DOES ANYONE ON THIS WEBSITE BOTH SMOKE AND DRINK ALCOHOL?

[Thyb]

I DO and haven't noticed negative effects from doing so. Obviously not good but then I 'realise' nobody has mentioned this before 'to my knowledge'??

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Thyb

You had a lot of answers to this question when you posted it previously here:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[Thyb in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks for link Susie....I had forgot about it@!

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Currently sat drinking a (gluten free) beer ....so yes to alcohol...

[posthinking01]

Hi I was a heavy smoker 40 a day - but took vitamins to counteract the damage to skin etc. hence my skin doesn't look like a piece of leather - but I don't drink - now 70 but at 22 couldn't tolerate even the smallest bit of alcohol - didn't get diagnosed till 51 so obviously thyroid issues were lurking in my 20's - smoking stimulates the adrenal glands - so it actually helped me but I gave up just like that on Millennium night 2000 never had another cigarette.

[Thyb in reply to posthinking01]

Brilliant that you quit smoking on Millenium night 2000...I've heard of others 'just quitting cold Turkey'-must have a Strong Constitution - Well done You.....I've tried nicorette patches, vaping etc so obviously not enough Willpower.

.I was diagnosed Hypothyroid aged 56, more recently Hashi's.

I never used to take any form of vitamins/minerals etc until I joined this Site....

For some 'unknown reason' my 'bad habits' haven't affected my skin...Strange but true....

[posthinking01 in reply to Thyb]

Hi there - I went to a Stop Smoking Class that my GP sent me to in the 1980's - and was the only one in the class who didn't stop - I don't like being told what to do and when, it would appear - but I learned a lot about the drug nicotine and that the urge to have a cigarette only lasts a few seconds and if you can get past that few seconds each time - the length of time between urges gets longer and longer - I always thought you would be screaming for a cigarette all day throughout the day but that isn't the case. It didn't help I worked for a cigarette company in the 80's - they didn't make me smoke I just helped to keep their profits up. I was also asked by my GP to try patches as a volunteer for research - they didn't work for me - but I reported back to my GP that I was getting dreadful nightmares when on them - he didn't take me seriously and I had to smile when looking at the side effects of these patches where is says - can cause vivid dreams - wouldn't listen to me but obviously listened to others. It is obvious they would cause activity in the brain etc. - nicotine is a stimulant. To give up smoking I found if I spoke a 'hook' - "at midnight tonight I will no longer have or want a cigarette" - it helped that's how I did it on Millennium night - at midnight tonight etc.

[endomad in reply to Thyb]

My husband was a 40 Marlboro a day man, he went to the 'alan Carr easy way to stop smoking' course, half a day, never smoked since. Weird, he was a committed smoker and only went to please me and money back guarantee, he had his fags an lighter in the car ready to drive home, he always smoked driving but he didn't light up. Apparently they have an 80% success rate.

My sister gave up and it made her miserable, she still resents giving up smoking, I don't know why she doesn't just smoke again, life's too short to miss something that badly.

I don't smoke, the evidence says smoking is bad for you but so is breathing in exhaust fumes, there are so many carcinogenic particles in the air, plastics, drinking water, cleaning products etc that you can't avoid it, pollution is everywhere.

[Lora7again]

I have never smoked but I do drink wine my favorite is pinot grigio blush. I don't drink any spirits now because I am getting older and so is my liver. Just to add I can tell if women smoke because they do seem to get lines around their mouths as they age. My step mother was a heavy smoker and has very good skin except for the lines around her mouth.

[Thyb in reply to Lora7again]

I understand totally as most smokers have far more lines than most and as you say around lines around the mouth....but, strangely I don't....

I also like a wine Spritzer (with water not soda) and Coors light ♡

[Lora7again in reply to Thyb]

You are lucky, just to add my Dad who is 78 smoked from the age of 14 and now has COPD because of it and now regrets smoking. He tried for years to give up but was given no choice when he had a heart attack at 60. Also 2 of my relatives both died from lung cancer so that is one of the reasons I have never smoked.

