Zinc & Hypothyroidism

[Beata_s]

I came across this interesting paper - any thoughts on the zinc and thyroid function ?

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Anybody here had better success with thyroid treaatment / symptom resumption with zinc supplementation ? Thank you

[greygoose]

Zinc got rid of my muscle aches almost over-night. Before taking zinc, I was taking 4+ ibuprofen a day for the pain. Don't take any, now.

[Beata_s in reply to greygoose]

Wow that’s amazing ! Have you noticed any improvement with hair or skin ? That’s what people normally associate with zinc

[greygoose in reply to Beata_s]

No, none at all. They both continued to be terrible. But hair is improving as I raise my ferritin level. Zinc will only improve hair and skin if it was low zinc that caused the problems. Obviously, it was iron that caused the problem with my hair. Skin I still don't know!

[Beata_s in reply to greygoose]

All the best I hope it keeps improving - there was interesting part in that article that best way to know if itsnzinc is to supplement and see if it helps ! 😁

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

Hi GG. Can you tell me the dose of zinc supplements ? Also the best brand and where I can order them? The weekly loading dose of Vit D (50,000 iu x 8 wks) and the weekly liver (since January) which has significantly raised my ferritin has helped my muscle and joint pain immensely within the last 4 weeks. But if I can do more I want to. Any info greatly appreciated. Have had constant aches and pains for years and been given various diagnoses of arthritis, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome. But my gut feeling has been telling me for quite a while that many of my sx are thyroid related. Finally have a new endo who is working with me. Will see him for the second time June 6th. Thanks, and Take care. irina

[ffranny in reply to Hidden]

H Irina, just to say I have the same terrible joint pain in hips mainly . knee and muscles in thighs, also pins and needles in my hands which is getting worse, even with B Vit tablets, although B12 does help.

I suspect its hormone related ie thyroid too

[Beata_s in reply to Hidden]

Irina - the article mentioned the amount of zinc this this patient was given , so that amount worked for her in a month .

Eating liver - which kind ? Beef pork or chicken ? Did eating liver raise ferritin better than supplement ?

Members here are recommending B12 and Folate ( B9 folic acid ) to be tested also and not sure about selenium but that is important for thyroid function - hope someone can help

[Hidden in reply to Beata_s]

Hi Beata. I did see the dosage in the article but sometimes members do well with a different dose. I can always start with the suggested dose. I eat beef liver. Once a week-8 oz religiously on Monday-with onions and mushrooms. I don't like liver & prior to January hadn't eaten it since tasting it at age 6. Last year I began to have mild restless leg symptoms and my sleep doctor ordered a ferritin level. It came back 62 (range 22-228). I learned from the rls forum pts do better with ferritin over 100 but for other reasons did not want to take iron unless absolutely necessary. When a repeat ferritin in early January came back 48 I started the weekly liver. My next ferritin in early April came back 102. So in 3 months of doing nothing else but eating the liver my ferritin doubled and my rls sx were significantly improved. Hopefully liver will continue to do the job. My plan is when my ferritin gets a little higher and my rls sx continue to lessen will cut the liver to every 2 weeks and so on. I figure down the road maybe my 'maintenance liver dose' will be once a month or so. I'm happy this is working-one less supplement. 😊 PS. Am taking B12 and methylfolate. Will see what repeat labs show in June.

[Beata_s in reply to Hidden]

Just go easy on beef liver - it has huge amounts of vit A 😊

[Hidden in reply to Beata_s]

Thanks. I know it has a lot of vit A and too much is not good, I read not to eat more than 8 oz/wk. So as soon as I see my level in June I'm hoping to cut back to every2 weeks or even 3-4 oz/week instead of 8. I'll be careful. The italics are because I pushed the wrong computer key!!!

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

I'm not sure I have a very good one, at the moment. Not as good as the first one I tried, but I can't remember what that was! lol But the dose is always 15 mg. I always buy my supplements on Amazon.

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

Thanks. That's where I'll start. I don't want to add too many supplements too fast. I buy most of everything I order online from amazon. (Mostly used books and dvd's.) 🐱

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

What would we do without Amazon?!?

