Guest guest Posted April 22, 2006 Report Share Posted April 22, 2006 > > Hi, > > My ferritin results just came in. My level is 11 with a reference > range of 10-291. I see Andy recommends 30-60 as ideal. My question > is what I should do to raise it. I see that taking betaine HCL is a > possibility and I have had tests that show malabsorbtion. Does anyone > have a recommendation about how to learn about using betaine HCL? > > Thanks, > > > When I asked about this in the past, TK recommended starting with a small amount and increasing slowly to tolerance. I have been doing this, but I only use it with meals with flesh food so far. (I am a little wary, having had problems with my stomach before.) I have used up to half a tablet of betaine HCL and haven't noticed any problems. -- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 23, 2006 Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 > My ferritin results just came in. My level is 11 with a reference > range of 10-291. I see Andy recommends 30-60 as ideal. My question > is what I should do to raise it. I see that taking betaine HCL is a > possibility and I have had tests that show malabsorbtion. Does anyone > have a recommendation about how to learn about using betaine HCL? > Thanks, > You are so low, it's hard to believe that just using betaine HCL will raise your ferritin up enough. The recommended range I've seen as ideal is 70-90. Taking Vitamin C with iron-rich foods is supposed to help absorption. When I was low, I took Carlson concentrated raw liver, which boosted me up nicely without the negative side effects that taking iron has. The classic recommendation is to take iron supplements or eat liver. It's important to find out why you're so low. Maybe malabsorption is a sufficient explanation. But - have you had your B-12 checked? Are you taking aspirin on a daily basis? Are you hypothyroid? Do you have heavy periods? Have you tested your stool for occult blood? Any of those things could also contribute to low ferritin. Lynn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 23, 2006 Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 If your ferritin is that low, this is not good. Mine was 40 and my doctor said I still needed to get it up to at least 70. You need to take iron. I take ferrous gluconate available at any pharmacy and it doesn't constipate you like other iron supplements. I take 50 mgs. 2x day. -------------- Original message -------------- > > > > > Hi, > > > > My ferritin results just came in. My level is 11 with a reference > > range of 10-291. I see Andy recommends 30-60 as ideal. My question > > is what I should do to raise it. I see that taking betaine HCL is a > > possibility and I have had tests that show malabsorbtion. Does anyone > > have a recommendation about how to learn about using betaine HCL? > > > > Thanks, > > > > > > > > When I asked about this in the past, TK recommended starting with a > small amount and increasing slowly to tolerance. I have been doing > this, but I only use it with meals with flesh food so far. (I am a > little wary, having had problems with my stomach before.) I have > used up to half a tablet of betaine HCL and haven't noticed any > problems. > > -- > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 23, 2006 Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 If your ferritin is that low, this is not good. Mine was 40 and my doctor said I still needed to get it up to at least 70. You need to take iron. I take ferrous gluconate available at any pharmacy and it doesn't constipate you like other iron supplements. I take 50 mgs. 2x day. -------------- Original message -------------- > > > > > Hi, > > > > My ferritin results just came in. My level is 11 with a reference > > range of 10-291. I see Andy recommends 30-60 as ideal. My question > > is what I should do to raise it. I see that taking betaine HCL is a > > possibility and I have had tests that show malabsorbtion. Does anyone > > have a recommendation about how to learn about using betaine HCL? > > > > Thanks, > > > > > > > > When I asked about this in the past, TK recommended starting with a > small amount and increasing slowly to tolerance. I have been doing > this, but I only use it with meals with flesh food so far. (I am a > little wary, having had problems with my stomach before.) I have > used up to half a tablet of betaine HCL and haven't noticed any > problems. > > -- > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 23, 2006 Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 > You are so low, it's hard to believe that just using betaine HCL will raise > your ferritin up enough. The recommended range I've seen as ideal is 70-90. I think that if you are mercury toxic Andy recommends the 30-70 range. I think I'll try for that and see how I feel. > Taking Vitamin C with iron-rich foods is supposed to help absorption. When > I was low, I took Carlson concentrated raw liver, which boosted me up nicely > without the negative side effects that taking iron has. The classic > recommendation is to take iron supplements or eat liver. I am taking vitamin C with each meal. I am avoiding liver and spinach because I have problems with copper retention. I do try to eat lots of beef. > It's important to find out why you're so low. Maybe malabsorption is a > sufficient explanation. But - have you had your B-12 checked? I haven't had it checked but have taken 10mg of methylcobalamin daily for at least a year. Upping the dose has never seemed to feel any different. > Are you taking aspirin on a daily basis? No, it causes intestinal irritation especially hemorrhoids. > Are you hypothyroid? Yes, quite. I'm trying to get my adrenals working better before starting on thyroid meds, probably Armour. > Do you have heavy periods? Yes. > Have you tested your stool for occult blood? Yes, not a problem. Based on what everyone has said so far, I think I should do BOTH betaine HCL and some form of iron