Why iron/ferritin is important

[Guest guest]

This is from Dr. no's site explaining the connection between

low thyroid, low cortisol, high epinephrine (anxiety), and low

iron/ferritin. If you donate blood more than twice a year, you will

deplete your ferritin. Dr. no prefers a ferritin of 150 in men.

http://www.definitivemind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=133 & highlight=Iron\

+works+c\

ellular+metabolic

<http://www.definitivemind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=133 & highlight=Iro\

n+works+cellular+metabolic>

" When a person develops hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis

dysregulation, which

lowers cortisol production, norepinephrine signaling may end up being

high -

particularly at night. One of the reasons norepinephrine signaling is

highest at

night, I suspect, is that a defensive behavioral program is being

triggered by

the immune system, via pro-inflammatory signals. Pro-inflammatory

signals are

also released by the brain when norepinephrine signaling is high.

Norepinephrine

is the primary signal for stress. The purpose of high norepinephrine

signaling

at night is to cause a person to be awake at night. This is an old

program which

may deal with watching out for predators at night. Unfortunately, this

causes

dysfunction in the modern world. Cortisol/hydrocortisone, is one of the

control

signals on norepinephrine. It breaks the norepinephrine positive

feedback loop

with CRH (Corticotropin releasing hormone), which tends to keep

norepinephrine

at high levels.

Generally, one of the reasons norepinephrine signaling is high is to

compensate

for impaired energy production that is caused by the lack of thyroid

hormone

production and impaired energy production that is caused by a deficit in

iron

stores (low ferritin level). Norepinephrine, itself, is not only a

signal for

distress and wakefulness, it is also a signal for energy.

Excessive norepinephrine signaling leads to an activation of the immune

system

via an increase in brain pro-inflammatory cytokine signaling and direct

norepinephrine signaling to immune system cells, which then release more

pro-inflammatory cytokine signals. This in turn triggers defensive

programs in

the brain. One of them leads to adrenal problems - via

hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation.

Generally, I do not see improvement in adrenal function unless iron

stores

become optimized (e.g. in women this is a ferritin of about 100-120).

Treatment

with cortisol/hydrocortisone primarily is a bandage treatment when

cellular

metabolism, itself, is impaired by suboptimal iron stores.

When hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation is significant,

thyroid

treatment becomes intolerable. A TSH > 5 indicates a huge deficit in

thyroid

signaling. The problem is that so long as a thyroid signal deficit is

present,

norepinephrine signaling remains compensatorily high, and HPA Axis

dysregulation

continues. Generally, once adrenal function is supported adequately,

thyroid

treatment may be started. However, if metabolic-nutritional problems

exist, they

would have to be addressed first, before adrenal function can be

restored. With

significant adrenal signaling problems, Levothyroxine is a more

tolerable

solution than one containing T3.

In women, progesterone is an option for adrenal signaling support. It

provides

precursors for the other signals including cortisol. It also helps

reduce

norepinephrine signaling via its metabolites, such as allopregnenolone,

which

works by increasing GABA sensitivity in the nervous system. As such it

provides

multiple pathways to treating HPA Axis dysregulation. "

Romeo B. no, MD, physician, psychiatrist