[TiggyN]

I’m 55 and I realised about 4 years ago that I have hypo/hashi’s and serious adrenal fatigue via my own private testing. Looking back, I’ve probably had it since childhood - that would explain a lot. I’ve never been properly diagnosed or treated due to the incredible arrogance and misguidedness of the medical professionals I’ve consulted. I do the best I can with nutrition, supplements and the Iodine Protocol. I used to drink a fair bit but now only have alcohol on very rare occasions, as it affects my sleep and crippling level of fatigue too badly. I did give up smoking in 2012 after a car crash that left me with multiple injuries, but I started smoking again in 2015. If anything, I feel slightly better when I smoke, and slightly worse when I don’t. My skin is almost supernaturally wrinkle-free for a woman of my age - there’s no good explanation for that, unless I’ve got lucky genes (?) I never get colds or smoker’s coughs and almost wish I did - maybe it would discourage me from carrying on. I’ll probably drop dead of lung cancer at some point, but at the moment I enjoy my cigarettes too much to give them up. Life is really bloody hard with this disease and I refuse to sacrifice all my pleasures.

[Thyb in reply to TiggyN]

Totally agree....I felt Physically much better Before taking levothyroxine 9 years ago.

Emotionally - No but that was for 'obvious reasons' when we lost our eldest Son in 2010 -(A Fireman - tragic accident)- possibly that lousy experience triggered thyroid..will never know

[endomad in reply to Thyb]

I am so sorry about your son, I believe that sadness and stress are key players in illness, it triggers so many hormonal responses. Nothing happens in isolation, everything needs to be in balance, not easy in modern life xxx

[TiggyN]

Oh how dreadful - my heartfelt condolences to you xxx

I agree that the root causes of a condition like this can be traced back to the hammer blow of bereavement, and massive on-going stress. My Dad was killed in a plane crash when I was just 18, and my youngest brother died of cancer in 2016. Our adrenals and thyroid are in delicate balance, and once one system is thrown out of whack, a daisy-chain of auto-immune illnesses can result, over time. I do know that levothyroxine never works on its own - doctors and endocrinologists sweepingly deny that, and stick stubbornly to their “pathway” in spite of a mountain of evidence to the contrary. The most helpful books I’ve read have been “Stop The Thyroid Madness“ and “Hashimotos: Taming The Beast” both by Janie Bowthorpe, and “Iodine: Why you need it, why you can’t live without it” by Dr David Brownstein. Nobody really talks about smoking any more, it’s just not “done” and it’s automatically assumed that if we’re stupid enough to do it, we deserve everything we get - but my feeling is that human bodies respond in strictly individual ways to all sorts of things. You can have a fit, heart-healthy and contented person who happens to be obese, and a skinny person who “looks fine” yet feels like death and fights to get up in the morning.

[Thyb in reply to TiggyN]

Very well put TiggyN and my heartfelt condolences to you xxxx

I have NEVER felt well on levothyroxine. In fact I felt better before taking it!

[TiggyN in reply to Thyb]

Levo does not work on its own - it keeps people sick. GP’s in Europe, USA & Australia generally refuse to properly test adrenals, thyroid, iron levels, antibodies etc, etc - all the markers which can have far-reaching effects on our health. They are led by the nose based on TSH, which fluctuates constantly and isn’t even a thyroid hormone, it’s a pituitary marker. They are not great at interpreting proper labs even when presented with them. Most GPs have never even heard of Reverse T3, and mine told me “there’s no such thing as a root cause” and tried to insist I had Graves Disease... I made her google it in the end, and she spluttered and went red in the face but STILL wouldn’t back down. I won’t entrust my health (such as it now is) to people who know less about my condition than I do. I’ll carry on enjoying my roll-ups and researching my condition, and I’ll apply what makes sense. To be fair, even patients who manage to get prescriptions for a combination of T3 & T4 often struggle and don’t feel any better. Getting to the bottom of hypo/hashis is extremely complex and takes patience and resources which are no longer available on the NHS.