supplement. I am low in plasma sulfate. Ferrous sulfate sounds like it might be a good idea. Is it likely to cause constipation? Thanks to everyone. W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 23, 2006 Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 > > Are you hypothyroid? > Yes, quite. I'm trying to get my adrenals working better before > starting on thyroid meds, probably Armour. > > > Do you have heavy periods? > Yes. > W. I think you're playing a losing game trying to raise your ferritin level unless you get started on thyroid, because you need to address the root cause of your low ferritin. The body needs to be at a high enough temperature to make red blood cells, and the subnormal body temperatures of hypothyroids is too low for that to happen. Plus, your heavy periods may well be due to being hypothyroid, and if so you'll never stop that blood loss unless you become more euthryroid. Your adrenals will never get better unless you start correcting the hypo. Start with a very low amount of Armour and some adrenal support. Then gradually increase both of them in tandem as you can tolerate. Your low ferritin will also cause problems in trying to raise your Armour. You need to address everything at once. I think I've seen you on the Natural Thyroid Hormones yahoo group. There's been a lot of discussion there about the best forms of iron to take. Lynn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 23, 2006 Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 > > > > Are you hypothyroid? > > Yes, quite. I'm trying to get my adrenals working better before > > starting on thyroid meds, probably Armour. > > > > > Do you have heavy periods? > > Yes. > > W. > > I think you're playing a losing game trying to raise your ferritin level > unless you get started on thyroid, because you need to address the root > cause of your low ferritin. The body needs to be at a high enough Hope it's okay if I join this conversation. Thyroid can certainly be part of low ferritin and I think correcting thyroid problems is a better solution than taking iron (although it is reasonable to take iron up to a point). Mercury can also be a " root cause " of low ferritin all by itself. Andy says the body tries to keep iron low to reduce the oxidative stress that mercury induces. I took iron for an entire year and did not improve my numbers. I was not hypothyroid at that time. Andy recommends taking antioxidants to help with iron absorption. I do take iron periodically if I start getting truly anemic, but my ferritin has run around 5 for several years. I have tried many iron supplements. I started eating meat again a few years ago and this has made no difference. I believe dysbiosis also contributes to the problem. My ferritin is not any worse now that my labs and symptoms look somewhat hypothyroid. > temperature to make red blood cells, and the subnormal body temperatures of > hypothyroids is too low for that to happen. Plus, your heavy periods may > well be due to being hypothyroid, and if so you'll never stop that blood > loss unless you become more euthryroid. One thing that helped me with this was taking naproxen sodium (Aleve or other brands). Take it before bleeding starts and make sure to dose it at recommended frequency (8-12 hours, I think). > Your adrenals will never get better unless you start correcting the hypo. > Start with a very low amount of Armour and some adrenal support. Then > gradually increase both of them in tandem as you can tolerate. Your low > ferritin will also cause problems in trying to raise your Armour. You need > to address everything at once. Well, I've been using the same strategy as has, trying to make sure my adrenals are supplemented at a good level before trying Armour. This makes sense to me. I agree that the adrenals won't heal until you start thyroid, but if you support them then they won't get any worse. No? I suppose once starting thyroid, one might need to reduce the adrenal support a little since the thyroid will no longer be over-stressing them as much?? I guess it is not an option for me to start both adrenal and thyroid support at the same time, since I'm already on adrenal support. Any suggestions about how to add the Armour in my situation? I should try looking at the NTH group again, but I haven't found it that helpful in the past. -- > I think I've seen you on the Natural Thyroid Hormones yahoo group. There's > been a lot of discussion there about the best forms of iron to take. > > Lynn > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 23, 2006 Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 Well, this is lively and informative! See my comments interspersed. I hope this isn't getting too off-topic. > > > > > > Are you hypothyroid? > > > Yes, quite. I'm trying to get my adrenals working better before > > > starting on thyroid meds, probably Armour. > > > > > > > Do you have heavy periods? > > > Yes. > > > W. > > > > I think you're playing a losing game trying to raise your ferritin level > > unless you get started on thyroid, because you need to address the root > > cause of your low ferritin. The body needs to be at a high enough > > Hope it's okay if I join this conversation. > > Thyroid can certainly be part of low ferritin and I think > correcting thyroid problems is a better solution than taking iron > (although it is reasonable to take iron up to a point). Mercury > can also be a " root cause " of low ferritin all by itself. Andy > says the body tries to keep iron low to reduce the oxidative stress > that mercury induces. I took iron for an entire year and did not > improve my numbers. I was not hypothyroid at that time. > > Andy recommends taking antioxidants to help with iron absorption. I am taking all the antioxidants Andy recommends except I can't get my dose of vitamn C above 500mg/meal without diarrhea. I'm trying to inch up with very small doses of vit C every 3 hours. > > temperature to make red blood