apologies

[Guest guest]

3 posts sent to the list in error. I thought the people had written me

privately. Sorry.

Ellen Diamond

[Guest guest]

Could you write a letter to your Dad's GP on his behalf. In that

letter, list all of his symptoms and signs 9check these against those in our

web site www.tpa-uk.org.uk

under hypothyroidism. Ask your Dad to take his basal temperature for 4 or 5

mornings before he gets out of bed and list these in the letter too, especially

if they are less than 97.8 degrees F or 36.6 degrees C.

List all the members of your family who have a thyroid or

autoimmune disease.

Ask for the following blood tests to be carried out - Thyroid

Stimulating Hormone (TSH), free T4, free T3 and a test to see whether he has

antibodies to his thyroid. Ask also that the following vitamins and minerals be

tested to see whether any of these are low in the reference range. These are:

ferritin, vitamin B12, vitamin D3, magnesium, folate, copper and zinc. You

should mention that if any are low in the range, they will stop the thyroid

hormone being properly utilised at the cellular level. In case the GP states

there is no association between such low levels and thyroid - you could add the

following into the letter showing the evidence:

Low iron/ferritin: Iron deficiency is shown to

significantly reduce T4 to T3 conversion, increase reverse T3 levels, and block

the thermogenic (metabolism boosting) properties of thyroid hormone (1-4).

Thus, iron deficiency, as indicated by an iron saturation below 25 or a

ferritin below 70, will result in diminished intracellular T3 levels.

Additionally, T4 should not be considered adequate thyroid replacement if iron

deficiency is present (1-4)).

1.

Dillman E, Gale C, Green W, et al.

Hypothermia in iron deficiency due to altered triiodithyroidine metabolism.

Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 1980;239(5):377-R381.

2.

SM, PE, Lukaski HC. In

vitro hepatic thyroid hormone deiodination in iron-deficient rats: effect of

dietary fat. Life Sci 1993;53(8):603-9.

3.

Zimmermann MB, Köhrle J. The Impact of

Iron and Selenium Deficiencies on Iodine and Thyroid Metabolism: Biochemistry

and Relevance to Public Health. Thyroid 2002;12(10): 867-78.

4.

Beard J, tobin B, Green W. Evidence for

Thyroid Hormone Deficiency in Iron-Deficient Anemic Rats. J. Nutr.

1989;119:772-778.

Low

vitamin B12: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18655403

Low

vitamin D3: http://www.eje-online.org/cgi/content/abstract/113/3/329

and http://www.goodhormonehealth.com/VitaminD.pdf

Low

magnesium: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC292768/pdf/jcinvest00264-0105.pdf

Low

folate: http://www.clinchem.org/cgi/content/full/47/9/1738

and http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/thy.1999.9.1163

Low 

copper http://www.ithyroid.com/copper.htm

http://www.drlwilson.com/articles/copper_toxicity_syndrome.htm

http://www.ithyroid.com/copper.htm

http://www.rjpbcs.com/pdf/2011_2(2)/68.pdf

http://ajplegacy.physiology.org/content/171/3/652.extract

Low

zinc:http://www.istanbul.edu.tr/ffdbiyo/current4/07%20Iham%20AM%C4%B0R.pdf

and http://articles.webraydian.com/article1648-Role_of_Zinc_and_Copper_in_Effective_Thyroid_Function.html

Ferritin

levels for women need to be between 70 and 90 (for men around between 150 and

170)

Vitamin

B12 needs to be at the top of the range.

D3

levels need to be about 50.

Magnesium

levels need to be at the top of the range, it's one thing that gets missed a

great deal. Your potassium and mag need to be at the top.

Ask

for the results of all these tests together with a copy of the reference range

for each of the tests done. Doctors cannot withhold such information from you.

Ask

for a referral to an endocrinologist - I have a list of good doctors if you

want me to send it to you.

Last,

ask that your letter of request be placed into your Dad's Medical Notes, send a

copy to the Head of Practice and keep a copy for yourself in case you need to

refer to this at a later date. Your Dad does not have to keep suffering in this

way.

Luv

- Sheila

Sincere thank you to , Sheila, Angel and

. I had not realised my request had reached the forum. Sheila has just

alerted me to the fact that I have posted the same question twice. I am really

sorry. I have just read your responses & am truly grateful. I need to

digest them properly & will respond. I have fished out the blood results

that I have. You have given me so much information. I will definately be

changing my GP (again!). I feel quite upset to realise that there is a real

reason for so many of my symptoms. I suspect though that I have had a problem

most of my adult life (now 56). To actually have a name to it is a bit

sobering. I will post my results asap. I appreciate your taking so much time to

reply and help me, many thanks, x

PS I suspect my elderly father has it - he is baffled and frustrated at being

unable to stay awake & also is so cold ( & Vitiligo!).