Recent results

[Blister4]

Hi, can anybody advise me on the thyroid results. Main symptom is serious hair loss, coming out in clumps.

Endo suggested hair loss was not thyroid related, if it was the free T4 would be lower??

Appreciate any support and advice.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Blister4

Do you have a diagnosis of hypothyroidism and on replacement hormone? Interpretation of your results depends on knowing that.

Your B12 is on the low side at 423ng/L (same as pg/ml). According to an extract from the book, "Could it be B12?" by Sally M. Pacholok:

"We believe that the 'normal' serum B12 threshold needs to be raised from 200 pg/ml to at least 450 pg/ml because deficiencies begin to appear in the cerebrospinal fluid below 550".

"For brain and nervous system health and prevention of disease in older adults, serum B12 levels should be maintained near or above 1000 pg/ml."

Did you have folate tested? B12 and folate work together.

A good B Complex will help raise your B12 and folate levels, eg Thorne Basic B or Igennus Super B which are good brands containing methylcobalamin and methylfolate (avoid cyanocobalamin and folic acid).

Your Vit D at 77nmol/L (30.8ng/ml) is on the low side. The Vit D Council recommends a level of 125nmol/L (50ng/ml) and the Vit D Society recommends a level of 100-150nmol/L (40-60ng/ml). If you wish to improve it then to reach the recommended level from your current level, based on the Vit D Council's suggestions you could supplement with 2,500iu D3 daily

vitamindcouncil.org/i-teste...

Retest after 3 months.

When you've reached the recommended level then you'll need a maintenance dose to keep it there, which may be 2000iu daily, maybe more or less, maybe less in summer than winter, it's trial and error so it's recommended to retest once or twice a year to keep within the recommended range. You can do this with a private fingerprick blood spot test with an NHS lab which offers this test to the general public:

vitamindtest.org.uk/

There are important cofactors needed when taking D3 as recommended by the Vit D Council -

vitamindcouncil.org/about-v...

D3 aids absorption of calcium from food and K2-MK7 directs the calcium to bones and teeth where it is needed and away from arteries and soft tissues where it can be deposited and cause problems such as hardening of the arteries, kidney stones, etc.

D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, D3 four hours away from thyroid meds if taking tablets/capsules/softgels, no necessity if using an oral spray

Magnesium helps D3 to work. We need Magnesium so that the body utilises D3, it's required to convert Vit D into it's active form. So it's important we ensure we take magnesium when supplementing with D3.

Magnesium comes in different forms, check to see which would suit you best and as it's calming it's best taken in the evening, four hours away from thyroid meds if taking tablets/capsules, no necessity if using topical forms of magnesium.

naturalnews.com/046401_magn...

thefamilythathealstogether....

drjockers.com/best-magnesiu...

Check out the other cofactors too (some of which can be obtained from food).

Don't start all supplements at the same time. Start with one, leave it 1-2 weeks and if no adverse reaction then add the second one. Continue like this. If you have any reaction then you will know what caused it.

Did you have ferritin tested? Low ferritin can cause hair loss.

There is an ! next to Full Blood Count so something is out of range but isn't showing in your picture.

Article about vitamins deficiencies and hair loss:

hubpages.com/health/16-Vita...

[Blister4 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Hi seaside susie ..great name.

They are my sons results he and I are both Hashimoto but neither of us currently medicated.

We are working on d levels with all the co factors too and the b12 levels,thanks for all the info.

Ferritin too is on the low side at 51.

The ! I think is referring to lymphocyte count it was 1.4 with a ref of 1.50-4.50.

Thankyou x

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Blister4]

Ferritin of 51 is low, I think for males the reference range is usually something like 30-400. I've read that for males a good level is 150 so he should aim to increase that.

He can help raise his level by eating liver regularly, maximum 200g per week due to it's high Vit A content, also liver pate, black pudding, and including lots of iron rich foods in your diet

apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/in...

If liver as a meal isn't acceptable then it can be cut small/minced and added to strong tasting meals like curry, chilli, bolognese, also cottage pie. There are also desiccated liver tablets but I've not tried them so don't know how effective they are.

Is the Hashi's being addressed by trying a gluten free diet and supplementing with selenium l-selenomethionine 200mcg daily?

Autoimmune disease can cause hairloss, this article mentions Hashi's

headcovers.com/resources/ha...

[Blister4 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Yes we saw a fantastic dermatologist and he suggested the ferritin needed to be on the upper range 250.

I had forgotten about the selenium! Another one to add in.

The dermatologist is happy to prescribe Levothyroxine on a trial basis with the gp monitoring bloods etc. I’m not sure how I feel about it. In

View of the fact that my lad is going off to university in September?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Blister4]

If he needs hormone replacement then he will have to get into the habit of being strict with himself and get into a routine and take it. It's not something that you can take as and when you remember.

[Blister4 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Yes that’s my worry him forgetting to take it!

Does the free T4 look okay in your opinion?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Blister4]

FT4 is low, approx 24% through range.