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

I don't know. I love my own dvd's-esp movies. I've bought used dvd's for years and always had good luck. Also amazon is a safe place to shop. 🐱

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

Indeed it is. I love it!

[Raoudha in reply to greygoose]

Please how many per day? Tank U

[greygoose in reply to Raoudha]

15 mg a day.

[Judithdalston]

Had taken zinc and magnesium combined pill for ages, and then for some unknown reason ( probably someone else in household's order) just on magnesium. But in fact I read this article about a week ago and reinstated zinc as my hair was falling out ( not in bald patches but all over thinning)... hopefully will prove it worked but know from earlier personal experience ( septic shock caused hair reduction too) it can be 2-3 months before it's actually noticeable.

[shelbydaws10 in reply to Judithdalston]

Biotin, Saw Palmeto for hair loss and K2 for thyroid

[Beata_s in reply to Judithdalston]

It was interested as I was looking through hair supplements - strange enough most of them contain all these supplements like like vit Bs , iron zinc , selenium ; all of them necessary for thyroid function - I guess hair is a good indicator ; not just for thyroid function but over all health ?

I didn’t bother seeing doctor for my excessive falling out hair ( no visible thinne sour patches ) but very itchy scalp !! Tried shampoos - that’s helps a little but I guess that is like putting a bandaid on the problem rather than addressing the underlying cause ?

[Hidden]

I'm beginning to think the thyroid gland drives our health almost more than the heart. All the bodily function links to thyroid health makes me wonder how many people have died from thyroid disinterest and mismanagement. It makes me mad to realize the battles we have to take on just to get the care we need. Looking back I have had a slowly developing thyroid problem since my radiation in 1984. Sorry for the rant. Thanks for listening. Just having a 'down' evening. irina

[HLAB35 in reply to Hidden]

That is so true. I attribute the decline in health in middle age of so many people to doctors not grasping the significance of thyroid hormone. Having lowering levels means that the body is running in low gear which means that all the essential repair and maintenance is slowed down while the rate of damage exceeds that. Our bodies are like road full of pot holes.

[Hidden in reply to HLAB35]

I agree. How many times have any of us heard a doctor dismissively reply "Well, at your age, things start to slow down" when we have a symptom that may be hard to explain or they aren't able to pinpoint? This is one way we can be placated. If we persist there is something wrong and they don't want to deal with it (or us) we are referred to a different body system specialist. Either way a professional has washed his/her hands of our problem.

[KT77 in reply to Hidden]

Absolutely. Without thyroid we are just vegetables Thyroid is like a software quietly running the whole show. People whose thyroid is working like a clockwork have rarely any health problems. I have few friends like that. Their morning temp is lovely 37 degrees C (I tested them), they are effortlessly slim with no dieting, their blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels are textbook, plenty of energy, easy going...Mess up your thyroid and watch your health going down very fast and body falling apart. Now if only doctors had any clue about that...

[Beata_s in reply to KT77]

Exactly ! So well put ! But even if thyroid check were included in general health checks - it will take severlanligjtning years before doctors catch up on how to spot an inadequate thyroid function !

Medicine for very lazy - they just jump into putting bandaids in every problem without looking for underlying cause despite every text telling you that you must look for it first before any treatment !

But unless health professionals realise the difference between inadequate functions , excellent or bad one - there is no hope just yet.

They only start treating or doing something when sh*t hits the fan ! Some don’t even then

My 3 dogs just wanted iron deficient but vet said they won’t treat untill they have anemia ! 😡

[Hidden in reply to Beata_s]

That's very upsetting. It might be too expensive but I wonder if a little liver on a regular basis may help your doggies. I know many vets have chest pain when we mention giving our pets 'people food' but could this be lobbying by the pet food industry? I grew up with animals- mainly dogs. We fed them regular food- what we usually ate. There was no dog food.The first can of dog food we bought was called Kenl-Ration when I was about 8 or 10. I remember we opened and even tasted it. Ugh! but the dogs loved it. We still fed them mostly food we cooked for ourselves. As I recall our dogs lived a long time, didn't have nearly the number and type of illnesses they have today (labs with lipomas, etc). Maybe there is some research on how dogs can eat liver safely. Hope you stumble on something that makes them feel better. xx irina

[Beata_s in reply to Hidden]

Thank you 😊 and of course it’s all about the money at the vets - after all hey are taught nutrition by the food manufacturers !!!!

