Slow progress getting TSH down

[Danielj1]

Well 2 years in I am down to 2.7 and I have to say I feel a lot better.

Now on 75 dose levo.

Very recent Blood test absolutely fine for B/zinc/copper/iron/ferritin/D so have done what I can in these departments.

The annual free blood test only covers TSH and total free T4 (very top of range) and I will continue to

Manage my diet carefully - I have finally started on daily celery juices that I had tried to start earlier this year. The medical

Medium book was very excited over celery juicing so I will have. A first chance to validate his guidance.

I am not specifically looking for further advice, just really a message of hope for those who do not find thyroxine an immediate silver bullet - I am also trying B1 and continuing with magnesium citrate.

I got to a point over the past month of being slightly fed up taking a large number of vit/min supplements and am thinking hard about how I can take these more naturally eg add carrots/mushrooms/ marmite/ginger/beetroot to the daily juicer mix for a more natural provision of supplements.

I have started taking 3 organic Brazil nuts a day in lieu of ACE/selenium combined pill.

Will report back in a month or two when I may be prepared to pay for a TPO antibody test.

[Dingoatemybaby]

Hi daniel

I’m glad to read your update. I came across your posts on supplementing before and was following.

Are you gluten free - interested to hear your thoughts on it for you.

Thanks

[Danielj1 in reply to Dingoatemybaby]

Not fully GF and my body is secretly “craving” kelp which is a total “No NO “I know. Nothing I have ever touched in the past 2 years has the incredibly positive effect on keeping a really clear head than kelp does.

I am toying with the somewhat “heretical “ idea that a combination of B1 and organic Brazil nuts will allow me to carry on with some limited GLuten and kelp.

I have also changed my views on coffee - it is abundantly clear to me that coffee takes a huge hit to magnesium and B vitamins - and I have proved to my satisfaction that I can drink plenty of coffee if strong B/Mag supplementation is in place.

But without these - forget it eg sleep /stomach and other issues.

Funny that there does seem to be answers to just about all of this - just very well hidden.

B1 in high doses has been shown to reduce TSH and dramatically improve stomach digestion and in my view allow some gluten without issues.

I am not really expecting anyone to agree with much if any of the above - but slowly things are getting there for me.

I posted on another thread today how black cumin seed oil had fully resolved long standing liver issues and I no longer need to take them.

If any of the above helps - I would be delighted.

[Dingoatemybaby in reply to Danielj1]

Fascinating!! I was following your story or black cumin seed - and coffee! Thanks for the update - great to hear what you are figuring out.

[hyp0thyr01d in reply to Danielj1]

I would be very interested to learn more about B1? I've been on 75mcg levo for the past 2 years and really working on my Vit and minerals, all liquid boo available, but with very little improvement so I'm thinking I need to look at changing something. I'm currently awaiting latest bloods and then plan to post asking for advice.

[Danielj1 in reply to hyp0thyr01d]

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

The immediate effect of taking B1 for me was on my digestion - it was similar to taking liver bile capsules ie you can feel far more stomach acid if you tend not to digest so well - having tried all the various “digestion aids” on planet earth:

Beef liver bile

Apple cider vinegar

Acidophilus

Special “digestion aids” capsules from HB that include a variety of stuff

I did not feel that comfortable with any of them and did not find value for money.

B1 seems a different approach and so far may prove to work more effectively than the others.

There is a specific research article on how larger B1 doses reduced TSH levels quite quickly - this is what initially drew me in.

[hyp0thyr01d in reply to Danielj1]

Thank you. Can you recommend anything specific? I eat a plant based diet so that is a consideration.

[AnneEvo in reply to Danielj1]

Good news about black cumin seed oil. Do you take it in capsule form or cook with it?

[Danielj1 in reply to AnneEvo]

Capsules - I started with standard dose and then moved to “strong” - there is a decent amount of research on the positive impact on the liver and so it was nice it delivered for me.

[AnneEvo in reply to Danielj1]

Apparantly Black cumin seed oil is actually from the plant Nigella Sativa (commonly known as Love in A Mist). That appears to be the case after all the searches I've done. I was ready to buy the oil, but as we have Nigella seeds in I'm going to start using them. No doubt the amount in the capsules is more potent. I use lots of seeds in my porridge; the small ones I crush/grind because as they're so small you don't really chew them properly. I always think small seeds with shiny shells won't be absorbed properly.

[Danielj1 in reply to AnneEvo]

I particularly chose a brand that had distilled the oil for high strength

You have to be very careful the first few days as the oil in this concentrated form changes your blood sugar mechanisms - so I felt a need for a mid morning banana for the first few days to adjust to the highs/lows - normally my blood sugar was very steady so this was a surprise.

[AnneEvo in reply to Danielj1]

It all sounds good.

Despite most people on here being really unwell when TSH is not supressed I felt fine even when my TSH had crept up to 9.65. (hypo only picked up a couple of years ago when doc did a health check when I was 70) The only symptoms I had were feeling cold, low basal temperature and slight brain fog and very, very occasionally feeling exhausted when I'd been out most of the day; all of which I'd had for 40 years. Initially when TSH was 8.6 doc didn't offer any meds and I didn't push for them after finding this forum as I didn't believe I needed them. The reason I started on levo was concern on my part that as TSH was still creeping up, eventually my thyroid may fail completely. TSH is down now but I'm feeling more tired than before levo but I have discovered that I'm vitamin D deficient and now supplementing.

So I'm really interested in what you say. I've just downloaded the free booklet by DR. IZABELLA WENTZ. Thanks for the link.

[Danielj1 in reply to AnneEvo]

I am spurred on by a son of 19 who is convinced all supplements are basically placebos and a mother of 96 who was very close to leaving this world in her early 60s before someone realised she was extreme hypo and needed 125 levo - she is so fit these days she has a daily exercise and strength regime.

So I am still shooting for the moon - running marathons and going for the most natural approach possible ...

[Danielj1 in reply to AnneEvo]

Anne

That’s very interesting and helpful. There are various dire warnings out there if you fail to cut TSh below a certain life - I suspect I have not been below one since my teens.

If this next phase of the dietary approach helps I would be delighted - but I am prepared to accept living within a range of 2-5 semi permanently if needs be.

I cannot get hold of T3 or have any desire to eat a thyroid supplement from an animal’s thyroid.

[AnneEvo in reply to Danielj1]

My last TSH result was 1.57 mIU/L (Range: 0.27 - 4.2) I'm not aiming to get it below that if I feel well - I do feel well, it's just the tiredness that's the problem. So if the vitamin D 'cures' the tiredness I'm happy to stay as I am. If it doesn't then I'll try to get an increase of levo from the doctor - I say try because each time I go now they say your levels are ok; I'm not pushing it as I say, unless I'm still tired when I've been on vitamin D for a year. I do get out when it's sunny now but I can't stand the heat too long, even in this country! 😏

It does seem odd that I was never unwell all the time my TSH was high - I've no idea what it was years ago as it was never picked up despite going to see a doctor at odd times - about being cold (told it was like having a faulty thermostat), feeling tired (told I was slightly anaemic, though the tiredness wasn't ongoing) I once had burning feet for a few months which I've read is a symptom and of course foggy brain - stopping at green traffic lights, haha, and not being able to think of specific words like 'cup.' But apart from feeling cold the other symptoms have been sporadic. And though I only had vitamin D tested in March, I've been feeling tired since starting on levo in January; I know that doesn't mean it wasn't the vitamin D deficiency but I must have been deficient for some time, long before January I would think.