I wish you well Thyb - do what feels right for you.

[Thyb in reply to TiggyN]

I have asked Endo for T3 NDT But he 'reckons' it will make me feel ill so he will only give me extra levo.

...Just because both GP and Endo say levels of ft3 and ft4 are 'in range, so not...ft4 hovers between 12-13 and ft3 hovers between 3-3.5 max. TSH Is usually 4-5!!

[Thyb in reply to TiggyN]

I live in UK X

[Thyb in reply to TiggyN]

How does levo keep people 'sick' on its own? Just wondered.

On occassion I have just stopped taking levo altogether for between 3-6 weeks and after 1-2 weeks have slowly started to feel better....BUT, my Sister has taken levo for 25 years (myself 9 years) and she tells me ALL MY MAIN ORGANS WILL PACK UP IF I DON'T KEEP TAKING IT!! SCARY!

With hindisght, I wouldn't have taken it IF I'd had any knowledge about it..at the time (knowing what I know now I would have asked for 3Monthly check ups and ask for ft4, ft3, adrenals etc etc . I remember in 2018 my VitD was 40!!!

.I didn't even know where thyroid was or the function of it 9 years ago I had far too much on my mind (e.g. what I mentioned earlier (Son), also house was up for sale and lots more. I never spoke to my Sister about it for years (she lives 100's miles away).

I do remember my hair and skin never used to be dry like they are now and I never used to feel so exhausted like I do now...makes me wonder....

Although, from what I do know now after years on levo I would hazard a guess that my thyroid won't be able to function on it's own as no doubt levo has practically if not totally destroyed my thyroid....arrrrgh

[TiggyN in reply to Thyb]

Your organs will not all shut down if you come off Levo, but if it was my decision, I’d gradually change you from a T4 dominant situation to one of T3 dominance. That’s because I would suspect that the extreme trauma of losing your son triggered a high Reverse T3, which would only have become worse when Dr Clueless just went on giving you more and more T4. That’s like trying to put a fire out by throwing petrol on it.

If your body is unable to efficiently convert inactive T4 to active T3 (which it does mainly in the liver and gut, so if your liver is congested or you have gut issues, that might affect your ability to convert effectively, just as an example), then *no amount* of Levo is ever going to make you feel better. Only worse and worse, as your body tries to lower the excess T4 floating around uselessly in your bloodstream by converting it into more Reverse T3. It’s a bad situation made worse by Dr Clueless.

[Thyb in reply to TiggyN]

Thank you for brilliant information...can I buy T3 from Amazon or if not where....I'm a newby here...yes Tsh hovers around 4-5 ft3 around 3-3.4/5. Ft4 around 12-13 from Blue Horizon/Monitor My Health/Medichecks etc...Gp etc won't do ft3 they say 'TSH' is what they go by....idiots!!

[TiggyN in reply to Thyb]

They don’t intend harm but they cause needless misery to millions through their ignorance. Unfortunately T3 is not particularly easy to get, but it can be bought online - some people get it from Germany where it’s called Thybon, but you need a prescription and if your GP won’t work with you (they generally don’t) that’s not possible. If you can get to Turkey, you can buy TiROMEL over the counter at any pharmacy. I’ve heard that people buy it from Thailand - maybe you could put a message on here asking people to private message you with their sources. I believe it’s acceptable if the information is given privately. So irritating having to go about it in this cloak and dagger way. I can highly recommend joining a facebook group called Adrenal Fatigue and Thyroid Care. Their files are incredible, an encyclopaedic store of helpful information. There will be many members in that group buying T3 privately, and they will be able to advise you - they’re a friendly and helpful community.

[Thyb]

I live in UK X

[Sugarplumb61]

Well I dont do either, as I found drinking just made me feel unwell. And Ive never been a smoker either