When I was growing up we only fed the dog out food and never had a sick day in her life ! Since dog food came out - dogs got sick ; but I am scared feeding home cocked or raw ( it’s easy to get it really wrong ) plus I have 80kg Great Dane and two other big dogs - plus expensive pet insurance so I have to be sensible with wherever I can !

Liver actually also contains good amount of selenium ! More than daily intake - so yes if my dogs selenium tests come back - they will be given liver for iron and selenium and also tuna ( very high in selenium too )

Supplements is always best to get from natural sources so want to do that long term - just now they need “synthetic “ supplements to boost their levels

I would have never suspected food problems / nutrition if I never came here - I can happily say these guys here saved my dogs’ lives - literally !!! ❤️😊

[Hidden in reply to Beata_s]

Very happy this forum can help the dogs too. Some of my favorite 'relatives' over the years have walked on 4 legs! Since moving to senior living this is the first time in my life I have not had a companion animal. They are allowed but discouraged. The 'big honcho' here doesn't like animals and doesn't even like residents who are walking from the elevator to the front door to take their dogs out to allow the dogs to walk across the carpet. He likes the residents to carry them. Most just walk fast. I guess he doesn't want his pretty carpets to get dirty. Good priorites, Huh!! The main reason I don't get a small pet is there is no one to trust to look after them when I make my occasional foray to the hospital. And I don't want to board them, Also, I worry what would happen if they outlive me. Not having a pet is one of the things that makes living here hard for me. But, life could be worse and there are many people world wide that have worse problems than me. 🐱 🐕 🐦

[Beata_s in reply to Hidden]

Awww I can’t imagine being without animals it must be so hard !

I would like to see the reaction if I was asked to carry my Great Dane across the carpet 😂

Shame you don’t live close to me - as I have a dream job : dog walking / boarding grooming ! Currently 8 dogs in my house ( 4 mine , 4 boarding for the weekend !) 😊 but I can’t ever find anyone to look after mine 😐

[Hidden in reply to Beata_s]

Ready to move! LOL 🐕. Fortunately there is a 40 pound weight limit here for pets but even that can be difficult with a walker or cane. The doggies can walk to the door but they have to hurry and put up with a frown from the 'boss'!

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

It seems unbelievable in this age of information that thyroid malfunction which clearly does affect so much of our wellbeing is so poorly treated, and it seems especially bad in the UK. They’re spending a fortune ranting about sugar and obesity and cancer links, when I’m sure so much NHS money and benefit claims could be saved helping thyroid sufferers to better health with correct care. This includes correct “bespoke “ medication and vitamin supplements, so many reports on here- me included, if improved health after self treatment!

I’ve said it before; if 80% plus thyroid patients were men rather than females, I think the research and treatments would get massively higher priority. Fatigue anxiety weight gain joint pains etc etc often put down to “time of life” or not coping well I even had undiagnosed ear disease slowly destroying my hearing bones and mastoid bone for 20 years, and was told by several consultants investigating my migraines it was “ just stress” 😡 I’d been losing my hearing since ear infections aged 11 but total lack of joined up thinking in Western medicine misses health issues time and time again. My condition was only discovered by private operation thanks to my ex’s work health plan, I could have died under NHS care they refused to operate as they “didn’t know the cause” but equally stated only an operation could discover it!!! 4 ops later ears “healthy” but I’m severely deaf in both and totally reliant on hearing aids. Sorry for the rant but it’s a reminder to anyone to take responsibility for your health and not to accept what so called experts say 😟 Wish the internet had been about 30 years ago I probably could have saved my hearing

[Beata_s in reply to Hidden]

So sorry to hear that ! Peoples stories like yours got me to order medichecks test and I will look at my health as I see doctors don’t really care - makes you think why they become doctors ???

