| For those who are wondering why they have all the | | | | 'pregnancy thermometer' because you need to be |
| symptoms of hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone) | | | | able to actually read the small increments of |
| but always test in the 'normal' range, take heart-you | | | | temperature. The standard is the mercury |
| are not crazy and there may indeed be something not | | | | thermometer but you can also use a digital |
| quite right with your thyroid. First of all, the thyroid tests | | | | thermometer if you must but it is not recommended as |
| used by laboratories are notoriously inaccurate, being | | | | they can be very inaccurate. |
| 'off by three standard deviations' (pretty much useless | | | | Shake down the thermometer so the mercury is all |
| except in certain cases). | | | | the way down and place it safely on the bedside table |
| Adding to the confusion is the difference between T3 | | | | to use in the morning. The axillary temperature is the |
| and rT3 (Triiodothyronine and reverse Triiodothyronine). | | | | usual preferred place to take the temperature. Just be |
| T3 is the active form of thyroid hormone in the blood | | | | sure to place the tip of the thermometer right in the |
| and is converted from T4, which is produced in much | | | | middle of the armpit and hold the arm tight against the |
| larger amounts than T3. Synthetic T4 is what is | | | | body for 10 minutes. Most doctors will tell you to start |
| provided in pharmaceutical medicines, which works fine | | | | taking the temperature about three hours after you |
| as long as everything else in the pathway is working. | | | | wake up, and then twice more at three hour intervals. |
| The tricky part comes when T3 is no longer being | | | | The trick is to make sure the temperature is checked |
| converted from T4, instead being converted into rT3 | | | | at the same time and during the same levels of |
| (reverse triiodothyronine). Think of it like this: reverse | | | | activity every day, for one week. Some of us like to |
| forms of the natural substances that we need are | | | | have the early morning temperature recorded and |
| chemical mirror images. They are exactly flipped and | | | | averaged in also. |
| don't work the same way. Because the chemical 'lock' | | | | Take at least three temperature readings daily and |
| is oriented either right or left and the reversed form is | | | | average them together, recording that average, for |
| oriented in the opposite direction, the reversed 'key' just | | | | one week. Normal temperatures are low in the |
| doesn't fit. | | | | morning and highest in the late afternoon. There are |
| For instance, our bodies use D-glucose (dextrose) with | | | | plenty of references to the Broda Barnes method of |
| is a right-rotatory molecule. L-glucose-a left-rotatory | | | | thyroid evaluation, where it is suggested that below |
| molecule--cannot be metabolized. It can taste the | | | | normal is 97.8 degrees Fahrenheit. Dr. Denis Wilson |
| same, look the same, often have the same properties | | | | (Wilson's Temperature Syndrome) suggests that 97.8 |
| (dissolving in water the same, burning the same, etc) | | | | degrees is too low for proper metabolic functioning |
| but it still is not D-glucose. So since the tissues of the | | | | and that 98.6 or higher is preferable (which has been |
| body need T3, and rT3 won't fit the lock, the | | | | the case for my own patients). |
| symptoms of hypothyroidism occur. | | | | If people were running higher temperatures during the |
| The symptoms of hypothyroidism have been treated | | | | teenage years, that might be one indication that a |
| by many physicians as indicative of hypothyroidism | | | | higher than 'normal' temperature would be desirable. If |
| despite 'normal' lab tests. Those symptoms include the | | | | someone ran 99.6 during healthy teenage and young |
| following: | | | | adult years, and then dropped to 97.8 in middle age, |
| Fatigue | | | | that could be an indication that driving the temperature |
| Dry skin/hair/eyes | | | | back up into the 98.9 to 99.6 range might be better-for |
| Constipation | | | | that person. |
| Weight gain | | | | Of course, each person is different and needs to |
| Hair loss (head and outer part of eyebrows) | | | | watch out for heart palpitations and anxiety (good |
| Cold intolerance | | | | indicators of too much thyroid). |
| Hormonal problems (men and women) | | | | Once the week-long temperature evaluation is done |
| Most of the time physicians just order a TSH (Thyroid | | | | and found to be below normal, one can approach a |
| Stimulating Hormone) test, which does pick up blatant | | | | naturopathic or holistic doctor to determine the next |
| changes like the true hypothyroid state of not | | | | step. Or, one could try iodine supplementation, which |
| producing enough (which causes an elevation in the | | | | might take care of the problem all by itself. In any case, |
| TSH levels) or the hyperthyroid state of extremely low | | | | avoid things that load the system up with bromide, |
| (producing too much, which causes a drop in the TSH | | | | fluoride and chloride. Since too many people are way |
| levels). The others-more than 80%--of us that are | | | | shy of having anything approaching the required dose |
| producing rT3 get told there is nothing wrong with us, | | | | of iodine in the diet, adding some supplementation via |
| it's all in our heads, and the lab tests are normal. For | | | | shellfish, kelp and other sea vegetables could make a |
| more on what to do about that, see the other articles | | | | huge difference. For those who hate the very thought |
| in this series. | | | | of tasting iodine-which is admittedly pretty nasty-there |
| To perform the 'poor man's thyroid test' is easy. First | | | | are pill forms that can help. |
| get a thermometer that is easy to read-not a fever | | | | © 2010 Dr. |
| thermometer. You want a 'basal body thermometer' or | | | | |