cells, and the subnormal body > temperatures of > > hypothyroids is too low for that to happen. Plus, your heavy > periods may > > well be due to being hypothyroid, and if so you'll never stop that blood > > loss unless you become more euthryroid. I certainly intend to start Armour as soon as I can. I need to take the Canary Club saliva test next weekend (to have the right timing in my menstrual cycle) and then I have HC and Armour ready to go. Right now, I'm looking at what I need to do and trying to decide an order. > One thing that helped me with this was taking naproxen sodium (Aleve > or other brands). Take it before bleeding starts and make sure to > dose it at recommended frequency (8-12 hours, I think). I am perimenopausal and can't predict when my periods will start. (For someone with all my various problems including high copper I have suprisingly enough no premenstrual symptoms except a proclivity to infections.) Would taking Aleve after bleeding starts do any good? > > Your adrenals will never get better unless you start correcting the > hypo. > > Start with a very low amount of Armour and some adrenal support. Then > > gradually increase both of them in tandem as you can tolerate. > Your low > > ferritin will also cause problems in trying to raise your Armour. > You need > > to address everything at once. > > Well, I've been using the same strategy as has, trying to > make sure my adrenals are supplemented at a good level before > trying Armour. This makes sense to me. I agree that the adrenals > won't heal until you start thyroid, but if you support them then > they won't get any worse. No? I suppose once starting thyroid, > one might need to reduce the adrenal support a little since the > thyroid will no longer be over-stressing them as much?? > > I guess it is not an option for me to start both adrenal and > thyroid support at the same time, since I'm already on adrenal > support. Any suggestions about how to add the Armour in my > situation? I will take another look at the NTH site. I had not gotten the impression that starting HC and Armour at the same time was generally recommended. I usually like to go low and slow with one thing at a time. Thanks, W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 23, 2006 Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 Well, this is lively and informative! See my comments interspersed. I hope this isn't getting too off-topic. > > > > > > Are you hypothyroid? > > > Yes, quite. I'm trying to get my adrenals working better before > > > starting on thyroid meds, probably Armour. > > > > > > > Do you have heavy periods? > > > Yes. > > > W. > > > > I think you're playing a losing game trying to raise your ferritin level > > unless you get started on thyroid, because you need to address the root > > cause of your low ferritin. The body needs to be at a high enough > > Hope it's okay if I join this conversation. > > Thyroid can certainly be part of low ferritin and I think > correcting thyroid problems is a better solution than taking iron > (although it is reasonable to take iron up to a point). Mercury > can also be a " root cause " of low ferritin all by itself. Andy > says the body tries to keep iron low to reduce the oxidative stress > that mercury induces. I took iron for an entire year and did not > improve my numbers. I was not hypothyroid at that time. > > Andy recommends taking antioxidants to help with iron absorption. I am taking all the antioxidants Andy recommends except I can't get my dose of vitamn C above 500mg/meal without diarrhea. I'm trying to inch up with very small doses of vit C every 3 hours. > > temperature to make red blood cells, and the subnormal body > temperatures of > > hypothyroids is too low for that to happen. Plus, your heavy > periods may > > well be due to being hypothyroid, and if so you'll never stop that blood > > loss unless you become more euthryroid. I certainly intend to start Armour as soon as I can. I need to take the Canary Club saliva test next weekend (to have the right timing in my menstrual cycle) and then I have HC and Armour ready to go. Right now, I'm looking at what I need to do and trying to decide an order. > One thing that helped me with this was taking naproxen sodium (Aleve > or other brands). Take it before bleeding starts and make sure to > dose it at recommended frequency (8-12 hours, I think). I am perimenopausal and can't predict when my periods will start. (For someone with all my various problems including high copper I have suprisingly enough no premenstrual symptoms except a proclivity to infections.) Would taking Aleve after bleeding starts do any good? > > Your adrenals will never get better unless you start correcting the > hypo. > > Start with a very low amount of Armour and some adrenal support. Then > > gradually increase both of them in tandem as you can tolerate. > Your low > > ferritin will also cause problems in trying to raise your Armour. > You need > > to address everything at once. > > Well, I've been using the same strategy as has, trying to > make sure my adrenals are supplemented at a good level before > trying Armour. This makes sense to me. I agree that the adrenals > won't heal until you start thyroid, but if you support them then > they won't get any worse. No? I suppose once starting thyroid, > one might need to reduce the adrenal support a little since the > thyroid will no longer be over-stressing them as much?? > > I guess it is not an option for me to start both adrenal and > thyroid support at the same time, since I'm already on adrenal > support. Any suggestions about how to add the Armour in my > situation? I will take another look at the NTH site. I had not gotten the impression that starting HC and Armour at the same time was generally recommended. I usually like to go low and slow with one thing at a time. Thanks, W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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