[Hidden in reply to Beata_s]

I think most doctors start out with good intentions but some are mesmerized when they see how fast the money rolls in when they take certain stances which are in line with Big Pharma, prestigious positions and the like. There are many good doctors-I have some- but they are increasingly under pressure to produce and perform. An early example of doctors being financially forced to go along with the system is some years ago obstetrician/gynecologists gave up delivering babies as malpractice insurance for them went through the roof. In the US lobbying is a lucrative profession. The US is so lawsuit oriented that anyone who delivered a baby that wasn't 100% well had a lawyer waiting at the delivery room door ready to offer their services. Probably exaggerating a little but you get the picture. Now much of our care is driven by the 'defensive medicine' model. So we have to learn all we can and know when to refuse care as well as accept care we know is proper.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I agree about the internet. It is like having the world's library at our fingertips. And I know if any doc disparagingly mentions "Dr Google" he is not for me!

[Beata_s in reply to Hidden]

Glad you said that !!! I feel the same and been telling my friends that’s thyroid function should be addressed annually as a part of the health check ! If thyroid is functioning really well ( not just clinging to life ) then surely that has to be a good sign of health ? Especially for anyone who doesn’t have antibodies ?

One of my dogs recently had thyroid test - we were invertigating his lymphodema - turns out vit B complex did the job ! His thyroid function was really low ! Literally right on the border of minimum T4 - as I started investigation nutrition because hisnis now 4th dog on the same food who’s thyroid function came back inadequate - his THS was still normal and he does have antibodies but just over the limit —- so rather than quickly putting him on thyroid meds - I will try to sort out nutrition first and see if his thyroid function improves - he is iron deficient we know he has high TIBC , folate was low normal - and running further tests .

Dogs are now getting vit A , D, E, C plus iron , magnesium , zinc , biotin , and will add selenium ( in moderation ) .

I have just taken another dog of mine off the Levo - as he presented the same ( hair problems , dry skin , no hair growths , irritable , lazy and heat seeking !) he is also iron deficient !! Probably never needed Levo ! He didn’t have antibodies .

Will see if these two boys ‘ thyroid function improves now that we address underlying cause ( of it doesn’t work and everything is well in the range and they still have low circulating Thyroid hormones - then I guess will know for sure if it was thyroidnor no )

And I hope my one Hashi girl will finally stabilise with her Levo after 2 years of no success ! She was also ruin deficient ! And hair didn’t grow for a year after she was shaved for ultrasound

[Hidden in reply to Beata_s]

Yes we should have proper health MOT style checks, the current over 50 one is a start but routine blood tests should be included.

Never thought about dogs with thyroid issues but I know an elderly cat on thyroid hormones. However I’ve had dogs severely affected by food allergies so seen clear proof of how much what we eat can react with skin and hair, and in some (people or dogs) processed foods causing illness

[Beata_s in reply to Hidden]

Leading thyroid experts on canine health are calling it epidemic in respect to thyroid ! Just how much problems are caused food ?? It will become more and more apparent as human medicine is starting to focus on these Essential mincronuteients ! Finally 😊

It’s interesting that cats are almost always hyperthyroid and dogs always hypothyroid

[1963MaryJ in reply to Hidden]

Found this:

The best research has been conducted in Europe:

The HUNT study of 25,000 healthy Norwegians found that their prospects were substantially affected by thyroid function. Those with a TSH level of 1.5 to 2.4 were 41% more likely to die over the next 8 years than those with TSH below 1.5; those with TSH 2.5-3.4 were 69% more likely to die. [1]

An Italian study showed that pregnant women with TSH between 2.5 and 5.0 had a miscarriage rate 70% higher than women with TSH below 2.5. [2]

[Beata_s in reply to 1963MaryJ]

Eye opening isn’t it ?

[Hidden in reply to 1963MaryJ]

Wow. Thank you Mary. Will copy and add to my thyroid notebook I bring to my visits. (Pretty soon I'll probably need a rolling briefcase to carry it to my doc! LOL). Sounds like overworking our pituitary to make extra TSH is like running a car engine into the ground. No proper maintenance= shorter life span.

[fortunata in reply to Hidden]

💐💖

[madge1979]

Thank you Beata... I’m sure Zinc

Got my hair back to where I wanted it after severe Graves’ disease .. now in remission and still take it daily .. would stop !

It’s great to share to help others

Mx🌹

[ffranny in reply to madge1979]

Hi Madge, do you take any particular brand? I have holland and barratt zinc though to be honest I have so many vit and mineral pills I stop some of them for a while, zinc being one...

