Guest guest Posted September 3, 2001 Report Share Posted September 3, 2001 | Home | Bookstore | Ailments | Folk Remedies | | Customer Service | Feedback | Contact Us | Thyroid Hypothyroid Thyroid blood tests are notoriously inaccurate tools for diagnosis because there is such a fine line between a normally functioning thyroid and one that is underactive. A better solution, used by many holistic doctors, is taking your underarm temperature before rising in the morning. Shake down the thermometer the night before and take your temperature first thing before getting up. Menstruating women should take the test beginning on the second day of menstruation because that is when the body temperature is the lowest. Take an average of five days' readings. Dr. Broda , MD, who pioneered this diagnostic method, considered a temperature below 98.7 degrees F as a sign of hypothyroidism. However, Dr. , MD, uses a more conservative figure of 97.4, after observing that most patients above that figure were less likely to improve and more likely to have adverse reactions to supplemental thyroid hormone. Causes One of the causes of hypothyroidism is a deficiency of iodine. Iodine is essential for the thyroid gland to produce thyroxin, the thyroid hormone. Here is an inexpensive test you can do at home to check your level of iodine. This test can serve both as a diagnostic tool and as medication to solve the underlying problem. Buy a 2% tincture of iodine at the pharmacy, take a Q-Tip® and paint a spot the size of a silver dollar on your stomach or thigh.If your iodine level is normal, the patch will still be there after 24 hours. However, if the patch has disappeared in less than 24 hours, you are iodine deficient. Without the iodine there is no thyroid activity and this is why many people don't respond to thyroid supplementation. You will need to repeat the iodine application at different locations until it is still visible after 24 hours. If you are already taking supplemental thyroid hormone it will be necessary to see your doctor to re-adjust (reduce) the dosage to account for your body's own production of thyroid hormone the way it is supposed to. This may even result in the eventual elimination of the need for the supplemental thyroid hormone. This very simple method will not only diagnose the problem, but will get your thyroid functioning again. Repeat this iodine test every three to six months. In the meantime, take supplements with iodine, such as kelp (the highest concentration of iodine known) or eat iodine-rich foods, such as beef liver, turkey, asparagus, white onions and broccoli. Symptoms One of the signs of hypothyroidism is a lack of growth of the eyebrows, especially at the sides, or the loss of so many eyelashes that you have gaps. Do you have aching wrists? Before you have surgery for carpel tunnel, have your doctor check for hypothyroidism, diabetes or arthritis. These ailments can cause pain and numbness in the arms, wrists, and hands. Back to Top | Home | Bookstore | Ailments | Folk Remedies | | Customer Service | Feedback | Contact Us | ©1999-2001 Newbury Naturals, Inc. . Disclaimer Last update 7/24/01 by Suzanne Cutshall. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lugols vs. tincture of iodine? > " Anyone who runs sub-normal temp - who has cold extremities - should > consider trying the iodine patch. This is not a " patch " as such, but > rather, you paint a patch of iodine-- NOT BETADINE- on yourself>> Ron or anyone... Would this be better than the tincture of iodine? <<Lugol's solution. Lugol's solution is a strong iodine solution containing 5 grams of iodine and 10 grams of potassium iodide in 100 milliliters of water. It is designed for thyroid stimulation and potassium supplementation>> Terri L. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 3, 2001 Report Share Posted September 3, 2001 Anybody---What causes an overactive thyroid If normal ranges between 0.49 to 4.67---- What does 10.04 seem like and what would lower or need to be cut out---- Saul any help here Thank you Sylvia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 3, 2001 Report Share Posted September 3, 2001 Anybody---What causes an overactive thyroid If normal ranges between 0.49 to 4.67---- What does 10.04 seem like and what would lower or need to be cut out---- Saul any help here Thank you Sylvia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 4, 2001 Report Share Posted September 4, 2001 8:17 PM 9-3-2001 -0400, Sylvia wrote: > > Anybody---What causes an overactive thyroid > If normal ranges between 0.49 to 4.67---- > What does 10.04 seem like and what would lower > or need to be cut out---- You have thyroid blood-test results -- and your doctor didn't explain what they indicated ? A " TSH test " result of 10.04 is definitely _hypo_thyroid. If that's what your TSH test shows, then you need to " speed up " your thyroid, or else start taking thyroid hormones, or do both if necessary. ( _Hyper_thyroid (overactive thyroid) has a TSH less than 0.49 -- given the " normal range " you've referred to. ) Before supplementing iodine, you should be tested to determine if you have autoimmune hypothyroidism -- aka: Hashimoto's thyroiditis. (See below for further explanation.) *Most* people who are hypothyroid have the autoimmune type, and iodine can make autoimmune hypothyroidism worse, not better -- according to E. Langer, M.D., author of " Solved: The Riddle of Illness, " which is one of the better books for patients, re: thyroid health. ( Here's the Amazon.com link to the book review - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0658002937/o/qid%3D960345467/s r%3D8-1/ref%3Daps%5Fsr%5Fb%5F1%5F1/103-3559266-4928608 ) Bill from: http://thyroid.about.com/health/thyroid/library/weekly/aa032400a.htm Thyroid Drugs: Frequently Asked Questions about Food, Drug and Supplement Interactions by J. Shomon - ©2000 About.com, Inc. excerpt: Q. What About Iodine and Kelp Supplements? While some herbalists and vitamin proponents recommend iodine tablets or kelp supplements (which are high in iodine) for people with thyroid problems, you need to be extremely careful about any decision to take iodine or kelp supplements if you are on thyroid hormone replacement therapy. The thinking behind taking iodine or kelp is that in many parts of the world, goiters and thyroid disease are related to iodine deficiency. In the U.S. and other developed countries, iodine deficiency is not very common anymore, due to the addition of iodine to salt -- iodized salt -- and other food products. In fact, the most common forms of thyroid disease found in the U.S. -- autoimmune thyroid diseases like Graves' Disease or Hashimoto's Thyroiditis -- have nothing to do with iodine deficiency at all. Actually, thyroids are extremely sensitive to iodine, and you need to be careful about adding too much iodine to the diet as it can irritate or aggravate the thyroid. Most doctors say not to worry about some iodized salt, or the iodine present in a food item such as an occasional sushi dinner. But even alternative nutritional doctor Langer, author of Solved: The Riddle of Illness, the follow-up book to Broda ' Hypothyroidism: The Unsuspected Illness, advises against taking iodine or kelp supplements for people with autoimmune thyroid disease. .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 7, 2001 Report Share Posted September 7, 2001 Thanks Bill I had the test from a medical doctor at my health food store--They send the lad report back and you take it to your doctor for reading---I do not have a Dr soooooo--now I guess I go find what kind i have---I have taken Aim Barley green with kelp for years-- now perhaps that is not so good--- Again thanks Also--since the thyroid is slow-does that mean the adrenals are also? Sylvia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2001 Report Share Posted September 8, 2001 Sylvia wrote: > > Thanks Bill > I had the test from a medical doctor at my health food store--They send the lab report back and you take it to your doctor for reading---I do not have a Dr soooooo--now I guess I go find what kind i have---I have taken Aim Barley green with kelp for years-- now perhaps that is not so good--- > Again thanks > Also--since the thyroid is slow- does that mean the adrenals are also? No direct connection there. Shouldn't be a problem. Bill .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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