Your Vit D is much improved, you might want to aim for the level recommended by the Vit D Council - 125nmol/L - and the Vit D Society - 100-150nmol/L - for it to be optimal.
Do you take D3's important cofactors - magnesium and Vit K2-MK7?
Your ferritin is improving but a long way from what's recommended - half way through it's range.
Folate has dropped considerably - any idea why? Were you supplementing before and stopped? Changed brand of supplement?
B12 has also dropped considerably and could be higher. If it's pg/ml or ng/L then it's recommended to be at least 550, preferably nearer 900. A good bioavailable B Complex will help there. Again, have you stopped supplementing?
The aim of a treated Hypo patient on Levo, generally, is for TSH to be 1 or below with FT4 and FT3 in the upper part of their reference ranges, if that is where you feel well. You could do with an increase in your Levo.
Many thanks for your reply, I was taking a high strength Vit B complex but stopped a few months ago, I can't remember why I stopped but I can start again. I also take a Zinc supplement, I'm taking that to try and improve my hair growth as I've lost a lot of hair.As you know I already take Vit D 3 for the over 50s I don't take any other supplements do you think I should.
I just tried the calculator but it's not in English. I am at the docs on Wednesday so I'll see if he will increase my Levo.
I just tried the calculator but it's not in English.
It's not hard to work out what to do. The boxes by FT4 and FT3 are for the results. The other two boxes are for the bottom and top limit of the reference ranges.
Click to blue box to calculate.
As you know I already take Vit D 3 for the over 50s
No I didn't know that, I've looked back at your previous posts/replies and can't see anywhere where you've mentioned what you're taking. I didn't know there was a D3 supplement specificially for the over 50s. What exactly are you taking (brand and dose) and are you taking the important cofactors magnesium and Vit K2-MK7?
Once we have raised out nutrient levels, it's a case of maintaining them. Stopping supplements will just mean they will eventually plummet again, we need to find a maintenance dose to keep our levels optimal.
Hair loss can be due to low ferritin.
The supplements you need are a good bioavailable B Complex (eg Thorne Basic B or Igennus Super B), D3, magnesium and Vit K2-MK7 as D3's cofactors if not already taking them. To raise ferritin you could eat iron rich foods such as liver, pate, black pudding, etc.
The Vit D tabs. are from a company called Healthspan, I have used this company for years as a doctor actually recommended them to me years ago, I take 1 tablet 50ug a day, this company also sell Vit K2-MK7 and magnesium, I will order some today, should I continue with the Zinc or is it all too much ?
The Vit D tabs. are from a company called Healthspan, I have used this company for years as a doctor actually recommended them to me years ago, I take 1 tablet 50ug a day
If you're taking the 50 Plus version then hopefully they're capsules containing olive oil as they state on their website. Tablets and capsules without the added oil have poor absorbancy.
There's nothing special about them and they're not specifically for the over 50s. The actual dose is not geared to the over 50s either. We need what we need dose-wise based on our level of Vit D when tested.
However, they are expensive. You can get an excellent quality D3 softgel containing just D3 and extra virgin olive oil for £7.95 for 180 of the same strength as yours here:
Those are the ones I've used for years, that company too.
Magnesium is needed as the body requires magnesium to convert D3 into it's usable form.
Not sure which of their magnesium supplements that you are looking at, but there are many forms of magnesium and we need to take the one that suits our needs. Looking at 3 of the Healthspan ones they contain Magnesium Oxide, this is a poorly absorbed form of magnesium and is generally used for it's laxative properties.
Best to check out the different forms of magnesium here and choose what is most suitable for you:
Vit K2-MK7 is needed because taking D3 aids absorption of calcium from food, and Vit 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 D3 as tablets/capsules/softgels (no necessity if using an oral spray).
The recommended amount of K2-MK7 is 90-100mcg for up to 10,000iu D3. The best form of K2-MK7 is the All-Trans form rather than the Cis form. The All-Trans form is the bioactive form, the Cis form is inactivie. A bit like methylfolate is the bioactive form of folic acid.
There's lots of information available but mainly seems to be on sites selling supplements so I wont link to them, but the message is:
"Since trans-isomer MK-7 are more readily used by our body, they are considered more bioactive. Many K2 ingredients have a mixture of cis and trans isomers, depending on how well they are produced. You’ll want to look for K2 supplements with a high percentage of trans-isomer MK-7, ideally 100%."
The Cis form is cheaper and is what many K2-MK7 supplements use but they don't tell you this.
The All-Trans form can be available as liquid drops, eg Vitabay Organics, or capsule, eg VegaVero. I have used both, they are available from Amazon and maybe other places.
I can't comment on zinc. It really should be tested and it's recommended to be half way through it's range, but it also should be balanced with copper so testing copper should also be done. Some zinc supplements have copper included, some don't.
All I would add is that Ferritin needs to be over 80 for hair growth. Your hair will grow back once your levels are right for you and your Ferritin is higher. I have always had very thick hair and when mine started to drop out 12 years ago it was devastating because it was my only good feature. I have had two lots of extreme hair loss and each time it has grown back but not as thick as it once was. To help me cope with my hair loss I went to Lucinda Ellery and had hair extensions which was very expensive but there are other hairdressers that do this and it is much cheaper. My hair has now been growing back for about 8 months after I was shedding hair for about 2 years and I actually thought I was going to go bald at one point. It is bad enough feeling so ill but when you actually look ill as well it does knock your confidence. Someone actually asked me if I had cancer because I had such thin hair. I told them no just thyroid disease and they said that is good then you aren't going to die. I nearly said I feel like I am dying even though I am not....😢
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