Re: FERRITIN AND HAEMACHROMATOSIS

[Guest guest]

HI Sheila,

Thank you SO much for this - it really explains everything - this is invaluable information I shall keep for referral - no wonder I can't seem to up my meds without an issue as my ferritin is low.

Thanks again

Best wishes

Mandy

[Guest guest]

Something worth updating patients on is your serum iron is the iron actually

used to process the thyroid hormone, not ferritin. Often Hypo patients have a

high ferritin because of inflammation. Therefore, if your serum iron is ok, you

should be fine to tollerate thyroid hormone.

Jen

>

> A large body of thy­roid patients is sur­pri­sed to dis­co­ver that being

hypothy­roid also results in having low Ferri­tin, or sto­rage iron. Ferri­tin

is an iron-storage pro­tein which keeps the iron in a dis­sol­va­ble state and

also makes the iron non-toxic to cells around it.

[Ed]

[Guest guest]

Re-post of Sheila's original

>

> A large body of thyroid patients is surprised to discover that being

hypothyroid also results in having low Ferritin, or storage iron. Ferritin is an

ironstorage protein which keeps the iron in a dissolvable state and also makes

the iron nontoxic to cells around it. So when Ferritin is measured via a blood

test, it is basically measuring your storage iron, or the iron you have tucked

away for future use. You can have iron serum levels that are within the 'normal'

reference interval, yet this can be a low level of Ferritin.

>

> Why do we often have low Ferritin? Because being hypothyroid can result in a

lowered production of hydrochloric acid, which in turn leads to the

malabsorption of iron. It can also lower your body temperature (common for those

on levothyroxine, as well), which causes you to make less red blood cells.

Additionally, being hypothyroid can result in heavier periods, which causes even

more iron loss.

>

> In turn, having low iron levels decreases deiodinase activity, i.e. it slows

down the conversion of inactive thyroid hormone T4 to the active thyroid hormone

T3

>

> Why is having low Ferritin a problem? First, though the slide into low

Ferritin can be Symptomless, it eventually becomes the precursor to being

aneamic. And once the latter occurs, you can then have symptoms which mimic

hypothyroidism, depression, achiness, easy fatigue, weakness, faster heart rate,

palpitations, loss of sex drive, and/or foggy thinking, etc, causing a patient

to think they are not on enough desiccated thyroid, or that desiccated thyroid

is not working.

>

> Excessively low Ferritin can also make it difficult to continue raising your

thyroid extract, resulting in hyper symptoms when raising the thyroid extract.

> Biologically, insufficient iron levels may be affecting the first two of three

steps of thyroid hormone synthesis by reducing the activity of the enzyme

thyroid peroxidase, which is dependent on iron. Thyroid peroxidase brings about

the chemical reactions of adding iodine to tyrosine (amino acid), which then

produces T4 and T3. Insufficient iron levels, which low ferritin reveals,

alters and reduces the conversion of T4 to T3, besides binding T3.

>

> Additionally, low iron levels can increase circulating concentrations of TSH

(thyroid stimulating hormone).

>

> Iron, in addition to iodine, selenium and zinc, are essential for normal

thyroid hormone metabolism.

>

> What's the solution? The solution, after you have verified low Ferritin with a

blood test (i.e. lower than the 50's), is to supplement your diet with iron.

Foods rich in iron include lean meats, liver, eggs, green leafy vegetables

(spinach, collard greens, kale), wheat germ, whole grain breads and cereals,

raisins, and molasses.

>

> But most patients and their doctors have found it necessary to supplement with

iron tablets, which includes Ferrous Sulphate, Ferrous Glutamate, Ferrous

Fumerate, etc.

>

> Ferrous Sulfate is usually the cheapest - just be sure you are taking a good

Vit. E with it since there is evidence that it's depleted with the use of

Ferrous Sulfate. And always take it with food.

>

> Ferrous Gluconate may cause fewer symptoms and is milder on stomach.

>

> Ferrous Fumerate is often prescribed by doctors as it, too, has fewer side

effects, absorbs well, and is easier on the stomach.

>

> Beware of liquid iron that is animal based (heme) - it may be the best

absorbable iron, but it can blacken your teeth. VEGETABLE BASED (nonheme) liquid

iron avoids this, even if less absorbable.

>

> Highly recommended is Floradix Iron and Herbs, or Enzymatic Therapy Liquid

Liver. Check in your local health food store or pharmacy.

>

> How much iron supplementation do I need to raise my low levels, and how long

do I take it? When Ferritin is low, you have to give yourself many weeks, and

sometimes 2-3 months, to improve your levels. Patients generally try to take 150

to 200 mg of elemental iron daily, spread out with meals. Be sure and read the

label to see how much elemental iron is in each tablet.