[DIYqueen in reply to Blister4]

I was in the habit of forgetting tablets. I now have a daily alarm on my phone which has helped a lot. In fact this has improved my ability to remember even before the alarm goes off.

[shaws Administrator]

It is common with hypo that our hair can be affected too:-

amymyersmd.com/2016/10/10-t...

I developed another autoimmune condition i.e. Alopecia Areata which means my hair falls out completely (six months of summer) and slowly grows back only to drop out again.

[Blister4 in reply to shaws]

Morning shaws thanks for your reply. I too was querying Alopecia but the dermatologist didn’t feel it was.

With the FT4 being on the low end would it warrant my son taking Levothyroxine? The dermatologist is happy-ish to prescribe.

It’s heart breaking watching him loose his hair at 18.

We are working hard on ensuring all co factors are optimal too.

[shaws Administrator in reply to Blister4]

I am not medically qualified but an increase in dose may be helpful. There's no guarantee. My hair has always started to fall about the end May every year and completely bald shortly thereafter - just perfect if you're going on holiday.

Due to one of my friends being diagnosed with a serious illness - got married and buried all within nine weeks I cannot complain.

I came upon a product called Thymuskin - very expensive and it comes as a shampoo and/or serum.

In June, when the tell-tale signs started I just bought the shampoo, use it very, very sparsley and add water gradually until I have lather and leave for some minutes before rinsing.

Usually I am completely bald by now but still have some hair - bald in patches but the first time, if I touch scalp I can feel stubble of new hairs coming through now. It is stated by the manufacturers that the cause of hair fall can be due to the 'old hair dropping and 'new hair' coming through. So time will tell

TSH110

[Blister4 in reply to shaws]

Stress definitely takes its toll on the body.

I do so hope the shampoo continues to help you 👍

[TSH110 in reply to shaws]

I have never heard of Alopecia Areata, I am so sorry you get that happening to your hair.

[shaws Administrator in reply to TSH110]

I have seen people, relatively young, who are completely bald. I didn't realise at that time that it was another autoimmune disease. Very distressing if you're very young. Wearing a wig in hot weather isn't recommended as you never feel cool.

If dermatologist is willing to prescribe I'd go for it.

[Maggiet in reply to shaws]

Me too! Autoimmune conditions hunt in packs and I have 3 (so far)!

[TSH110]

I have amended my response in light of the thread discussion but I still think you should try and retake the shot hiding the GP’s name, just fold the sheet over.

[Blister4]

Apologise hadn’t realised a Gp name was showing. Amended

[Canta]

Could your son be stressed about going to university/leaving home for the first time etc? Good luck, I'm sure this can be resolved.

[Blister4 in reply to Canta]

Thanks canta, he’s very laid back, and doesn’t appear stressed. The hair changes have been happening for over two years with loss in the last 7 months.

[Angel_of_the_North]

Do you have the rest of the iron panel? B12 is too low - needs to be at least 500. Is there a result for folate? Also it's now summer so you expect vit D to be around 125. Those all things that can cause hair loss (also unbalanced sex hormones)

Endo is not very clued up - your Free T4 is already low in range: FT4 21.99% of range when in most healthy people it would be greater than 50%, FT3 51.22% - relatively higher showing that your thyroid is struggling and madly producing T3 to keep you going. Many doctors seem to have failed maths (or forgotten what they learned at school)

[Blister4 in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Thanks for clarifying that the explanation really helped. I felt the T4 was low but the endo seamed clueless. She tried to tell me that Graves’ disease was hypothyroidism!

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Blister4]

Eeek! Run away! Might be secondary hypo if you are symptomatic, but very hard to get a diagnosis, but FT3 seems a bit high for that

[sfletch43]

You might try iron....I did and it made a difference. Thyroid is not the only cause of hair loss.

[pshah13]

I had severe hair loss and tried different things (I’m hypo). I then tried This Home made Hair treatment which totally changed everything.

I used to use oil this but found my hair and face became very oily so now don’t use oil anymore. Instead I’ve started using a home made mixture made from rice water (water that rice has been soaked in), aloe Vera gel and onion juice (juice from grated onion). Put in the hair and scalp and massage in. Leave in for a few minutes or overnight. My hair used to fall out in chunks and it’s stopped. The condition, thickness and body has improved so much within only 3-4 applications so now I use this religiously before every wash.

[Blister4 in reply to pshah13]

That’s fantastic, thankyou for sharing I hope it continues to help you. It’s worth a go

[HowNowWhatNow]

50 for ferritin is low-ish.

For me, when I have an iron deficiency it results in hair loss.

Does your son feel more tired than usual?

Take the iron pills / liquid (I get the strong ones the doctor even though they are harsh on the digestion) and take them at the same time as eating an orange or, in a rush, having OJ. And up your / his dietary intake. Good luck.

[Blister4 in reply to HowNowWhatNow]

Thanks for the support georgeor. My son doesn’t feel more tired than usual. I feel in his behaviour he is! A fab dermatologist told us to get the ferritin in the top range so he is taking good doses with plenty of OJ. Thankyou