General Medicine

» juicymango - L-Carnitine & diet for Graves

Hi Elaine
I was on carbimazole for my Graves for 15 months and recently tapered off, however, my T4 levels have risen again, from 17.5 to 26.5 in the last 4 weeks (normal range 12-24).
I have 2 questions: I'm going to try L-acetly-Carnitine but do you know if it will reduce the T4 in my blood as well as reducing the symptoms (so I don't have to argue with my endos, who treat according to lab results and not symptoms)?
Secondly, I have been trying to heal my thyroid and immune system through a diet with lots of goitrogens, juice and raw food as all my research seemed to indicate raw food and bowel cleansing to heal auto-immune conditions, however, John Johnson's website recommends avoiding green leafy veg (because of their cadmium content), goitrogens and fruit. Do you have any knowledge/ experience that could help me sort through all this?
Thanks
Helena

-- posted by juicymango

» juicymango - Systemic enzymes and Graves' disease

Hi Elaine
Sorry, I know you haven't even had a chance to answer my last questions yet, but I have been taking Vitalzyme, a systemic enzyme supplement, for the last 2 weeks to improve my overall health, immune system and energy (it now seems I have pernicious anaemia as well as Graves') and it has belatedly occurred to me to worry that the enzymes are also increasing the efficiency of the excessive thyroid hormones. Do you know anything about this subject?
Thank you
Helena

-- posted by juicymango

» Elaine Moore - L-Carnitine & diet for Graves

In response to L-Carnitine & diet for Graves posted by juicymango:

Hi,
Goitrogens are great for reducing thyroid hormone levels, and carnitine will slightly lower your levels too. Most studies I've seen don't support the cadmium/vegetable connection. One of the major sources of cadmium is cigarette smoke, and that you would want to avoid. Mercury is more of a problem than cadmium, and you should limit the amount of tuna you eat. Raw foods help a great deal and I know quite a few people who've achieved remission following a raw foods diet.

Remember that total T4 measures both free hormone and the protein it's bound to. In this form, thyroid is inactive. And your level will rise from either thyroid hormone or binding proteins. Estrogens cause a rise in binding proteins so T4 will rise even though you have level available hormone when you're on estrogens. For this reason I wouldn't worry about your level much. It would be much better if you were tested with FT4 and FT3 levels, which measure your free, available thyroid hormone. Best, Elaine

» Elaine Moore - Systemic enzymes and Graves' disease

In response to Systemic enzymes and Graves' disease posted by juicymango:

Hi,
The enzymes will help you absorb nutrients better. If you're ingesting too much dietary iodine the enzymes could help you produce more thyroid hormone. But I don't think that's the case unless you're drinking green juices or inadvertently ingesting foods or drinks high in iodine. If you're avoiding fast and processed foods, iodine shouldn't be a problem.
I'd check labels and make sure nothing you're taking has iodine or kelp. Premenstrually, your thyroid hormone levels can rise so watch that you have your levels tested around the same time each month. Even natural estrogens influence total thyroid hormone levels. Best, Elaine

» juicymango - Green juices and carnitine for Graves' disease

In response to Systemic enzymes and Graves' disease posted by daisyelaine:

Thanks Elaine
It's great to be reassured that enzymes and raw foods are a good way to approach healing. However, I do drink green juices. I avoid dairy, processed foods, seaweeds and algaes and coconut because of their thyroid-stimulating properties but do land vegetables also contain a lot of iodine? I recently completed a week of juice feasting which included 1 head of celery and 1-2lbs of leafy green veg/ broccoli per day. Could this be a problem?
Also, sorry, I think I may have got confused, I think it is Free T4 that is tested and this that has risen to just out of the normal range. It was tested at the end of my week of juices and although it was raised slightly above their healthy range I didn't have any hyper symptoms. However, I would prefer to lower it a little and certainly to stop it rising further. Do you think that L-acetyl-Carnitine would help with the test results?
Helena