[Beata_s in reply to madge1979]

Would or wouldn’t stop the zinc you mean ? Is it ok take it all the time ? Won’t get too much ? I would love to have luscious think hair and nice skin ! Should have my medichecks results soon - it’s more exciting than Christmas but I’m prepared for bad news knowing now that I can fix it all I am constantly being refused help from doctors ( not that I go often ) because I smoke ! They just won’t help

[madge1979]

Wouldn’t

[NtombiSA]

Wow.....very enlightening and interesting article. Thanks so much! I did not know that Zinc might play such an important role in Hypothyroidism.

[Beata_s in reply to NtombiSA]

Neither did I ! 😊

[LAHs]

Very interesting article. For those of you who want to increase your intake of many of the minerals and metals mentioned here might I suggest:

Cashew nuts for Zinc and Iron (although I recommend red meat for iron)

Almonds for Copper

Brazil Nuts for Selenium and Magnesium.

My theory is that you will not overdose if you get these things from food, i.e. you will probably get sick of eating food which supplies the mineral on which you are already overloaded. You do not get that feedback (no pun intended) when you pop a pill. But, don't forget, whichever way you choose to supplement, make sure you are deficient first, i.e. get a blood test.

[Beata_s in reply to LAHs]

Any beat supplementation from natural sources ! My hashi dog had 4 stable months last summer - she was given salmon oil ! Never made a connection until now ( vit D in right balance with vit A ) - but it isn’t already easy ! Some things aren’t everybody’s taste ! . I just ordered the dogs a very expensive wild caught sockeye salmon oil ( it’s the best , for epa and dha also ) but gosh it’s tastes bad !!! Like eating raw fish ! And it smells raw !

Read an interesting study on vit D dietary intake of dogs ( cannot find it now !! ) and basically what they found out was that only dogs supplemented with salmon oil had sufficient levels ( same reference range as humans ) of vit D !! Regardless which diet they were fed - and fish oil did not improve heir vit D levels

I wish I could tolerate taking “ good “ salmon oil - but it does taste bad - and other research showed that vit D works the best wwhen taken with vit A ( and of course with fatty foods )

[Hidden in reply to Beata_s]

Please be very careful supplementing Vitamin D to dogs their metabolism is totally different from ours and vitamin D is highly toxic to dogs rodents etc but not humans in high doses. My large dog (27kg Standard Poodle) ate a pot of high dose Vitamin D and I had to rush him to the vets who induced vomiting and did 3 blood tests over as many days to ensure he hadn’t absorbed them. It draws calcium into the blood stream which damages or destroys the function of organs such as the liver and heart and internal bleeding, Rat poison is Vitamin D!!! Fortunately my dog had only just eaten my supplements and they were successfully vomited up, had he got them at bedtime and had time to digest them he’d have suffered irreversible organ damage at the least, there’s no antidote

[Beata_s in reply to Hidden]

Yes I came across the warnings - i only give them salmon oil 1-2 teaspoon ( 80kg Great Dane and Gordon setters ) 😊 studies I read it seems to be enough unlike people who need huge doses

[janisjlo123]

Yes I just started taking zinc 4 hours after my thyroid meds. I definitely feel the difference

[Beata_s in reply to janisjlo123]

So quickly ? That’s amazing - what dose please ? Which symptoms is it helping for you ?

[Poppy_the_cat]

Superb article/paper. Thank-you. From this paper and what other people have contributed in response, it just shows how multi, multi faceted this thyroid business is and the vital importance of NUTRITION!!!

I am 'heading', no joke intended, straight for the Zinc!

Many thanks.

I just love this forum!

Poppy the 🐈

[Beata_s in reply to Poppy_the_cat]

I started zinc for my dogs too ! Discovered iron problem in 3 - one is uncontrolled hashi that couldn’t convert , another one had low thyroid function due to nutritional deficiencies and third one just diagnosed as hashi - but will sort his nutrition out first and then see how his thyroid function looks !

I also got myself tested full bloods , vitamins and thyroid - and I have inadequate ferritin , vit D and total deficiency in folic acid !

My thyroid function is very good for now ( still gotta do antibodies ) - and I intent to look after it ! So zinc and good quality supplements added 😊