>

> The general goal is to get your Ferritin level to a lab result between 70 to

90 in a reference range of approximately 20 to 200 (units missing). Keep track

of labwork to see where your levels are, because you want to get off the iron

once you achieve your goal, since iron promotes free radicals. Some women who

are menstruating may have to stay on low amounts of iron. Check with your

doctor. .

>

> Should I take anything with the iron to help? Yes, Vitamin C. First, Vitamin

C is said to help the absorption of iron. Second, since the introduction of iron

in your body can promote the stimulation of free radicals, Vitamin C has a known

role of combating those free radicals. How much C? Some take it to bowel

tolerance - the amount they can handle before getting too soft stools. Others

are in the 1000 - 2000 mg range. At the very least, drink down your iron

tablets with orange juice or a drink like EmergenC. NOTE: Many people need to

take doses of vitamin C as high as 5/6000mgs daily to help the iron to get

properly absorbed and to help stop constipation

>

> Also taking a mineral supplement can assist the absorption, as can B vitamins.

One important B vitamin is Folic Acid, which promotes red blood cell formation.

Adding it to your iron supplementation can be key.

>

> What about the constipation I get from taking iron supplements? If you do find

yourself with constipation or very hard stools, talk to your doctor about adding

Magnesium Citrate as a supplement, taken twice a day, until you find the amount

that softens your stool. You'll know within a few days if the amount you are

taking is enough, or even too much [i.e. too much will cause dire rear ( …]

>

> Can I take iron at the same time I swallow my desiccated thyroid? If you

swallow your desiccated thyroid, it's important to avoid swallowing iron at the

same time, since the iron will bind to some of the thyroid hormones and make

them useless. You need to take iron about 3 to 4 hours away from thyroid hormone

replacement.

>

> What if I can't tolerate oral iron? If you have problems absorbing oral iron

due to a previous stomach surgery or other issue, another option is to use

Venofer - an intravenous iron, which helps replenish body iron stores. Talk to

your doctor.

>

> Once I get my ferritin levels back up, will it stay up? Several of us have had

our ferritin levels plummet again, so it may be wise to stick with a small dose

of supplemental iron or eat iron rich foods, especially if you are female and

still menstruating. Once into menopause, your ferritin levels may stay where

they need.

>

> What if I find my ferritin is higher than it should be? Higher levels of

ferritin can point to an ongoing bodily infection, which needs discovery and

treatment. In fact, some with an optimal ferritin may have an infection that

brings it up to the optimal range. In this case, it's wise to have a full iron

panel in addition to the ferritin to gain more information about your iron

levels, as well as working with your doctor to discover and treat an infection.

>

> Men normally have higher levels of ferritin than women, naturally, by the way,

without having an infection. It's common to see healthy men over 100.

>

> Another reason for higher levels of ferritin and iron is of genetic origin,

called heamochromatosis. Patients with this genetic iron overload will

periodically give blood to lower their levels.

>

> What are additional iron tests I may need to get a full picture? In addition

to ferritin and serum iron, your doctor can order transferrin tests, plus TIBC

and UIBC (binding capacity). If the latter are low in conjunction with a normal

or high ferritin, it's a bingo that you may have a chronic underlying infection

that needs discovery and treatment, or a genetic iron overload if it's high.

>

> Generally, the saturation should be at least 35% to 45% for good iron levels.

Serum iron needs to be mid range to slightly over. If the TIBC and UIBC are over

midrange, you may need more iron.

>

[Guest guest]

This is a great post. I'd like to borrow it with permission.

Who do I credit for this?

Cheers,

JOT

> Re-post of Sheila's original

[Guest guest]

Hi Jot - certainly, as far as I am concerned, you can 'borrow it.'

However, I 'borrowed' it originally from Dr Theodore Freidman as he had

it on his web site with his name. I had asked permission to 'borrow it'

and he gave it to me. Then Janie, from Stop The Thyroid Madness told me

that Dr Theodore Friedman had apparently 'borrowed' it from her web site

without asking her permission, and that she was the author - so I then

asked Janie for permission to use it and she gave it to me. I still

don't really know who the original author is though, so I would play

safe and ask both of them for permission and see what they say.

Thanks Bob for reposting my message, no idea what mine came out as

triple Dutch - what a mess. I have removed my version however as it was

practically unreadable. This information is in our FILES section under

Haemachromatosis and Ferritin.

Luv - Sheila

> This is a great post. I'd like to borrow it with permission.

> Who do I credit for this?

>

> Cheers,

> JOT

>

> > Re-post of Sheila's original

>

[Guest guest]

Oh, that's so funny.....

Best to credit all of you :0)

Cheers,

JOT