-- posted by juicymango

» kitykatt - Help with meds

Hi Elaine, Newbie here! In spring of 07 I developed a severe case of vitiligo. It was my dermatologist who suggested I have thyroid checked. Oct. of 07 diagnosed with graves, was sent to endo who put me on two doses of 5mg.of methimizole per day. Eight weeks later had blood drawn and was followed up with a phone call by her assistant informing me I was still significantly hyper and to continue my 10mg. dosage but to take it together in the am. Here we are another eight weeks later, and I feel terrible. I'm sleepy. Living to sleep. Foggy headed. Unfocused. Some headahes. I'm due to see her next week. Here is my concern. Could I becoming hypo? I have had a significant thinning of my hair, and now am just noticing a few strands coming out. This is a huge stretch from my normally thick dense hair. I feel that sixteen weeks on this dosage may be too much. I decided to not take my pills for a few days and I feel better. More alert, focused, productive. I still am experiencing some loose stools. In between feeling so out of it, I have tried to educate myself and listen to my body. I have also tried to research my Dr. and have found former patients who have warned about her inability to treat this disease. MY instincts about her are not good, otherwise I would be calling her. I found her information to contradict itself. She pretty much said that she believed I had missed a few pills and that she couldn't trust the numbers. I admitted to missing a few, however it was maybe four pills in eight weeks. It didn't seem significant to me. This concerned me also, I felt she was blaming me. Never reviewed any numbers with me and I really didn't know to ask. Elaine, any info/advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm currently on no meds for three days now. I had also been given atenolol witch I take only when needed. I still have some internal racing, chronic sleep issues. I also have had mild eye discomfort witch I noticed seems better since stopping the meds. I'm a very young 44 and care so much about my myself and my health and vitality. The vitiligo has tried to rob me of my looks, but I won't let it. I have confidence in my bodies ability to heal itself. Thank You!

-- posted by kitykatt

» nurseheatherone - Internal Racing Feeling

In response to Internal Racing Feeling posted by daisyelaine:

Hi Elaine! I saw my endo this week and he says that he thinks that I am moving towards remission! I am very excited but nervous because of my TSI antibodies in January were 179%, but as of now are not really affecting my thyroid. He says that is I am going to become hyper againit will probably happen within the first 6 months of me stopping meds. To my surprise he said that if I do go hyper I can do meds again, remove my thyroid or do RAI, but he was not pushy about any of them, which was a huge relief. As far as all of my symtoms go.. I am still taking lexapro and feeling much less anxious. It seems as though I was having a hyperventilation syndrome that was triggering my panic attacks, and there the viscious cycle bagan. This probably cause allot of my throat tightening symptoms I was having. I am interested to why this all occured after my diagnosis with GD, could have been the stress and hormone fluctuations combined, not sure. I still suffer from back pain and headaches randomly now, wondering about fibromyalgia, but it is a throbbing aching pain only on one side of my upper back that sometimes spreads ( chest x-ray was normal). I have had back pain that has kind of correlated with my thyroid levels, so I am not sure why I am still getting it. Well anyways, Just giving an update.
Thanks again, Heather

-- posted by nurseheatherone

» Elaine Moore - Help with meds

In response to Help with meds posted by kitykatt:

Hi KittyKat,
Anti=thyroid drugs should be carefully monitored.
First your initial labs are looked at, and this determines if you need meds, and a dose is chosen based on your FT4 level. This dose is about right for reducing levels, and you'll see hperthryoidism resolve within about 6-8 weeks. At this time, your therapy is lowered and it's based on the FT4 result. You'd like FT4 to be around mid-range regardless of the TSH result.
On the right dose, you should have a good start on remission. Best, Elaine

» Elaine Moore - Internal Racing Feeling

In response to Internal Racing Feeling posted by nurseheatherone:

Hi Heather,
I think your initial symptoms were your mild, but then your doctor over-treated you and you were stuck swinging between hyper and hypo.

Most of your problems,including depression, are directly caused by RAI. b est, Elaine

» kitykatt - Help with meds

In response to Help with meds posted by daisyelaine:

Elaine, Thank you. I just made an appointment with another endo. I truly appreciate your gracious ,encouraging response.

-- posted by kitykatt