General Medicine

» Elaine Moore - New Labs!

In response to New Labs! posted by nurseheatherone:

Hi Heather,
Have you tried meditation, deep breathing, or hydrotherapy to help reduce stress? All of these methods can help even though they sound simple. Best, Elaine

» fiddlist - RAI, Hives and a lump..

In response to RAI, Hives and a lump.. posted by daisyelaine:

Hi Elaine,
Thank you for your reply. Before I had RAI I was only taking methimazole and a betablocker(antneolol). I had RAI in July and I only became hypothyroid in mid-November. Since Nov. I have been taking 125mg of synthroid/day. I realize that synthroid shouldn't be taken with calcium at the same time during the day, but is it okay to take vitamin A and D with synthroid?
I appreciate that you have told me about the immune system stimulation that RAI causes because I also read the same thing somewhere else and mentioned it to my doctor, but he simply blew it off and thought I just developed chronic urticaria. I will make an appointment with an allergist to pin point what exactly is causing these hives.
Thanks again,
Lyndsey

-- posted by fiddlist

» Elaine Moore - RAI, Hives and a lump..

In response to RAI, Hives and a lump.. posted by fiddlist:

Hi Lyndsey,
Chronic urticaria often occurs in hypothyroidism, and thyroid replacement hormone (when enough is used) will generally help. There's a group on yahoogroups.com I think for people with CU and thyroid disorders. Be sure that your FT4 and FT3 are at least at mid-range regardless of TSH. Some doctors get confused by this. TSH is falsely decreased after RAI and relying on it to monitor your labs can keep you hypothyroid. Best, elaine

» juicymango - Grave's, coming off ATDs and low ferritin levels

Hi Elaine
I have had Grave's for 2 years, been on Carbimazole for 18 months and just now stopped taking it to see if symptoms come back. I was also diagnosed with anaemia four months ago and have taken an iron supplement since then, however, although my haemoglobin level is now normal (11), my ferritin level is still very low (5). I feel exhausted and depressed but dare not take any more time off work. My T4 is 17.5. Some research I found on the internet suggested that if haemoglobin is normal, then low ferritin levels shouldn't have much effect. My doctor is doing some investigations to try to find the cause of the low ferritin levels but, in the meantime, I wondered if you have any knowledge/ experience of either the effects of coming off ATDs or low ferritin levels? I have been taking St John's Wort but am now considering taking a pharmaceutical antidepressant as I'm feeling so awful. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Best wishes
Helena

-- posted by juicymango

» aviano - Internal Racing Feeling

In response to Internal Racing Feeling posted by daisyelaine:

Hello Elaine:
I do not have TSI back as yet, but the remarkables for me were: elevated testosterone/free T..DHEAs (had dropped back down on last set but is typically high/high normal) 228; elevated RBC/hemoglobin/hematocrit/serum iron, elevated lymphs. TSH 1.6, free T3 - 3.4, free T4 - .99; Ep-Barr Chronic/reactivated infection..calcium stays on high end of normal or high..Low estrogen, but progesterone had jumped up to 1.0 which is a little high for a post-menopausal woman. Cortisol 15.1 (8:45 a.m.) and estrogen was actually detectable at 16!!! Again for me racing correlates with exo/endogenous estrogen/progesterone, increased free T, increased TSI..seemingly somewhat irrespective of thyroid "levels".
Thank you,
Avi

-- posted by aviano

» Elaine Moore - Grave's, coming off ATDs and low ferritin levels

In response to Grave's, coming off ATDs and low ferritin levels posted by juicymango:

Hi,
I have to wonder if your ATD dose was too high and your thyroid levels were too low at one time. Hypothyroidism often causes a low ferritin and hypothyroidism also causes depression. See http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/fer...
I'm not sure what your ranges are but your want to look at both FT4 and FT3 compared to the reference or normal range and make sure your levels are at least at mid-range. Before stopping ATDs completely you should be on the lowest dose needed to keep FT4 in range. Over time, the dose is reduced. When you're on a very low dose, like 1.25 mg daily and have normal thyroid function tests, remission is likely. Best, Elaine

» juicymango - Grave's, coming off ATDs and low ferritin levels

In response to Grave's, coming off ATDs and low ferritin levels posted by daisyelaine:

Thanks Elaine
The info & link on hypothyroidism & low ferritin was really useful - I guess my own research didn't yield results because I was searching for hyperthyroidism & ferritin but its a while now since my T4 was anything other than low or low-normal. I'll check it all out.
Thanks and best wishes
Helena

-- posted by juicymango

» Elaine Moore - Internal Racing Feeling

In response to Internal Racing Feeling posted by aviano:

Hi,
In the lab we see progesterone falling over time in the postmenopausal period; it's not unusual to have progesterone levels of 1.0 in women in their 60's, and these levels also fluctuate. Progesterone is measured in very small units ng/ml and the difference between 0.7 (the high end of the postmenopausal range) and 1.0 is slight. A good endo could prescribe a compounded hormone formula that would keep your levels in balance if you think they're the problem. If TSI is the problem, you'd want to reduce it by avoiding immune stimulants such as vaccines, allergens, chemicals, etc. You should probably be tested for 24 hr urine catecholamines and other things that could cause internal racing. Take care, Elaine

» mariammc - restricted calories

Hey Elaine!
I haven't been here for a while, hope all is well. I was wondering about a calorie restricted diet with added goitergen foods. I've been having a problem with methimazole and might need to stop taking it. It did what it was suppose to do, I don't have a racing heart anymore, but I do have side effects.
I tried to stop taking it, but within 2 days my heart was racing again.
I was thinking about juicing, eating raw goitergen rich foods, egg whites and kicking this sugar habit I've developed. As soon as I started the meds, I've been drinking coffee everyday, and I never did this before.
Is it true that restricted calorie diets can prevent autoimmune disease? Thanks again! Maria

-- posted by mariammc

» Elaine Moore - restricted calories

In response to restricted calories posted by mariammc:

Hi Maria,
There's some evidence that calorie restriction can aid longevity, improve immune system health, and thereby reduce the tendency toward autoimmune diseases.
I know several people who achieved remission using a raw foods diet.
However, you're not going to notice effects overnight.
If your thyroid levels rise when you're not on meds, you need to keep them in control with bugleweed or a low dose of methimazole at the onset of your new program.
Slowly, you'll be able to reduce the bugleweed or methimazole, and eventually stop it but to just stop it because you're starting a new program could backfire.
Taking acetyl-l-carnitine is another way to reduce symptoms as you're weaning off meds. best, elaine