Guest guest Posted March 21, 2008 Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 Hi , Your experience is very familiar so you have come to the right place. : ) You will feel better and regain your life back! What you just wrote is very familiar to my experience on many levels. I thought I was going crazy or had early dementia...I'm 35...lol! I remember crying while trying to concentrate on a task for work that would have previously been easy for me. The cloud is all too clear...makes perfect sense. I too had been tested through my HMO due to my symptoms of fatigue, poor concentration, hair loss, cold, and crying over frustration etc. (list goes on) and received a letter stamped " normal " . After stumbling across About.com:Thyroid Disease, I realized TSH 5.1 is far from " normal " especially if combined with low adrenal. Symptoms of low thyroid and adrenal are similar. The journey toward health began... One book which helped me to initially begin to treat my low thyroid and adrenal is " Feeling Fat, Fuzzy, and Frazzled " by Dr. Shames. It offered direction on treating myself that didn't feel overwhelming since it had a step by step instruction. It also really explains how the endocrine system works and the adrenal, thyroid, and sex hormones that form a balance in our bodies where if one and/or two go out of balance, then it affects the entire system. This helped me to understand my experience, so I could get better. And, also Shomon's " Thyroid Hormone Breakthrough " . This group's files, posts, and the Stop the Thyroid Madness website provide a wealth of info and support to know you're not alone! Here's what I did to start feeling better: Step 1: I had a comprehensive thyroid blood panel and adrenal saliva testing as mentioned by If you had thyroid tests already, ask for exact lab values. Then, get adrenal testing. Step 2: I began taking the following supplements right away - made a little chart to keep track of it all ; ) - 1/4-1/2 t. sea salt in my water - Multivitamin - B-complex - Antioxidant - Essential fatty acids (500mg omega 3, 250 mg omega 6) - Extra (free form) amino acids (digestion can be poor for those with hypothryoid) - Pantothenic acid (B5) 250mg 3X/day (adrenal support) - Vitamin B6 50mg 3X/day (adrenal/thyroid support) - 200mcg Selenium (thyroid support) - 500mg Taurine 2X/day (adrenal support) - 500mg Tyrosine (thyroid support) - 250mg Chelated Magnesium(thyroid support) - 200mcg Chromium (adrenal support) Step 3: I made the following lifestyle choices right away: - Further improved my diet to have balanced meals with protein and complex carbs plus lots of vegetables and salty items as craved like olives. I also didn't go longer than 4 hrs w/out a snack or eating some form of complex carb/protein - Stopped drinking all caffeine and alcohol (both made me feel nauseous most of the time anyway so that was pretty easy for me) and also cut out any refined sugar (only used agave syrup for sweetener) - Started going to bed by 10pm (11pm absolutely latest) and since I had higher night cortisol, took SeriPhos 1 hour prior to sleeping with a little protein like 1T. almond butter. - Listened to my body and accepted where it was at. I do yoga and take walks for exercise (formerly I used to train for endurance triathlon events). Step 4: I found a doctor who would work with me and the test results to prescribe natural thyroid: - My HMO endocrinologist would only prescribe levothyroxine and stated that there is no such thing as adrenal fatigue so if T-4 wasn't working, it wasn't her treatment protocol, but that I needed antidepressants. So, I stopped seeing her and trusted my body and this group. I know now that taking levothyroxine and not treating my low adrenal just aggravated certain symptoms. - So, I now have worked with two doctors outside my HMO who prescribe Armour and treat based on symptoms, including low adrenal with Isocort which was sufficient to support my adrenals. Some need stronger support. I am slowly working on the right Armour dose, but am feeling much better : ) Step 5: I listened to my body, trusted myself, and slowly, but surely started improving and adding other supplements (not too much at one time in case it didn't go well for my body, I would know the cause): - Digestive enzymes - Herbs for adrenal support w/Chromium Forte for glucose metabolism (with gymnema leaf, bitter melon fruit, jambolan seed, vanadium, niacin, chromium) and another adrenal support w/eleuthero extract, ashwaganda, cordyceps sinensis, B5, bovine adrenal cortex and whole adrenal) - Yellow dock tincture to help build ferritin along with some iron FYI, I started this journey 4-5 months ago and am feeling improvement. I am grateful to have received such good advice from the start through this group and books. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 21, 2008 Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 Thanks Barb for catching that...I realize that I made a typo...it is the B5 or Panthothenic Acid I take 3X/day. I take the B6 2X/day. Good reminder since with the multi...I should probably drop to 1X. I did read that somewhere not to go over 100mg...probably on this list! > Excellent advice on your post, but I would caution that B6 in doses > higher than 100 mg/day may cause neuropathy (tingling in hands/feet) in > some. I now only take one 50 mg pill per day because there is extra B6 > in my daily and B complex. I got the tingling taking 100 mg. > > Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 21, 2008 Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 Thanks Barb for catching that...I realize that I made a typo...it is the B5 or Panthothenic Acid I take 3X/day. I take the B6 2X/day. Good reminder since with the multi...I should probably drop to 1X. I did read that somewhere not to go over 100mg...probably on this list! > Excellent advice on your post, but I would caution that B6 in doses > higher than 100 mg/day may cause neuropathy (tingling in hands/feet) in > some. I now only take one 50 mg pill per day because there is extra B6 > in my daily and B complex. I got the tingling taking 100 mg. > > Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 21, 2008 Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 Thanks Barb for catching that...I realize that I made a typo...it is the B5 or Panthothenic Acid I take 3X/day. I take the B6 2X/day. Good reminder since with the multi...I should probably drop to 1X. I did read that somewhere not to go over 100mg...probably on this list! > Excellent advice on your post, but I would caution that B6 in doses > higher than 100 mg/day may cause neuropathy (tingling in hands/feet) in > some. I now only take one 50 mg pill per day because there is extra B6 > in my daily and B complex. I got the tingling taking 100 mg. > > Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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