of TED.

>

> For the iThyroid site, just click onto any topic that has a line under it

and

> it will link you to the article. There are lots of great features and

links

> there.

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Bonner,

The fish will do you good. The omega-3 oils in fish are great for us. But

limit the seafood high in iodine content. Maybe someone knows offhand which

those are.

Iodine is added to milk and other dairy products in an attempt to protect

against iodine deficieny. Dr. H.C.A. Vogel in The Nature Doctor writes that

the type of iodine used to iodize food has the wrong balance and aggravates

our condition. He feels that natural sources of iodine aren't as harmful.

[Guest guest]

Dear Bonner,

Re your family: You don't have to explain yourself to them at all! You kind

of hit the nail on the head when you said they want you to go to counseling

so that they can feel better. Also, you said you have lots of anger toward

them, which you've been channeling as " hurt, " a more acceptable emotion. It

seems you explain, and they don't want to listen. So . . . just state your

case, e.g., I have thyroid trouble, or whatever you want to say, and leave it

at that and let them deal with it! If they can't deal w/the illness of a

family member, maybe they should go to counseling!

Best,

AntJoan

[Guest guest]

I'm terribly ignorant, but is ankylosing spondylitis the ALS referred to in

another e-mail? Are all of us subject to a myriad of auto-immune diseases?

===

Bonner

[Guest guest]

Rupal,

It is best if you list the ranges for your lab (they can differ). Are you

concerned that you are being kept at too high a dose of Tap? That might be

my concern, depending on how long you have been taking the medication.

At 12:28 PM 11/3/2003, you wrote:

>Hi All

>I had blood test done last week and my results are as follows:

>Free T4 is normal at 1.4.

>Total T3 is normal at 1.44.

>TSH is slightly low at 0.15 (normal range 0.36-5.5 UIU/ML)

>I am taking 10mg Tapazole and my endo said continue taking this dose and

>going to check my blood again in Dec after 4-5 weeks.

>Can any one had this kind of result while diagnized with HyperT?

>Any suggestion please on this results? Is my endo doing right thing?

>Thanks,

>Rupal

[Guest guest]

Hi Rupal,

It seems like your numbers are very good, and if you're feeling well, then

your doctor is doing the right thing. The typical maintenance dose for Tap

is between 2.5 and 10mg. Perhaps you will need a reduction next time. Just

watch yourself for any hypO symptoms, and if you feel them, you should ask

to have blood work done at that time.

The T4 and T3 results reflect your current thyroid levels and are key for

now, not the TSH, so don't worry that it is low. The TSH can take a long

time to come up (probably when you approach remission). My TSH came up when

I was overmedicated, but then went back down when I was on a more

appropriate dose. It is best to have Free T3 and Free T4 tests, if you can;

total T3 is less accurate. Maybe you can have your doctor run that one for

you, at least every so often.

At 02:21 PM 11/3/2003, you wrote:

>Hi

>I have been on 10mg Tapazole since Sep 16th. Before I was on 20mg.

>The normal range for FT4 is 0.7-1.8 NG/DL

>Total T3 is 0.6-1.8 NG/DL

>Thanks,

>Rupal